Bourjois Bio Detox Foundation Review

I cannot say that I've always been particularly open to experiments when it comes to foundation. I found my perfect match in MAC and wouldn't buy any other brand for years due to traumatic mis-matching at other brands' counters. However, about a year or so ago, I decided it was time to branch out a little. I tried some Chanel which I've rambled on about enough already, but I'd also heard some good things about Bourjois foundations. As they're drugstore they're a lot easier on the wallet and there was nobody there to argue with me about the right shade for my skin.

I eventually went for the Bio Detox foundation - not out of choice, but because this was the only one that came in a shade light enough for my NC15 complexion.

I have to state from the very beginning, that the shade match was the only reason I bought this foundation. The fact that it is organic was a bonus, but it is not something I actively seek out when purchasing cosmetics (as opposed to when I buy food). Having said that, it is pretty impressive that such a mainstream brand has brought out a product that deserves the Ecocert badge. Ecocert carries very strict criteria and at least 95% of all ingredients must be natural or of natural origin, so you're guaranteed a fitting product if this is something that's important to you.

The product is housed inside a plastic bottle that is made to look like glass with a milky white cap. The packaging looks fairly elegant apart from the lid which is a bit flimsy and tacky looking. Nevertheless this is certainly not a product I would be too embarrassed to have on display!
It houses 30ml of product which is a very good amount - more than I was able to use, but more on that later. The foundation also comes with a pump dispenser which gets a big thumbs up from me for hygiene and also making it easy to get the right dose of product. The tip of the pump does tend to get clogged a little from time to time, but this wasn't a major issue for me, as it just needed a pump to squeeze out the blockage.

The actual foundation itself is quite a thick liquid, though it is by no means greasy. Unfortunately I found this product extremely difficult to blend. I could practically forget using any kind of brush with this foundation, as it would just leave a horrible streaky mess. It fared a little better when blended in with my hands, but still took a lot of attention. I just could not rush application or otherwise I'd be looking in the mirror at a later point only to find streaks of foundation all over my face.
Since buying this product I have found out that this problem occurs due to the fact that this foundation contains no silicone. I won't pretend that I know an awful lot about this (Lisa Eldridge made a fantastic video about organic and natural make-up in which she explains all about silicones here), but basically silicone is responsible for that lovely smooth feel that makes some foundations just glide over your skin.
Here are some swatches to show you just how difficult it is to blend:

Bourjois Bio Detox straight out of the pump

Blended out a little

Blended out more....

Blended out "fully" though you can still see some lines

Due to this problem I had to be extremely careful, as improper blending would only highlight pores, dry patches or expression lines.

Now, I don't really want to give this product a bad review because of this. After all it prides itself on the fact that it contains mainly natural ingredients, so this is the result you're going to get (and I'm sure you could do a lot worse!). It's a bit like ordering a vegetarian meal at a restaurant and then sending it back because it doesn't contain any meat.

However, I would like to note that this also impaired the product's longevity. After about six months it became so thick that I struggled to get it out of the tube, by which point I knew it was gone off and had to chuck it in the bin, despite the fact that there was still a healthy amount of foundation left in the packaging.

Finally, I would recommend this foundation only to those who are serious about their natural beauty and skincare products. If you're a fan of melt-on make-up like I am and just want to try out something different, then by all means do, but chances are you're not going to get on with this. But if you are one of the former, then this will be great as it's so easily accessible and the price is very reasonable as well.

This is available for £10.99 at drugstores, supermarkets and some pharmacies.

Have you tried any natural/organic foundations? What are your experiences?