I’m starting to think that I may be romanticising my love affair with Jemma Kidd’s Light As Air a little. I search eBay on a daily basis for a bottle, often get a little sad about its discontinued status and with my last drop deposited the hunt for its replacement has never been hotter. Next on my list of possible dupes to try, test and match against my ticklist of why the Light As Air was so awesome (ridiculously long-lasting, good but natural looking coverage, and a balanced dewy/matte finish if you were wondering) is Face Atelier’s Ultra Foundation. One I sampled ages ago but have fond memories of, so in the shade Sand went to my Cult Beauty basket.
Does it compare to my fondly discontinued love? Well, sorta. The coverage builds from light to full in a few sweeps and the longevity is there. The finish does that whole ‘matte where you want it and dewy on the high points‘ thing, but there’s one tickbox which is left empty – blendabilty. The L.A.A had an almost watery texture, I got my technique down to the point where I could slap it on without a mirror, but the Face Atelier is much thicker, requiring more smoothing and attention than I usually bother with. It’s definitely one of those formulas that requires a dual blend, first with brush, then fingers to make it truly melt and become your second skin.
Will it be entered into the daily rotation or strewn to the retired bases drawer? I think it’s a daily rotation choice, a dewier version of Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk, and with no SPF it’s a good evening offering. Drier skinned gals stay away (purely for blending reasons – things could get a little cakey), but it’s one for the more normal to combined skin among us to look into. £32 from Cult Beauty.
Comments