Review & Swatches: L'oreal Infallible Pro-Matte 24HR Foundation in 105 Natural Beige

The L'oreal Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation is a relatively new foundation release and it's been so highly raved about. It is supposed to give a demi-matte finish that feels air-light on the skin. It's also supposed to last up to 24 hours as well. My shade is 105 Natural Beige and it fits pretty well on my medium yellow toned skin. It retails for around $12 and contains 1.0 fluid ounces / 30 mL. 

Before we start, here's a summary of my skin. My cheeks are a bit drier than the rest of my face but the rest is normal to a bit oily now that it's hotter. I work in an office now and I feel like the AC is also making my skin produce more oily than normal. My foundation matches include MAC NC35 / MUFE HD Foundation 127 / Maybelline Foundations in Natural Beige / Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in No. 54 Beige.

My acne marks have faded since my Cover FX Custom Cover Drops review and so if you're comparing the B&A pictures, this one definitely doesn't give the same coverage. I would say this foundation gives light to a solid medium coverage.  It evens out the redness in my skin and covers some of my acne marks, but you can still see them. A brush like the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush helps bump up the coverage while a damp sponge can make it a bit more sheer. 

I can't layer it on though. It's either a lot in one go or just a thin layer with some concealer. When I layer it on, some of the foundation bunches up on my cheeks and looks uneven. If you do layer it on, I recommend using a damp sponge like a BeautyBlender to give some moisture to the foundation before it dries.

Because it's a matte foundation, it does dry and set a bit faster than other foundations and so I would work on one side of the face first and then move on. 

I don't smell anything from the foundation and so it'll be good for those with sensitive noses. The texture is thin and does feel air-light like L'oreal claims! 

Unfortunately, the 24 hour wear claim is not true for me at all. I do stay demi-matte throughout the day, but the foundation does keep my skin looking even even after 6 hours. In the above picture, you can see some flakyness and and uneven patches because the foundation wore down on my cheeks. I took that picture 12 hours after initial application but it starts to look like this after the 6-7 hour mark for me.

On my nose and forehead, it does hold up well though. Those spots get oilier faster and so I'm not sure why the drier spots broke down first. I bought this foundation because my face gets oily by the end of my work day, but I would rather look oily from my other foundations than patchy for this one. 

Final thoughts: I feel like this foundation would be great for those with normal to oily skin with fewer blemishes than me. It broke down so fast on my drier cheeks but held up on my normal/oily parts. The finish it gives is very very beautiful and I would've loved that to last the whole work day, but it didn't on me. I am disappointed in this foundation and won't be repurchasing it. I would tentatively recommend it to people that like to wear a more natural leaning towards matte finish for errands or something though because it does look good for the first few hours. 

Have you tried this foundation?

Do you have any recommendations for matte but not drying foundations?