MN4, DN3 and DW2 — three shades in the Physicians formula The healthy foundation line
“Zee Helsee Foundation.”

You don’t have to say it like that, but I think it’s more fun. and I’m a certified expert in ridiculous product pronunciations (an ERPP).

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The healthy foundation is available in 20 shades at drugstores right meow. You can find it at CVS, Rite Aid, Target and Ulta, as well as the Physicians formula website, and it’s pretty good for medium coverage.

1. The coverage is smack-dab in the middle on the foundation spectrum.

On one end, there are the full-on cake face foundations (been there, done that). On the other end, the lightly tinted moisturizers and BB and CC creams. This falls right around the middle.

When I dab, dab, dab a few dots on my face (it has a doe-foot applicator), it hides all of the freckle action on my cheeks and the red areas around my nose and mouth. everything looks even. I also think my pores look a little less obvs.

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Plus, it’s one of those liquid foundations that looks just as good in the evening after work as it looks first thing in the morning, so it wears well, too.

2. It’s strongly scented.

It’s supposed to be fragrance-free, but it isn’t. I discover strong notes of sugary butter and sunscreen.

I’m wearing DW2 mixed with MN4 (it took me three tries to get a fairly close color match).
3. It’s tricky to find/create an exact color match.

There are 20 shades in cool, warm and neutral undertones, which is a decent selection, but it hasn’t been easy to find or make something that works for me. I’m an NC42 in MAC and have warm skin with strong yellow tones, and I tried three colors in the warm and neutral families in medium and Dark, but nothing looked right straight out of the bottle. Every shade also darkens once it’s on my skin, and it happens within a couple of minutes, so I end up having to go a shade lighter and doing a lot of mixing. and the first few times I tried it, I actually ended up removing the foundation completely and starting all over again because my mixes were off.

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Octinoxate 3% Inactive Ingredients: Water/Eau, Cyclopentasiloxane, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Isododecane, Butylene Glycol, Acrylates/Polytrimethylsiloxymethacrylate Copolymer, Propanediol, Cyclohexasiloxane, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Magnesium Sulfate, Schinziophyton Rautanenii (Mongongo) Kernel Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylene Brassylate, Dimethicone/Bis-Isobutyl PPG-20 Crosspolymer, Silica, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Evodia Rutaecarpa (Wu-Zhu-Yu) Fruit Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Cellulose Gum, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Aluminum Hydroxide, Retinyl Palmitate, Rhodiola Rosea root Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, BHT, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891).

So it isn’t an “easy” foundation.

To go with that, even the warm and neutral shades contain a lot of peach and pink in them, so if I don’t get the mix exactly right, my skin looks a little off…and a little too pink.

I mixed MN3 and DN3 here, and my skin looks pinker than usual. I tried to make it look more natural by adding some bronzer, but I don’t think it worked in the end…

With some trial and error, I can always find a way to make it work. Still, even though I like the satin finish, the medium coverage and the wear time, in terms of foundations, ultimately, this is just too fiddly for me…

4. This should perform better if you have cool-toned skin.

Or, if most foundations you’ve tried contain too much yellow for you. Or, if you wear pink-toned foundations well. In either case, this foundation might work well for you, especially if you’re looking for medium coverage and a satin finish.

5. It’s expensive for drugstore.

It’s $14.95, so it’s on the pricey end for drugstore, but it’s definitely not expensive compared to department store prices.

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If you happen to have warm-toned skin, give $12 L’Oreal true match Lumi a try. I’ve worn it off and on for three years, and I still think it’s one of the best drugstore foundations. It’s dewier than this, but you can matte it down with face powder.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen