Bourjois Bio Detox Organic Foundation - Review

It claims: This foundation perfectly evens out the complexion, minimizing pores' appearance and concealing imperfections.

Enriched with chlorophyll from plants that brings oxygen and filters pollution, it leaves the skin pure and fresh.

Its formula melts onto the skin for a no mask effect.

Price: Rs. 980 for 30 ml bottle.

Shade: No. 55 (Dark Beige)

My experience: I bought this foundation close to 6 - 8 months back as soon as it was launched. I was really excited to try this out as it supposedly contains upto 98.8% natural origin ingredients

The mild confusion started at the store itself, I wear shade no 53 in Bourjois Healthy Mix, but 53 in this range proved to be too light for me (it had major pink undertones, while I am cool toned, I am not exactly the English Rose).. both 54 & 55 seemed fine to me, but just to be cautious I picked 55 (Dark Beige).


Luckily that seems to match my skin well. (For those of you are wondering, my face is a tad lighter than my neck, so I tend to buy foundations that match my neck in order to give an even appearance)

I came home, tried this out.. It was hate at first application. The damn thing just wouldn't blend, it looked patchy, flaky, it went on too thick in some places. It was a nightmare to blend. I tried this out a couple more times, with damp sponges, after exfoliating & moisturizing; - but it was just disaster every time. I relegated this to the back of my kit, and decided not to review it. This thing was clearly not working for me, but I wasn't sure if it was me or the product to blame.

In the mean time I read up on this foundation. How were other girls making it work? It was such a disaster on me and had cost a bomb. I was determined to make this work someway.

Finally a Lisa Eldridge video gave me the answer. She spoke about this foundation in her organic makeup video. She explained the following:

1. The foundation is silicone free. Silicone is what makes other foundations glide, spread & blend so well. Lack of silicone makes this a toughie to blend.

2. This performs better if warmed up and blended using fingers.

I decided to give this another shot. This is what I did

1. Apply a sunblock base - the silicones in the base help while blending the foundation.
2. Take one very small pump amount in palm.
3. Warm it up using your finger.
4. Apply on the face, section by section. Dab, blend immediately using finger. Repeat. (As opposed to applying small dots all over face and then blending - this foundation tends to dry fast. By the time you dab and get around to blending it tends to set)
5. After having applied it all over, after 5 minutes, spritz your face with some toner.

Voila, it worked. It blended like a dream.

What I like about this foundation: 
The foundation itself is good. It looks very natural once blended in well, it offers medium to high coverage, and it also stays on 4-5 hours. It dries to a matt finish. It also covers dark circles to a huge extent (90% in my case) and is also a good primer for powder based eyeshadows. It didn't break me out.

What could be better: 
It is very expensive, couple that with the very steep learning curve, it can be a real dud for some people. I wouldn't be surprised if some people have given up on this foundation and it now lies in some dusty corner of the house.

Overall: At the end of this huge experiment I have become a Bourjois foundation fan. Both Healthy Mix & this one look very natural on the face. It is very difficult to make out if one is wearing foundation. But I may not re-purchase this particular foundation again. It is a pain to apply, I would rather use Healthy Mix than this one.

Have you tried this foundation? How do you make it work?