The new Essence products are here for Spring/ Summer 2022, much like the new Catrice. Part of their new line is a tinted cream or skin tint, also much like Catrice’s newest launch. The difference here? The Catrice product is promoted as a skin tint, this is called a tinted cream, so this is hopefully a bit better because the Catrice one wasn’t very successful. I love trying Essence base products though, even if they are hardly ever right for me. My favorite one so far was their Pretty Natural foundation, so let’s see how this goes.
Review: Essence Hydro Hero 24 H Hydrating Tinted Cream 05 Natural Ivory
Price point wise this is an Essence product so of course it is going to be affordable. This is even more affordable than the Pretty Natural which retails for €4.99. This tinted cream retails for a mere €3.95. So that is a super great price point if this is any good. And that’s immediately where there is a drawback. Because this product is available in just three shades. The Pretty Natural is available in more than 30, so it will be difficult to find your shade in this one. I bought 05 Natural Ivory which is the lightest shade available which sadly is still a bit too dark for me. The other two shades aren’t all that dark so if you are anything over a medium skin tone, this product will not cater to you.
What does the Essence Hydro Hero Skin Tint have to offer?
Is this a skin tint, is it a tinted moisturizer, is this a foundation? I think it is the latter really. It doesn’t feel hydrating enough for it to be a tinted moisturizer and it has a bit more coverage than I would expect the average skin tint to have. This still is a lightweight base that has minimal coverage and it does have a satin finish. The brand claims this is more like a BB cream, boasts 88% all natural ingredients and the addition of hyaluronic acid for added moisture. It is free of fragrance, alcohol and silicones.
How does the foundation swatch?
So in these pictures I think you can see that this has quite a lovely texture. It is thin, not too thick and creamy and not too watery either. So it is a good texture for an everyday product. When you blend it out it can look a bit streaky, but when using a brush I feel you get the best result when you apply this. However, what is also apparent from these pictures is that this is quite yellow and sadly about 5 shades too dark. It’s not as bad as the Catrice one, as this is less noticeable, but it visible enough. Nothing a bit of bronzer can’t correct but by now I have plenty of foundations that do match me so with this not being perfect I just know this won’t be for me long term.
What is the coverage like?
Essence calls this product a tinted cream, but you can see here that this has quite a lot of coverage for a bb cream/ skin tint like product. It covers up my redness really well and once blended in it looks a bit more matte than I would prefer. It accentuates some dryness around my nose and so I wasn’t loving this. It didn’t break up like the Catrice one did and this also played along well with other makeup products. However, I felt this just didn’t look that great after a few hours and it started to cake up quite a bit. In other places it kind of disappeared so I would say this is a great product if you only want to wear it for a few hours, but it won’t last a full workday for sure.
My final thoughts
So the Essence Hydro Hero is a product that I am not loving. It’s not a bad product, definitely not, but this is just not as flattering as it could be. I think you can see in this final pictures where it sort of sits weirdly under my nose as if I have a white moustache, which I really don’t have. In short, I just don’t love how this accentuates my skin’s texture, how it is just not a good shade for me and how it just doesn’t last a full day. It just isn’t ticking all the boxes for me.
Would I recommend the Essence Hydro Hero foundation?
Depending on what you like and your skin tone, this may still be a product that works well. I think this may be nice if you have oilier skin than me. As this is quite matte, I think it just doesn’t pair well with drier skin types. Also, you cannot be super dark skinned as it just won’t match you. And that is always the biggest drawback of any Essence base product. They have done a few in the past that have an inclusive shade range, but most of their base products are just not available in enough shades. I personally have always struggled to find my shades in Essence products in particular as even their lightest shade isn’t light enough for me and they only do 3 or 4 to begin with.
2 responses to “Essence Hydro Hero foundation review”
Interesting review – not sure if your camera is washing you out, because in the photo it looks like a great match.
No it’s not the camera, it’s my curtains that filter the light in this room. But the picture was taken in natural lighting with no additional editing done in post. Also, foundations should match your neck. It can look great from the front, but it is often from the sides that you can really see if it matches well or not.