Catrice Cosmetics Nude Illusion Make Up

Thanks to my dry skin, I rarely opt for foundations that have a matte finish because I want my normally dull skin to look more glowing and healthy. But, when a foundation promises to still give skin a 'healthy glow' and is moisturizing, I don't hesitate to give it a chance.

Just a note, according to the company's product page, this foundation is no longer available meaning it was most likely phased out. It is currently still available here in the Philippines, however. Only time will tell if it'll be phased out of stores too eventually.

Catrice Cosmetics says... "The Nude Illusion Make-up scores points as a light foundation with optimal mattifying coverage. Thanks to soft, light-reflecting pigments, the foundation provides a soft focus effect for a healthy glow. The formula is fabulous: moisturizing, long-lasting and with protective UVA and UVB filters. The finish: flawless and natural."

Ingredients:

AQUA (WATER), ISODODECANE, COCO-CAPRYLATE, TALC, HYDROGENATED TETRADECENYL/METHYLPENTADECENE, LAURYL PEG-8 DIMETHICONE, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, POLYETHYLENE, DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE, NYLON-12, SODIUM CHLORIDE, HDI/TRIMETHYLOL HEXYLLACTONE CROSSPOLYMER, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, ORYZA SATIVA (RICE) POWDER, SODIUM HYALURONATE, DISODIUM EDTA, METHICONE, HYDROGEN DIMETHICONE, PTFE, SILICA, ETHYLHEXYL METHOXYCINNAMATE, ZINC OXIDE, SODIUM DEHYDROACETATE, PHENOXYETHANOL, HEXYLENE GLYCOL, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 (IRON OXIDES), CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE).

The foundation's consistency is a little on the thicker side, but true to what Catrice says, it's still light at the same time. I, personally, don't mind thicker foundations since I look for good coverage and thicker foundations usually equal better coverage. Blending this out on skin isn't troublesome either, and I recommend using a sponge over a brush since you get a better, more natural looking finish, especially if you have dry and/or rough skin. Speaking of which, I prep well with skin care before applying this because if my skin isn't properly hydrated and moisturized, dry patches tend to get highlighted.

I'm not sure how many shades were available for this, and since it's been phased out, the website only displays one shade which is 010 Nude Ivory. For reference though, I'm an NC 20-25 and mine is in the shade 015 Nude Vanilla.

Left: bare skin. Right: After applying 1 layer of Catrice Cosmetics Nude Illusion Make Up

After application, you can see that it helped a lot with minimizing redness and evening out my overall skin. You can still detect hints of redness here and there, particularly from where I'm breaking out, but I can combat that with a good concealer and/or (green) corrector. Coverage safely sits in the Light-Medium spectrum. The foundation adds a certain brightness to my complexion too. I wouldn't say it gives me a 'healthy glow', but I think I can tell those 'soft, light-reflecting pigments' are doing their job.

The only issue that's made me stop using this foundation is how it looks on my skin after wearing it for more than a couple of hours. No matter the environment I'm in, up close it tends to both look cakey and as if my skin has dried out underneath the foundation. I know that's a bit of a strange description, but that's the best way to describe it. It's like the foundation settles further into my skin over time and emphasizes dry patches that arose again underneath. It also forms around the deeper contours of my face, eg. around my nose, then starts to crack and break apart a little there. I can only imagine it would look worse if I applied more than one layer. Either way, it's not a pretty sight!

While I do appreciate what the foundation can do in terms of its coverage and ability to minimize redness, the way it wears over time on my skin is a deal breaker for me. Maybe it's a skin type issue at work and this would fare better on someone with more normal or normal-oily skin.

Other notes

• Has a convenient and controllable pump.
• Product housing is glass, so it's not the most travel-friendly foundation but the glass seems sturdy.
• No mention of the SPF level, but it's described as having both UVA and UVB filters.
• For those with acne-prone skin, the ingredient Hexylene Glycol rates as 2 out of 5 on the comedogenic scale (the tendency to promote clogged pores that may result in blackheads/whiteheads or acne) on CoSDNA.

Disclaimer: The featured product/s were given or provided to me by the named company or a representative of the company for review purposes. Any opinions given on said product/s are entirely my own and are honest and unbiased.