Four exciting new(ish) foundations, ft. Origins, Liz Earle, Clarins & Clinique

There are new foundations launching all the time and I'm always on the lookout for the next best thing. I am a huge foundation fan - I own so many bottles/tubes I have lost count - and always purchase the newest ones. I buy a new foundation every couple of weeks even though I know I don't need it, but... I love to test out new things on the market and if they sound like something my skin would love then, well, why not?!
Today, I have decided to write about four (of my latest foundation discoveries) that have impressed me the most. They have all launched in the last few months hence why I called them exciting and new(ish) in the title.

Origins Plantscription Anti Aging Foundation (£28, from here) promises to deliver instant age and pore correction and is, apparently, best suited for dry and combination skin types. Now, my skin is combination and quite dehydrated at the moment and I find this to be a great product. It gives medium coverage (which is, by the way, buildable) and goes on very smoothly - any redness/acne scars I have are concealed and my face is left looking matte and fresh. Plantscription is very long wearing: it sits comfortably on the skin and lasts a good 8 hours with just a dusting of powder on top. It is a universal foundation in that, I believe, it would be suitable for most skin types. The creamy formula smooths onto skin like a dream and the slightly radiant matte finish (yes, 'matte' doesn't always mean 'flat') is simply beautiful.

Liz Earle Signature Foundation (£21, from here) is another very easy to blend product. Its formula feels silky and lightweight but, surprisingly, the Signature Foundation actually gives decent medium coverage. It is also buildable and never cakes or becomes 'heavy' (by that I mean: you can apply a few layers and it will still feel lightweight). I find the finish this creates very natural and slightly dewy. I don't usually like dewy as, in most cases, it doesn't last well on my skin, but this one's different. The Signature Foundation makes me look radiant and gives me a healthy glow, but it is in no way greasy/shiny looking. Also, I have found this to last on my skin for several hours before a little bit of oil starts peeking through and, for a foundation with a non-matte finish, that is excellent.

Clarins Skin Illusion Loose Powder Foundation (£28, from here) is a powder foundation and I'm not usually a big fan of these - I simply prefer the liquid ones and find them to work better on my skin - however... this one's managed to convert me. The Skin Illusion is a very finely milled, silky loose powder that I apply with a brush - it offers buildable medium-high coverage, isn't cakey and is so mattifying I don't need a separate (setting) powder. It covers well, feels light, doesn't look powdery at all and is excellent at keeping me shine free, literally, all day. It is definitely a product that would appeal to those with normal to oily skin types and anyone who loves a good powder foundation. The great coverage plus the matte yet very natural finish the Skin Illusion leaves make it a true stand out product.

Clinique Pore Refining Solutions Instant Perfecting Make Up (£23, from here) is a foundation that's designed to make the skin look poreless. Now, I have large pores and find a lot of foundations settle into them so, of course, I was mega excited when I bought this. And hey, it certainly lives up to its name. It's got an amazing gel like texture that feels - can you guess? - lightweight (again!) yet offers buildable light-medium coverage (yes, again!). I can vouch for the fact it doesn't settle into pores and I can also tell you that it is a great long lasting product that will not budge for at least 8 hours. The finish? Natural, more matte than dewy - probably somewhere in between. It does perfect skin - though those with a lot of redness/angry blemishes will need to use a concealer with this - and is just as good as my old favourite, the Anti Blemish Solutions Make Up from Clinique.

Overall, I would say, the Origins and Liz Earle foundations are great for most (all?) skin types and the Clarins and Clinique ones are more suitable for normal to oily skin. Though, hey, don't take my word for it and go and test 'em out for yourselves if you're after a brand new and, most importantly, a GOOD foundation!