Ever Secretly Hoped an Expensive Makeup Product Would Disappoint You? This Dior One Didn’t
Image – Dior
Anyone who knows me will know that I love a makeup base. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t wear one.
Having suffered with acne as both a teen and an adult, I recognise the importance of having an even skin tone if not for covering up blemishes, then definitely for confidence-boosting.
But £50 for a foundation? Really? Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that anything by Dior isn’t exactly a supermarket trolley-type purchase but still, a foundation will eventually run out. Much like your money if you carry on buying Dior’s Forever Skin Glow Foundation (£54 from Boots UK /$60 from Sephora US).
So here I am doing the hard work for you before you go spending and potentially wasting your hard-earned money. Find out what I thought about the formula, its claims and most importantly, whether I would buy it again.
AT A GLANCE
Dior Forever Skin Glow Foundation
- Best for: Anyone who wants a lightweight, natural-looking base with a little glow
- Wear time: Lasted until around 4pm before our reviewer wanted a touch-up
- Biggest plus: The serum-like texture feels beautifully lightweight and never looks cakey
- Biggest drawback: The £54 price – particularly once you realise you want to repurchase it
- Our verdict: Annoyingly, this expensive foundation really is that good. It gives an even, naturally radiant finish and performed far better on our reviewer’s oily skin than she expected.
- Our rating: 4.5/5
Dior Forever Skin Glow Foundation: The details
Available in a whopping 45 shades across six undertones, this liquid foundation is described on the website as ‘the radiant foundation that offers the complexion high perfection with 24h wear, without touch-ups, and acts like a serum to reveal all of the skin’s natural luminosity.”
It continues, ‘Its formula composed of an 86% skincare base infused with floral extracts helps to hydrate the skin intensely,” supposedly offering up to 48 hours of hydration. It is also non-comedogenic and contains SPF 25 in both the UK and US versions.
Image – Courtesy of writer
Dior describes this as a high coverage product, something which I’m not completely sure I can agree with – more on that later.
First impressions
You may wonder why a girl with oily skin would even open the lid of a foundation that gives ‘luminosity’ and ‘radiance’ but I had heard that the formula wasn’t greasy, just serum-like. I do love a serum and even us oily girls need hydration, plus I don’t want to be completely matte all of the time, particularly during the summer when my skin tends to be drier than usual.
The glass bottle is weighty and luxurious – a good start considering the money I’d spent on it. I didn’t want anything flimsy or plasticky! Now was the time to feel the luxury.
Image – Courtesy of writer
I squeezed out one pump of the foundation onto the back of my hand and dipped my finger into it – the centre of the blob immediately sunk into my hand and created a smooth, silky, sheer veil over my skin. So far, so good.
On my face, it was much the same and it sunk into my skin beautifully. The shade was spot on for summer too – I had used Dior’s online shade finder when purchasing it, a method I am always sceptical of. But surely for £50, this one would work? It did. Phew.
Once it had blended into my skin, I stood back and I liked what I saw. My complexion was even, comfortably hydrated and there was a slight radiance.
As for the durability, I usually can’t resist a touch-up at around 2pm but this actually gave me a few hours longer. A foundation with 24-hour wear is always a bit far-fetched for me (and also – gross, no?) so I’ll take the 4pm touch-up and run with it. And it really didn’t need much to be fair.
My results with Dior Forever Skin Glow Foundation
I am a few weeks down the line now and my goodness, this foundation has been used and used and used. I love it.
What shows me how much I enjoy it is that I like to apply it with my fingers. I am usually very much a foundation brush kind of gal, I hate the mess of applying base with my hands and love what a brush can do for both the product and the finish.
However, applying this with my fingers is essential, just so I can feel the smoothness of it. It’s like honey – trust me. And when you’re applying something as nice as that on your face, you’re going to want to feel it. It is just like applying a serum.
The other thing I should mention is that it’s quite sheer for a liquid foundation. It doesn’t look like it’s going to be at first sight but when it sinks into your skin you realise it’s actually very lightweight. So applying a lot won’t give you the fear of looking too made up. It’s buildable too and the finish is light, even and not in the slightest bit cakey.
The only thing I would say if you have oily skin is to maybe lay off the hydrators in your morning regime when using this. I tend to skip my serum in the mornings now as the foundation acts like a serum anyway, so just my cleanser and moisturiser are enough so that I don’t pile on any unwanted grease. The foundation will also stay on longer if it’s not layered on top of another serum too.
Image – Courtesy of writer
I really, really wanted to like this foundation because of how much I spent on it. But also, I didn’t want to like it that much because when this bottle runs out, I’m going to have to spend another £50 on it. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions. But I am officially addicted to it and yes, I will be topping up on it.
Sorry bank balance. But my skin deserves it.
What other users have said
Claireworl (dior.com) found it great for mature skin. “Amazing coverage, dewy finish and doesn’t sit in wrinkles.” I agree with this – some foundations can sit in my under-eye wrinkles but this one truly doesn’t.
And Julesredqueen made a second purchase too. “I bought this again as it’s the only foundation I will use. Great coverage and long-lasting. Amazing product.”
And Kateonthecroft says, “really lovely finish. Could do with a little more coverage but so far I love it.” Remember, this foundation is easy to layer up as it’s so lightweight so if the coverage isn’t enough on the first go, add another on top. In fact, even after three layers you shouldn’t find it too heavy.
The takeaway
Annoyingly, I loved it. And continue to love it. So yeah, now I’m broke. But my skin looks great!
I really wanted to write ‘Don’t waste your money, go for this £10 foundation instead which is way better’. And there are brilliant foundations out there that don’t cost the earth (Revlon ColorStay Foundation and Max Factor Facefinity All Day Flawless 3 in 1 SPF 20 Foundation to name a few).
But if you’re in the market for a treat, or you have tried everything apart from this because of the price tag and you’re ready to take the plunge and invest more in your base, go for it. Even my oily skin gets on well with it and I love how comfortable it feels on my skin.
The coverage is lightweight and beautifully even. And, depending on how much hydration you’ve applied in your morning skincare regime, it might last you a few hours longer than you’re used to.
