My foundation preferences are simple; I want a light to soft medium coverage, an absolutely weightless feel, and a totally natural-looking finish that also keeps my T-zone from looking like an oil slick. Ok, so maybe my wish list isn’t as simple as I thought, but surprisingly all my criteria have been met with Givenchy’s Matissime Velvet Fluid Foundation — this, I was so NOT expecting but I’m so happy to have discovered.
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Matissime Velvet Radiant Mat Fluid Foundation (CAN $75.00/each) | Note that I received 8 shades, but I understand several more have been added to the lineup. Housed in a glass rectangular bottle with an elegant black cap, this foundation comes with a pump dispenser that is actually quite effective at delivering a controlled amount of product. The texture is a well-balanced fluid that’s neither too thick nor runny and very easy to spread out along the skin. Where this foundation excels, is in the formula: the pigments are coated with Amino Acid to provide a long-lasting even tone, Black Cumin Seed Oil helps with skin purification, extracts of Ginger, Burnet and Cinnamon aid in boosting the mattifying effect and help diminish the look of pores, while Silica Microbeads absorb excess sebum & oils to give a soft-blurring effect. With regards to application, you can use your fingers, a brush, or a sponge — the last is my personal favourite, in particular a dampened sponge, as it lays down the coverage I prefer: light and seamless.
Why has this foundation has completely won me over? Mainly due to the finish which is neither too matte nor satin, but instead resembles my ideal of what ‘healthy’ skin should look like, and the magical way it just melds with my skin without masking it, providing an even tone that doesn’t look filtered. Then there’s how beautifully it lasts, without oxidizing or creasing, all while doing a pretty good job of controlling excessive shine along my T-zone (and while it doesn’t fully eliminate it, the result looks natural as opposed to greasy). In case you’re wondering, my shade is 05 Mat Honey which may appear dark in my swatch, but is actually a perfect match.
- 00 Mat Ivory – palest ecru
- 01 Mat Porcelain – light with pale pink undertone
- 02 Mat Shell – light with pale peach/pink undertone
- 03 Mat Sand – light sand with neutral undertone
- 04 Mat Beige – medium beige with soft peach/pink undertone
- 05 Mat Honey – medium beige with warm undertone
- 06 Mat Gold – medium beige with tan undertone
- 08 Mat Amber – medium dark with warm undertone
A few weeks ago I was invited to have my makeup done by one of Givenchy’s top makeup artists (you can read about it here) and when I was handed a closeup mirror to see if I liked the finish, I was stunned to find that I actually couldn’t detect visible traces of foundation, yet my skin looked both even and radiant — this had been the foundation used on me, the one that has earned the coveted title of my Holy Grail from amongst all the others I own since I started using it. Even the colour range is reasonable, although those with very dark complexions may not find a suitable match. So while I still believe in the idea of a customized foundation shade and have been fortunate to have been matched up with a few other brands, I am beyond thrilled with Matissime Velvet and it definitely gets 2 thumbs up from me.
Available at Sephora, Holt Renfrew Ogilvy
Kindly provided by Givenchy for my unbiased consideration
