Review: Max Factor Healthy Skin Harmony Miracle Foundation - 45 Warm Almond

I can't remember if I ever had Max Factor foundation, but I do remember this brand being one of the first that I saw in our drugstores when I was younger and getting into that makeup wearing feel. I got a chance to test out their new Max Factor Healthy Skin Harmony Miracle Foundation and since I rarely get foundations for testing, I was excited. Foundation is one of the base makeup products that if you get it right, everything else just looks that much better. So I love testing out and trying new foundation. 


It comes in a transparent glass bottle with a transparent plastic top. Top is a bit flimsy and I already broke mine. Pumps is made out of black plastic and it works fine. You can control the amount and I usually use two pumps for my whole face. 

In it is 30 ml of product and the price is 13.99€


Here is the ingredients list. This foundation comes with some really bold statements. Max Factor says that  this foundation is better for your skin than no foundation. The formula should provide you with 24 hour hydration, SPF of 20 and contains particles for shine control. It should give you a semi matte finish, medium coverage and fresh looking skin that is going to fight against stress factors from the environment. 




It has a creamy texture that is firm, but very lightweight in a way. It has a good slip to it, which makes it seem slightly greasy or emollient in a way. It spreads with ease and you have time to blend it our properly. I prefer to apply it with a makeup sponge for that flawless really blended look, but it works just as fine with a foundation brush too. 

It stays slightly tacky, so you'll need to powder over it to prevent transfer. It can grab onto dry patches and accentuate them. This is not the most natural looking foundation, but it also doesn't look or feel heavy either. It doesn't emphasize my pores and doesn't look cakey even if I apply powder over it. I feel like it gets better looking as the day goes on. From afar, it really gives you that natural perfected look. 


The shade 45 Warm Almond looks medium warm yellow toned with an orange tint to it. It comes out a lot lighter than it dries down. I wouldn't say it oxidizes, but it needs a few minutes to completely dry down and in that time it changes the color. It becomes darker and even more redish orange based. I notice change in the color more on my swatches than I do on the face. 

But to be honest, I have been mixing it with NYX Pro Foundation Mixer in White Blanc anyway, so I got it to the lightness that suits me well. Once I mix it with that white color, that btw doesn't change the texture of foundation at all, it actually blends into my skin really well. It's so odd, because on the swatches it looks different toned, but on my skin it looks enough yellow based which blends well with my natural warm to olive undertone. I would still advise you to ask for a sample before buying it, because I have a feeling it might look orange on some skin tones.

I am really disappointed with the shade range in our drugstores. 45 Warm Almond is actually the lightest shade in our drugstores and obviously this is more suited for medium skin tones. Light skin tones have been left out yet again. Max Factor actually has 6 lighter shades going down from 45 Warm Almond. Why aren't we getting these shades in Slovenia? I will never understand that. So if you have light skin tone and want to buy this foundation, I advise you to buy in foreign countries. I searched a bit online and found Light Ivory in Bipa (Austria), I'm sure Austrian DM's also have lighter shades. There are some lighter shades also available on Feelunique.


The finish is semi matte. It looks matte in a way, but it also gives your skin that natural sheen and doesn't look too flat. I notice that I get shiny around my problematic areas, which is nose and chin, after about two hours of wear. So I need to powder it through the day to keep it shine free. 

It has a medium buildable coverage. It evens out skin tone well and covers certain imperfections, but doesn't cover red patches or blemishes. 

If you have very dry skin with a lot of texture, I think this won't be for you, because it can accentuate texture on the skin. The same goes with very oily skin. It's going to be too emollient and slik for you. This is more for normal to combination skin with fairly nice skin in general

I would say it has a good lasting power. I still see it on my skin at the end of the day, although it does of course wears off a bit. But is not uneven and it still looks natural. 

Here you can see freshly pumped out foundation next to the swatch that has dried down. I think you notice the difference in color and darkness.



Here is a comparison of the Max Factor shade with some other foundations that I own.

Max Factor Healthy Skin Harmony Miracle Foundation in 45 Warm Almond is a medium warm yellow and a bit orange toned shade. EX1 Invisiwear Liquid Foundation in 2.0 is light very yellow warm shade. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 51 Light Vanilla is light warm yellow and a bit peach based shade. L.O.V. EXTRAordinary Perfecting Fluid Foundation in 025 Sand Sophistication is medium warm yellow and orange based shade. It's very similar to Max Factor, but looks darker. Although once they both dry down, they look very similar in tone and darkness, Max Factor actually dries down a tad darker. Catrice HD Liquid Coverage Foundation in 010 Light Beige is light warm yellow leaning towards neutral shade. Revlon Colorstay Foundation Combination/Oily Skin in 150 Buff is light warm yellow shade leaning on a more neutral base. The Ordinary Colours Coverage Foundation in 1.1N is light warm yellow shade.

Once they dry down, Max Factor actually looks the darkest and the most orange redish toned out of all of these. L.O.V. is similar, but slightly lighter in shade and has more of orange base instead of redish tint to it.

Here you can also see how it looks like on my skin. I mixed it with NYX Pro Foundation Mixer in White Blanc to get it to a wearable shade that I can pull off. I am tanner on my body, so I still try to match my face to that, although the tan is definitely fading faster now. 




I also got Max Factor Creme Puff Pressed Powder in 05 Translucent as a gift with foundation. I was expecting it to be a very white based shade, but it looks intimidatingly dark for something that is named transparent and should fit all skin tones. 


It comes in a gold plastic packaging with a cheap plastic puff. In doesn't say how much product is in it (I assume around 15 grams), but you can buy it separately for 8.79€.

It has slightly wet texture that applies smoothly and gives you a matte finish. It looks fairly natural and makes the foundation look very soft fokus like and perfected

It has a very strong floral powdery scent, so I you're sensitive to scents you won't like it. I am not too keen on that floral scent. It smells oddly old and granny like to me. 


Shade 05 Translucent is not translucent. If you have fair or very light skin tone, this will show up on your skin as a slightly warm red based shade. I can get away with it, if I apply it really lightly and even then I notice that warm red tint on my face that doesn't really match my natural yellow undertone. It's more for medium skin tones with that red base in them. 


It's a descent powder. I don't notice it keeping my skin matte for any longer than my other powders, but it also doesn't look cakey, so it's fine. The shade is just too dark for me. I prefer white based transparent powders in general and lately I have been using loose powders more than those pressed. 


If we had lighter shades in our drugstores and if those have a more neutral undertone (which I don't know), I would probably buy it in a lighter shade, because I liked it. It's a lightweight foundation with medium coverage, semi matte finish and it wears nice on the skin. It doesn't look obvious, stays on the skin well and doesn't get too greasy through the day. It's more for those with normal to combination skin with fairly even skin texture. I am not liking orange base to this color, but am hoping that lighter shades have a more neutral undertone. It's a damn shame that we don't have lighter shades in our drugstores.

 As far as the bold claim goes about being better for you than no foundation at all, I can't say. I think incorporating skin care ingredients into foundations is nothing new, but more of a standard nowadays. Hopefully, it does make my skin look nicer, but it might just be a good marketing strategy to get those costumers that still think modern foundations are bad for your skin to buy it.

*Product was sent to me.

8 comments

  1. I am planning to check this foundation :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dobivanje pretemnih pudrov za testirat je moj pet peeve, pa naj zvenim še tako razvajeno, ampak ne moreš testirat nekaj kaj te naredi v oompa loompo.

    6 odtenkov je svetlejših od tega?! Pa naši uvozniki vejo, da niso v centralni Afriki ali jim je treba kupit zemljevid? Bi z veseljem kupila podlago, če bi imeli najsvetlejši odtenek, itak skoraj vse kupim ne glede na tip podlage. Their loss. Čeprav to da oxidira ne zveni kul.

    Na splošno mi zveni kot najnovejši L.O.V. Extraordinary na moji koži. Ti imaš itak oba, pa najbolje veš, če je res :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Se popolnoma strinjam s tabo. In ko sem dobila tega sem razmišljala enako. Ampak potem sem ravno dobila NYX White Blanc in zdaj sem dejansko lahko namešala svetlo različico. Drugače pa mene prav tako izredno moti testiranje temnih podlag, ker jih itak ne morem nositi same cel dan - it would look ridiculous.

      Exactly! Meni je bolj fascinantno to, da jaz dejansko ne poznam veliko iz moje družine in kroga prijateljev, ki bi jim ta odtenek pasal, ker so vsi svetlejši. But what do I know. Me spominja na L'Oreal oranžne podtone. Upam, da se motim in so svetli odtenki bolj nevtralni.

      L.O.V. je bolj gost in dejansko ima bolj shiny finiš. Pa tudi prekrivnost je veliko boljša. Odtenka sta si pa zelo podobna s tem od Max Factorja in 025 L.O.V.

      Delete
  3. This seems very similar to the new foundation by Covergirl! Looks nice, but I won't try it because it doesn't have my color and the finish is not what I really want. xx

    Carolina's Makeup Life

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hear Max Factor and Covergirl are the same companies under different brand names. In US Covergirl and in EU Max Factor, so it makes sense :). The color range is so basic in our drugstores too. Shame really.

      Delete
  4. to glede odtenkov je absolutno noro...jaz sem ta puder sam 1x testirala, ker mi je preveč temen odtenek, tud če ga posvetlim. Drugače bi znal bit super in kar dobro prodajan.
    Glede transparentnega pudra v kamnu se pa kar strinjama. Ne vem od kot njim, da je "transparenten", ko pa se odtenek precej opazi na svetli koži :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Verjamem. Ti si še svetlejša kot jaz in res ni niti enega odtenka, ki bi bil vsaj za dokaj normalno svetlo polt. Saj ravno zato ga je škoda, ker je formula pa dokaj dobra.
      Tukaj so ustrelili mimo. Očitno si niso pogledali pri drugih znamkah kaj je transparentno. :)

      Delete