A Foundation Much Maligned: Bourjois Bio Detox Organic Liquid Foundation

The Bourjois Bio Detox Organic Liquid Foundation was released way back in 2010. However, it wasn’t until the last few months that I got my hands on it. The retail price in Singapore is around SGD$35, which strikes me as overpriced for a drugstore label in Singapore. But then again, most things are overpriced here. Especially if they are proudly Made in France or elsewhere out West. With the foundation going for 10 quid on Asos (www.asos.com) or slightly less if you nose around Ebay UK, you can get a better deal, which made me decide to try this out.

This foundation, imo, is one of the most maligned foundations. If you google around most blogs and even Makeupalley, the reviews are 80% bad. However, I beg to differ.

(all photos can be viewed in their original sizes by clicking on them)

It's silicone free! Yay for my skin!

This is what Bourjois has to say about the Bio Detox Foundation
(http://www.bourjois.co.uk/catalog/make_up/complexion/foundation/foundation_bio_detox_organic)

Detoxify your skin
For a pure, fresh and even complexion

This foundation perfectly evens out the complexion, minimizing pores’ appearance and concealing imperfections.

Enriched with chlorophyll from plants that brings oxygen and filters pollution, it leaves the skin pure and fresh.

Its formula melts onto the skin for a no mask effect.

 101 women tested this foundation for you, check out what they thought about it:

“This foundation lasts all day long”=> 84% of the respondents agreed

“Imperfections are smoothed away” => 77% of the respondents agreed

“The formula leaves a light feel on the skin” => 81% of the respondents agreed

 And… it’s good for my skin!

· Non-pore blocking, oil-free formula

· Anti-shine, natural rice powder

· Dermatologically tested

Seeing double?

 Au contraire to most of the other users out there, I liked this quite a fair bit. A fair bit meaning – I bought another to stock up 😛

Most places in Singapore that carry this foundation only stock them in the 60+ shades, which look a tad olive to me. 53 in Light Beige is a more yellow toned beige, that matches my NC 25 – 30 skintone very well. The pump nozzle dispenses easily without wastage, which is a plus for me.

Oil & Cone Free ingredients

I’m not one to pay much heed to sales spiels like “98.8% of ingredients are of natural origin. What particularly drew me to the foundation were: a. No silicones (which can clog pores); b. No SPF (so it doesn’t interfere with your sunblock and is totally compatible with avobenzone chemical sunscreens, other chemical sunscreens and even physical ones; c. Oil free formulation, which is a boon for my normal-oily combination skin; d. Alcohol is listed further down the list; and e. Good price and accurate colour match.

A densely packed synthetic flat top brush works wonders

 

Most of the complaints about this foundation would be the lack of slip, since it doesn’t contain silicones (which add that thin film and helps to mask pores pretty effectively). This probably led to many users and testers thinking that the foundation dries quickly. To counteract this, you’ll need a properly primed face. When I say “primed”, I don’t mean a primer. Rather, your face should be well-moisturised (with either sunblock or moisturiser). The ample moisture and slight slip in your sunscreen/moisturiser helps to give some slip to the foundation. If you have dry skin, this will not go on smoothly at all. If the foundation happens to apply patchy, try dabbing a bit of water on your finger tips and go over the patch until it smooths out.

While finger tips work pretty well with this foundation, I prefer using synthetic brushes to avoid getting foundation all over my finger tips. It’s just a personal preference. I have tried a typical synthetic tapered foundation brush (from The Body Shop), a duo fibre stippling brush and my old EDM synthetic flat top brush (which is densely bristled). The first 2 gave streaky applications, but not the flat top brush. Using the stippling method (where you “dab dab” the brush on the area of the skin rather than enthusiastically buffing it), the EDM flat top brush gave a perfect application and even finish. The coverage is so even and smooth, I don’t even need to use any buffing motions to smooth it out further.

 

Number 53 in Light Beige (has yellow-beige undertones)

Once again, owing to the absence of silicones, I do find myself using more of the foundation than other siliconed foundation. There is also a light scent when you first squirt it out but it’s not an unpleasant one. It’s certainly fresh and evocative of fruits, but not something I can put a finger on. Thankfully, the scent dissipates very soon after and I can’t smell it when the foundation is on my face.

1 layer gives a light-medium coverage and 2 layers gives a medium coverage on my face. Depending on your marks, a concealer is probably necessary atop the foundation. While the finish is matte, it certainly isn’t flat. The oil control, however, is not the best and would be greatly amped up with loose powder. If you need some good oil control, that’s a step I’d never skip. I can get about 4 – 5 hours of wear with this before needing to blot/touch up.

Personally, I don’t really find the foundation drying that fast on me, such that I have to work very quickly with my brush. But do bear in mind that I’m in Singapore with very high humidity, which probably helps. I also choose to work on my face a part at a time (i.e. left cheek, then chin, then nose, then right cheek and forehead/temples) which helps. But once again, if you find this drying out too fast, it’s really nothing a damp finger tip or brush won’t solve.

If you do have larger pores or scars, it’s true that this foundation will not fill them up or mask them well, once again owing to the lack of silicones. Using a finishing powder that contains silica or some light diffusing elements helps greatly with this. Not a biggie to me anyway and I don’t need to purchase anything extra that I don’t already have.

Matte Finish

 

The texture, like the scent, is light and I don’t feel as if my pores can’t breathe when the foundation is on my face. I also don’t have that “I am wearing makeup” feel when this is on my face.

As with most non-colour stay/non-long wear liquid foundations, this would not last me beyond 10 hours in our climate and on my normal-oily combination skin. However, for everyday 9 – 5ish hours, this works more than sufficient for me. It has also not given me any breakouts/increase in clogged pores. I like it very much on days when I don’t want to use my mineral foundations and end up with a powdery look on my face.

Rating out of 10

Price: 7 (I’m giving this a 7 based on what I got off Ebay & also factoring the higher price in Singapore. A happy medium?)

Quality: 8 (certainly above average in my books with decent coverage)
Packaging: 8 (While I love the pump, I don’t quite fancy a glass bottle as I.am.a.klutz.and.have.been.known.to.shatter.glass.bottles)

Ease of usage: 7 (You really need a properly prepped and well moisturised face and there’s a slight learning curve to using this silicone-free formulation. You might need a few tries to get the application process right, but it does pay off.)
Overall score: 7.5

 

~*Items reviewed purchased by me*~