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How important is your foundation's longevity?

I want at least 8-9 hours of really solid wear where only I could tell there was any change over time, and then I’d want to be able to lightly powdery or buff the foundation back into place to get another few hours of wear out of it. Anything that creases significantly, becomes patchy or uneven, etc. within 8 hours would drive me crazy.

— Christine

32 Comments

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Mariella Avatar

Christine’s comments pretty much sum up my feelings too. What I especially hate is foundation “breakdown/breakup” – when it goes patchy and almost “curdled” looking on parts of my face. I’d rather it just all wore off than did that unattractive breaking down thing.

Carla Avatar

I’m fortunate enough to have decent skin, even at 53, so as long as my foundation doesn’t become a greasy, discolored, caked mess, I’m okay.
About all I need to do in the way of “repair” is to blot with tissues, then apply a light dusting of translucent blotting powder.
Sure, I’d love to look “flawless” all day, but that’s just unrealistic for me, so I don’t worry about it.
All that to say: My foundation’s longevity is not something I think about much.

Sarah Avatar

Very important. I can handle wear in lipstick and creasing in eyeshadow, but my foundation needs to stay on all day, so I require at least a good 10 hours of wear time. If it starts to break up on my nose that’s frustrating, I don’t carry any makeup with me (aside from lipstick) so I can touch up.

Anything and everything else can fade. My foundation must be long-wearing.

Deborah S. Avatar

Seraphine, I read somewhere recently that if you add a drop of Inglot Duraline to your foundation it makes it budge proof. The person was referencing specifically the nose and where her glasses rested. Don’t know if it works but thought it was worth mentioning.

Wednesday Avatar

Such a great formula, but the colours are tricky, Maggie 🙁 They are supersaturated and OMG bright and I think the Color IQ comparisons on big S are off. My skin is a duller. I’ve got two shades: Ivory and then add a touch of Medium Light. The colour Light should theoretically be down the middle of the two, but it swatches far too intensely peachy pink for me. Golden Light is very very yellow… seen some youtubers looking like bananas. Often, I just grab the Ivory and mix with my MAC pro NC20 concealer. It’s lthe best MAC product I have ever purchased for face and HG for fixing undertones in foundations. The two work fine together, but ultimately mixing the two colours of the same foundation formula gives me better satisfaction on blendability and finish. It’s a beautiful foundation in that respect. Never an easy answer for colour I’m afraid.
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Seraphine Avatar

Foundation is THE most important, in terms of longevity, of all of my makeup. And foundation is what I struggle with the most. My skin tone is very uneven and I have some melasma, so I look pretty rough without it. I put my makeup on at 7am on work days and it needs to last at least till 5pm, so I need something that performs VERY well. It’s a pretty tall order. EL Double Wear worn with primer and a setting powder is the best I’ve found.

AB Avatar

Important. I can deal with touch ups of eyeliner, lipstick/gloss, eyeshadow, blush, concealor. But touching up or having to re-do foundation during a work day is more work than I want to have to do.

Claire Renee Avatar

When I was still working it was important to me. I had good luck with MUFE’s original HD foundation, I’d have to blot my T zone and powder at noon but other than that it was fine. Now that i’m retired I am using Estee Lauder Double Wear but just on my nose and maybe a dab on my cheeks then a dusting of powder. It wears well enough for my needs, I think 8=9 hours without a touch up would be unrealistic for me.

I tend to use foundation very lightly, my skin is pretty good for 58 and I don’t like the look (or feel) of a full face of foundation. The less I use the better it wears and looks so I dab and blend small amount where I need to even things out and of course on my red nose.

xamyx Avatar

It all depends on what I need on a given day/night.

If it’s an all day, outdoor event, I’m going to be reapplying sunscreen every couple of hours, so as long as it’s compatible with that, I’m good.

For “everyday* needs, I typically go for sheer-light coverage, so it’s not very noticeable if it fades, and if needed, I can add concealer, powder, blush, etc…

For a special event, I may go with fuller coverage, so it matters a little bit more. However, these occasions tend to be at night, so it’s cooler, and I don’t need sunscreen, which means my foundation holds up well on its own. Plus, lighting is typically dim, so I have more leeway.

As I’ve said before, getting a good color match is number one, even if it means having to touch up…

xamyx Avatar

Also, there are going to be variables that affect the longevity of any foundation, so it’s not something I even consider when buying. Weather, activity level, skin care/SPF products, primer/powder (or lack of) all have an impact on how my foundation wears.

Anne Avatar

Because I am so very dry now, my foundation actually looks better after 4 hours of wear. I expect my foundation to last 12 hours and it does. If any foundation breaks down on me in the first 6 hours of wear, it’s junk, imho. My major problems finding a good foundation in the past have not been about longevity, but color and formula.

Chris Avatar

Whether it’s powder or liquid foundation, it has to look as good as when 1st applied. I now have normal skin and both types last all day without fading. I may need to powder my nose or chin later on in the day, but for the most part I have no problem with longetivity.

Lulle Avatar

Really important, I don’t mind reapplying my lip color or my eye look being a little faded, but if my face goes from polished to messy, that’s a problem. Sadly I’m a face-toucher so it always wears off around my chin and jaw line 🙁 For the rest of my face I want at least 10 hours of good wear – factoring in lunch break and commute time, it’s basically my work day.

Nancy T Avatar

Because I don’t drive and rely on sketchy public transportation on most of my outings and errand running, I absolutely NEED my foundation to last a good 10+ hours or more on me. Especially important during the very hot season from late May until mid October. With temps at or around 100° during that timeframe, often going way above and beyond during June thru September, and outrageous humidity for a good 3 months, it has to be able to withstand all that. So far, only Lancôme Teint Idole 24H does the job. It CC Cream does NOT.

Miska Avatar

Personally I feel that for all of the time, research, color matching and money that I put into my makeup in general…well it better effing last. Especially foundation. Nobody wants that doing a disappearing act. Be it full coverage to sheer, we all put it on for a reason. If a foundation did not last on my face then I would promptly return it for a refund. Send it back from where it came! So in short to the question, yes my foundation longevity is top priority to me 😉

Bonnie Avatar

That’s what I was thinking – that the main reason I care about foundation lasting is that if you have to fix foundation, you have to fix whatever was on top of it. If I’m happy with the way my other makeup looks, I don’t want to screw that up by a foundation retouch.

Brittany Avatar

I’m super oily, so I have a hard time finding foundations that hold up on my face… so I just changed my whole outlook on foundation and decided that my skin looks good enough that I can just skip it altogether. So if I want to do a full face look, I just do a little bit of concealer under the eyes and on any red spots I have and then set everything with a translucent powder (on the entire face, since it is oily all over). That way, I feel more confident in touching up with powder and I don’t end up looking cakey or broken up near my nose.

Silvia Avatar

Very important ’cause it is like your second skin. It needs to apply smooth and even and not come off/separate while applying primer or moisterizer underneath. I am picky about my foundation more than eyeshadow, blush or lipstick which is a smaller area and easy to correct or touch up.

Karen Johnston Avatar

The formula and how it feels on my face is more of a concern than longevity. Usually I just need 4 to 6 hours anyway. So during that time if it feels good and looks good I am fine with it.
I have also noticed that many foundations that claim longevity as a primary benefit are not the best looking on my skin. Too “makeupy” for my preference.

Brenda C Avatar

Sunscreen, primer, MUFE HD Foundation, a mattifying lotion on my t zone and hopefully it’s not too humid that everything doesn’t migrate into my fine lines.

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