A MAKEUP FOR AUNTY WRINKLE? (L'Oréal Visible Lift Anti-Wrinkle Foundation)

Member Name: Skyedame

Product:	L'Oréal Visible Lift Anti-Wrinkle Foundation
Date:	22/03/08 (1077 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: L'Oreal's Soft Ivory is a complexion-enhancing shade

Disadvantages: Texture too heavy for the mature skin

If you want a quick opinion:

L'Oreal Visible Lift Lifting Anti-Wrinkle Foundation has a creamy texture with a slightly powdery finish. I found that I really have to wear a good moisturiser beneath the foundation or else it will not smooth on easily and will look dry and patchy around the nose, chin, eyes and mouth.

Provides a light to medium coverage and evens out the skin tone but, despite it apparently being aimed at more mature women it is a little too heavy for women over fifty.

With careful blending, pores and lines can be softened. The colour is very good. Foundation lasts all day.

Would look great on a smooth-skinned thirty-year-old.

Contains: Pro-Retinol A and X-Tensium: From the L'Oreal website I discovered:

Pro-Retinol A® delivers Vitamin A to skin cells, revitalizing cell metabolism to create a healthy, youthful glow. This powerful antioxidant smoothes and softens skin and boosts collagen production, which fortifies skin and increases its elasticity. It also lessens the appearance of wrinkles by reducing the number and length of lines leaving you with beautiful, smooth skin.

A search on X-Tensium revealed only that it is probably intended to firm up the skin upon application.

The claims of L'Oreal and my opinion:

'Skin feels instantly firmed': If you think that means 'tightened', think again. I felt no discernible firming or tightening of my skin.

'Appearance of fine lines and wrinkles are reduced in 1 week': Nope

'Complexion looks visibly younger and more radiant': Yes - but by that they mean when you are wearing the foundation - not without!

'Continuous 8-hour moisturising action' - No. I have to wear a good quality moisturiser beneath otherwise the foundation is far too heavy and cakes and generally looks horrible.

In-depth review:

I bought L'Oreal's Visible Lift Anti-Wrinkle Foundation when I was coming to the end of my pot of their Visible Lift Line Minimizing Make-up. The latter was purchased in the States and I had used it every day because I loved it.

Try as I could, I couldn't find the exact same product in the UK. The American version came in a screw-top bottle, the contents of which where gently shaken prior to using. That product's consistency was creamy and when applied looked completely natural on my skin and brightened it - thereby minimising any lines (not eradicating - that's a cosmetic surgeon's forte) and giving me a younger complexion.

The product I bought in the UK seemed exactly the same except it comes in a pump-dispensing bottle (I dislike them) and it has the words 'Lifting Anti-Wrinkle' in its description rather than 'Line Minimising'.

To be honest, the American version is truer to its descriptive claims. The UK version's statement of 'Lifting Anti-Wrinkle' is just plain b*ll*cks. It's a make-up not a miracle cure.

But was I pleased with it?

Yes and no. Yes, because the shade (Soft Ivory) was almost identical to the American version (not quite but still better than any other alternative I'd tested) and it is a shade which brightens my complexion better than any other.

No, because the consistency is too heavy for a mature skin. The American product is creamy liquid and generally lighter in texture and therefore easily applied and gives a natural finish. The UK version is thicker and has a slightly powdery finish - which I don't like using on my mature skin. Having said that, I do still like the feel and finish of Max Factor's Colour Adapt which, although does have a powdery finish, has a lovely velvet feel to it and is quite unique. If that came in the complexion-enhancing shade of L'Oreal's Soft Ivory I think I'd have found the holy grail of foundations. Make-up connoisseurs will know what I mean.

What do I look for in my foundation?

I look for an age-friendly formula.

Gone are the days when I can ladle it on with a trowel. Believe me, back in the 60s the look of a wide-eyed doll with a porcelain complexion was considered de rigour. Over 40 years later, I've admitted defeat and try to work with what I've got left. That means admitting I am a mature woman with a good skin with a few lines. The foundation I prefer will be light enough to disguise my fine lines and bright enough to enhance the shade of my complexion so that I at least give the appearance of being younger than I am.

Because L'Oreal's Visible Lift Lifting Anti-Wrinkle Foundation is thicker than I would like, when I've finished it I won't replace it. A woman ten or fifteen years younger will probably find the consistency of this product perfectly acceptable, unless she has more lines or wrinkles than she should have - in which case she should steer clear. The 'anti-wrinkle' claim is misleading: the product does have a UV SPF of 16
and it is upon this, I suspect, that L'Oreal are basing their 'anti-wrinkle' claim. By protecting your complexion with a foundation containing a UV SPF, you would be helping to protect your skin from the sun's damage and therefore deterring the onset of early wrinkles - although a UV SPF of 25-30 would do a better job, but obviously not feasible in a foundation.

Costs approximately £10-£12 for 30ml at most cosmetic counters, although good deals can be had on ebay.

Thanks for reading!

©Skyedame - 2008
This review is also published under my name of Louizalass on Ciao.

Summary: Not as good as the Visible Lift Line Minimizing Makeup