Is Dior's New Foundation The Secret To Natural-Looking Skin?

Source: Dior

If there’s one product that I’ll never get tired of testing out, it’s foundation. There are just SO many different elements to get right to make the perfect foundation, from the coverage and how it applies to how it wears throughout the day and the final finish. So, as you can imagine, I was super psyched to try the new Dior Backstage Face and Body Foundation, $40 – I’ve always been a huge fan of the Dior foundations, so I was interested to see how this one would compare. Dior’s Creative Director, Peter Philips, even says this is his star product, which promises to deliver a runway ready, flawless complexion that’s made to withstand heat and humidity – which in Dubai, is a necessity! Here’s what I thought when I trialed it for 48 hours:

What it is: A buildable fluid texture foundation in 40 shades that allows you to customize your coverage, from a natural nude glow to a high coverage finish. The waterproof formula is enriched with pigments that fuse with the skin to give a natural, glowing look that’s long-lasting while resisting high temperatures and humid environments.

Source: Dior

What we liked: I’ve got to say, I was immediately impressed by this foundation as they have such an extensive shade range with different undertones, so you can find a true tonal match. And, because the coverage is quite light, it could actually fit more than 40 skin tones, as there were two or three shades that worked for me. The consistency is very fluid, so it applies onto the skin beautifully and blends really well. Because the coverage is quite light, I did have to layer it to get the coverage I wanted (I usually like medium to full coverage), and it did layer really nicely; my skin didn’t look cakey, and it had a very radiant finish.

What we didn’t like: The first day I wore this foundation, I didn’t set it with any powder, and although it looked great at the beginning, by the end of the day, it had moved quite a lot and looked a little blotchy. The second time I tried it, I wanted to wear it in the same way I would usually wear my foundation, so I used our Complexion Perfection Primer and set it with our Easy Bake Powder, and by the end of the day, my skin still looked great. So, when combined with other complexion products, it works well, but I wouldn’t recommend wearing it by itself.

My Verdict: Once I played around with the foundation, I really liked it: it layered well, it gave me the coverage I wanted, and it was long-lasting. So, if you’re willing to prep and set your skin or you have an event, then this is a foundation for you. I probably wouldn’t use it as my everyday foundation as it does require a lot of effort. But then it is designed and described as the makeup artist’s secret weapon, and I do agree – if you have an understanding of face and body makeup, you can tailor this, and it’ll deliver pretty much any finish you want.

Shop it here.

I also tried the Dior Backstage highlighter and contour palette, check out my full review of them here.