Vichy Dermablend Corrective Foundation

Apr 26

I first heard about the Vichy Dermablend Foundation (P1,390) three years ago when Lisa Eldridge, celebrity makeup artist, used it on a girl with severe acne. You'll see in the video how Dermablend magically hid the spots with only the tiniest amount of product! It was just the thing I needed since I had serious acne scarring at the time. Unfortunately, Vichy wasn't a popular brand back then. It was practically impossible to get it in the Philippines short of shipping it from the UK.

Thankfully, Digital Traincase brought it in early this year. *cue trumpets* I just had to get it when I visited the store in Ortigas a few weeks ago! It's out of stock at the moment but expect fresh stocks to arrive next week.

So how was it? It's every bit as amazing as shown in Lisa's video - as a concealer. My shade, Nude, matches me perfectly when it's just on spot patrol, but when used all over my face it looks quite, erm, pink. I suppose I could still get away with wearing it as foundation (did it once) but only if people don't look too closely! My face looked light and pinkish in comparison to my neck and shoulders.

Even if I can't use the Dermablend as a proper foundation, it's still a great find. Here's why!

What I love about the product

It has heavy, full coverage. It can cover very dark blemishes in a couple of layers, and normal blemishes and under eye circles in one dab. Redness is easily banished even if you have fresh pimples and rosacea.
Even with that coverage, it feels weightless on skin due to the watery, easy-to-spread texture. It's also non-sticky and non-greasy.
It stays on well. It doesn't cake or slide off even in very humid weather. Expect it to look decent even after seven hours or so. This foundation isn't water-resistant though, and it doesn't have much in the way of oil control. I don't mind because this is a corrector, primarily, and not a long-wearing foundation.

Nude is a great match on me as an all-around concealer. It covers acne, blemishes and dark undereyes extremely well - it's a great color-match for that purpose since it's half a shade lighter than my skintone. That's great for brightening those discolored areas.
No breakouts.

Looks great as a concealer, agree? This is what it looks like unblended. See how opaque it is! I already blended it on my eyebags so you may observe how bright that area is.

Flawless finish. This is what Dermablend looks like when set with loose powder.

What I don't like about the product

The tube. It's a squeeze-type tube that has a rather wide opening, so the watery foundation tends to gush out if you don't tilt it upwards when you open the cap. A pump would've been more useful.
Shades are very limited and lean towards beige-pink undertones.

Neutral

This is P1,390 at Digital Traincase. It's an okay price. Not cheap, but not too expensive either. Imagine getting a 30ml tube of concealer for that price and it's a bargain. ;)

Recommendations

If you suffer from serious acne, rosacea, or other types of facial skin irritation then I think you'll love the Vichy Dermablend Foundation. This can cover pretty much anything without the mask-like, cakey feel of heavy-coverage makeup. Your skin can breathe with this and you won't have to worry about it sliding off when the going gets tough. I believe this was designed for sensitive skin in mind so breakouts shouldn't be an issue.

The Dermablend is fantastic as a foundation so long as you find a great color match. If not (as in my case), it can work as a concealer for pretty much anything you throw at it.

Verdict

Love it! I've been using this as a concealer ever since I got it. If you're NC35, you can get the Nude shade for concealing. This could work as a foundation if you're NC30 but you'll still have the beige-pink undertone to contend with.

Overall, great stuff. I will definitely repurchase. In the great scheme of things, the P1,390 I paid for it is cheap since it's basically a 30ml tube of concealer for me. We're gonna be together for a long time. ;)

What do you think? Is this something you'd buy?