As if I need another foundation, right? I couldn’t resist buying the new Bourjois foundation and primer when I spotted them in Boots – they have a deal where you can get both for just £13! (The foundation is £11.99 on it’s own so do the math!).
Bourjois Flower Perfection foundation boasts of 16 hours wear, pore and fine line coverage, an even finish, SPF15, with azalea flower extract ‘youth extending’ (I can think of other things I’d rather extend like my digestive tract) to protect the skin and is non comedogenic.
The Primer leaves the skin with an ‘airbrush’ finish, is oil free, non pore blocking and can be used alone or before foundation.
When it came to choosing foundation colours I was torn between 54 and 56 (beige and light bronze respectively). Both work for NC35, in hindsight 56 may blend in better with my neck, but 54 brightens me up a little. I went to buy 56 then realised when I got home that I had 54 – fate I guess. So first up, the primer….
The primer is a very very soft, squishy rich mousse texture with a light pink colour. I tried this on my hand (and face obviously) and it does really smooth things out and give you a nice smooth surface. It’s like a lot of other thick silicone based primers (think Laura Gellar’s spackle). It does create that instantly smooth canvas yes, but if you are prone to acne (as I currently am) and have visible pores (which I also have) then the last thing I want is a load of pollyfilla in them. It’s that kind of primer.
Hence I would use this kind of primer on special occasions only or when I want a really really smooth finish – otherwise I use much lighter face primers.
The other criticism I have is that you don’t get much product for the steep price of £10.99 – just 7ml. The thing is, I used this on targeted areas rather than all over (around the nose area) and that took a good wodge of product. So if you are using this regularly and on larger areas this isn’t going to last long at all.
Also another complaint – it makes the skin feel quite oily and slick. The foundation (which I will move on to) is a tad drying so I figured this primer is ideal underneath for dry skinned gals, but rather than hydrating it felt oily for most of the day and sat on the surface. I’m not sure I like a thick liquid foundation on top of this primer – it feels heavy to me, and with a layer of powder as well…well, don’t expect much facial movement that day.
Verdict: Very smoothing, but not good value and I personally wouldn’t use this too regularly. Also feels greasy. Could be good under say a mineral foundation or powder foundation? I usually need a good primer with them.
The Flower Perfection Foundation comes in a glass bottle with a weird sponge applicator on top. You can wash the sponge of course, it even has little breathable holes for it!
I tried using the sponge erm…it’s ok. I guess if I was in a situation where I couldn’t get my fingers covered in make up I would use it otherwise…why bother?
The foundation gives a semi matte kind of finish which I do like but I am aware that my skin is dry of late.
I would say that this foundation is only so-so for dry skins. Whilst it didn’t cling to dry patches, it also didn’t add anything, so my skin just felt a bit dry overall with this base. There was a real lack of ‘glow’ which I guess you would expect from a matte foundation but the more I saw myself through the day, the more flat I found the finish.
I found that this foundation has excellent coverage- I’d say medium to high and it has the texture to match so this is not for people who light light, sheer textures. The pigmentation is good too, it had no problems covering my imperfections, although my redness came through a few hours in (about 3) such as on my cheeks. Overall the foundation stayed put but no more than the average work day (about 8 hours) and I did find that it did not remain even on my face for the whole day (my t-zone was the first to go).
Primer and foundation:
I didn’t experience any allergic reactions to this product, and I did think it left me with a flawless finish but it just wasn’t comfortable to wear and lacked glow – I prefer glowy, soft, touchable skin. I would still use this base when I want good coverage and more of a matte look (ie. Photos).
Before and after – sorry for the blotchy skin pics. My skin is playing havoc with me:
With primer AND foundation:
All in all, this is not a bad set and I will reach for it occasionally but the search for the perfect spring and summer foundation goes on!
You can buy the primer here, and the foundation here, the offer for 2 for £13 is still on at Boots.
Have you tried this foundation and primer? What do you think?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree with you, I tried it too and found it really greasy (and I have dry skin)
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i am sooooooooooooooooooo avoiding that primer
my skin is crocodile dry so will avoid the foundation as well
i have a collection already of foundations which dont make matters worse but dont help either to use up. boooooo
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It looks great on, definitely covered up redness really well! I have the healthy skin mix on my list of foundations to try! Flower power will just have to wait! thanks for reviewing!:)
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the primer have just 7 ml? or more? thanks!
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