Liquid Foundation Swatch Comparisons

ByCordelia

I wanted to show you swatch comparisons of the different liquid foundations I have. It’s very interesting to see all of these on my skin. They’re swatched on the inside of my arm.


The Foundations:
Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow SPF 25 – I’m Pure for Sure Ivory
NARS Sheer Glow – Siberia
Make Up For Ever HD Foundation – 110 Pink Porcelain
Estee Lauder Double Wear – 1C1 Shell
Jemma Kidd Light As Air SPF 18 – 01 Ultra Light
Too Faced Amazing Face – Vanilla Creme
Holika Holika Essential Petit BB SPF30 PA++ BB Cream – #1

NARS Sheer glow in Siberia is a perfect neutral match for my skin. When I wear it, it covers up any of my pink overtone and I like how it looks. It’s the lightest neutral of all of these on me.

MUFE HD 110 Pink Porcelain gives me a bit of color and it apparently matches perfectly with my neck. When the MUA at Sephora was trying to match me, she was pleased with how it just melted into my neck along my jawline.

Holika Holika #1 Light Beige actually appears to be a greige (greyed beige) when swatched. I think this also works really well for me. It makes me think of Inglot 350 (the light matte eye shadow). I’m glad it’s not too yellow, too orange, or too dark.

I haven’t worn the new Benefit foundation yet, but the color looks almost identical to the Too Faced Amazing Face Vanilla Creme. That particular hue gives me a lot of color to my face, so I’m hoping it will look good. I really really love the finish that the Amazing Face gives me. I think it’s gorgeous. Updated: I have worn the Benefit. Nice finish, slightly too dark, very similar to the Too Faced.

Jemma Kidd’s Ultra Light looks so dark and peachy compared to the other shades! Estee Lauder’s Double wear in 1C1 Shell is only slightly lighter than it. Shell is definitely darker than MUFE’s 110 Pink Porcelain.

Prices:
$34 – Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow SPF 25 – I’m Pure for Sure Ivory
$42 – NARS Sheer Glow – Siberia
$40 – Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Foundation – 110 Pink Porcelain
$35 – Estee Lauder Double Wear – 1C1 Shell
$38 – Jemma Kidd Light As Air SPF 18 – 01 Ultra Light
$36 – Too Faced Amazing Face – Vanilla Creme
$8.99 – Holika Holika Essential Petit BB Cream SPF 30 – #1 Light Beige

After wearing the Benefit, the finish is great, much like the Too Faced, but it’s a tad too dark. I wouldn’t purchase the Jemma Kidd, Estee Lauder, Make Up For Ever, Too Faced or Benefit again at this point. I’ve purchased the Holika Holika a few times. I would purchase the NARS again.

Remember when looking at the arm swatches, those are all unblended. They do blend out and work with the coloring in my face, for the most part. I can also lighten the color with FaceAtelier white liquid foundation to get a better color match.

What do you think about the color variance in these foundations?

Products purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

Cordelia Frost is the creative force behind Phyrra, a treasure trove for cruelty-free indie and goth makeup enthusiasts. She's the author of the game-changing 'Hooded Eyes Makeup Manual' a must-read for hooded eyes makeup.

Cordelia's world is a kaleidoscope of alternative beauty, gothic fashion, and life-enhancing tips, making every visit to Phyrra a journey into a more colorful and inspired self.

41 Comments

  1. Thanks so much for these pale foundation swatches! I stumbled upon your blog while trying to find a recommendation for a mineral foundation shade that compared to NARS Sheer Glow in Siberia. Since we’re both neutral and very fair, I wanted to let you know that Armani Lasting Silk in #2 is an exact match to NARS Siberia. It is expensive, but it has an absolutely beautiful finish and lasts ~14 hours or so. I use a Beauty Blender to apply and it is hands down my most favorite formula and best shade match for me. As far as mineral foundation goes, before finding the Armani foundation, I was using Jane Iredale Pressed Minerals in Bisque, and that was a great match as well, it just couldn’t beat the finish and coverage of the Armani. Anyway, thanks again for the photos and being a good resource for us pale gals!

  2. Pingback: Pale Foundation Swatches | Phyrra | Beauty for the Bold

  5. How did I miss this post?! Thanks so much for doing this! You really have me tempted to try NARS Sheer Glow in Siberia again. I thought it was far too yellow on me but in your swatches it looks so beautifully neutral! *sigh*

  6. I just received the Benefit one as gratis. I like it a lot! It maintained 12 hr wear, and was super blendable. It felt really nice on my skin. I’m glad they’re opening up their color range!

  7. I’ve been so tempted to try the Holika Holika. I have what I consider true neutral skin. I wear MUFE 117. Do you think it would be too yellow/beige?

  8. It surprises me that all of these colors still look good on you despite all the different undertones on them. I know people have said this to you a lot of times but yeah. Haha. And wow, you own so many foundations! I personally only have 4, or maybe 5 at most. I know that’s going to change in the future though, but for now I’ll stick to that much! Hehe.

  9. Wow, how odd. They all look good on you, but some are pinker and some are yellow. I suppose you have a good mixture of undertones? I still don’t understand how undertones work, so I have never found a foundation that matches perfectly. I think I am about as yellow as it gets but I’m also extremely light. I have the Holika Holika BB and it covers well and I love it, but it still looks a touch dark and peachy on me. I’d like to try Siberia. I swatched the powder version once and it looked nice.

    1. Yeah I have a mix of undertones. When I had my undertones done I have mostly creamy undertones, with a bit of beige, a touch of peach, a dash of yellow, and an annoying pink overtone. So neutral and light works for me. If it leans warm or yellow, it tends to work on me. The yellow cancels out the red/pink.

      Liquids are usually easier for me to blend with my skintone now. And now that I BLEND, rather than slap things on thickly, I don’t have such a mask (god some of my old pictures make me cringe!).

      The powder version of Siberia is great.

      1. The blending thing actually makes sense. I definitely tend to layer my foundation because I have a lot of acne scarring. It makes sense how that could make certain foundations less wearable for me. Maybe I should focus on a good concealer. Thanks for this post! This is really helping me think about my makeup options lol.

  10. I love this post! Really enjoyed looking at the swatches and seeing what the companies were for each. I have very fair skin so I also have to purchase the lightest. Thank you!! x

  13. Very interesting to see that variations in the different color foundations you wear. I’ll have to swatch mine in a side by side comparison sometime to see how different they are! Thanks for the comparison and your thoughts!

    1. you’re welcome! It was definitely interesting for me to see them all side by side. Also, I need to remember that they look different in lines, unblended, than they do when they’re all blended out.

  14. I have a really hard time finding a good match. I’m so pale — often paler than the lightest shades in a line — plus my skin is very neutral. I found Nars Siberia too yellow for me, for example. (That’s rare though, most are too pink!) The best match I’ve found is in Vapour Organic Beauty — their lightest shade is perfect and very neutral. I just wish it gave a wee bit more coverage.

    Looking at your swatches, the Holicka Holika looks very interesting. I might have to give that one a try.

      1. Oooh, thanks for that rec! I do have a lot of pinkness in my cheeks due to having rosacea but anything too yellow just sorts of sits on my skin unpleasantly and anything too pink just makes me look overheated. lol

        1. Another fair person with rosacea chiming in. I have the Mirabella in Perfection 2, and though it looks WAY too dark in the pan, it’s amazing stuff.

  15. I am in lurves with NARS Siberia. I bought that one in the Sheer Matte formula during Sephora’s last sale, and, aside from being a little too dry during winter, seems to be a perfect match for me.

    Last time I went into a Sephora I wanted to try some samples of the MUFE HD foundation in the lighter colours, because the formula seems to be such a hit. The MUA gave me samples in 107 and 110, saying that they both looked like good matches for me. I tried them on the next morning, to see how they looked in the day light…I looked sunburned. Grossss. The 107 seemed light enough, but WAY too pink, and 110 was both too pink and too dark. I swatched them on my arm and they both looked like blush against my skin :/ I think 117 might be a way better match; I’ll have to try it next time. I don’t know if the lighting made me look pinker in the store, or if the MUA was matching the foundation to my blusher and/or eczema. Gah.

    1. Yeah 107 is very very pink. 110 has pink, but also has a bit of yellow and peach in it, I think. I need to do pictures out in direct sunlight wearing the 110. Now I’m wondering if I look sunburnt 😛 I hope not!

      Definitely get samples, and stripe them along your jaw, and take a mirror out into direct sunlight and look at how it melts (or doesn’t melt into your skin). Or take a pic of your face outside, without flash, in direct sun.

      1. I think I’ve seen a few of your FOTDs with 110 and it doesn’t appear sunburn-y (to my eyes), but I know I’m a little more yellowy-green…or something. I picked up Siberia actually because of your swatches and FOTDs while wearing it. Our colouring is a little different, but it looked very promising. And it was 🙂 It really neutralizes any eczema and acne-related skin damage I have, and seems to blend into my neck well.

        I think I’ll take a pic of my bare face in the sunlight; it would probably come in very handy when I’m at the makeup counter. I know casper-pale skin has a way of picking up undertones in different surroundings…whenever I’m in my sister’s aqua-green bedroom I look ill 😛 I could see different lighting effecting my skin the same way.

        1. Yeah I love it when foundies lean a bit yellow because it minimizes my annoying pink overtone.

          Definitely having your bare skin in natural direct sunlight is helpful;l.

  16. The Nars one looks to have a very neutral toned. Would you happen to know if all of the Sheer Glows are as neutral? I’m light-medium olive complected with true neutral undertones and have yet to find a foundation that isn’t too pink, orange or yellow for me. 🙁

    2. The NARS line actually has a fair amount of shades, so you might be able to find a neutral one in the right range for you. Can you get to a Sephora and have them match you? Deauville is another neutral in their range, darker than Siberia but still light. Stromboli is a medium with olive undertones, but I don’t know how that would read on the skin.

      1. I do have a Sephora about an hour or so away. I should go get matched. Thanks for the response, this is by far my favorite beauty blog. 🙂

    1. My guess is that most of these add warmth/color to work with the multiple undertones in my skin, with the exception of Siberia, which neutralizes everything.

  18. I was wondering why there is such variation in my foundations too. I’m always wondering if I have the right shades, some are yellow based, some are pink based. When I look at comparison charts, the shade matches between foundations I own never match up to what shade I have in them. For example, I have the Chanel Vitalumiere in 10 and the Perfection Lumiere in 10. The SA said they would be the same as they are the same number but when swatched, the Perfection Lumiere is so much lighter but they both work on my skin although Vitalumiere is a tad warmer. In MAC I seem to be NC20 which according to Ilamasqua will be shade 3 in their Skin Base. I went to the store and was matched to shade 7 which is a pink based shade. Foundation to me is a very confusing subject.

    1. It’s different among all brands. I think it’s broken down sometimes by undertones and depth. Othertimes, it’s by warm, cool or neutral, and still others by warm or cool.

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