Last week I wandered into Ulta looking for a new foundation. I immediately went over to the Urban Decay section to pick up my favorite foundation: the Urban Decay Naked Face, but much to my disappoint it was sold out. Again. I had been in there a couple of other times trying to pick up some more but apparently getting ahold of this stuff at my local Ulta is not an easy task. I would’ve checked Sephora if the closest Sephora wasn’t 30 minutes away. I asked one of the workers when the next shipment was going to arrive, but she told me it’s possible it might not even arrive at all because they basically just put whatever they get sent on the shelves, without any input. However, she did offer to match me for a different foundation to try and I was in desperate need so I agreed.
I ended up buying the Smashbox Studio Skin 15 Hour Wear Hydrating Foundation in the shade 1.1 (the lightest one) for $42.00. It is a bit on the pricier side so I left with high expectations and a little bit of worry that I spent money on something that I was going to hate and never use again. A week later though, I am pleasantly surprised.
First I would like to mention my absolute favorite thing about this foundation. It dries completely matte. I’ve tried many foundations in the past claiming to dry matte but usually dry a little bit shiny or feel sticky leaving me to have to fully set it with powder. With this Smashbox foundation I don’t even need to set it with a powder because it dries matte and stays matte for the whole day. Even though it does dry matte, It does not leave my skin feeling dry or stiff in the slightest.
The lady at Ulta told me this foundation is medium to full-coverage, but I would say it is more on the side of full coverage. My skin can be kind of red under my eyes and on the bridge of my nose, but this foundation covers it entirely. I also like that a little bit of this product goes along way. I don’t find myself having to keeping adding more to build up the coverage that I want. I usually don’t buy full coverage foundations because sometimes they feel heavy or just too much for everyday wear, but I’d have to say I have not experienced that with this foundation. It feels pretty natural on the skin, of course not as light as say a BB cream, but for being medium-full coverage it looks natural enough to wear everyday. Also, it stays on from the time I apply it until the time I take it off. I don’t know if that’s because it’s truly 15 wear, or because I also use a primer.
The one concern I have about this foundation is that it is quite thick. Which is to me expected with a full coverage foundation, however it’s a little bit hard to blend out. I like to apply my makeup with a beauty blender which works best with products that are runnier. It’s not impossible to apply though, it just takes a little bit longer.
Overall, my first impression of this product has exceeded my expectations. I will most likely continue to buy it because the coverage is great while still feeling natural and staying matte.
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