Kryolan Ultra Foundation

Been using the 48 shade palette form of this foundation since 1997. This full coverage creme based foundation is very easy to work with and easily blends with primers even if you wanted to thin out the consistency to a liquid if you wanted too without sacrificing coverage. The pigment content is medium to high. The longevity is typical with what you'd find with other similar creme based foundations such as RCMA and Cinema Secrets, But just like all other foundations, maintaining it through touch-ups throughout the day is normal. Thankfully Kryolan hasn't changed the formulation since I've been using it. They have however have changed the names / numbers of some of the shades.

I find this foundation stands up well on the skin in most temperature and humid conditions. I find I have to powder more in higher temps and in higher humid conditions but that is normal. Surprisingly this foundation works and blends fairly well in a near frozen state. On a couple of episodes from seasons 2 and 3 on Reign, and on 1 episode from season 1 of Titans, I've used it outside in winter doing touch-ups in minus 20 and in minus 30 degree Celsius weather respectively, and the product blended and applied easily to my actors with very minimal powder to set it, without using an external heat source and not in the heated cast tent. This was in-front-of-the-camera just before they rolled. And it held up well without the dry and cracked look of a typical liquid foundation in extremely cold conditions.

The picture you see is the most recent pot version. As far as I know, Kryolan doesn't carry refill wells for the palette, so I purchase the pots and decant the product into the corresponding wells from the palette. Over the years, I've gotten pots in which the lids don't screw on properly, and I've purchased two pots in which the transparent part keeps popping out from the lid. Obviously these are manufacturing defects of the packaging, and seems to be quite rare considering how many pots I've purchased over the years. The palette is made of metal, which is superior than the plastic palettes from their competitors.

The price point of both the palette and the pots is comparable to the industry standard price point of other foundations that come in the same packaging style.

Overall this is my go to foundation for the past 22 years which I've used in editorial, fashion and corporate photo shoots and in film and television productions.

Cheers everyone.

Was glad i made a big step to try this cream foundation, super natural finish (with proper blending, single layer) Please read all the other reviews, very helpful and useful but you need to try it yourself. I hv combination to oily skin so my face does get a bit shiny but you know wt to do (powder/blot tissue etc) however honestly i like a bit of natural shine on my face (not greasy) price factor, bought it for S$70+ from cosmoprof singapore quite exp I think but the product is good i wear make up everyday so will use it sparingly or alt with other brand...

I LOVE this product. Photographs beautifully and perfect for bridal makeup. Easy to use and blends into the skin well. If you have a oily or combination skin.. this product can get quite oily on the face, especially if it is a hot day. To minimize the oily (melting off my face look) use a primer before use and translucent powder in your T zone

Wide varieties of shades and I'm yet to find a foundation shade that matches my skin as well as this one does.

I really like this foundation, it is the best I've had so far, the colour really matches my skin which is rare, the only things I don't like is the packaging because you have to put your fingers on it or a brush (and a brush gives a heavy coverage), and that it doesn't have SPF included and it has fragrance on it, other than that it is very nice and very comfortable to wear but it is oily so you have to set it up with powder afterwards unless you have dry skin.

Best foundations for photoshoots! I've been using these for my portrait photography for years and they keep photographing beautifully. Once powdered they are very matte so you'll need a fixing spray to add a bit of dewiness to the skin again if you're going for that effect.

For complete coverage, this is one of the best products out there. Especially great for my clog-prone skin, because it's mineral oil free.

The biggest hassle is finding a shade match. Kryolan's product shots are terrible swatches. So, I ordered "ULTRA FOUNDATION MINI PALETTE 18 COLORS #1" to get a sampling of the shades. From there I knew I wanted Light Oriental and Dark Oriental (not to be confused with Light Olive and Dark Olive). Then I wanted something a little more yellow.

I left us.kryolan.com and went to global.kryolan.com. The global site features more palettes in the Ultra formula. Getting a sense of what colors are paired together really helps narrow down the options. Then, I purchased the $11 refill size in a few colors that felt close. So it's an expensive experiment to find the right shades. But now that I have them... it's easily my full coverage HG product. Far less cakey than a full coverage liquid foundation, because cream is nearly all pigment.

The finish is dewy when applied with a wet sponge or brush. The finish is matte with a dry sponge. Always very skin like. Overall, excellent and coverage that's worth the hassle, time and money.

My skin: dry and flaky / sensitive / eczema prone / acne prone at times / red patches / pale / yellow undertones

I have been on a foundation hunt again (just like every 6-8 months) these last weeks since my skin is at its worst (probably due to my pregnancy) and because I was looking for something that would make me look good without spending a lot of time, which I probably won't have when my baby is born.
My main issue was to find a foundation that would give me an overall nice finish without enhancing my dryness. Secondly it would have been a nice plus to find something that would also cover my redness from old eczema etc. SO, I checked every single foundation available at our biggest Makeup Store such as Laura Mercier, Shiseido, Estee Lauder, Chanel,Dior, Armani, Bobbi Brown, Mac, Benefit, Illamasqua, BareMinerals and so on. Of course I found a few very nice foundations, however none of them gave me exactly what "I" needed. So I ended up checking out foundations available at the pharmacy, also hoping they might also be better for me due to their ingredients such as Vichy, La Roche Posay etc. Again, some had a nice finish, but did not cover as nicely as I wished or simply were far to thick and I ended up looking 15years older. ALSO the problem with foundations distributed by skin care companies tend to have a very low color range and lean towards the pink side. SOOOOO for a while I thought I have to stick to what a already own even though none of the foundations that I own are "good" as in suitable for my skin problems or quick for a new mommy to be time schedule :-/ THEN however I came across Kryolan Ultra Foundation and I LOOOOVE this foundation for MY type of skin. I never ever found a foundation that gives such high coverage without looking heavy or cakey. On my skin is looks completely natural while covering EVERYTHING!!!! Since it is an oil based foundation (DOES NOT BREAK ME OUT!!!), it leaves my skin looking flawless, even, healthy, hydrated and fresh. In MAC I am an NC 15-20, in MUFE HD Foundation I use n120 and in my Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation I use shade SB6.5 and I now got color matched with FS 38 and I must say, that this is the first foundation that fits perfectly. This comes in 70 shades!!!!! I have used it daily for over a month now and I haven't even made a dent in this. 15g for 21€. The packaging is pretty ugly and I am not found of the fact that this a product that can not really be used as hygienically as for example a liquid foundation with a pump but I simply wash my beautyblender/brush with antibacterial soap every time after I use this foundation. I mainly use my damp beautyblender or my real techniques expert face brush, my Sigma Kabuki F80 or my bareMinerals precision face brush. You can also put this on with your fingers or with a sponge but I like the finish of the beautyblender the most. This is soooo easy to blend. It simply vanishes into my skin, goes on like silk and makes me happy and look flawless in under 10 seconds :)
This does not break me out/does not irritate my problematic skin/does not dry me out/ does not crack up on my dry patches or fine lines.
The only real downside to this is, that it does not last as long on the dry areas around my mouth, as for example Estee Lauder Double Wear or Shiseido UV Protective Liquid Foundation SPF30 which are said to have high coverage (they do cover but you do not reach the level of coverage you get with Kryolan Ultra Foundation let alone this beautiful natural EASY finish). So, I do have to touch up on the dry areas around my mouth after 3-5h but since it is so blendable and buildable this is done in a second. However since I love the finish and coverage, how easy it is to use and blend, the color and the natural look, I really do not mind at all. Especially now since I love to look into the mirror due to the "result" of this foundation and so touching up once or twice a day actually gives me joy ^^
LOVE THIS FOUNDATION with all my makeup-addict-heart and dry-but-acneprone-eczema-discolorated-skin!

I have combo skin and I never ever thought I would use a cream foundation as it just wouldn't work for me, boy was I wrong! This has the coverage I've always wanted and sets to a natural matte finish (I still set my t zone with the anti shine powder by kryolan as well) it seriously looks like my skin has been photoshopped! I use the colour Light Beige and I normally wear an NW15 and it's a perfect match and not too pink like the mac tends to be. I apply using a beauty blender or a sigma F80, which ever I handy at the time and it goes on like silk. Haven't had any break out issues but then I always remove my makeup thoroughly using an oil based remover and then following up with my cleanser.
You use such a tiny amount for awesome coverage they weren't lying when they said one pot will last 200 uses, I've been wearing it everyday for the last 2 weeks and haven't even made a dent in it, and for $42nzd it's cheaper than revlon, loreal and Maybelline and WAY cheaper than a $70 mac foundation and performs 100 times better. This is my holy grail!

I used to be terrified of cream foundations and would always make an effort to avoid them. They just scared me for some reason. But I've purchased this one multiple times now, and I can safely say that this foundation is one of the best that I've ever used. This provides everything that I look for in a foundation. It offers an amazing full coverage which camouflages acne and scarring. It sets to a beautiful, natural looking satin-matte finish. I always top it with a little translucent loose powder so I never have to worry about any oil breaking through. This foundation lasts...and lasts...and lasts. I'm talking all day and all night. The shade selection is huge, too. I'm N12 and I wear this in Alabaster which is a perfect match. I really can't think of any flaws with this foundation, and I highly recommend it if you're looking for something that is long wearing and full coverage.