Perfect Complexion: Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24H Foundation

If you were ever in the market for a natural finishing liquid foundation that has adequate coverage you'd know how hard that can be. Previously my go-to work foundation that doesn’t make me look too made-up was the Bobbi-Brown Long Lasting Natural Finish foundation but I found its coverage to be a bit lacking, especially when I have breakouts or severe dark circles to cover up.

So I’m pleased I have found a replacement in a couple of products recently – one a Blemish Balm (or BB) cream and another, a foundation. Today we're going to take a look at the foundation.

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24H Foundation SPF15

 

This is quite a thick liquid foundation with a medium buildable to full coverage. It has a semi matte/natural finish  which means it isn’t too flat against the skin, nor is it too shiny or dewy which can make you look like a oil-slick in hot humid weather.

It evened out skintone effortlessly and because of the excellent coverage, it also does an amazing job of  helping to reduce the appearance of pore size (I wouldn’t call it pore minimising though), and doesn’t seem to accentuate any bad skin texture. The result is a very even, smooth and radiant complexion after blending the product into skin. 

In terms of staying power, this foundation goes the distance. At the end of a long 10 or 12 hour Melbourne summer day (35+ degrees last week) in the office, my base makeup is still 60% intact and although no longer fresh looking, still manages to keep me looking presentable without too much shine and keep my face well hydrated (it does get shinier as the day wears on though). I have not tested it against the 24 hours claim but believe that for use during my waking hours, it has performed extremely well. 

I tried out two shades to find a match - shade #3.0 Beige Diaphane  (a light medium with yellow undertones - perfect for my winter shade)  and shade #3.5 Beige Dore (a light medium with neutral undertones and was almost a perfect match to my darker summer skintone). You can see in the below photo when blended out, both shades are very good matches but the amazing thing is how well it evened out the skin on my arm to give me flawless skin with a hint of radiance.

NC30 skin, indoor white light, no flash - look how even my skin looks in the before and after blending shot!

If you want to have to try and find your own matching shade, you can give their Facebook complexion finder a go but nothing beats a quick in-store colour match. 

The other good thing about Teint Idole Ultra is that it photographs very well and doesn't give off a white cast even though it is SPF 15.  

Teint Idole Ultra 24 hours is recommended for people with oily, combination skin but I think it would suit all skin types except very dry skin (because it will accentuate dry patches). 

Overall I’m very happy with the coverage, finish and staying power of this foundation. My only nit-pick about this foundation is that it has strong synthetic floral scent upon application. I’ve become accustomed to the scent now after a week of daily use but it does takes some time for the scent to disappear and I can imagine those who are irritated by scent to avoid the foundation because of this very reason. 

If you want lasting power with a natural radiant finish, then this could just be the foundation for you. 

What is your current favourite foundation?

30ml RRP A$68 in 12 shades at Lancome counters Myer, David Jones stores and selected pharmacies.  
This featured product was provided for consideration.