theBalm Cosmetics Even Steven Whipped Foundation

I agree with Lanigirl48's review, and it appears we're both in the same age group. Although the container is very small, and it might seem not much product would be included, this foundation covers so well that only a tiny bit is needed to achieve a really flawless face. Age spots are easily hidden with just an extra bit applied directly to the spot with your finger, brush, Q-tip or other applicator. I finished my first jar and am off to purchase a second. The only caveat for me is that I wish there were more shades available, and as I hit the bottom of the jar with this the product did seem to have dried out somewhat. Still a great purchase and unlike any other foundation I've ever used. With its trendy-cute packaging, I almost didn't purchase The Balm products. So glad I did, because everything I've used from this line has been comparable or better to highest end products.

I watched a few videos of people trying this foundation, and it looked amazing. That's why I justified the steep price tag on this tiny little foundation pot. Only I wish I hadn't. The shade lighter than light is definitely fair enough for me, and corresponds pretty well to the same shade in the TimeBalm tinted moisturizer, but it has sort of a weird undertone. It doesn't exactly look orange, like many shades do on me, but it sort of... peach, maybe? Anyway, that's not the biggest problem with it. Have any dry patches? Stay far, far away from this! I didn't think I had that many, but this foundation told me otherwise. It massively exaggerates them. It also looks much, much more matte than I expected, but I guess that's a preference thing that some people may really enjoy. Another thing it also exaggerates, sadly, is my pores. They looked worse than they did with no makeup on. After a few hours it also settles into the pores like little dots, even with primer. I think you'd need a heavy duty pore filling primer to counteract this. The next gripe I have with it is that a little doesn't go nearly as far as I expected it to. I use a little less than usual, but the difference isn't all that significant. And, again, since the pot is tiny, the price because really steep. It also breaks down on the oiler parts of my skin pretty quickly.

Overall, just not impressed.

+ Cruelty free
+ It is truly weightless on the skin
+ More pigmented than the average foundation...

- ...but not as crazy pigmented as the brand (and some reviewers) made it out to be
- Exaggerates even the smallest bit of dryness
- But also doesn't handle oil very well as it breaks down quickly on the t-zone
- Exaggerates and sinks into pores
- High price, tiny pot
- Unhygienic packaging

TLDR: I bought it during a flash sale and I like it for the price. A little goes a long way and coverage is build-able; in my experience it does better with a beauty blender than dry brush. Would recommend more for oily-to-normal skin types.

TheBalm website has flash sales periodically and I'd been watching for one like a hawk because I'd tried a sample on in-store and really liked it. They were 50% off so I ordered both Light/Medium and Mid-Medium in case I self-tan.

The packaging is adorable, like most of TheBalm products, but the container is TINY. Luckily the product is well-pigmented and spreads far; a little bit goes a long way. I've used it several times and it still looks as though I've never dipped into it before. I've applied it with a dry brush and a damp beauty blender and although I think you could do either, it definitely applied smoother for my skin with the blender. It's not very natural, but it's also not cakey. I really like it for work and for evenings when I want fuller coverage without looking like I have a heavy layer of makeup on.

I will say it seemed to accentuate a few dry patches on my face, though I didn't count off for it because I'm currently struggling with exceptionally dry skin and frankly nothing but face cream is particularly flattering my complexion at the moment. If you keep dry flaky skin year-round I would sample it before purchasing in case it accentuates your dryness.

I regret buying it because it's quite expensive here. When I first tried it I was really in love with the finish and coverage and how it's so light on the skin. I impulsively bought it on the spot, no research no nothing. Was really amazed how this foundation doesnt seem to transfer at that time(when in fact I was wearing black turtle neck, cant really see whatever rubbed off). Wore it the next day, it transfers everywhere in less than two hours and my face was basically bare in three.I set this with powder and setting spray, nothing helps.

LOVE this foundation - gives my face an airbrushed finish (and as someone over 50, some airbrushing always helps!) and it is long lasting. Shade medium matches my skin tone perfectly. Would definitely buy this again.

First things first: I am a musical theater major who works part time as a freelance makeup artist. We got this foundation a few days ago at my current beauty job. It looks so small I thought it would be a rip off since it's concealer sized, but this is the best foundation I've tried in a while. It's so lightweight but so pigmented, so you barely have to use any. It blends easily, doesn't budge, is light enough to wear in humid weather (or if you're dealing with hot flashes etc.) Gave it four stars because the shade range is weak and because even though the size is okay, it would be great to have more. Not enough shades for darker skin tones... the darkest foundation fits my skin tone, which is a medium yellow brown. If you can find the right shade, I'd definitely recommend it.

This is a tentative review because I've only used the product twice so far.

I had high hopes for this because my BalmShelter tinted moisturizer is one of my all time favorites, but this foundation was pretty disappointing. The shade range is kind of tricky. My sister is always a medium and she chose that shade but it's a few shades too light for her. It looks like more of a light/medium than a medium in my opinion. As for me, I'm a medium in some brands, a medium/tan or medium/dark in others. The Balmshelter tinted moisturizer in the shade medium is a good color for me *after* it oxidizes so to be safe I got a medium/dark in the Even Steven foundation. It's a good match for me when I'm not tanned, very slightly too light but I think it's the best match for me in this line. Considering however, that there are only two shades after me and I'm somewhere in the middle of the skin tone spectrum, I'd say the color selection is trash. It oxidizes *very* slightly, nothing very noticeable at all. It would not have impacted my shade choice if I'd known beforehand. It only brings 0.5 oz but very little spreads a very long way, and I got it for 20% off with my Ipsy coupon (Paid about $17) so I don't mind that it doesn't bring that much product.

It's extremely light and airy, it almost feels like applying nothing to your face, which I love. However it doesn't blend very easily with a foundation brush, even my most densely packed one. I feel like it blends patchily and a lot of the product gets soaked up. I will have to experiment with more brushes. The second time I applied it, using my fingers, I think it went on much more evenly and looked much nicer. It's a medium/buildable coverage. I've never tried a whipped foundation before so I didn't know what to expect, but I think the texture is a huge part of the reason I'm not a fan of this foundation. I think because of the mousiness of the foundation, it doesn't really blend into the skin in a natural looking way. From far away it looks good but up close it looks like it's sitting on top of the skin rather than acting as a second skin. I don't mind foundations that make it obvious I'm wearing makeup, but with this one it just looked very strange and like the foundation hadn't set into my skin properly. I don't know if I'm explaining it well. It also accentuated my dry patches which is almost unheard of for me. I have combination/oily skin and this has only happened to me once before, with the Urban Decay All Nighter, when I tried to apply it without exfoliating. I didn't mind it from the all nighter because it's a very heavy and mattifying foundation. The Even Steven foundation though? It's very thin and it's definitely more of a natural matte (at most) finish, so I don't see a reason for this. I definitely have to wear a hydrating primer underneath this foundation which I'm not used to. Also I noticed that it wears off very easily even after setting it with powder. Just from slightly touching my face it would wipe away in certain areas. It also wore away from my upper lip area *extremely* quickly (about ten minutes in) due to sweating, and there was a very clear line of demarcation in my mustache area between skin and the foundation. Not flattering. After four or five hours of wear, it looks pretty much the same as when first applied but rubbed off in certain areas. I've only tested it while being indoors though and in AC, so not a very good test (My sister wore it for about 8-10 hours and it looks terrible at the end of the day, broken up and even less like skin. But 8-10 is a long time so it's not super surprising.).

I'm gonna try it out a bit more but for now it's a no from me.

UPDATE: I tried it out a third time and I've concluded this is one of the worst foundations I've ever tried. I'm shocked because normally theBalm makes such good products. I tried applying it with a dense tapered concealer brush I love, an angled duo fibre bb cream brush, and a sponge, on various parts of my faces. They all worked much better than a regular foundation brush, but, I still encountered the same issue I had before. I moisturized and used a hydrating primer but I still felt the foundation was clinging to my dry patches (patches I don't even realize exist until this foundation goes on my face). It was also not blending naturally even with a sponge, it still looks like it was sitting on top of my skin and it looked strange. Also, despite using a pore filling primer in conjunction with the hydrating one, I still felt it made my pores and all my texture come out to play. It just didn't look smooth and nice the way I want my foundation too. Another con I've noticed this time and the last time I used it, despite setting my face, this foundation makes highlighters look SO patchy and chunky! I even used a highlight that is normally smooth and doesn't accentuate my texture (Pure Nude by Essence) and it looked SOOOO patchy and highlighted every issue on my face! I even applied the highlighter on the other side of my face with a different foundation to make sure I wasn't losing my mind, and the difference was uncanny. I'm definitely returning this foundation.