Lauren Brooke Creme Foundation review

I've been a loyal fan of Revlon ColorStay foundation (for combo/oily skin in Sand Beige) for a couple of years now. Of all the makeup I have tried, I thought it has been the closest match to my skin tone, is long-lasting, gives good coverage, and is drugstore affordable. According to some women's magazine I read, a foundation bottle is okay to use for up to 2 years. However, I find the Revlon foundation starts to turn a different hue and becomes chalky on the skin after a year. The problem is, I only use foundation minimally as a concealer to cover up some random acne and red spots on my face, so there's always tons of product left in the bottle after a year. I feel bad having to toss out the bottle when it looks barely used. The glass bottle is also heavy and bulky, so not ideal for traveling either.

When Michelle Goes North posted about this Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques creme foundation recently, I was intrigued about the natural ingredients and the little sample tubs. I've been wanting to find a company that sells sample size liquid/cream foundation. Since I wear minimal makeup, I like the idea of makeup sold in small quantities, so I can actually use it up before it turns rancid. Since Michelle had a very positive experience with this company, I decided to order some samples with her discount code (thanks Michelle!). 

I only ordered 2 samples: the creme foundation in Warm No. 20 and Warm No. 30. But to my surprise, they added extra complimentary samples, a creme foundation in Neutral No. 20, and a lip colour in Frappe (which is a frosty light pink with shimmers, not my style, so not reviewing here). 

I'm glad they added the Neutral No. 20 foundation, since it turned out to be closest to my skin tone. 

Here's a look at the foundation colors I have (comes in plastic contact-lens-size cases):

Swatches on my inner arm:

Neutral 20, Warm 20, and Warm 30

As you can see, the Neutral No. 20 almost disappears on my arm because it's a close match to my skin. The Warm No. 30 is very pigmented and orange-y. If you are a pale Asian like me, I would stay away from any of the 30's or more.  

Here's how the colors compare with my old Revlon Colorstay foundation:

Neutral No. 20 (left), Revlon Sand Beige (middle), Warm No. 20 (right) 

Lauren Brooke has more yellow undertones. 

Again, I only use foundation minimally like a concealer for spots on my face, so I cannot attest how well these work for full-face application, but I find these Lauren Brooke creme gives good coverage to my acne and scars as well as the Revlon. Sometimes the Revlon foundation makes me want to rub my face off throughout the day, whereas the Lauren Brooke is not noticeable at all. For duration, the Revlon does stay on longer (up to 24 hours as it claims), but Lauren Brooke still lasts me the whole work day (8-10 hours), which is all I really need. 

After using the Lauren Brooke creme foundation as a concealer everyday for over a week now, I'm a convert! I'm also grateful that the ingredients are all natural and organic. The creme does have a weird smell (reminds me of oil paints), but doesn't linger around once applied on the face. Actually, the Revlon Colorstay has a worse stronger smell. Overall, I'm loving the Lauren Brooke foundation so much, I decided to do a review right away! 

I've been using a mixture of the Neutral No. 20 and Warm No. 20. Here's how well it works to cover some acne scars on my chin:

after

before

One or two of this pin-dot amount is all I use daily...

So these samples will probably last me a long long time. I'm going to try to maximize the shelf-life of these samples by storing them in a glass jar (reusing an empty Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-cream container, yay for recycling!) Hopefully if this works out (and if Lauren Brooke continues to offer sample sizes), I'm never buying full size foundation bottles again.  

If you are looking for a new foundation or concealer to try, I recommend these! Michelle's 15% off coupon code michellegoesnorth_15 still works until May 31, 2014.