For the longest time, I was a strong believer in keeping my skin as bare and as natural as I possibly could. I wasn’t into makeup that much growing up, and I hated the layered feeling that liquid foundations gave me during my early teen years…
Until I started to actually explore makeup more during my varsity days. Little did I know that I would do a complete 180, and find myself enjoying liquid foundations a little more that I thought I should. So, it’s surprising that I’m exploring foundations yet again post-varsity. You’d think I had acquired enough knowledge to know the ins and outs of foundation, but I have actually never experimented with anything other than liquid foundations and BB creams. With that in mind, I finally decided to give the Avon True Cream to Powder foundation a try, and, well, some solid impressions were made.
Notice the little water droplets in the first image above? That’s just condensation; nothing to actually worry about but it’s best to store this better than I did (preferably away from direct sunlight). You’ll also see that the colour I’m applying doesn’t exactly match my skintone, but wait until you see the pictures…
This compact, ultramatte and full coverage powder power packs a punch when it comes to the full coverage aspect. I used a flat-ended foundation for application, and was impressed with what one swipe could do. While it was nice to receive a sponge with this foundation, I found it unhelpful in with blending this formula out, so I opted for a brush instead (honourable mention to the fact that this product comes with a mirror – thank you Avon!)
This is a foundation that has build-able coverage, though. In the unedited images you’re seeing in this post, my freckles still come through after one application. Whilst this foundation is described as being ‘ultramatte’, I found this to still gives me a little glow; it was mainly more matte around the perimeters of my face.
Now, see how this foundation gives me flawless and healthy-looking finish but has also given me a very warm (almost more orange) undertone to it? This could be due to the foundation having the potential to oxidise (basically turn a couple of shades darker or more orange). Again, it’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean that you need to be cautious of the shade you buy (a bummer about Avon is that there is no physical stand alone store for you to go see these shades for yourself). For some reference, I am applying this foundation in the shade ‘Spiced Almond’.
At present, the foundation is priced at R139.90 for 9g; not bad considering that I usually pay around the region of R250+ for a liquid foundation. But then it comes down to how long this lasts. The Avon True Cream to Powder foundation really can last you a good amount of the day (provided you set with other loose powders and apply setting sprays. Otherwise, you can become more oily than usual instead of mattified, as this product claimed).
Overall, I rate this foundation a 7.5/10, reason being:
• It gives me great coverage, with the ease of being able to build it up.
• It’s compact, easy to travel with or pack, and comes with a mirror – brownie points for this!
• It’s affordable for what it can give you in terms of how long it lasts.
• It’s not really ‘ultramatte’ like it said. I found this to give me a really healthy glow instead of porcelain and super smooth skin.
• The oxidising element of this foundation can make it tricky to find your correct shade, especially since you won’t exactly be able to go to a store to see them for yourself (at least, that’s the case in South Africa).
As I keep exploring more foundations, I hope this will expand my knowledge of this staple makeup product. I’m no guru, but I’d love to know your suggestions for which foundations I should try next. If anything, I’d love for my blog to be a good source of honest reviews and genuine insights into the things that you and I love!
Khalipha Ntloko 