Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation review

A few weeks ago now, I started to notice my skin severely drying out – a side effect of my Accutane treatment. My usual beloved MAC Studio Fix Fluid was looking too cakey on my skin and I needed a more hydrating formula to get me through the day without drying out.

I had a quick browse on Powder to see if there’d been any new foundations released that I hadn’t yet heard about and check on whether the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel foundation was recommended as I thought it would be a good match, and what sort of coverage I could expect. A quick check confirmed my thoughts, so I drove into town to pop to my local Boots and pick a bottle up. I chose the colour Light Vanilla (Vanille Clair) as it seemed like the best match for my fair skin.

The foundation is labelled as a 16 hour radiance booster that gives a revived and even complexion. It’s made from a vitamin-rich fruit therapy formula (containing litchi, goji berries and pomegranates) which helps to smooth out the complexion leaving it looking even and refreshed and is available in six shades. The foundation is a gel formula and I’d say it’s a natural to medium coverage depending on how you apply it.

The top few ingredients in the foundation are Aqua, Dimethicone and Cyclopentasiloxane – so water and silicones. This is how the formula gets it’s gel texture. Usually I’m really not a fan of silicones in my beauty products, after all, my skin was very oily before I started my Accutane treatment. However, since taking the tablets and noticing my skin drying out, I knew a silicone formula would be great to glide over the dry areas without sticking.

First of all, the foundation smells really fresh – it really reminds me of another product I’ve used in the past but I can’t for the life of me remember which it was. Secondly, the texture has a lot of slip to it, so depending on what you use to apply it, you’ll need to spend a little time working it in. I firstly tried the foundation on its own on top of my regular moisturiser using my damp beauty blender to apply it. In all honesty, I really didn’t like how it applied to my skin – it felt thin, watery and took some real working in to get the coverage that I wanted. It also looked very wet on my skin which I really didn’t like. I enlisted the help of my Senior Chief Tester to try it out too and she said exactly the same – thin, watery and hard to cover imperfections. Now, to be fair to the foundation, I am so used to a thicker, heavier coverage foundation, but still, I’ve used tinted moisturisers and the like in the past that I’ve much preferred.

I set the super shiny bits of my face with my favourite Ben Nye Neutral Set and went about my day. The foundation creased like crazy under my eyes through the day but the rest of my face stayed intact and did look fresh for over 12 hours.

The next day, I decided to try using a pump of the foundation mixed with my regular MAC Studio Fix Fluid foundation and it was like a match made in heaven! It applied much better, the ‘wet’ appearance looked more like a healthy glow and it felt much nicer on my skin than it had done the day before. I also made sure not to take the foundation up to my lower lash line and instead solely used my Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer there. Once again, my makeup lasted for over 12 hours with zero need for retouching.

Ever since I bought the foundation, I’ve worn it every single day and so far, it hasn’t let me down. From mega hot days running around Manchester and going to photo shoots, to working on bridal makeovers and walking the dogs, it has stayed well and truly put.

For you ladies that like a more natural coverage foundation that’s super hydrating, I’m sure you’d love this. It’s a great summer foundation and the smell will remind you of hot summery days too!

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation is £10.99 and can be purchased by clicking here.

© This post is copyright of Rachael Divers 2017.