LA Girl cosmetics is a brand which continues to give high end brands a run for their money. With their infamous Pro HD Concealers used by amateur and pro make-up artists around the world, LA Girl is a brand to be reckoned with. And the same goes for their foundation line- one of which we will be talking about in this post – The L.A Girl Pro Matte Foundation.
Let me be clear about one thing. When L.A Girl says Pro Matte, they mean PRO MATTE. I have dry/combination skin, which tends to become more combination during the crazy Indian monsoon season. And even though I have dry skin, I don’t shy away from using matte foundations. Because sometimes I just like looking frigid (lol)
Most “matte” foundations work okay on me. They don’t make my skin too dry since I have a habit of moisturizing my face prior to makeup application- a step you shouldn’t ever skip, no matter what skin type. But boy, was I in for a surprise with this foundation.
CLAIM
With a soft and suede-like finish, PRO.matte Foundation will have you covered and shine-free all day. Creamy, liquid formula provides smooth and buildable coverage for both day and night time wear. Minimize the appearance of pores and fine lines for an even, soft focus effect. Paraben free formula with added vitamin E, B5 & sunflower oil.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The product comes in a frosted glass bottle with a black top that can be pulled off to expose a pump (pointers on that!). The saddest thing about the foundation has to be the shade range. I was disappointed when I saw the full range. It also retails for INR 1250 for 1 fluid oz. of product, which is pretty standard.
I will be dead honest- the first time I applied this foundation, I. HATED. IT. It emphasized my pores, made my skin look flat and overall, I looked like I didn’t know how to apply foundation. And even though I picked up the shade “Beige”, I looked white as hell. (what’s up with that?) And after only a few hours of wear, I noticed creasing. I wanted to toss it into the bin.
But I’m not one to decide if a product works in one go. I gave the foundation another shot. I made sure to prep my skin really well before application. Moisturized and hydrated my skin, I used a pore filling primer and then I prayed to the Lord and pumped out the foundation. The foundation applied much better the second time around. It wasn’t patchy, and it blended out pretty well. The shade was still an issue, but I noticed later that it oxidized, so it was fine by me- as long as I didn’t end up walking about town like a ghost.
Although the foundation held up pretty well, it still separated around my nose later on, and dabbing it back into place tended to make it worse. The foundation looked really good, but unfortunately, it just didn’t hold up to the hype. Maybe it’s because of my skin type, maybe it’s just something that didn’t work for me. But it doesn’t mean that it might not work for you.
PROS:
- Medium Coverage
- Doesn’t feel too heavy
- Packaging
- Matte as hell
CONS:
- Tragic shade range
- Shades don’t necessarily much
- Can move around
- Has the tendency to separate over time
- Oxidises
- Can look cakey
