The Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation and Concealer has been around for a good few months now and I have to admit that it's been sitting on my dressing table for all that time. My sister picked me up a bottle on a trip to Italy and the shade she bought was slightly too dark so I've been waiting until I was a little more tanned to use it (thank you San Tropez gradual tan!). I have shade 7 'Creme Chamois' which is part of the 'very fair' colour group in the Clinique range and has a slightly pink undertone to it. I like to wear less makeup during the summer months so the idea of having a 2-in-1 foundation and concealer that is also lightweight really appeals to me. At £25 it's definitely on the pricey side for a foundation so it had a lot of expectations to live up to to justify spending that much!
There's a few things about the Beyond Perfecting foundation + concealer that I've never come across before, the first being the doe foot applicator. Obviously most concealers have this kind of applicator but never before have I used a foundation with one. It's designed so that one dip of the wand will give you a full-face application; the flat side used to sweep foundation across the cheeks, forehead and chin, the angled tip used on the jawline and nose and the pointy tip to conceal trouble areas. It's really great that Clinique have put a lot of thought into how best to apply the product and it does work really well for all these things. It did however take a few dips of the wand for me to cover my whole face and neck but maybe that's just because I have quite a large face!
The second being that it's a slow drying formula, of which I've never heard of before for a foundation. It takes a few minutes to settle into the skin so it's much easier to blend out, particularly on those difficult areas like under the eyes and around the nose. I use the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to apply and ended up completely ignoring the application instructions from Clinique by applying the product straight from applicator to brush, it worked for me!
This is most definitely a full coverage foundation, it pretty much covers EVERYTHING! My main problem areas are redness, particularly around my nose and cheeks and also scarring from old spots. The Beyond Perfecting Foundation is excellent at covering both these problems but is lightweight enough that it doesn't feel as if you're wearing a really heavy layer of foundation. As for dark under eye circles, even though it's not something I have a particular problem with, I'm still not so sure I could forgo lightening the under eye area just because I think it makes me look more awake! I does however provide very good coverage of dark circles just without the brightening effect of an under eye concealer.
It really goes on quite thick which needs some getting used to and takes a good five minutes at least to sink in to the skin and look more natural. It's slightly unnerving when you first put it on as it starts off darker but lightens as it dries, just remember that if you're swatching it in the shop! It's not a huge negative though, it just means you can't really apply and go straight out. You definitely want to wait around five to ten minutes before you leave the house for it to settle into the skin. Once settled into the skin you end up with a natural matte finish that leaves the skin looking slightly dewy but not shiny. What with having an oily t zone, I'm a huge fan of using powder over the top but in the picture above I used no powder what so ever and was so impressed with how matte it looked without being drying. I spent the whole day with no powder too and not once did I look shiny so again, another product I can cut down on for the summer!
As for staying power, I have to say I'm really impressed! The summer months are normally a big test for foundation by making sure it doesn't all melt off your face! I've been wearing it for the last few days where the temperature has hit 30'C in my part of the UK and not once did I worry that it wasn't staying put in the heat. In fact if anything it amazed me just how much of it had stayed on when I went to wash my face at the end of the day! It looked almost as flawless as when I first applied it, I really think the Beyond Perfecting Foundation is one of the longest lasting foundations I have ever tried!
The Clinique Beyond Perfecting 2-in-1 Foundation and Concealer would be a perfect choice for a summer base if you're looking to cut down on the number of products you're using in the warmer months but are still looking for high coverage. It's already become a staple in my makeup bag. We really need more 2-in-1 products like this in the future please beauty brands!
Have you tried the Beyond Perfecting 2-in-1 Foundation and Concealer? What do you think of the 2-in-1 product idea? Let me know in the comments below!
Clinique Beyond Perfecting 2-in-1 Foundation and Concealer - £25 boots.com
Ellie x
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