Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation (new formula / reformulated) is launched in France Jan 2017. The older version was my drugstore favourite. It’s the closest MAC NC25 drugstore colour dupe that I can find in EU drugstore. Here comes the test. Is the “new formula” for the better or worse?
Coverage & Finish
Satin finish. Medium to full coverage. Buildable.
Looks natural, but not no makeup.
To be exact, MAC face & body = skin-like and undetectable. This one is detectable in real life. Cannot do the “wake up like this” sort of look.
Skin type
Worked well on my dehydrated combination skin.
Not suitable for oily skin. According to Rachael, it was horrible and melt off.
My skin type? click here
Fragrance
I love the fruity smell. It is quite strong when it is freshly out of the bottle. Can’t smell anything once it is once my face though.
Packaging
Solid plastic translucent red lid with satisfying click sound when closed. Natural pump. Glass bottle. What’s not to like? They put seriously sticky security tape and it leaves residue 🙁
Size: 30ml
Weight: 125g (bottle + product)
Country of Origin
Made in France
Bourjois is from Paris, France since 1863. Currently owned by Coty Inc.
Application method
My preferred method: buffing brush (e.g. real technique expert face) / any medium density round top synthetic brush. I find application via this method looks more radiant and natural.
This foundation does not give me the “I have no make up look”. At its most natural form, my face look me but better. The coverage is high enough that I can detect makeup if that makes sense?
Colour
All shades leans yellow / golden tone.
Best match for MAC NC25 = shade 53 light beige
There’s a lot of blog that says 52 is perfect, but I do not agree. Shade 52 on its own is a lot lighter than NC25. 52 is too white. 52 tone is also too yellow compare to NC25.
Shade 52 is closer to NC20 or between C1/C2?
When freshly pumped out, it is very yellow but not Bobbi Brown foundation stick yellow. Oxidises after 5-10min of wear. A slight tint of peach appears to last for about 15min and then dies down again closer to the original colour with tiny peach tint (grey scale 4.5). So I am not sure if I should say this thing oxidise or not really? Below is my attempt to show you the oxidated colour at its most obvious stage.
Longevity
No primer and no powder. My face had same mosturiser + sunscreen SPF50 on all test.
The “16 Hours” claim printed on the bottle is clearly written by marketing who is high on all that fruity antioxidant in the foundation. No ways that it’d last 16 hours on me.
Test 1 Tropical condition – 3 days
25-30 degree Celcius, 70% humidity, Guadeloupe
Stay put on me for 7hrs before oil came through.
Test 2 Continental condition – 1 month
-2-18 degree Celcius, 60% humidity, Paris
Stay put on me for 8-9hours before oil came through
Surprise found… It survived snorkeling. Well, lost 30% coverage after 20min snorkel and broke at places where the goggle was. Some freckles and redness peeped through. Not bad for a non waterproof number.
Sensation
Whatever emollient they’re using, it feels great on the skin. It could be the combination of the silica and glycerin? No idea. It feels fab. This foundation has a high end sensation to it. It is something quite unique to Bourjois that I cannot find in other drugstore brands. My skins feels instantly more radiant if that makes sense? I’m referring to the sensation, not just the colour.
Price
- Boots.com (UK) GBP9.99
- Bourjois.fr (FR) EUR14.99 !?!?!?!?!
- Monoprix (FR) EUR11.95
- Feelunique.com USD12.79
- The price in Hong Kong is just ridiculous. It’s HKD200+ from major retail stores
SALE ALERT
My friend scored it for EUR6.99 from Monoprix on Monday!!!! The sale ends on 28 March 2017
Formula
Ingredient list (found on their website – http://www.bourjois.fr/maquillage/teint/fonds-de-teint/fond-de-teint-healthymix-halefonce.html?teinte_bjs=2318)
AQUA/WATER/EAU, DIMETHICONE, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, PEG-10 DIMETHICONE, ALUMINUM STARCH OCTENYLSUCCINATE, PHENOXYETHANOL, SODIUM CHLORIDE, DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE, DISODIUM STEAROYL GLUTAMATE, DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, PARFUM/FRAGRANCE, ALCOHOL DENAT., ASCORBYL PALMITATE, GLYCINE SOJA (SOYBEAN) OIL, TOCOPHEROL, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, PANTHENOL, ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE, SILICA, GLYCERIN, PYRUS MALUS (APPLE) FRUIT EXTRACT, SODIUM HYALURONATE, CUCUMIS MELO (MELON) FRUIT EXTRACT, PRUNUS ARMENIACA (APRICOT) FRUIT EXTRACT, POTASSIUM SORBATE, SODIUM BENZOATE, BENZOIC ACID, PANTOLACTONE, SORBIC ACID, BHT,
[May Contain/Peut Contenir/+/-:
TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891),
IRON OXIDES (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499),
MICA].
Sodium chloride – I don’t really understand why there’s salt in this formula. It is literately salt. I guess at the very least it can’t be bad for the skin? It is probably used as a thickening agent.
For interest’s sake, here’s the old version’s formula (http://www.bourjois.fr/maquillage/teint/fonds-de-teint/fond-de-teint-healthy-mix-58-hale-fonce.html?teinte_bjs=1385):
AQUA (WATER), DIMETHICONE, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, PEG-10 DIMETHICONE, ALUMINUM STARCH OCTENYLSUCCINATE, PHENOXYETHANOL, SODIUM CHLORIDE, DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE, DISODIUM STEAROYL GLUTAMATE, DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, ALCOHOL DENAT., PARFUM (FRAGRANCE), PROPYLENE GLYCOL, PANTHENOL, ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE, SILICA, GLYCERIN, PYRUS MALUS (APPLE) FRUIT EXTRACT, SODIUM HYALURONATE, CUCUMIS MELO (MELON) FRUIT EXTRACT, PRUNUS ARMENIACA (APRICOT) FRUIT EXTRACT, POTASSIUM SORBATE, SODIUM BENZOATE, BENZOIC ACID, PANTOLACTONE, SORBIC ACID.
[+/- (MAY CONTAIN): CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE), MICA, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 (IRON OXIDES), CI 77007 (ULTRAMARINES)]
12BMT003 – 1
Overall rating: B-
- Packaging 5/5
- Scent 4/5
- Blendability 5/5
- Look – 7/10
- Comfort – 8/10
- Longevity 7/10
- Oxidation – N/A the shade change is so mild, it’s barely noticeable.
- Value for money 5/5
**I do not normally travel with any glass bottle product. For the sake of this special first beauty post, I took it with me.
Where was the featured shot taken?
Camera: Canon 5D mark 3, Sony Z3+ (waterproof)
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16 Comments
Very good information is there on your blog. It is very useful to me. Thanks for sharing this information and keep share good information o your blog.
I had the serum version in #53 but I found that #52 works for me as well. I noted down that if I were to repurchase this, I’d go with #52 since I found it to oxidize slightly too dark so in theory, #52 would oxidize to a perfect match! 😉
Good job on all the arm swatches! 😀 Love your testing conditions haha! If it survived snorkeling, that’s good enough for me!
For your reference, this sells for $35 CAD!
https://www.beautyboutique.ca/Categories/Makeup/Face/Foundation/Healthy-Mix-Foundation/p/HO12?variantCode=3052503735313
And wow, amazing that Bourjois regrammed your image! <3 Great review. I'm not even this thorough LOL. Are you SURE you're not a beauty blogger? 😉
Hey, Stashy~ ???? thanks for the price ref.
For the serum I also use the 52. Serum oxidised a lot on me. Hm… for this version 52 matches my face but quite a stark difference with the rest of my body? Hang on, I maybe testing in bad time, because I’ve roasted myself silly on the beach. I have both colours, let me play a bit. I’ve noticed that 55 oxidised into ashy pink tint. Was shopping with a friend, each shade oxidized differenctly ????
I am quite sure that I am a travel blogger. You see the beach? ???????? it’s beauty x travel haha
Hey, Stashy. I gave this foundation a few more tries with 52 and 53. The 52 oxidizes into a slight peach, but it still runs a bit pale (with strong yellow tone) when compared with MAC studio tech NC25. The 53 has more peach / red tone before and after oxidation, so I’m still incline to say that 53 is a better match. *The 52 is an identical match to my natural face colour, but the tone just won’t match the rest of my body*
Been wanting to ask you, do you prefer your face slightly lighter than your neck in general? I find that if my face is a big lighter than my neck / body, my complexion looks more radiant? Can be totally psychological.
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Aw, thank you, Cat xox *muah*
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helicopter is waiting for you mademoiselle xo wink
This is super interesting to me. I’ve never tried this foundation but I am a fan of the Healthy Mix Serum which I mentioned in my most recent blog post, I do find that it goes greasy quite quickly though. I’m curious to try this product out after reading your post! xx
https://tenmoreminutesblog.wordpress.com/
Hello Jen, thank you for dropping by. Visit boots or superdrug, try it on your face before deciding to buy one 😉 the coverage is WAY higher than Healthy Mix Serum. In your blog, you mentioned that you have dry skin and then you talked about shine. You mean you’re dehydrated, right? Healthy Mix is a demi-matte finish. It probably won’t do well if you have try dry skin.
Yeah I have dry, eczema prone skin
Oic, well if that’s the case, I think Bourjois City Radiance may do a bit better for you. City Radiance a bit more forgiving with patches, but the sensation is not as high end as Healthy Mix 😉
*I also get eczema, but on my hands
Thanks for the recommendation! I get eczema on my hands too but unfortunately everywhere else as well :/
*sigh* I kick start my morning with a glass of water (before brushing teeth or putting anything into my mouth). I found that helped me out a lot. Perhaps you can give it a try? It can be just my superstition, but it won’t hurt to try it out 😉
No I’ve heard that helps I’m just terrible at remembering. I really should give it a proper go though because having dry skin is so annoying haha, thanks for your advice 🙂 xx
Love it !! Thanks for coming with me to pick the right shade 🙂
It works really well with my NYX corrector I don’t look like a panda with my dark circles anymore haha
Thanks for dropping by ???? you’ve heard all about this foundation already haha. So glad that it works out well ????