Foundation has lightened up over the years, and two of the “lighter” foundations make up products are Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer and Maybelline’s Pure Make Up.
I try not to get too attached to any name brand products, due to product discontinuation trends. When I find a make up product or other beauty care product that I like, I tend to stick with it. This may not apply to either of these foundations.
Both of these foundations have their weaknesses and their strong points. In the end, I am not sure I would recommend either one. Here’s why:
Coverage
The entire reason to wear a foundation is for coverage. Skin coverage could be needed to even out skin tone, to add a glow, or to cover freckles or blemishes. Whatever your reason is for wearing foundation, you want to pick one that actually gives you coverage. Applying a foundation that has no coverage is like wearing a slip with out a dress, you will definitely look like you forgotsomething before left the house.
Upon initial application, both the Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer Foundation and Maybelline Pure Make Up look promising. The Maybelline Pure Make Up actually looks great when first applied. The Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer Foundation is a very light foundation, with very minimal coverage.
SPF
Another reason to wear foundation, is for SPF coverage. The Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer Foundation has 20 SPF. It is unclear whether the Maybelline Pure Make Up contains SPF or not.
Color Selection
Selecting the right shade of Maybelline Pure Make Up is easy if you already use a Maybelline product, or remember which of their discontinued foundations you used before. The shades throughout the Maybelline line are pretty consistent.
On the other hand. with the Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer Foundation it is more difficult to select the right shade. They are either lighter or darker than they appear.
Delivery
Another drawback to the Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer Foundation is that it comes in a glass bottle with a little pump. The pump allows you to use just the right amount of foundation without waste. But, because the container is glass, you will have a difficult time extracting the rest of the foundation when the bottle gets near the end.
The Maybelline Pure Make Up comes in a more convenient squeeze tube, allowing for easy extraction from the first to last squeeze. you can always cut open the tube at the end, if you want to use every last drop of this foundation.
Does it Last?
The only place that Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer Foundation seems to beat out Maybelline Pure Make Up is in the staying department. The Maybelline Pure Make Up does not need to be re-applied like the Maybelline Pure Make Up does half way through the day.
The other disadvantage to the Maybelline Pure Make Up is that because it is water-based, not oil-based like other Maybelline products, is that the water in the product seems to evaporate on your skin, leaving dry patches of make up, and dried out skin in some areas. Not only is this unpleasant looking, it is pretty annoying. It also makes re-application difficult in a pinch, because you may need to wash your entire face before re-applying the foundation.
In conclusion, I don’t particularly recommend either of these foundations, even for light coverage. Instead, I am going to stick with my new make up regimen of using Physician’s Formula Circle Rx to cover both under eye circles and blemish marks, and a light dusting of my favorite mineral make up products.
