As promised, I bring to you my review on the Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24H foundation. As much I love my MAC Matchmaster foundation, I felt the need to splash out and try something new. I had actually put a bit aside to purchase the YSL Fusion Foundation, but after seeing that the collection did not cater to those with darker skin, I decided to opt for the more WOC-friendly Lancome. 

The Teint Idole Ultra advertises as a ‘full coverage, comfortable, blendable texture that leaves the complexion perfectly smooth and velvety matte with no powdery effect for 24 hours‘. It also promises to be oil-free, fragrance-free and transfer-free. After using it for about 3 weeks, I think I can safely give my thoughts on this. 

PRICING/AVAILABILITY/PACKAGING

Lancome is a readily available brand that can be found in nearly department stores and online retailers in the UK. The foundation retails at £28.50, which is around the same price range for most mid-high range foundations. The packaging is cute; it comes within a frosted glass bottle with a pump that doesn’t dispense that much product in one full pump.

FINISH AND COVERAGE

The finish is matte and the coverage is pretty full. I was looking for a matte finish as I find that I tend to get a bit oily towards the end of the day when wearing other foundations. I would say that the coverage is a bit too full for me to be honest. If you’re a fan of all out full coverage, this would be ideal for you. It gives a pretty full, flawless finish so would be perfect for nights out and events, but I wouldn’t wear this as an everyday foundation.

CONSISTENCY/FORMULA

This stuff is THICK. I find it pretty hard to spread over my face and at some points, I’ve had to add in a bit of water/moisturiser to smooth it out. One full pump only yields out a blob that is smaller than a pea, however any more of that is far too much for me. 

SHADE

The foundation has an excellent range of shades; 28 (in the US), and 16 over here in the UK. The challenge however, is finding a shade that suits you as there are so many shades available. I bought the colour 14 (Brownie), which turned out to be too dark for me (note to self: try the foundation on in natural lighting first!). I should have gone a shade lighter – for the moment, I’ve been mixing the foundation with a lighter one. 

CONCLUSION

For my daily foundation routine, this is a bit too much for me. It’s not a “bad” product as it IS advertised as full coverage with a velvet finish. If those are qualities that you are looking for in a foundation, then this would be perfect for you. I would venture a guess that dry skinned ladies (such a myself) should look elsewhere since the finish is so matte and could easily make the complexion seem duller than normal. The thick consistency and and transferring annoy me the most, especially since Lancome promises a blendable and transfer free product.

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Foundation available at Feel Unique.

Have you tried this foundation?

What foundation are you currently using?