Make Up For Ever Water Blend Foundation Review Y215 | Lightest Shade, Dry & Sensitive Skin

Today, I’m reviewing a foundation that I’ve wanted to try for quite a long time; it’s the Make Up For Ever Water Blend Foundation. Before we get into it, I just want to put it out there that I imagine a lot of people won’t like this foundation. If you’re into full coverage, flawless looking skin, this probably isn’t for you. This one falls more into the ‘no makeup makeup’ category. I’ve been testing this foundation for just over a month, so this is a full review, not a first impressions.
MUFE is still somewhat difficult to get hold of in the UK, although you can get it online, it’s not stocked in many places in store. As someone with very pale and sensitive skin, getting a sample is usually a must for me, so it took me a while to get my hands on this one.

Product Overview

This foundation claims to “give skin a fresh, dewy glow” and feel “so lightweight, sheer and comfortable.” It’s 80% water, hence the name. This foundation has an RRP of £33 for 50ml, so it’s a lot larger than the standard 30ml and it comes in 20 shades, which we’ll get into in a minute.
Unfortunately, Make Up For Ever sell in China, therefore are not cruelty free.

“Give skin a fresh, dewy glow with this unrivaled formula that feels so lightweight, sheer and comfortable. The quick and easy application makes it ideal for both the face and the body, as this water-based waterproof foundation evens out the complexion to leave a natural-looking, satin finish. Created with 80% water, this long-lasting unique water-gel texture naturally hydrates and blends in evenly for a smooth, flawless look. “

Shades

As I said, this comes in 20 shades, which I usually would not be happy about. However, this one is different. As this foundation is sheer to light coverage, I think there’s a lot more flexibility between shades and getting a shade lighter or darker than your regular colour would likely go unnoticed.
To compare, MUFE HD line and Velvet Matte collection both come in 40 shades. The lightest shade in these lines is Y205 and the lightest shade in the Water Blend foundation is Y215 – Yellow Alabaster (or R210 for pink tones). This is part of the reason I wanted to test it first, as the lightest shade isn’t technically the lightest shade MUFE do, I was worried it would be too dark. I’m very happy to say that due to the light coverage, Y215 looks like a great match for me.
For those of you with deeper skin, I’m not sure how good this one will be. The darkest shade in this foundation (R540) is two shades lighter than the darkest shades in the other two MUFE lines (R560). From swatches I’ve seen online, it looks like there’s a good gradient between shades, but I’m not sure how that translates in real terms.

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Application

Initially, I was quite surprised at the texture of this; I was expecting something really fluid and watery, and this is more of a gel. The texture feels somewhat similar to the Clinique Moisture Surge moisturiser. As this foundation is 80% water, I was very careful when it came to choosing my application method. I didn’t want to use a sponge, as I thought it would drink up the majority of the product. When it came to using a brush, I didn’t want something too fluffy, as I thought I’d have a similar issue. In the end, I opted for the Zoeva Face Shape Brush (technically a cream contour brush) as it’s dense and doesn’t absorb much product. I’ve also used it with a Real Techniques Expert Face Brush.
Both of these brushes blended the foundation very well, evenly and without streaking, but I preferred the Zoeva. I did try with a stippling brush, to test my previous theory, and that was a streaky mess that I had to fix with another brush. This foundation requires a dense bristled synthetic brush that won’t absorb too much product.

Zoeva Face Shape
Real Techniques Expert Face Brush *

Coverage and Wear

On first application, this foundation is true to claims. It’s sheer, looks natural, fresh and hydrating, but doesn’t give much coverage. It will build a little bit, but only to a light coverage. You’re definitely not getting anything like full coverage from this. The first thing I noticed was that this foundation has a strong fragrance, which isn’t my preference at all. And the scent does linger for several hours, which is far from ideal. Scent aside, it sits beautifully on dry skin, doesn’t cling to dry patches at all and leaves skin looking very healthy. I think this is the perfect everyday ‘no-makeup makeup’ kind of product.
In terms of wear, I can comfortably get a full day out of this without it getting patchy or greasy. It claims to be waterproof and does not transfer. I never really set my foundations as my skin is dry, so I thought the no transfer test would be interesting. It doesn’t transfer. I answered my phone less than 30 minutes after finishing application and there wasn’t a single streak on my screen. I did also wear this to the gym to push these claims to their limits (gross – do not recommend). 30 minutes of speed intervals later, it may well be waterproof, but it definitely isn’t sweat/ cardio-proof.
As it is a lighter coverage, I have a feeling that even if this did start to fade throughout the day, it would never become too noticeable.

Ingredients

MUFE Water Blend Foundation Ingredients

Overall

As much as I hate the scent, I do really like this foundation – a lot. I like my skin to look like skin, but I want it to look like even, fresh and healthy skin. And I feel like that’s what this foundation gives me. It sits very comfortably all day. I look radiant, without looking greasy. As it’s water based rather than oily, I think that helps it to look naturally radiant and not too oily/greasy and keeps the longevity of the wear time.

Pros:

• Wears well
• Sits well on dry skin
• 50ml/ large bottle
• Natural, radiant finish
• Transfer proof
• Shade range – good gradient, I think the majority of people could find a good match

Cons:

• Fragrance – Although this didn’t irritate my skin, it could irritate other people and the smell is very off putting.
• Not cruelty free
• Shade range – despite having a good gradient, there could still be more shades at both ends of the spectrum.

Would I repurchase?

The scent is the only reason I would potentially repurchase this, and I think that’s something I can get used to. My skin is very difficult. It’s paler than most brands lightest shades, it’s very dry and very sensitive. To find a foundation that’s light enough for me, not too matte and doesn’t irritate is so rare. Truly, if a lingering scent is my only issue, that isn’t really an issue. Having said that, I’m fortunate that this particular fragrance isn’t irritating my skin; that could easily have been an issue. But I think this is a beautiful everyday foundation and I’ll definitely continue using it and will likely repurchase.

Have you tried the water blend foundation? What are your thoughts?

Until next time,

Sophie

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