I did some shopping recently (woohoo!) and there was a great deal in Boots — 3 for 2 across a range of cosmetics which, of course, I had to make use of. I decided to try three Collection products. I’ve tried a few products over the years, being a fan of mixing cheaper, budget brands in with my more indulgent purchases, but it had been a while.

I went with three products — Collection Illuminating Touch Foundation, Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, and Collection Pressed Powder. All of them were under a fiver if I remember rightly, and I hadn’t tried any of the three products before.

We’re led to believe that you get what you pay for in the world of cosmetics, with the more expensive brands often considered as the better options. I don’t find that this is always the case. I have more than a few budget products (under £10) in my makeup bag, and I find that many of them do the job just as well, if not better than, their more expensive cousins.

Collection Illuminating Touch Foundation Review

I seem to have a rather hard time finding the right foundation for my face, but I think that’s because I’m a little skin-type-delusional. I need to take myself into Boots and get one of the nice people behind the counter to use their magic machine on my face and work out the right shade for me.

*Makes a mental note to actually do this.

Colour Match

This Collection Illuminating Touch Foundation is just another one in a long line of foundations that I’ve tried lately. I either seem to pick up the wrong shade, or I can’t find the right shade for me. Everything seems quite peachy on my skin, which is basically a nicer word for orange. When I opt for a lighter shade, I then find myself looking at yellow tinges. I need something that sits in the middle of that. I don’t mind mixing different products together to get them to work for my skin colour, but it would be nice NOT to do that sometimes. Like, when I’m in a rush and I just don’t have the time to mix together two or three different foundations so that I don’t look like a giant tangerine or a giant lemon.

The colour on this one actually isn’t too bad. I can work with it, and I didn’t think that the shade I picked up was too much in the orange/peach or yellow zone.

Colour match: Big tick!

Application

I have used multiple tools to apply this foundation, but I normally use a beauty blender. Occasionally, I’ll use a brush, but I’m not the biggest fan. I find the foundation quite runny when you squirt some on the back of your hand, but it turns quite cakey when you try to dab it into the skin. I don’t actually think it’s that easy to apply or dab/blend. When I walk into the hallway (where the ‘good light’ is), I always find a patch that hasn’t quite gone right on my skin. If you use your fingers to try and put it right, the foundation then turns into a weird, stuck-together gunge that just slides around a bit. It doesn’t do this with the beauty blender, but I still find that it’s quite tough to sort out any bits you haven’t gotten quite right, later on.

Application: Not great for makeup amateurs and beginners, like me.

Wearability

I don’t actually think this Collection Illuminating Foundation wears well either if I’m honest. Certain areas of my face don’t seem to take well to the foundation, causing it to split. It doesn’t happen in the same areas either, so I don’t if it’s a case of oily versus dry patches on my skin. After a couple of hours, certain patches will go dry and flakey too. This happens in the centre of my eyebrows, and also around my nose. In fact, this foundation doesn’t wear well on my nose at all. It separates very quickly, giving me an almost leopard-print effect. I love a bit of leopard print, but not on my nose, you know?

It’s not bad in terms of being long-lasting on other areas of my face, however. My chin and the bottom half of my jaw seems to take the product really well, as does my forehead. (There’s enough surface area.)

It’s all a bit too inconsistent for me.

How does it wear: Not great. I think this will heavily depend on your skin type.

Coverage

I would say that this gives you quite sheer coverage. It doesn’t cover moles. It gives them a bit of a milky hue, but it’s an illuminating foundation, not a matte one. It’s not meant to be heavy coverage, right?

I’m not sure I agree with the illuminating part of it either though. I still find myself mixing a bit of highlighter in with the product before I apply it to my face. If you’re on the hunt for something that seriously illuminates, this won’t be the right foundation for you. I’ve had better illumination from non-illuminating foundations …

Awkward.

Collection Illuminating Foundation Review – Conclusion

I’m actually really disappointed with this product, and I’ve given it a serious run for its money too. I’ve tried using different moisturisers, switching from oily to light-weight and then somewhere in the middle. That hasn’t helped. I’ve just found that the problems spring up in new places — the splitting, “cakey” finish, etc.

I’ve also tried using different powders to set it, and different concealers, and even different primers. I just don’t think this foundation and I are meant to be. It’s not one that I would buy again.

It’s cheap, usually under a fiver, but you can get a better product for the same price.

🌟 I would only rate this foundation with 2 stars out of 5 🌟

Too inconsistent, not illuminating enough, and just a bit too high-maintenance for my liking.