Review: Covergirl NatureLuxe Silk Foundation

I received this foundation for review several weeks ago, and I've been impatiently waiting to write this review. Sometimes I just fall in love with a product and I want to rave about it after one use but, of course, that would be going against my better judgment. So I waited, and tested, and tested this foundation for several weeks, just so that I could be 100% certain of my love affair. So now I can finally tell you exactly how I feel about it.

CoverGirl NatureLuxe Liquid Silk Foundation

(retail: around $10, 1 oz)

Before I get into this review, I want to mention that I posted a while back about a free sample on Walmart's website. For a few days it looked as though the sample was no longer available, but thanks to several of you who recently informed me about this, it appears that the free sample is BACK! Click here to get yours if you haven't already.

First and foremost, I make no secret that I am a powder foundation gal. In fact, you'll find very few liquid foundation reviews on this blog, because I just adore the way powder foundation works for my particular skin needs (I have oily skin and I prefer full coverage from my foundations). So I was a bit skeptical about the new CoverGirl NatureLuxe foundation because, as the tube indicates, this is a "silk foundation" which I normally equate with looking dewy, which then translates to "oil slick" after a few hours on my skin.

I received the shade Chamois 330 for review, which looked like it would be a tad too dark for my skintone. Chamois is the sixth shade in the range, and I usually tend to gravitate toward the second or third shade in a range for my NC20 skintone.

Before I get into the details about this foundation, here are some before-and-after shots taken of my cheek (for these photos, and for the entire time I've been testing this product, I applied NatureLuxe Silk Foundation the good ol' fashioned way: with my fingertips):

As you can see in the "before" shot, I have redness, enlarged pores and old acne scars to contend with (oh joy!). And in the middle pic, taken just after applying this foundation, you can see that Chamois is a bit too dark for my skin, but it's not unbearable by any means.

But what I really would like you to notice is that this foundation does not pool up in my cavernous pores--quite the contrary! I think it minimizes the appearance of my pores, and SURPRISE SURPRISE it also provides MUCH better coverage than I was anticipating! Can you see how my redness has all but disappeared in that second picture? I was literally stunned, because it usually takes a good application of concealer prior to my foundation to get rid of my redness and I used NO concealer at all in these photos.

For the third picture, I used a light dusting of CoverGirl Clean Oil Control Pressed Powder (click here for my review). I figured it would be nice to top off this foundation with another CoverGirl product, so since I purchased the Clean powder a while back and enjoyed it, I was hoping it would work with this foundation (I also noticed on Temptalia a few days ago that Sophia Vergara wore NatureLuxe foundation with Clean Oil Control Pressed Powder to the SAG Awards, and if my skin can look even remotely as flawless as hers, I'm willing to try just about anything. Ha!).

If you look at the third pic above, I hope you can see that by using the Clean Oil Control Pressed Powder in Buff Beige, it actually brought the overall shade of this foundation much closer to my true skin color. Score! It also managed to really set this foundation and keep it in place for a good 7-8 hours on my skin.

So here's why I am now in love with CoverGirl NatureLuxe Silk Foundation and why it seriously challenges my beloved powder foundations: first, the texture. My goodness they are not lying when they say this is a silk foundation. The texture is so creamy, yet so light-as-air, and it blends like a dream on my face. It's like it just melts into my skin, while simultaneously covering my flaws, minimizing my pores and generally just making my skin look like a million bucks (well, to me, at least). And the best part is that it doesn't just sit on top of my skin--it's like it becomes one with my skin. AND, I cannot feel it on my face after it's blended. Yes, it's that light. But it somehow manages to conceal what needs to be concealed, yet it doesn't make me look like I'm wearing a mask. My skin still shows through underneath, but in a very natural, good way.

I've found that even in warmer weather, I only need a couple of touch-ups throughout the day to my oily t-zone. And when it's cold, I don't even need that--this foundation lasts all day and into the early evening on my oily skin, and that's a miracle for liquid foundation, which generally gets completely eaten by my skin by 2pm.

If I had to find fault with this product, I would say that the tube could be a bit larger for the price (1 oz for around $10 isn't exactly cheap by drugstore standards) BUT, I've found that I really only need a small dab on each cheek, one on my forehead and one on my chin per application, and even less if I use concealer beforehand.

One of the reasons I adore powder foundation is the ease of use--a few swipes and I'm done. But let me tell you, I've used NatureLuxe on days when I've been in a hurry, and it's one of the few foundations I can use and SKIP my concealer step and still feel fairly confident when I walk out of the house. Granted, I hate skipping concealer and I rarely do it, but if I had to (i.e. I overslept and am seriously, ridiculously late for work) I could do it by using just NatureLuxe and a bit of setting powder and I'd be comfortable enough to function for the day. THAT is something I could never do with most of the liquid foundations I own.

FINAL VERDICT: I simply cannot think of a skin type that wouldn't be a good match for this product. It's light enough for tinted moisturizer lovers, yet it's got enough coverage for full-coverage foundation gals like myself. I don't foresee this being drying for dry-skinned gals, yet it works beautifully on my oil-slick of a face. The texture is that of a high-end, $75 foundation (I've never owned a $75 foundation but I've used samples!), so even though you're only getting 1 oz for around $10, I think you might love this so much that you'll gladly pay that amount. The look of my skin, the weightless quality of the product (I literally cannot feel it on my face after application), the blendability and the ease of use are all top notch in my book. There is a fragrance to this foundation, but to my nose it sort of smells like a softer, lighter version of old-school Noxzema and it doesn't bother me in the slightest. I just wanted to mention that in case you're sensitive to fragrance. This one's a winner for me, folks. I say grab your free sample and give it a shot!

Do you already own CoverGirl NatureLuxe Silk Foundation? What do you think of it? Does it work as well for you as it does for me? If you don't own it, are you tempted to try it? Will you be signing up for the free sample? I'd love to hear from you!

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.