Physicians Formula The Healthy Foundation SPF 20

The smell of this foundation is a bit odd, and pretty strong. I noticed it still for a few hours after application. It's not disgusting or anything, just more noticeable than with other foundations I've tried. I think once I've used it for awhile I'll get used to the scent and won't notice it as much.

The shade range is pretty dismal, which is becoming less and less acceptable even for drugstore brands. I picked up the shade LC1 which is a tad too dark for me, but still wearable.

Other than those 2 issues, I love this foundation! I have an oily T zone, but I much prefer a natural finish foundation rather than matte. This foundation is perfect for that, it's very natural looking without being too dewy. It doesn't settle into the lines around my mouth which is awesome as I've been struggling with that a bit lately with other foundations.

I found this on sale at Shopper's Drug Mart for $15, regularly $20. If you're drugstore shopping in Canada, do yourself a favour and visit Shopper's because they constantly have sales on their makeup products. I probably wouldn't repurchase this for $20, but would repurchase if I found it on sale again :)

this is a cute foundation. it gives you a really pretty natural satin finish. if you want to look like plastic then this isnt for you because this isnt meant for that kind of look. the shade range is decent, its not the best but also not the worst. it is a medium coverage and is slightly buildable but not as much as some other foundations. i have the lightest shade which is LC1 which is a really good match luckily. the pictures on their website arent very accurate because the shades look different in person so i wouldnt rely on those if you buy from their actual website. LC1 on those pictures looks really dark compared to how it looks in person. really good for dry and sensitive skins because it doesnt dry or cause breakouts, at least for me. the bottle is really nice, its clean and highend looking. but there isnt an expiry date on it from what i can see which is a little annoying to me. gives you a nice natural shine and does hide a lot of discolouration and flaws but wont hide everything depending on how good/bad your skin is. is slightly pricey but is easy to find and is still on the affordable side. i love the glow it gives your skin which is what i like since i have really dry skin! definitely a must try if they have your shade. it also does have a wet paint smell but it does go away when you apply it and it is all settled

I was excited to try this since no one seems to break out from it, but it just isn't for me. I have three somewhat large spots after wearing this on an area for only one day. It never burned or stung, but I'm 99% sure it was either the hyaluronic acid or chemical sunscreen that broke me out, maybe both. The shade match was decent for my pale skin, but it just caused a weird dry look and clung to dry flakes. This looks beautiful in Youtube videos on flawless skin without dehydration issues (or HA sensitivity). I just don't fit that profile. I also didn't mind the giant doe foot applicator because I just apply foundation on my hand, dot it on my face, then use a beauty blender. I would say try this foundation if the above stuff isn't an issue for you.

I'm on my 2nd bottle. I really like this foundation. It gives such a nice natural coverage. It covers up my hyperpigmentation scars well too and most foundations don't. It's a nice feeling or rather non feeling on the face. You can build up the coverage. Only thing I do not like is the applicator. Also, in Canada where I live, it's a bit expensive at about 27$ a bottle, but I've bought it on sale for about $17. It does not last me a full work day, but most formulas don't anyways.

I am 56 with really good, very fair skin. I do not like a heavy makeup-y foundation. I do want a lot of spf protection. After searching in vain, for too long, for a foundation that played nicely with my favorite spf 50 mineral sunscreen (Honest Company) I finally decided to hack my own.
I take my Honest mineral sunscreen, which has a whitish cast and add foundation to create a sheer-medium coverage, moisturizing, sun protecting, all day wearing, perfect- for- me formula. This foundation, in LW2 is perfect for that. It is slightly luminous and dewey which blends well with my sunscreen. If I want to sheer it out and give a little more glow I can add a luminizer and blend it in. I can build coverage under my eyes, around my nose and chin with extra foundation on a brush or sponge. I find it very versatile and buildable. Even mixed with my sunscreen it wears very well all day, and stays natural looking. My skin, but better. Not heavy coverage, but blurred, soft and youthful. I do not use primer: just clean skin prepped with serum and Clinique Moisture Surge Skin Fortifying moisturizer. Once I apply my mixed sunscreen-foundation I let it sit and settle on my skin before I go to the next layer...
I have not noticed the odor that some other reviewers have complained about.
I have tried A LOT of foundations in my day. Some ridiculously expensive, some just a few dollars. Most disappoint. This is a good value, and I would definitely say it is worth a try. Come summer, I'll go to a darker shade and mix with my Honest mineral sunscreen and add a little bronzy luminizer.
Happy Hacking!

Did I get a bum bottle? I tried this foundation due to all of the rave reviews, and I was bitterly disappointed. I'm 38, with dry combo skin, and minimal aging, so you can imagine my shock upon application- this turned me into a dried out crypt keeper! I applied with a brush, hands, and sponge, but the end result was the same. Just super drying matter than matte finish. The HG search continues.

Ok. So I wish I didn't like the way this foundation looks. Because applying is a pain. Partly because of the utterly dismal shade range, & partly because of the stupid giant doe foot applicator. First the shade range. Awful. I have 4 different shades - LN4, MW2, MN3, MC1 - and they're all so different, it would be funny if it wasn't so frustrating. Anyway, I mix LN4 with a bit of MW2. It works, but come on! I just want a damn foundation I can put on out of ONE bottle, and then call it good. From any of the muas I've talked to, shade matching is the biggest problem with foundation, so maybe I shouldn't be complaining about that so much. Whatever. It's just damned inconvenient. I hate the applicator too. If it wasn't for that, I'd probably try to mix my two shades enough to be able to use 1 bottle. Ok, so now the good side. This foundation looks freaking AMAZING on my skin. The finish is absolutely beautiful - soft focus, pore and line smoothing, not matte but not super dewy, incredibly skin like. It's long lasting, doesn't move around, and keeps my dry skin looking very nice throughout the day. Also, it doesn't break me out. I apply with a brush & this foundation melts into my skin - so it is simultaneously offering excellent coverage but is basically undetectable. The price point is extemely reasonable, so I'll definitely repurchase, in spite of the product's shortcomings.

I’m not real fond of the applicator (giant doe foot) but I am otherwise over the moon about this foundation. The finish is like skin, wear time is exceptional, feels comfortable on my dry skin, and it doesn’t transfer. If there was anything to complain about I’d have to say the scent - this smells like paint. But I do not find it lingering so I won’t dock the rating for this one minor annoyance. I purchased the shade LN4 and it matches me perfectly. This provides a solid medium coverage with one thin coat blended in with a sponge. I have some redness and also dark spots from sun damage long ago, and this does a great job of evening out my skin tone and leaves my skin looking dewy and healthy. This is a drugstore gem worth purchasing.

Based on the reviews here I was so eager to try this. maybe I got a bad bottle, but for one thing, the applicator hardly picked up much product, so I had to go back several times to get the equivalent of a normal "pump"-sized amount. But the smell! My god. Like putty, or something equally chemically, and it took over 30 minutes to dissipate. Once it did, I had the feeling that something was literally pulling all the moisture out of my skin. Washed it right off and applied massive quantities of moisturizer. This is going back.

I like this foundation a lot. I normally go for light, very natural coverage -- I'm fine with a few freckles or a little bit of redness showing through. I find this foundation to be medium coverage so I use it sparingly by applying a tiny dot to each cheek (to cover some of the redness), and one dot on my chin. If you prefer full coverage, I believe this formula is easily buildable. The foundation applies with a large doe foot applicator and once I've dotted it on, I use a trusty old Elf foundation blurring brush to blend it in, though I believe any dense foundation brush would work just fine. It looks soft and skin like and the finish is natural on me. I don't find it to be too glowy or too matte. It pairs nicely with any sunscreen that I use beneath it and it plays nicely with any finishing powders that I use. I know some people have experienced bad luck with the staying power of this foundation, but luckily the complete opposite is true for me! In fact, one of the reasons I like this formula so much is because it stays put when I am working a twelve hour shift and it doesn't break down or go patchy, though your mileage may vary. I only recently purchased this and I've been using it for a month. I'm only pointing that out because I am 43 with drier skin, and any foundation lasts on me in the cold. I have not worn this in the summer when anything I try just melts off my face. All in all, I like this formula and I would repurchase. The worst thing about Physician's Formula is their shade range which is terribly lacking, but you may want to give it a try if you can find your match.