Review: La Prairie Skin Caviar Foundation
I've known about this product's existence for a while now because I like trying out luxury makeup products and I'm curious if they really are worth the price. Most luxury foundations, however, are ridiculously priced and one of the prominent reasons why is because they are formulated with a lot of anti-aging and advanced skincare benefits that I don't need that badly. Because of this, most of the time I just skip trying them out altogether. What piqued my interest on this product is when Tati featured this on her WTF Luxury Makeup Review Series. She raved about this product so much and her skin looked so fabulous on her check-ins that I wanted to try it despite its hefty price tag.
About
So to start of, let's address the big issue about this product: the price tag. It is sold for $220.00 for 1.0oz of foundation, a matching concealer, a foundation sponge and a concealer brush. In the website they described this as a full-coverage foundation that is natural-looking with SPF 15 and has a dewy finish. It is also infused with La Prairie's caviar extract which gives lifting and firming benefits; I think this bit right here is what makes the product so expensive. Now, let's make something clear, I do not really need those skincare benefits, but there's nothing wrong with getting to enjoy the benefits either. I do think that for me to see significant results, I'll have to wear this foundation consistently, which at this price point makes me want to not do that because I want to save every last bit of it, lol! So there's that issue I'm already faced with.
First Impressions
Before I begin doing my review, I just want to say that I did get a sample of the product first because I wanted to see how well it worked on my skin type before I even bought it. As some of you may know, I have oily skin, and most skincare based foundations don't really sit well on my skin. Upon applying the product, the first thing I noticed is how full-coverit is and the beautiful glow it gave my skin. It does feel moisturizing on the skin and looks very smooth. I think it would be quite hard to sheer out this foundation, because of it's consistency. The consistency is that of a thick liquid foundation and feels very creamy. In my experience, thick liquid foundations are not so easy to sheer out but using less product definitely helps make it look less "make-upy". I highly recommend spreading any leftover product around the neck area because it may give a masky look if you don't blend well properly. I am normally an NC 42/44 and the color that matched me is Mocha. It's a tad bit light, but not that noticeable and I don't mind because I can just add a little bit of bronzer to warm it up. What really made me fall in love with this foundation was the finish it gave my skin. The finish reminded me of the hypersmooth, almost plasticized look, that the old and discontinued Chanel Mat Lumiere gave me, albeit a tad bit more glowy. I've been trying to look for a foundation that can give me that look, but haven't had much luck until now. So far, my first impressions of this foundation is definitely very positive. The only thing left to test out is the wear throughout the day.
I apologize, in advance, how close my face is, however, I wanted to show you how smooth and glowy the foundation is. The finish of this foundation is definitely everything to me!
Wear Test
Now, let's talk about the wear of the foundation. Normally any foundation, even the ones made for oily skin, still get's oily on me around hour 4-5 of wearing them. Some only get oily on the T-zone, while others get oily pretty much everywhere. With this foundation, I noticed that my T-zone did get oily around hour 4 of wearing it, however, it was something I quickly fixed by blotting. I also noticed that my skin looked extra glowy and smooth. Before you even mention it, no, it isn't oily, I can tell the difference. To top it off, I got so many compliments and got asked what foundation I was wearing by my co-workers! I mean even I can't deny that my skin looked extra good and glowy that day!
Another close up photo. This one was taken after an hour or so of wearing it. The glow you're seeing may borderline look oily in this photo, but that's because I used the flash in the camera to take this photo and it amplified the glow by a lot.
Around hour 7, I had to blot again and powder my face a bit, like I usually do with any foundation. This foundation's coverage did not budge one bit even after 7 hours of wear and some blotting in between. I had dinner with friends right after work and usually my other foundation looks a bit worn around this time of day, but with the La Prairie foundation, it still looked like I just applied my foundation a few hours before. This was definitely impressive to me!
I finally took off the foundation around hour 12 (or was it 13?) of application. I did have to blot again and powder some time after dinner with my friends, which is to be expected given my oily skin. The foundation still looked really good even after wearing it all day. What impressed me the most is that it withstood the blotting and powdering I did, while maintaining the coverage and glow that it gave my skin. Most foundations after this long of wearing tend to look worn and lose their coverage after all that blotting and powdering, but this one did not.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I had a very good experience with wearing this foundation. I am very satisfied with the wear, coverage and finish! The only drawback I had with it is the price. To test it out some more, I wore a few more times, and it still was the same great experience. I still got complimented and asked what foundation I was wearing, and so because of that, I decided to take the plunge and get the full-size product once my sample ran out. I know, it's expensive, but I'm saving every last bit of it! I'm definitely not wearing this everyday, and I'm only planning to wear this foundation on special occasions and special night outs. I justified this purchase as an early birthday treat to myself, plus with the Holiday season coming up, I know I'm going to be able to wear it a few times in the coming months!
Do I think this foundation is a must-have? I don't think so. I'm pretty sure there's plenty of alternatives that comes close for waaayyy cheaper. It is definitely not worth getting in debt over nor is it worth sacrificing a basic necessity over. Is it nice to have? Yes, but only if you have the extra money to spend on it or want to give yourself a nice little makeup splurge treat. With that said, I am now trying to find other alternatives that will come close to this foundation for a cheaper price so I can use it for everyday. If you have any foundation suggestions, please feel free to let me know in the comments!
