Trying out cruelty free high street foundation

I’ve been in between foundations for a while now and I’ve been delaying the process of finding a new one because I knew that meant buying a product I might not like. When Urban Decay’s Naked Skin foundation ran out on me suddenly (I can see there’s more of you in the
bottom of the bottle so why won’t you pump???) I needed something quick and I wanted something new. Both for ease and for the price I was tempted towards high street products and I decided to make the search that bit more difficult by looking for one that was also cruelty free. My search started off frustratingly because there seemed to be a lack of cruelty free foundations that weren’t either high end or only sold in certain stores but eventually I found Barry M’s Flawless Matte.

For £6 a bottle I decided I couldn’t go wrong with trying it. My expectations were low because for me Barry M has always been a brand I associated more with nail varnish and lip colours but I have been pleasantly surprised! As someone who has relied on high end foundations for much too long, this one holds up better than some of the more expensive brands I’ve tried. The matte finish works especially well for my oily skin and combined with my routine of powder and setting spray it holds up really well for most of the day.

The coverage is definitely buildable and I do end up using more product than I would usually to ensure full coverage but it doesn’t feel heavy on my skin and is really easy to blend. This foundation definitely won’t be for everyone because they currently only carry five shades so unfortunately it’s relatively hit and miss as to whether there’s a colour that works for your skin tone.

The bottle is a good size for a makeup bag with a design similar to Benefit’s Hello Flawless and a pump for ease of application. This also means you can see exactly how much product you’re using which at first slightly put me off when I noticed I seemed to be using a lot. However I do think that even when you consider the fact you may be repurchasing this more often than you would with a high end brand, the fact it’s only £6 means it will probably still work out cheaper in the long run than investing in a high end product.

I can definitely see myself repurchasing this foundation once I run out and I’m excited to see what other Barry M products I’ve been missing out on!

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