I tried this foundation the internet is talking about to see if it's worth the hype

When makeup legend Pat McGrath launches a foundation, you sit up and take notice.

After all, this is the makeup artist that sends runway models down the aisle with skin that looks real and glowing—almost as if they have absolutely no makeup on. 

And if that’s the look you’re going for, then yes, the Pat McGrath Labs Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Foundation is for you.

But keep in mind that you will also need to have skin that is as clear and blemish-free as a model who eats clean and works out every day, because this foundation can be fairly unforgiving. 

Available in 36 shades—divided into light, light medium, medium, medium deep and deep—it’s fairly easy to find a shade that is an exact match to your skin tone. My shade is Medium 15, but I think I could also work with Medium 14.

A couple of pumps of this foundation will give you dewy, second skin-like finish, which I absolutely love.

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However, used on its own, it can slip and slide around a bit given the heat and humidity, so I layered it over a primer. Since I have dry skin, I used a hydrating primer and that further enhanced the dewiness and I’m not complaining.

Once I had my primer on, I swiped on the Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Foundation with my fingers, because apparently that’s how Pat McGrath applies foundation backstage at fashion shows—with her hands.

The Pat McGrath Labs website also recommends applying the foundation with your fingers. But I was obviously doing something wrong, because it just looked streaky when I was done.

So after applying it with my hands, I followed with the  bounce-bounce-bounce motions of the BeautyBlender to ensure a seamless finish.

Because this foundation offers sheer to medium coverage, I checked if there were any areas on my face that needed more coverage and dotted a bit more foundation on those areas, and bounced the Beauty Blender some more.

The result is glowing skin that didn’t look cakey. 

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That’s probably because the Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Foundation has something called a Vita Serum Complex that helps with the production of natural hyaluronic acid.

And that glow is down to the Diamond Core Powder Technology and illuminating soft-focus pigment blended into the formula that reflect and scatter light so imperfections are blurred and your skin looks flawless. If you have relatively clear skin. 

I feel like Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Foundation works for me because I have dry skin and wasn’t breaking out when I was trying this. It might not work as well for someone who has oily or combination skin.

Plus, it has a high alcohol content. And while it didn’t dry out my skin, it has the potential to and can cause irritation for those with sensitive skin. At $100 a bottle, I would suggest trying it at Sephora first before committing to a whole bottle. 

SCROLL DOWN TO READ REVIEWS OF SOME OTHER HYPED FOUNDATIONS

FENTY BEAUTY PRO FILT'R HYDRATING LONGWEAR FOUNDATION, $52

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When Fenty Beauty launched in Singapore in 2016, I was so excited that I bought a bunch of the products including the Pro Filt’r Longwear Foundation.

I used it exactly once and it has been sitting on a shelf gathering dust ever since. It was too matte, cakey and drying for my dry skin.

So when Riri dropped the Pro Filt’r Hydrating Longwear Foundation, I was curious. Would she really be able to “keep you fly without the dry in a flawless natural finish” as stated in an Instagram caption announcing the new foundation? I had to find out.  

Firstly, the packaging of the new foundation seemed lighter and smaller, and more convenient for travel.

There was no compromise with this one though: it had the same volume of product (32ml), same price ($52) and same extensive shade range as the original, so finding my shade wasn’t difficult at all. 

When I first used it, I was amazed at how much coverage it offered. Most hydrating, dewy/glowy foundations offer medium coverage and I usually use two pumps to build coverage. With this one, I used less—just a pump and half for my entire face and this even concealed the stubborn marks that are a reminder of the breakouts I had back in February.  

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I like to apply it with my fingers and then dab it into my skin with the Fenty Beauty Precision Makeup Sponge using the curved side.

Despite being a full coverage foundation, it felt weightless, didn’t look cakey and gave my skin a dewy, luminous glow.

If you’re looking to sheer it out, just apply the foundation at the centre of your face, and then blend out towards the edges of your face.

Another thing I really like about this foundation is that is really lives up to the “longwear” label it has. I even wore it to the Singapore Grand Prix and when checked my face in the mirror when I got home later that night, it hadn’t slipped or moved.

On regular days, I didn’t have to touch it up through the day, but I do find that it wears better over a primer. 

I am happy to report that I now have a favourite Fenty Beauty foundation that works for my dry skin, but those with combination or even mildly oily skin might still prefer the original Pro Filt’r Foundation as this one might be too shiny for these skin types.  

TARTE BABASSU FOUNDCEALER MULTI-TASKING FOUNDATION SPF 20, $60

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I’m all about (skincare and) foundations that will give my dry skin a healthy, dewy glow. So when I saw an acquaintance wearing the Tarte Babassu Foundcealer™ Multi-Tasking Foundation SPF 20 and her skin glowing like she had just come back from a vacation instead of organising a fairly stressful event, I knew I had to try it.  

Finding a shade for my medium skin was not difficult as Tarte has a wide range of shades that are divided into Light, Fair, Medium, Deep, and undertones—Sand, Neutral, Honey to give you an idea.  

I wear 42N Tan Neutral, which works perfectly for my medium skin tone with neutral undertones (how to tell your skin tone), and I apply it with a sponge for light to medium coverage.

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But if you’re looking for medium coverage, use a brush to buff in the product. And if want sheer, barely-there, almost like tinted moisturiser coverage, just use your fingers to blend in the product.   

The great part about this foundation is that while it helps even out your skin tone and add that healthy glow to it, it’s also nourishing it with vitamin E, sunflower seed oil which is rich in fatty acids, hyaluronic acid and of course babassu, which is somewhat like coconut oil but won’t clog your pores.

Instead it will moisturise and hydrate skin. And given that I wear my foundation for at least eight hours a day, this is a welcome development. 

I usually don’t use a primer with this foundation and find that it lasts a full working day. I do need to use a concealer under my eyes though as I feel this doesn’t completely cover my dark circles.

This article was first published in CLEO Singapore.