L'Oreal True Match Lumi Foundation Review!

L'Oreal True Match Lumi Foundation

L'Oreal True Match Lumi Foundation ($12.95) is a lightweight, buildable foundation that provides a luminous, glowing finish to the skin. It's actually said to improve the clarity and skin tone with continued use.

L'Oreal True Match Lumi Foundation is available in 15 shades: Porcelain/Light Ivory, Nude Beige, Natural Beige, Sand Beige, Sun Beige, Soft Ivory/Classic Ivory, Natural Buff, Buff Beige, True Beige, Classic Tan, Creamy Natural, Shell Beige, Classic Beige, Soft Sable and Nut Brown/Cocoa.

To find your match a bit easier, the shades are broken up into three categories: Warm, Neutral and Cool. If you know your undertone, you can go straight to the appropriate category and figure out your exact shade. Sound familiar? Yep. L'Oreal True Match Foundation has the same coloring system. I picked W3 Nude Beige (I'm typically a W4 in L'Oreal True Match, but unfortunately my store was sold out of W4, and I was feeling impatient.. must.. have.. now!) W3 is a pretty good match for the MAC NC30 coloring. It's a bit peach - it could use more yellow/golden tones. For reference, it's less yellow than many of the other warm shades in the range.

The consistency is very lightweight; runny, but also very creamy. If I had to compare the consistency to another drugstore foundation, I'd probably say it's the most similar to Neutrogena Healthy Skin, but slightly creamier. Because of the thin texture, it's very easy to blend and doesn't cake or dry on the skin before you're finished blending the whole face.

The coverage is light, buildable to light-medium with an additional layer. I'd prefer if it had a touch more coverage, but it has nice coverage for my "better" skin days. When I want additional coverage, I usually add a touch of Revlon Colorstay Whipped to any areas that need it, and my face looks flawless.

It gives off a very natural, radiant finish. Not dewy or matte - somewhat along the lines of a satin finish with a bit more glow. Not Revlon Photoready glow, though (sparkle city). It's the type of glow your skin has after you've had a chemical peel.

Here's my skin closer up. I didn't set with a powder to preserve the luminosity. 

The lasting power on my balanced skin is around 6 hours with a setting powder. L'Oreal states that it lasts around 8 hours, which might be true on a good day. With the addition of Revlon Whipped, it lasts much longer (until the time I wash my face at night). I find that when it breaks down, it fades pretty naturally without looking patchy. The regular True Match fades patchy on my skin, which is why I don't particularly care for it. 

For color comparison-

Swatches from left to right: L'Oreal True Match LUMI Foundation W3, L'Oreal True Match Foundation W4, MAC Studio Fix Fluid NC30.

Overall, I really like this foundation and my main gripe is mainly with the color. I think L'Oreal needs to go back to the drawing board with W3, because it's not warm enough. Lastly, I wish the lasting power was better, but most times lighter coverage/liquidy foundations don't last as long as heavier foundations.

It's a nice foundation, and much more wallet-friendly than most higher end alternatives. The reviews are very 50/50, but I will continue using this foundation, and mixing it with some of my other foundations to add a bit of radiance to my skin. I think this foundation would work particularly well on dry skin, as it's fairly moisturizing, spreads well on the face and gives a glow to the skin. It might have a little too much slip for oily skin, but individual results will vary.

The Round-Up
Pros:

• Light, creamy-liquid formula that is very easy to work with
• Light, buildable to light-medium coverage
• SPF20
• Pump dispenser - no mess!
• Makes my skin look glowing and radiant

Cons:

• W3 is too peach (it actually matches my MAC NW20 concealer)
• Becomes shiny within a couple of hours if I don't set with a powder
• Lasting power is 6 hours (results will vary - it may last longer or less on your skin)

Price: $12.95, at your local drugstore.