Smashbox • High Definition Healthy FX Foundation • Foundations
(314 reviews)
| Average Rating. | 3.2 |
| Would buy this product again. | 50% |
| Package Quality | 4.1 |
| Price | 3.9 |
| Ingredients | |
kitty55 on 6/9/2013 3:46:00 PM more reviews by kitty55
Age: 56 & Over Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Warm Hair: Brown, Fine Eyes: Brown
This review is based on mine and my Mother's use of this product as I bought it and it didn't work out for me at all. I have very oily skin and this foundation slipped right off my face, even with an oil-control primer under it. I hated it. My Mom has DRY skin however, and since we are the same shade, I gave it to her and she absolutely loves it. She uses the Smashbox primer w/Dermaxyl and this foundation over it. It does not look "makeupy," but very natural and glowy. She loves it so much that I had to review it for both of us. Besides, I can see how nice it looks on her, so I guess if your skin is oily, forget this, but if you're dry to normal, you might like it..
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katielotus on 5/18/2013 6:54:00 PM more reviews by katielotus
Age: 19-24 Skin: Very Oily, Fair Hair: Black Eyes: Blue
I have very fair skin and even the lightest shade was too dark. Has a VERY yellow undertone. Would probably work on ladies with olive skin.
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mysoxlike2party on 5/2/2013 11:48:00 AM more reviews by mysoxlike2party
Age: 19-24 Skin: Combination, Fair Hair: Red, Curly, Medium Eyes: Brown
This works really well with a good powder over it. I used this liquid foundation over a bare minerals powder and that helps even your skin tone and cover up things Smashbox's HD Foundation can't. I (likely) won't be buying again because I feel MUFE HD Foundation will work better than Smashbox's. But in the case I can't get MUFE's, I won't feel that bad repurchasing it. HOWEVER, the pump stopped working after a while... I had to shake the product and kind of slam it onto the palm of my hand to get some product, so that sucked.
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*TOP REVIEWER* missn74 on 4/6/2013 9:45:00 PM more reviews by missn74
Age: 30-35 Skin: Acne-prone, Medium, Warm Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium Eyes: Brown
This has medium coverage that is build able and easy to blend evening out skintone. It does not feel heavy on the face, so it doesn't feel like you're wearing foundation. It's good for normal to combination skin. So if you have either very dry or very oily skin I wouldn't recommend this because it doesn't smooth out dry patches nor is it long lasting.
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susieglass on 4/6/2013 7:18:00 AM more reviews by susieglass
Age: 30-35 Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Warm Hair: Brunette Eyes: Blue
I didn't think this was great. I had only heard good things about this, but I found the texture to be quite oily with a tendency to separate, the 'light' shade was much too dark for me (might have worked with a suntan in the summer) and the coverage was too sheer, made my skin too shiny, and didn't hide any blemishes. After a couple of hours' wear, it was long gone. Really disappointed.
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tabster on 4/3/2013 9:58:00 PM more reviews by tabster
Age: 30-35 Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Warm Hair: Brunette Eyes: Hazel
EDIT: Yay, the rash was from something else, it has been clearing up and I am still using this foundation.
Origional post: The foundation applies beautifully and lasts very well when set with powder. But, because my skin is so ultra sensitive, it gave me a smell rash. Now, that being said, I still recommend it because my skin breaks out with almost anything, I can't see this foundation causing a reaction on a skin not as sensitive as mine. I say give this a try, Smashbox is one of my favourite brands!
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BunkysPrincess on 3/24/2013 12:38:00 PM more reviews by BunkysPrincess
Age: 36-43 Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium Hair: Other Eyes: Green
This is hands down the best makeup for me.I live in Florida and with the heat and humidity and water activities here this foundation LASTS.I mean waterpark lasting! Great coverage with minimal amount of product! 1 bottle lasts 6 months plus with minimal coverage and 3 months with piling it on for maximum coverage.If you're looking for a great summer foundation THIS IS IT <3
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misskatluv on 3/3/2013 4:24:00 AM more reviews by misskatluv
Age: 25-29 Skin: Dry Hair: Other Eyes: Other
This is my favorite foundation. It's a light foundation. I like not wearing too much foundation. It gives a very flawless natural look. I also like that has a pump. I recently tried one of Clinique's foundation only cuz it was cheaper but came running back to this one. Love it!
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FabCo on 2/12/2013 1:55:00 AM more reviews by FabCo
Age: 36-43 Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine Eyes: Brown
Iīm not sure if this is a bad product or I simply didnīt knew how to use it, but Iīm surprised I managed to finish the bottle.
It has a weird consistency for a liquid foundation, IMO itīs more like a primer. Has no coverage at all and whenever I tried to build it up, it clumped. On the same make up haul I bought the Halo Perfecting Powder -which I like a lot- but when I applied it to "set" the foundation, it clumped again.
As for the shade, it was a peachy beige on the bottle but almost invisible when applied -again, no coverage at all-.
Finally I decided to mix it with another foundation -Dermablend from Vichy- so I could finish the bottle; fortunately it worked, diminishing the thickness from Dermablend but keeping the coverage.
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*TOP REVIEWER* KBaylie on 2/4/2013 3:08:00 AM more reviews by KBaylie
Age: 25-29 Skin: Acne-prone, Tan, Warm Hair: Black, Wavy, Medium Eyes: Brown
This is one of the best foundations I've ever used. I can't wear it too many days in a row or a start to develop cystic pimples, so I only wear it only when I'm going out and I don't get any breakouts. The color M3 matches me perfectly and it's a great foundation for those of you who would like to look natural up close. It's not cakey and concealer wears well over it (I use Cle De Peau). The reason I gave it a rating of 5/5 is because it is so hard for me to find a foundation that both wears well, matches perfectly and has a great consistency. I'm not a liquid foundation girl to begin with, so wearing this only on certain occasions suffices for me.
Edit on 2/10/13: Had to reduce my rating by one point. The color M3 oxidized and turned darker throughout the day. I might exchange this for M1.
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soirbleuu on 1/4/2013 10:50:00 AM more reviews by soirbleuu
Age: 25-29 Skin: Dry, Fair Hair: Blond Eyes: Hazel
No way will I ever purchase this again. I was fortunate enough to match myself to a shade, which surprised me considering that Smashbox has never been known to me to offer a wide range of shades, especially for cool toned skin like I have. I used the foundation for about a month with no issues and a good amount of satisfaction; the coverage was good, the foundation (with Smashbox primer AND without) lasted a long time and the shade complimented my skin well. The packaging is good for those of us who prefer a pump, however one big flaw is the cap-- it will crack or break if you travel with it. All of this aside, I am writing this review because after about the third week of use, I started developing very, very large and painful zits in spots I never develop acne such as the MIDDLE of my forehead and on the apples of my cheeks. I have stayed primarily acne-free my entire life, so breakouts like that can be automatically traced to new makeup I'm using. Sure enough, I stopped using this foundation and the zits started to decrease (Two weeks later and I'm still trying to get the last of them to completely disappear) Just a note in case you're wondering, I tried eliminating the primer first and still wore the foundation bare for a few days, and nothing changed.
So, lesson learned: even if you have the driest of skin and are presumably immune to acne, avoid this foundation-- there's obviously some bad ingredients in it if it can make skin like mine develop the near-dime-sized zits I did.
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strobegirl1 on 12/30/2012 6:25:00 AM more reviews by strobegirl1
Age: 19-24 Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Warm Hair: Blond, Wavy, Medium Eyes: Hazel
I really, really wanted to like this foundation more. On my skin that needs medium/build-able coverage this seemed wonderful when I first bought it. About 3 or 4 months later it started to lose some of its...'life'. It's colour has changed a bit darker, the coverage has weakened, it's gotten quite drying and the finish is certainly not 'HD'. I never left it in too hot or cold weather, I always shake between use and don't let anyone use it.
Before it went all crazy on my I had quite a few compliments on how my skin looked, lovely, dewy and glow-y.
I love the packaging, the pump is hygienic and pumps out just the amount that I need.
Smashbox why has your foundation done this to me?!
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*TOP REVIEWER* bdawn on 11/18/2012 5:00:00 PM more reviews by bdawn
Age: 44-55 Skin: Combination, Olive, Warm Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium Eyes: Brown
Okay so I just got this a part of the high definition kit in medium. I have only applied it once and so far I'd give it a thumbs down. I might change my mind about that after I have played around a bit with the application.
The coverage is on the light side which you could maybe build up to medium. The texture is somewhat on the oily side which isn't good at all if your natural skin is oily which mine is. The colors wear darker than you would expect. In the store the shade I chose looked slightly lighter than my usual foundation but then looked darker when I put it on.
I applied with a regular foundation brush which didn't leave a nice finish at all. I'm thinking this foundation might be better applied with a sponge so that you can really press into the skin instead of having it sit on top where it will break up and look oily.
After I applied the foundation and was less then pleased with the coverage and shine I decided to lightly brush some of the halo powder that came as part of the kit all over my face to set the foundation and reduce the oil. Big MISTAKE! This gave everything a somewhat orangey tinge and made the makeup look heavy and the shine still came back within the hour. I normally wear MUFE high definition foundation. As of right now I'm disappointed by smashbox in comparison. It looks heavier than my MUFE but actually gives less coverage. I've given it a neutral rating for now but if I find a way to apply that makes it better I will update. If I can't make it better then I will be back to remove some lippies. LOL
UPDATE**
Okay I came back to add a lippie to this reveiw even though I have decided that this foundation is not for me. I wore it every day this week and found that applying it with a slightly damp sponge worked the best. Smashbox says this is an oil free foundation but there is some ingredient in it that gives it a very oily texture, so after applying with the sponge I would then lightly press the sponge into my skin all over my face. This would sort of work the foundation in so it wasn't just sitting on top of my skin. It's light coverage and it's not really buildable. Putting more on just feels like too much make up and coverage stays minimal. After the foundation I took a big fluffy powder brush to apply a layer of halo powder over top. Didn't use a kabuki brush because that would have been to heavy on the makeup. Then I pressed the powder into my face with the sponge. I ended up with a nice daytime face look that was not too heavy but without much coverage. It was soft and natural looking.
I will probably use the small bottle of foundation I have and then not repurchase. The creamy/oily texture of it doesn't stand up to the test of time and it doesn't look all that great after a few hours. The reason I gave it another lippy is because I know I would have loved this foundation 10 years ago when my skin was younger and different. I used to have dry skin that required something creamy that didn't dry. So I think this would be a really good foundation on someone who has a drier skin type and who doesn't want or need a ton of coverage.
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landmime on 11/2/2012 1:56:00 PM more reviews by landmime
Age: 19-24 Skin: Acne-prone, Olive Hair: Black Eyes: Brown
Probably the WORST foundation I've ever used. As soon as I dispensed the foundation onto my hand, I could clearly see it was separated even though I shook it! Definitely didn't last all day on my skin and it made me look like my skin was melting off. Definitely not worth the price as I had to pay a whopping $60 for a terrible product. The only good thing I have to say about this product is I enjoyed the pump.
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mizzcremedelacreme on 10/29/2012 8:51:00 AM more reviews by mizzcremedelacreme
Age: 19-24 Skin: Acne-prone, Medium Brown Hair: Black Eyes: Brown
I. LOVE. THIS. FOUNDATION!!! I walked into Sephora about a year ago and told the sales woman I wanted a foundation that was not heavy, dewy, and has medium coverage so that it would look natural and boy did she deliver!! This foundation is $39 but I dont mind paying that price because I absolute love the foundation. It gives my skin a nice glow and is very light weight. When you dispense product from the pump it can come out a little watery sometimes but that's because it is water based duh! So shake it very well. It definitely doesnt take away from the effectiveness of the product. It is a sheer foundation with not a lot of coverage but as i mentioned I didnt want something heavy for everyday wear so this was perfect. If you have acne scars, the foundation will only slightly blur the scars so you still have to powder and conceal. After that I would recommend using a setting spray to hold it all in place but I just love this foundation. It looks so natural! Very glad I found it!
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xCarrieex on 10/10/2012 6:46:00 PM more reviews by xCarrieex
Age: 19-24 Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Cool Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine Eyes: Hazel
I tried really hard to like this foundation, I really did but it was to no avail. I had gotten a sample size in the Complexion Perfection kit for fair skin and the foundation just...doesn't match my skin tone. Granted, this might be more my problem than Smashbox's, but if you're going to put out a general kit for a skin tone, I would make the shade of the foundation more versatile. Just saying. Maybe if I tried another shade I MIGHT like it a little better, but as of right now, I don't plan on that happening.
I don't like the coverage of this foundation and I find myself using quite a few pumps for one application. Once it's applied, at first it looks O.K. on my skin, but then I feel like it settles into my pores and doesn't make me feel/look High Definition anything despite it's name. I don't like that I can feel it on my skin. This is why I switched to the UD Naked Skin foundation.
Overall, I wouldn't really recommend this product to anyone. I just...don't like the look or feel of it and don't think it lives up to it's "high definition" name.
**Update**
Ok, so I went back to try this foundation out again and found that my tune has changed. I actually do sort of like it. Somehow it matches my skin tone more than it did when I first started using it. I have no idea why this is but I'm not going to complain. It's still not my favorite foundation in the whole wide world, but I am more inclined to use the rest of it up now and I've actually gotten quite a few compliments on how nice my skin looked while wearing it as well.
Maybe I was expecting miracles when I first started using it, or my skin wasn't at it's best and that's why I gave it such a harsh review. Not sure. The finish of it still leaves me looking a little washed out, so I definitely need to make sure I apply an ample amount of color so I won't look like a ghost. I also haven't found it settling into my pores as much. So maybe it was the primer I was using, once again, not sure. I'm baffled by the difference in opinion that I now have about this foundation. I raised my rating up by one and switched my "no I would not buy this again" to a yes, which actually means a maybe. I would be willing to possibly buy this foundation again and try out another shade that didn't come in a generalized kit. But probably not until I finished up my UD Naked Skin and tried another foundation out that I've been dying to try.
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LucyFord14 on 9/15/2012 12:01:00 PM more reviews by LucyFord14
Age: 19-24 Skin: Combination, Tan Hair: Black, Curly, Medium Eyes: Brown
I am always trying different foundations to perfect my acne prone, dark spotted, oily and dry combo, uneven skin. Enter Smashbox.
I love this!! I start off with any Smashbox primer, use a little concealer (either Smashbox or Miracle Skin), and one squirt is plenty, which i blend with my fingers. I think the Halo Hydrating powder finishes my skin FLAWLESSLY, as if I have no pores, craters, etc. People tend to ask what my skin regimen is when I'm wearing this.
I decided to give Hello Flawless (WOW oxygen) a shot after reading similar reviews, and I am sorely disappointed. Causes me to break out, and seeps into the pores on my cheeks. Not impressed with its powder finish either. Can't wait til I've used it all so I can go right back to this Smashbox.
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iryanni on 9/11/2012 8:30:00 PM more reviews by iryanni
Age: 19-24 Skin: Combination, Medium Hair: Black Eyes: Black
I bought this in medium and I am an NC35 skin. I have yellow undertones so this works well for me except that the color is a tiny bit too dark. Under certain dim lighting I look a little orangey, definitely not the dewy look I wanted. The texture is great for my skin, it feels light and you barely feel it on your skin even after hours. The coverage is not as full as I expected but it does cover pale blemishes and redness. I have dry patches on my skin but I also have oily skin. This foundation does not make the dryness feel tight but I cannot comment on whether it helps with the shine cos I prepped my skin with urban decay's de slick before and after.
Overall not a bad buy but I'll definitely want to try other brands. 3/5!
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Bryz30 on 8/16/2012 11:08:00 PM more reviews by Bryz30
Age: 19-24 Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium Hair: Brunette, Wavy Eyes: Blue
Great coverage from this foundation. Like others I don't love the yellow undertones, I might go a shade lighter next time. I recently rediscovered this in the bottom of my makeup, and I believe it was the yellow tint that made me give up on this. Since then I've been applying a powder over and I love it! Will be buying again for its coverage and staying power.
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breatheformusic on 8/5/2012 3:00:00 AM more reviews by breatheformusic
Age: 19-24 Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium Hair: Brown Eyes: Brown
I absolutely loved Smashbox's Studio Skin. Everything about it was amazing and it made my skin look flawless. Except it made me break out...and a lot. I was so sad when I couldnt use it anymore for everyday use because I loved it so much.
After figuring out I couldnt use Studio Skin anymore though, I saw the Healthy Fx sitting on the same Smashbox display in Sephora. I looked it up, read some reviews, and decided that it was worth a try. I was trying to find something that might sort of mimic the Studio Skin without completely breaking me out. I'd say this is pretty damn close.
This has a thicker consistency to it (A bit more like Hourglass Immaculate) but surprisingly stills spreads pretty well! It also keeps me matte for a long time (one of the things that I loved about the studio skin) without falling off my face or becoming shiny. No need to blot. The best part so far is that it DOESN'T break me out. Or at least it hasnt yet over using it consistently a few times.
Im really happy with this so far. I found my color in L1 and that works perfectly for me. Definitely does a good job at controlling my really oily skin and has a great overall finished look.
I'd definitely recommend this to people with more oily skin. I dont know how it'd work on dry skin though, considering it keeps my oily face matte for so long, but I can definitely see it working well with other oily or combination skin. Also, I have REALLY sensitive skin and finding something that doesnt break me out is always a pretty big thing for me. So if you have more sensitive skin, you might want to try this out as well.
The only thing I will say about the Smashbox foundations is that they all seem to have a more orange tint to them. It doesn't come off as a fake spray tan or anything extreme like that, and if you blend it out properly, it can work really well. But some people have a big problem with things that have a more orange tone, so I figured I'd point that out. It works extremely well so far for me though.
Will continue using.