The Body Shop Extra Virgin Minerals Compact Foundation - A review

I’m always on the lookout for my next favourite foundation. I go through phases of loving certain brands then I get bored, and want to try something new. So me and Dee hit the mall to do a bit of make-up research and try out some brands. The first place we went was The Body Shop as Dee had run out of her favourite liquid eyeliner from there and wanted a new one. Now I’ve always loved the body shop for their moisturisers, soaps, body washes and, of course, their famous Christmas gift baskets that they make and everyone loves. So when Dee said her best ever liquid eyeliner was from there, it intrigued me.

We went into the Mall of the Emirates branch and took a look around. Then something caught my eye. Was that cream foundation? It had ‘Extra Virgin’ written on it and was in an appealing black compact case. I didn’t know The Body Shop made cream foundation. The texture looked just delicious even from 3 metres away. So I took a closer look.

Yes, those are Kiss Impress press-on manicure nails in case you're wondering. OBSESSED!

The texture was creamy, not oily, just soft and delightful. I tried a bit on my jaw (don’t use the back of your hand to test colours it is not the same colour as your face!) and went out into the daylight for a better look (shop lighting can be deceiving!). I find that because I’m a yellow brown (wheat as I like to call it) colour matching one foundation to my face is difficult – I tend to mix a few together, which gets tiresome and takes up a lot of make-up bag space! The colour match was fantastic (I got shade 305 – Natural Beige, but it is available in 8 shades). I went back into the store and bought one immediately (only 99 AED!). It comes in a compact with a mirror and the cutest little flat brush that is actually useable! Cream foundations tend to come with a sponge which some people like, but me and Dee rarely use sponges when applying make-up to ourselves or our clients – we’re brush people – so to find a brush, a useful one at that, was a nice surprise. 

I applied the foundation to my face and left it on all for the duration of our shopping day to review when I got home. My skin looked amazing. It goes on creamy and stays dewy looking – not like many cream foundations which turn chalky once you put them on. But it doesn’t make you look oily either. The coverage is medium, but you can thin it out or layer it up for lighter or heavier coverage also. The staying power is really good as long as you’re not too much of a face toucher. You can seal it with powder if you’re going for a night out, but if you want a natural looking daytime foundation with the easiest application, I cannot recommend this product enough. The only people I think who wouldn’t necessarily like it so much, are those with oily skin. I fear it may not stay on well and might look greasy without powder, etc. Dee has drier skin than me also and found that the foundation clung to the dry parts of her skin emphasising them - so perhaps the conclusion is that normal to combination skin would benefit from this foundation the best.

I’m going back to The Body Shop to check out the rest of their line of products. In my opinion they have seriously stepped into the luxury make-up market, and this foundation is a true contender to the top of the range designer brands. Oh, and their whole line is animal cruelty free. Always a bonus for me! I’ll be back with my reviews of the rest of their products soon.

Toodles for now!

Dal xx