I saw Essence Stay All Day 16h Long Lasting Foundation at a mall one day and wanted to pick it up because of its price; it retails for only P479. But I hesitated — before finally diving in —because of the notion that you get what you pay for.
I’m not a brand snob but I am willing to shell out more than I normally would for a product, especially a foundation, if I can prove that it lives up to its promises. After trying the foundation out for a couple of months, here’s what I learned.
My skin is normal to dry with warm undertones and my color belongs to the light-medium range.
Shade Range
The range offers only four shades. And much to my dismay, the store near me carries only two of them: soft beige, which has a yellow undertone, and soft nude, which has a pink undertone.
Packaging
The packaging did not make my heart skip a beat, but the pump on the Essence Stay All Day 16h Long Lasting Foundation proved to be effective at helping me avoid making a mess.
All that Jazz
Consistency and Texture
The foundation has a thick consistency, as you would expect from a product that promises to last long.
Scent
I am not particular about scents, so the strong fragrance the foundation has does not bother me. It’s musky — something in the same scent family as Brut but milder.
Coverage and Wear
The product provides medium to full coverage — the same effect one would get from using a powder foundation. Another layer of it on and people would be able to tell you’re wearing foundation, but despite its thickness I found it did not completely cover the freckles on the upper part of my left cheek.
Without makeup my pores are not noticeable, but using this emphasized them. A thick moisturizer before putting on a pore-minimizing primer would help because this clings to dry patches.
If you have acidic skin, go a shade lighter than you normally would because this will oxidize.
It promises 16-hour coverage but I find that it stays on for six hours maximum. I live in a tropical country, though, so the humidity here might play a big factor when it comes to the product’s wear time.
Is the Essence Stay All Day 16h Long Lasting Foundation rad or bad?
I haven’t come across a product I completely despised. There are a lot of good things about the foundation but it’s not something I would put on a pedestal and ask all my friends to buy. If you’re on a budget and need a foundation to practice with, give this one a go.
Have you tried Essence Stay All Day 16h Long Lasting foundation before? What do you think of it?