Hi hi,

I suppose this is a long overdue review of the Clarins Skin Illusion SPF10 Natural Radiance Foundation. My apologies for not being able to post much entries recently - perhaps an update entry after this.

For more information about the foundation and its properties, click this ENTRY here.

I have previously featured this foundation in a LOTD entry HERE - think you can see better the foundation in action in that entry.

I also used this foundation in my recent guide to how I layer my base for flawless looking skin.

I have been trying out this foundation for at least the past 3 weeks - using mostly this, or my Maquillage White Essence UV foundation.   When I am reviewing foundations, I will use that particular one for at least 2 or 3 weeks, and if I do switch up, it is just one a couple of days (for no reason, really, sometimes, I forget in the morning).   I usually 'test' foundations on my workdays, when the foundation is often put to 'vigorous' trials in the form of sweat, no chance to blot, long hours and so on.

So anyway, I was given 2 shades to try out, and you will see swatches below...the packaging is a clear glass square jar with a pump dispenser - pretty standard - the Extra Firming foundation has a frosted finish to the glass jar.  The foundation has a lovely floral scent, which I found rather pleasant and did not irritate me at all.

The two shades I have are 104 and 105, and honestly, even til today, I can't really tell the difference, and I use both interchangeably without any problems.  It is not as though one is pinkish or one is yellowish in their undertones.  Both look rather neutral to me, with 105 perhaps appearing to be lighter in shade.  In any case, both shades are perfect match for my fair neutral skintone.

The texture of the foundation is silky and smooth as per the description.  Despite the name 'skin illusion', the product is actually rather thick and creamy when I first pump it out of the jar (well, I was expecting the foundation to be more liquidy given its skin-illusion claims - sort of like my Chanel Vita Lumiere Aqua).

I shall be showing you the swatches, and how it compares to Clarins Extra Firming foundation, and also how the product applies on my skin.

My match in the Extra Firming foundation is actually 103 Ivory... which makes me think that if you are using Clarins foundations, the shades might not necessarily correspond across the different range of foundations.  But yet they all seem to look alike on my hand despite the different numbering.  None of these matter to me, because at the end of the day, I am able to wear all these different shades just fine on myself.  It's just something you want to take note of when you get matched at the counter.

First, as always, we start off with bare skin.  As you can see I have many spots on my face from past break-outs.  Other than that, there are some uneven patches of skin color, which a foundation must be able to even out.  I normally will follow up with spot concealing after foundation.

Here, I am applying 104 and 105 on either side of my face, but I don't think you can tell the difference.  I usually use this foundation with my fingers, as that always seems to be the fastest and most fuss free for me in the morning.

Using my fingers to apply foundation also gives me the chance to really feel the texture of the product.  I find that because the foundation is rather creamy, it is best to warm it up as you go along with the application, it does help the foundation to melt and blend into your skin - making it set and look natural, and this is the case that I observed with the Clarins Skin Illusion foundation.

This picture is not very clear, but you can see how the foundation soothes out my skin, I like how it neutralises the pinkier undertones of my skin, and gives me an overall even coverage.  It does look like I have some uneven patches in the pic below - I think it's the lighting that makes it look like so... in real life, the foundation has already been well-blended and applied.   I have not used any concealer at this point in time.   I would say this is a medium coverage foundation.  It can cover most faint spots and help me do away with any undereye concealing.  But I still need to do spot-concealing, obviously.

Fast forward to some cheek colors and concealer later, you can see how the foundation has settled into my skin.  There is a slight radiant effect to the foundation, I like how it sets quickly - while the Extra Firming foundation has a soft powdery look after it sets, the Skin Illusion looks slightly more glowy. In terms of longetivity, it is able to last me a good 7 -- 8 hours.  It also feels lightweight, and did not clog my pores.

If you like foundations like the Lancome Teint Miracle, Guerlain Lingerie De Peau, Giorgio Armani Lasting UV, chances are that you will love this foundation too.  Overall, I like it as a great everyday natural radiant foundation, and it is something that is easy to use for great results.

That's all, and I hope you find this review helpful.

Thanks for looking.