Inexpensive foundation that's just as good as the posh stuff?

[hairymelons]

Does it exist?

I've just run out of some lovely Chanel foundation which I can't afford to replace.

I know I won't be able to find anything as good for my budget (£10-£15 max) but I was wondering if anyone could recommend a half decent foundation at this price?

I had a max factor foundation prior to the lovely Chanel stuff but it was really claggy. I have dry skin so need something a bit lighter.

I'm 39 weeks pregnant and hugely fat and lazy v tired so can't really face trawling round the make up counters which is why I'm asking you style ladies to help me out!

Thanks in advance.

Well technically its Bourjois who own Chanel and have done since the 1920's when Pierre Wertheimer owner of Borjois, the largest cosmetics and fragrance manufacturer in France at that time 70% financed Coco Chanels first perfume Chanel No5

I'm a foundation snob, and up until now my favourite has been Bobbi Brown. However, I've just started using Lily Lolo mineral foundation, blusher and concealer and I'm a massive convert. Their samples are cheap and pretty generous (though I do think you need to use a proper mineral foundation brush for them to work properly, which does push up the initial outlay). Salons do sell them but I use their website as postage is v cheap and I'm imagining that at 39 weeks you won't want to be going on shopping expeditions.

I'm 39 with spots, so I need make-up that has good coverage but looks natural, isn't too cakey and won't settle into wrinkles (basically every skin problem you could think of). The foundation isn't high coverage, so I can build it up easily where I need to with the concealer and it still looks natural. Finally, it's really quick & easy to apply (I know I sound like I work for them. I promise I don't!)

I've tried all the expensive ones but never liked one so much that I stuck with it. You'd have to pry the Olay Touch of Foundation from my cold dead hands though.

Thanks for the clarification glittery

Although I still maintain that

expensive products = expensive ingredients

cheaper products = compromised quality to make it affordable

sorry Havingkittens i wasnt trying to be smart, just Chanel is a subject close to my heart! ooh that rhyhmes!

yeah i know what you mean about research and development i just always think of the foodstuffs that are made in the same factory and packaged for various customers but are able to be priced differently due to cost margins, marketing costs etc.

i think a lot of things can be worth trying though just incase they are quite similar, you never know they might be ok and you might save a bit...i guess im just wishing i still had the money to buy just the expensive stuff

No 17 Protect and Perfect Foundation - around £15. Lovely and lots of shades too.

Bourjois is excellent. I actually prefer it to Chanel since the colour suits my skintone better. About £10.

glittery that thank you was meant sincerely, not in an arsey way!

I have nothing against cheaper make up. Some of my favorite mascaras are the Max Factor False Lash Effect and Masterpiece Max for example and I also like the Rimmel lipsticks in the bright pink metallic tubes very much. Barry M also do some great, well pigmented eyeshadows (the loose powder ones) in my opinion. However, a higher end foundation in my experience does make all the difference.

cool!

i only mentioned trying the cheaper stuff as i was reading this MSE thread the other day, some of it was as expected but some of it was very suprising!

Ha ha at Havingkittens (ha ha in a nice way) I once wrote to the paper to ask about the Bourjois and Chanel thing and had my letter printed just to refute this myth, I'm sure. I feel your frustration.

I'm going to Boots today as I need to get some other stuff anyway and I can't risk ordering online without trying first.

Havingkittens and everyone else that has pointed out that it's a false economy...I know. Your suggestions are going on my christmas list though so they weren't in vain.

Thank you!

Great link glittery, I'll read it later.

Having kittens I've just got my first sample of teint miracle from Lancome, I wouldn't normally ask for these!! It's blooming lovely, but pricey.

I got No 7 Mineral Foundation. It's not Chanel or Dior by a long stretch but it felt more 'quality' than the others and is nice and light and moisturising. Wasn't cheap actually at £13.

Thanks v much everyone. I'll be back with a concealer question soon!

Just wondering, how exactly are high end foundations better than cheapo ones?

There is more research and development and higher quality ingredients. Some of the cheaper brands oxidize which makes them change colour after a while, they don't contain the ingredients which help them stay on the skin longer or regulate oiliness/dryness etc. the molecules are less fine so they don't have the capacity to look as natural on the skin, they don't have the same ingredients to give the lovely luminosity that a lot of the higher end ones give to the skin, the colours are researched more thoroughly. Those are some of the reasons I can think of off the top of my head.

Make up products like eyeshadow and lipstick are pretty much based on pigment, for achieving different styles and colours whereas with foundation it's all about making your skin look like a superior version of itself which is why I think that good quality foundation and powder are more important than the colours added afterwards. Of course cheaper eyeshadows and lipsticks can also be inferior but you can always reapply your lipstick if it comes off or goes dry. Whereas you would rather your skin looked great all day and you didn't have to worry about it going cakey, darkening or wearing off.

Thanks, havingkittens.

I used to use Estee Lauder but never really noticed the difference so haven't bothered to splash out. I use foundation quite lightly, with powder to touch up. I find any foundation is better than nothing but struggle to see the value that high end foundations bring. More frequent touch ups seems to work better for me than expensive foundations. Which is why I asked.

Maybe I will try one of the brands you listed next time

I like Barbara Daly's foundation - you can get it from Tesco. Especially good if you're very pale.

£10-15 seems a lot for 'cheap' make-up - are foundations more expensive than they used to be? I've been using up what I have so not been shopping for them for a bit.

£10-£15 is quite a lot to spend, it was the maximum I could afford. I was surprised that the No7 stuff was £13 actually but I haven't been make up shopping for a while either.

I'd say 'cheap' was under a fiver. Check out the link from MrsSaxon above for a bargain.

Yeah, I'm judging it by the cost of higher-end eyeshadow which is £10 a pop. I don't really do department store brands - they seem way too grown-up somehow - so I know only of MAC, Urban Decay and the cheaper ranges in Boots. When I do need more foundation I may go with MAC.

I cannot recommend max factor miracle touch hihly enough, it leaves my skin dewy and so smooth,

This summer I tried another brand as it does not have an SP factor but went back after a week.

Its brilliant warm almond is the exact colour of my skin

Barbara Daly at Tesco is fabulous. I stopped buying Dermalogica foundation (it's lovely but expensive) and tried the Tesco stuff, and was amazed.

It goes on like a much more expensive moisturiser, quite moussey, makes me look airbrushed

Lasts ages and doesn't go off at all. And I have awkward skin so when I find something that works I am usually amazed!!!

GetOrfMoiLand, Chantecaille Future Skin is as good as By Terry Eclat Opulent and only £58!