L’Oreal True Match foundation US

Two years ago I reviewed the L’Oreal True Match foundation. I really liked it at the time. I also knew however that in the US, this product looks differently and is available in many more shades. In the past two years I stopped being super duper pale for most of the year and so the shade I own in the European version of this product is a tad light. Since I did really like this foundation I decided to try this in the US version in a slightly darker shade.

L’Oreal True Match Super-Blendable makeup N2 Classic Ivory

The best part about the US version of this foundation is the amazing shade range. It comes in three different undertones: C for cool, W for warm and N for neutral. Since I’m not overly cool or warm, but much more neutral toned I thought I might find a much better match for me shade wise. The other True Match foundation I have was in C1 Ivory Rose, which I felt is a bit too pink for me apart from it being too light. This foundation retails for $8.99, whereas the other version I have cost €15.

The packaging of the US True Match foundation looks completely different from the European one. Since writing my previous review, the packaging has been changed, but the European version still comes in a class bottle with a pump and a cap. My biggest gripe about that at the time was the fact that the pump dispensed too much product for one application. This US version comes in a small bottle. Just by looking at it, you wouldn’t think this would be the same product.

L’Oreal’s US True Match foundation comes without a pump. This you have to shake up and pour out instead. Once you twist off the cap, you are left with a big gaping hole. It can become quite messy if you simply pour it out. But when I tend to do with this is put my finger over the opening and then turn it upside down. I dot whatever is on my finger onto my face and repeat until I have the desired amount of product. This leads to no wasting of product which I like, but the packaging takes some getting used to.

The formula of this product feels more lightweight and is on the watery side as far as foundation goes. It is comparable to the European version, but I feel that this color is much more spot on. As you can tell, the shade isn’t too yellow nor too pink, which is perfect for my face.

When blending out this foundation it blends out nicely, though it oxidizes every so slightly. It leaves a satin finish on the skin, as it isn’t overly dewy but not a truly matte finish either. It just makes your face look healthy and even, yet not too cakey.

Left: Nothing, Right: L’Oreal True Match foundation in N2

If you compare these pictures to the ones I took two years ago, you will notice 2 things. Firstly my face is far less red to start with and this shade match is much better for me. I liked the one at the time: because of the redness in my skin it was difficult to see how pale I actually was, but once you got to my neck area, you could tell the foundation was a match. Due to a much better skincare regime, the redness isn’t as bad anymore and my skin feels and looks a lot better lately. It’s far less likely to allergic reactions and not as sensitive.

What I like most about this US version is the shade match. It’s why I’ll be keeping this over the European one. N2 is spot on when it comes to it being the perfect shade. It is not too pink, yet not too yellow and blends out like a dream. It covers what I need it to cover and in that respect it works very much the same as the European version. But simply the fact that the US has a neutral shade range that we don’t get, this foundation works better for me.

Completed look

The finished look is a fair, yet natural look. And I absolutely love it. I used this for weeks on end last winter. Right now, during summer it’s a bit too much for me, but once the weather gets cooler I will sure be going back to this one. Such a shame you cannot get this anywhere but the US. However I feel that if the European version has a shade for you in the range than you can just as easily buy that. The formulas are identical, it’s the shade range that makes all the difference for me.

Do you also struggle finding your perfect foundation shade?