Dior Backstage Face & Body foundation

Today we are having a closer look at a not so new foundation, but one that I excited for nonetheless. I bought this last year just after it launched, but I hadn’t really given it a proper try just yet. So last month I committed to giving this a good try. It came with me to New York and I used it for a good 2 – 3 weeks straight. I wore it all day, had it on in a number of situations and feel I can now really give you a proper review of the Dior Backstage foundation.

Dior Backstage Face & Body Foundation 0N // Review, Swatch, Makeup Look

Let’s start with the price point. This being a Dior foundation we’ll know this isn’t cheap. That said, this line is aimed at makeup artists so the packaging also reflects that. So instead of the luxurious packaging you may know from the high end brand, this looks quite simple and that of course makes you wonder: is this worth the price point? How expensive this actually is? A whopping €41.41. I got it with a discount voucher, else I don’t think I would have tried this.

The Packaging

As mentioned, this foundation does not have the most exciting packaging. It comes in a very straightforward looking plastic bottle. It is small: think MAC’s Face & Body foundation, that also always looks bigger online than it does in real life. I feel this suffers from a similar problem where it is difficult to show you this in real size in pictures. What I appreciate is the plastic bottle though: this made it super easy to travel with. You can just chuck this in a back and won’t have to worry about breakage or spills.

The Dispenser

Where many foundations come with a pump, or the horror: an open top, this has a little spout. In a sense this bottle is no more than an oversized squeezy tube. You can screw on the lid and be done. However, I found that air can build up in the bottle causing an eruption of foundation once you take off the cap. This especially happened to me when I took it after my bag. Other than that I think this makes for an easy enough foundation dispenser though. It is easy to clean and you can control how much product you need.

The Swatches

So let’s have a closer look at this foundation. I bought the Backstage foundation in 0N which is the lightest neutral undertoned variety they sell. That is one thing I like about this: it comes in an array of shades (I believe there are 40 in total) and the shades come in pink, warm and neutral undertones. For a brand like Dior that is known for usually not having the best of shade ranges, this is quite good.

The texture of the foundation is a very lightweight one. This is almost as thin as water and quite runny. The thin texture allows you to control your level of coverage: apply less and you get a very natural skin look. Apply a bit more and you can build it up to medium coverage. It is a foundation that has a pleasant texture once applied: it dries down matte, but never settles into lines, nor does it accentuate any dry patches.

The Shade Match

0N is a good shade for me. It can look a bit stark at first, but once I apply the rest of my makeup it looks very natural and goes well with my complexion. I always match my foundation with my neck which is far lighter in my case than the rest of my face is. That is why most foundations first make me look like a ghost before it starts looking like something that can work for me. As you can see here, the shade matches perfectly with my neck and that is why general rule of thumb.

The Application

This is what this foundation looks like on my face. As you can see there is still a bit of redness coming through in my cheeks and on my nose. I found that this can be applied with a sponge, but then the coverage will be a bit more sheered out. It does make for the most natural look though. I also applied it with a brush which worked well but I still had to go in with a sponge afterwards to take away any streaks.

That said, I feel that I do need to apply more than I usually do with foundation to make this look nice. I feel that if I use a very lightweight layer that it looks more like it is sitting on top of my skin. If I use a bit more than I normally would, I feel it blends in better and looks more natural, which is something that I hadn’t expected. Usually it’s the other way around with most foundations.

My Final Thoughts

My final thoughts on the Dior Backstage Face & Body foundation is generally positive. This is a great foundation for everyday looks. This will not give you that Instagram flawless look, but if you don’t mind a foundation showing your natural skin than this is a good one. I personally really enjoy that.

It has a bit of an instruction manual thought and it took a few uses for me to figure out how I could make this work best for me. That would be a bit of a downside. But perhaps the biggest downside for me is how much product I need compared to how much this costs. You do get 50 mls of product though, which is more than most foundations. So maybe that levels things out? I did really enjoy using this and this is definitely one I will go back to.

What do you think of the Dior Backstage foundation?