Drugstore foundations is a category of makeup I love trying out. Often they are not only as good as high end brands, but they can even be better and at a more affordable price point. For instance while I love the YSL All Hours foundation, the very similar L’Oreal Infallible Fresh Wear is as good and a fraction of the price. As far as drugstore foundations go, I have tried a few by Max Factor, but they have never been perfect. Will the Radiant Lift foundation break with tradition and wow me for a change?
Max Factor Radiant Lift Hydrating Foundation // Review, Swatch, Makeup Look // 30 Porcelain
What certainly didn’t wow me is the price of this foundation. At full price this foundation retails for €17.99 which is steep for a drugstore foundation. So I definitely picked this up when Max Factor was on sale and my drugstore had a get any Max Factor product for €10 deal on. Otherwise I think you might as well splurge a little bit more money and look into a more high end foundation.
The Packaging
The reason why this foundation intrigued me was because I thought it looked quite eyecatching. For a drugstore foundation this looks much more high end than you might expect. The bottle is made of heavy glass, you get a good pump (which is not even the case with some high end foundations) and the lid closes securely. It feels luxurious so I am sure part of that price point went to the packaging more so than the product inside of it.
The Pump
I don’t know about you, but I personally love it when a foundation comes with a good solid pump. You only need one pump of this foundation to apply a full face as this foundation spreads out quite a bit and you only need a little to create a medium coverage. So that is another aspect I like about this pump: it squirts out just the right amount of product for a full face application.
The Swatch
So this foundation is supposed to have a hydrating formula. The full name of it is the Radiant Lift Long Lasting Radiance All Day Hydration foundation (try saying that three times fast). The texture of this foundation is on the thicker, creamier side of things, but still runs down a bit when it sits on the skin unblended. When you blend it out it takes some effort to work it into a skin, so I would recommend using a sponge with this. With a brush you will just end up with streaks across your face. Once it blends out, it does look like you are wearing foundation: this is not one that becomes one with the skin and is nearly undetectable.
The Shade Match
As is my usual custom with many foundations, I bought the lightest shade available to me. In this case that is shad 30 Porcelain and it is not that light and it is not very porcelain. In fact, this foundation has a strong yellow undertone making this best for people with warmer undertones. On my more neutral toned skin, it stands out a bit more than I would like, but if I blend it more down my neck it is virtually impossible to see that it is not a perfect match, especially after applying bronzer. So while it is not perfect, I can make it work.
The Coverage
When it comes to coverage I would categorize this as a medium to full coverage foundation. As you can see it nicely covers all the redness and discoloration in my skin. It doesn’t cover everything, but it is definitely more coverage than I usually go for. After blending this in, it does look quite makeupy: you can see you are wearing makeup, but it never looks truly cakey.
It works quite well overall, but one this it doesn’t do well is wear nicely. This never sets down completely, even after powdering and it therefore transfers easily when you pump into something or someone. It also means that this foundation has a tendency to simply wipe off in places throughout the day, leaving bare patches especially around my nose. I’d say you get a good 4-5 hours of good wear out of this foundation, but if you wear it for any longer it will start to break up can look even more obvious on the skin.
My Final Thoughts
All in all, the Max Factor Radiant Lift foundation is one that I like but don’t love. It is a good, solid hydrating foundation, but I wish it would wear better throughout the day. Since the shade match is not spot on, I also feel I have to work too hard to make this look nicely. I just tend to prefer lighter coverage, less obvious foundations on myself. That being said, however, I think this foundation can still serve the need of a super hydrating, medium coverage foundation for some people. If you can find your shade and you don’t mind a foundation that breaks up a little bit throughout the day, then you may still like this.
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