Make-Up Atelier Paris Waterproof Foundation

3 Reviews

1. 

   adoringJaguar1

   Reply

   Ok so I bought this waterproof foundation not too long ago and I have very mixed feeling about it! The one I have been using is the FLW2Y and I like the colour but I can only wear it with tan as I am naturally so pale!
   So, the pros! This foundation is very easy to apply but I feel that theres a very fine line between that natural flawless look and being caked in the stuff! It reall does last on the skin and stays true to the waterproofness! It gives complete coverage and I am very fond of using this product when going out for a night with the girls, it’s never let me down! It had excellent coverage aswell and smells great!
   But all good things can come with their faults, sadly everytime I use this product I completely break out in spots! It’s horrible! I guess it’s because the stuff is quite heavy in texture and also it’s waterproof so it really does clog up the pores! Which is such a down fall in a good product.
   Over all because of the bad breakout I get from using the product I only use it when going out if my skin isn’t up to scratch! That way my skin can look pretty flawless but I never use the product during the day as a regular product as the breakout I get really isn’t worth it!

2. 

   amusedRhino1

   Reply

   I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, but I couldn’t make this work for me at all.

   I usually use Estee Lauder Double Wear (ELDW) in their lightest shade, Shell (old formula). But then the formula changed. Luke Goss raves about Makeup Atelier Waterproof [Liquid] Foundation on Youtube, so I ordered a couple of samples online in Australia to give them a try. For AU$2.00 each, plus $11.00 shipping (too high), you get a 2ml sample of foundation in a mini eyedrop bottle. It’s a great service, and the bottle is enough for about five applications if you’re using fingers to apply, so you can really give the product a good test run.

   In Makeup Atelier, I tried samples of FLW1Y and FLW1NB. Choosing shades is tricky, because they seem to vary by country. The UK site offers FLW1Y and FLW2Y. Confusingly, both of those shades are called “clear yellow.” The UK also has FLW1B, but not FLW1NB. I think those are actually different names for the same shade. The UK site also offers two very pale shades, FLWB (“porcelain”) and FLWB (white).

   The Australian website has no colour names at all, just the codes. They don’t offer porcelain and white (makeup companies wrongly assume that all Australian girls are tanned). I’ve photographed swatches on my arm in natural and artificial light, alongside ELDW Foundation in Shell (old formula), and MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NC15, just for reference. For pale girls, the Makeup Atelier colours are excellent.

   As with MAC, the “cooler” shades are, counterintuitively, more yellow. When I first swatched these, my immediate reaction was that the 1NB was surprisingly more yellow than the 1Y. My second reaction was that the more neutral 1Y was more suitable for me than the yellowy 1NB. I had expected the yellowy shade to suit me better, as most foundations are too pink for me. The Atelier 1NB shade is almost identical to MAC NC15, but MAC is probably a teeny bit more neutral/cool.

   Just to clarify (because I got confused myself):
   FLW1NB = yellow
   FLW1Y = neutral/pink (even though it’s called “clear yellow”).

   I have problem skin; combination, prone to oiliness in the centre and dryness on the cheeks, with mild acne deep under the skin and hyperpigmentation. I’ve been using Retin-A, which is great, but seriously drying. The night before I first tried the Atelier foundation on my face, I exfoliated thoroughly, skipped the Retin-A, and slathered on my Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion generously, so that my face would be as smooth as possible to try the new foundation. I didn’t want to waste my sample on a bad canvas.

   In the morning I cleansed and moisturized with Cetaphil products as usual, and when I started applying the Makeup Atelier, my first thought was that it’s smooth, velvety and warm. But once I started to blend, I ran into trouble. I was using my fingers, and I found that the foundation was balling-up and going weird and patchy. So I had blotches of foundation and blotches of bare skin and the more I tried to blend the worse it got.

   I had to wash everything off and start again. Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion can have a sticky finish, so I thought maybe the two products just don’t mix. I started over with a different, generic moisturizer and tried again. Same problem. This time I tried doing one small area of skin at a time and gently tapping the foundation in, rather than sweeping it. It worked slightly better, but it still didn’t look great.

   The next day, I tried it all over again. I skipped the night cream routine the night before, and just used a light day cream at night, and then again in the morning after cleansing. This time I didn’t have the balling/patchy problem so much, but I still didn’t like the finish. It’s VERY drying, and tends to grab rough patches and accentuate them. The area under my eyes looked bad, and it magnified pores around the nose. It dries fast, faster that ELDW, which makes it hard to apply. The second you apply, it sets to a sort of tough, rubbery finish that is impossible to shift. If I use more moisturiser first, it doesn’t “stick” properly.

   An hour after I applying, I looked in the mirror and realised that it still did look patchy and weird. My skin looked ten years older. Like I said, my skin isn’t great, so I do think that’s more to blame than the makeup. I have less problems applying it to my inner arm. BUT I don’t have this trouble with MAC or ELDW, even when my skin is at its worst.

   The coverage is terrible for me, but I think this has more to do with the consistency of the product than a lack of pigment. If I could get it to apply properly, the coverage would be better. One day I skipped my whole routine and just washed my face thoroughly, so I could try the makeup on bone-dry skin with no product and as little of my skin’s own natural oils as possible. The coverage was better, and the product was less patchy. But obviously my face looked like the surface of the moon (ie. dry).

   I’ve now tried the product about ten times over a couple of months, taking a different approach each time. On the days when I was determined to make it work, I ended up putting a lot of MAC Pro Longwear Concealer over the worst areas to make it work, and that blended in no problems and smoothed out the patchy areas. By the time I’d finished I had the coverage I wanted, but I had essentially used the MAC concealer as a foundation.

   I can’t really speak to the longevity, because by the end of the day I know that what is visible on my face is concealer. Where I do just have foundation, the finish is sheer and patchy. It creases and accentuates lines and pores. I’m prepared to accept that this product simply doesn’t react well with my skin, because it seems to work for others. Maybe you need perfect skin. But I’m pretty disappointed. Every time I return to what’s left of my old formula ELDW, I have to admit it’s SO much easier to work with, and the finish is perfect. The search for a replacement continues.

3. 

   wornoutGnu4

   Reply

   I have this foundation in the waterproof gel (mousse like texture). I love it. Its great in the summer. Excellent coverage.

   I would definitely recommend this for oily skin only because it is VERY matte. And does not budge. (Seriously it stays matte. And does NOT budge)

   Although I apply this sheer to avoid a cakey finish, I do find that applying blush and doing a little contouring puts some definition back into my face.

   My shade is FTG9O Metisse 9 . I have this in about 6 other shades also because I had to hit/miss in order to get my exact match.

   I will upload some pics if I can.