It’s about time that The Body Shop got some new foundation shades and colours into their stores and the Extra Virgin Minerals range has done just that. TBS have released three new base products as part of their permanent collection and it includes a liquid foundation, a cream compact and mineral powder foundations.
I couldn’t resist (I’m terrible with money) and I went ahead and bought all three in the palest shade there now is ‘102’ Natural Ivory. The numbering on these new products are quite weird, it starts with 102 and ends with 405 and is a bit confusing, but at least you know what number you are in each product... right?
Extra Virgin Minerals Compact Foundation SPF 15 (£16)
This is a really nice foundation – it evens out my skin tone, covers spots (although not perfectly) and gives a smooth matte finish. I love the packaging, a round black pot which opens to show the foundation, but you can then lift the foundation up to reveal the chunky foundation brush (shown in the photograph above).
The formula of this foundation is quite curious because its super soft and silky, very creamy, but dries to a matt finish, but because of how creamy it is I have found that my eyeliner can smudge quite easily (leaving me panda eyed). This isn’t so bad, but it does mean that I have to keep an eye on the smudging through out the day.
The colour of this is almost perfect for my pale skin (in the summer anyway), and it does contain SPF15 which is fab.
Extra Virgin Minerals Liquid Foundation SPF 20 ( (£14) 
I was so excited for this because the old TBS foundations are orange and cakey on me, but this was unfortunately another let down. This is too dark for me, even though the shade 102 in the cream compact is perfect. The formula is okay, its very creamy and gives a lovely dewy finish which I adore but the shade just lets it down. Coverage wise, this is medium – it evens out skin tones and conceals spots well, whilst remaining dewy and not too cakey.
I took my camera in to TBS to take a photograph of each of the new liquid foundation shades on my arm to give you an idea of the colours; 
L-R 102, 105, 108, 202, 208, 305, 308, 405 (Is it just me who finds these colours slightly weird? – 108 is way too orange and the rest of them seem really dull!)
Extra Virgin Minerals Loose Powder SPF 25 (£15) 
I’m really impressed with this powder. I’ve never worn a powder by itself before (I normally pop some concealer on my problem areas first) but I could go out with just this on. Again, this evens out skin tone and gives such a natural finish you can’t even tell your wearing powder (although you can if you’re wearing concealer/foundation underneath it). The colour of this is perfect for me and I’d definitely repurchase it. This also contains an SPF of 25 (fabulous!) but is quite messy applying because it is a loose powder, even though it has a mesh barrier in the pot (pictured above).
To use this, you are supposed to tap the pot to release some powder through the mesh, swirl your minerals brush into the powder, tap off the excess and then apply to the face in circular motions.
What I think:
I really like the compact and powder foundation and would like the liquid if the colour was right. But this new range does leave me really confused - I really don’t see what’s the point in having a number system to match up the shades if the colours aren’t the same? It’s exactly the same problem I have with MAC bases; my concealer in NC15 is perfect for me, but the foundation in NC15 is way too dark! It would be fantastic if the shades were the same but its an absolute waste if not.
I do love the fact that the whole range contains an SPF and that every product is paraben and fragrance free. I think the prices are a little high (£14-£16) for the high-street but foundations do seem to be getting more expensive nowadays anyway. I also much prefer the new packaging to the old range, it all looks more expensive and more durable.
Have you tried any of the new The Body Shop bases? What kind of finish do you prefer with a base – matte or dewy?
xxxx
0 comments:
Post a Comment