I’ve been wearing and testing out the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Foundation since it’s launch back in September. I really wanted to give it a decent go/ fair test (like I do with everything!) but it’s taken ages to actually get around to letting you all know what I think, especially with so many new season launches happening too! I have a first impressions/ review on the other main and highly anticipated foundation launch of the season if you missed it…the Huda Beauty Faux Filter Foundation read all about it and see swatches of that one here.
Rihanna’s (cruelty free) brand Fenty Beauty launched back in September with an impressive range of core essentials to suit pretty much all skin tones, including 40 shades of their first foundation offering which I’ll be taking about today. Yes, there are other brands that offer the same/ similar/ more foundation shades, I think it’s pretty commendable and impressive to come up with a 40 strong shade range for your initial launch though! Rihanna’s inspo behind such a broad shade spectrum is the fact that although medium shades are generally well catered for, if you’re very pale or very dark, there aren’t as many options. She wanted to make sure her brand and range of foundations was all inclusive straight off the bat and hopefully this means a lot of other brands will follow…not everyone is medium beige!
So a bit about the Pro Filt’r…
• Medium to Full Coverage (buildable).
• Soft matte finish…not too matte nor too shiny, mimics skin texture and feels/ looks undetectable on.
• Longwear formula.
• 40 true to skin tone shades.
• Oil free and non pore clogging.
• Climate-adaptive technology – resistant to sweat and humidity.
• Cruelty free.
Fenty Beauty also give tips on finding your shade/ applying…
• Always shake to activate.
• It’s a rich pigment formula so always let shades dry down completely to find your perfect match (it doesn’t oxidise, it’s dries down to it’s true colour).
• If deciding between 2 shades, try the lighter shade.
• Always prep the skin well for best results (it obviously mentions their own primer, but I’ll get to that in a bit!)
• For a fuller coverage, use 1-2 pumps applied with a brush.
• For Medium coverage, use 1 pump applied with a damp beauty sponge.
(Fenty have their own range of brushes, including the Full Bodied Foundation Brush 110 as well as their Precision Makeup Sponge 100, but I’d work with what you already have…I’ll show you my fave brush/ sponges later!).
• ‘Rihanna’s Way’ for ultimate coverage…press in to skin using a brush (stipple) and build.
I got 4 different shades to try in the Pro Filt’r Foundation…120 (neutral), 130 (warm), 140 (warm) and 150 (neutral). If you’re new here or unsure of my colouring, here are my foundation matches in other popular brands normally (I can go a small bit darker in the summer) and have fair skin with a golden undertone which can also wear neutral in some formulas:
• Kat Von D Lock It Foundation in Light 43 Warm
• Huda Beauty Faux Filter in Panna Cotta 130G
• MAC NC10/ 15
• Urban Decay All Nighter 1.0
• Too Faced Born This Way in Snow
• Estee Lauder Double Wear in 1W1 Bone or 1N1 Ivory Nude
You get the jist anyway…there’s comparison swatches on all of my foundation posts, so just search the specific formulas you want and if there are swatches, they’ll pop up!
Firstly 130…it didn’t match me at all, far too yellow! Next up 120…I can definitely wear this one, although in terms of a good match to my natural skin tone it’s a tiny bit light. The next neutral shade up (darker) 150 is a tiny bit too dark, especially once it’s dried down. That left me with 140…and it’s a great match to my skin! Fair with a golden undertone and not too yellow!
My thoughts? I really like the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Foundation! I do wear other things from my usual foundation rotation and try lots of other brands/ formulas along the way, but between this and by beloved KVD Lock It, I’m sorted. They’re the 2 formulas I’m most likely to reach for on makeup wearing days. KVD and Fenty are actually sister brands (both under the Kendo umbrella) which might have all or nothing to do with it, but it does make you wonder. I can’t stress the importance of proper skin prep! That’s the case with all foundations though in my opinion. You need to correct all little skin concerns eg dryness, excess oil, texture etc and make your skin the best base it can possibly be to get the most out of your foundation formula!
I have so many primers (some I’ve not even had chance to try yet!) so just picked up a sample of the Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Primer and I do really like that too! It works particularly well on my nose area (oily AF) and is a beautiful formula, really does all the things and smooths out your skin a treat but my preference with a more matte foundation is something a bit more hydrating on other areas. I’d recommend the Fenty primer, but maybe more so for an oily to combo skin. My skin being combo, I’ve been using a mixture of this (on my oilier nose) and my usual KVD Lock It Primer (UK* / IE*) everywhere else. That combo of primers means it goes on beautifully, stays put and looks way better all day. I’ll probably pick the primer up at some point.
Back to the Pro Filt’r foundation…I’ve applied it with a brush (my favourite Morphe M439 buffing brush*) and with a damp beauty sponge (the NYX one* works great!)…it goes on well with either obviously depending on the coverage you want too. A brush will give a fuller coverage, but I love the way a sponge really pushes the foundation in to your skin and makes it look flawless and perfectly blended. Prepping your skin’ll get rid of this problem anyway, but if you regularly get any dry patches I’d say go sponge instead of brush. I found with the brush, unless I work quickly and even with a well prepped skin it can settle in pores and uneven texture. Beauty sponge is the better, quicker more fool proof option with this formula! It sits well on my skin and keeps me looking matte but not flat which for me is the main thing. It’s so long wearing, but doesn’t feel or look heavy on. You don’t have to set the Pro Filt’r with powder as it does have a more matte finish, although I always do (nearly always with a dusting of KVD Lock It Setting Powder – UK* / IE*) anyway and it means apart from the odd powder touch up throughout the day, it stays on until I take it off. Love the finish, love how the rest of my makeup applies over the top and I love this foundation! If you’re anywhere near a Fenty Counter, definitely grab yourself some samples and give it a go!
* Huda Beauty comparison…the Fenty is way less offensive from a fragrance point of view than Huda Faux Filter (read more here), so if you’re fragrance sensitive, out of the 2 this one is the better option from that point of view. The Huda Faux Filter doesn’t last as long on me (although still lasts) although might be a better choice if you have much drier skin.
Fenty Beauty is available at Sephora, fentybeauty.com and Harvey Nichols online/ in store. I’m lucky to have 2 local counters to me (shout out to Fenty in Harvey Nichols Beauty Bazar, Liverpool and Harvey Nichols Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin) but if you’re struggling to find your shade and can’t make it to a store to swatch, try the Temptalia Foundation Matrix…I always suggest this, in my experience it’s the most accurate online shade matcher tool!
I picked up and have been using more Fenty Beauty products as well as the foundation so will do another Fenty post soon, keep your eyes peeled for that one!
Have you tried the Fenty Pro Filt’r Foundation yet? What did you think?
Lyd x
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Cruelty free.
Hey! I’m also soft ivory in the wet n wild foundation it’s my perfect match! I was wondering if I should go for 120 or 140 with this foundation, since they say it dries down a tad darker I was thinking of going with 120. What do you recommend?
Hey! I found (with the 140 anyway) that the fenty pro filt’r doesn’t dry down as dark as others were saying/ as I was expecting, but you’re right, it does a tiny bit…only a fraction darker than the wet n wild soft ivory once dried and not hugely noticeable, but if in doubt I’d definitely go for the 120 and use a warmer bronzer. You’re probably similar to me and could go for either, but I feel 120 would be slightly closer to the soft ivory if that’s your perfect match. (I’d only say to avoid the 130, it’s super yellow and not and in between shade at all!) Hope this helps 🙂
Thank you for your help and quick response! I’ll definitely go with 12o!
No problem! Happy Shopping and I hope you love it! 🙂