I’ve done a review on some of Gressa’s Lip Boosts, which you can find here: Gressa Lip Boosts Review and Swatches – Regal, Lavish, Bare and Radiant

They also have a foundation which they claim is:

‘A serum. It’s a foundation. It’s a multivitamin for your face. Perfect your face with long-term benefits of this revolutionary serum to powder foundation.’

I ordered the ‘Find Your Match’ Light-Medium sample pack and received number 2.5, 3, 3.5 and 4 as well as samples of the Lip Boosts in Bare and Radiant.

Organic Certification:

Again, there is no formal certification to be found on their website. Majority of the ingredients listed are certified organic. This product is vegan.

Ingredients:

*Brassica oleracea (Broccoli) Seed Oil, Coconut Alkanes (and) Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Silica, GRESSA Healing ComplexTM *Silymarin, *Neem (Azadirachta indica) Extract,*Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) Extract, *Lemon Balm (Melissa officianalis) Extract, *Barberry (Berberis vulgaris) Extract, *Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) Seed Extract, *Elder Flower (Sambucus nigra) Extract, *Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia) Extract, Licorice Root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate Non-GMO, Coenzyme Q10, Ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate, (Vitamin C), *lecithin, *glycerin, mica, iron oxides, titanium oxide. *CERTIFIED ORGANIC

Expiration:

Not sure as I only received samples.

Pricing:

The sample packs are priced at $15.00 US each. They contain 4 samples of foundation and 2 samples of Lip Boosts. At the time that I purchased the samples, a full bottle (15ml) retailed for $54.00 US. It’s since gone up to $62.00 US.

You can buy from an Australian online retailer for $72.00 AUS, however you can buy directly from the company and shipping to Australia is $20.00 US.

Packaging:

The samples comes in a little black packet with a tear off top. I massaged each and shook it well before opening as the pigment and oil will separate. A full size product comes in a glass dropper bottle. You still need to shake the bottle well.

Scent:

It’s a tiny bit herbal in scent but it’s nothing awful.

Texture:

This is so runny, it’s almost watery. It feels light and as you smear it, you’ll feel how silky it is. If I didn’t know the ingredients I would swear the formula contained silicone, but the texture is achieved with broccoli seed oil and silica.

Application:

As it dries matte, you need to work quickly. Spread it on one section of your face and then buff in well with a densely packed brush. I used a Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. Gressa also sells their own buffing brush. I would not recommend using your fingers.

Opacity:

As long as you have shaken the product well, the colour distribution will be even. This is a very strongly pigmented product. I find that one layer is a high medium coverage, and then two is full coverage. It covers redness exceptionally well. I have seen Youtube reviews where the reviewers still wanted to use concealer under the eyes, but I did not need it at all.

Colours Purchased: 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0

2.5 Light – Neutral undertones
03 Light Medium, olive/slightly warmer undertones
03.5 Light Medium-Tan, warm undertones
04 Medium, golden yellow undertones

2.5 is light and leans beige on me because of my yellow undertone. Number 3 is slightly darker and has a yellow undertone. 3.5 looks to have a very strong yellow undertone and is again darker than Number 3. Number 4 appears to be a few shades deeper than 3.5 and it’s yellow undertone is so strong it’s almost orange on my skin.

3.0 and 3.5 were the closest matches, so for my first application, I tried 3 on my left side and 3.5 on my right side. I had moisturised in the morning so it was mostly gone by then time I applied it at 3pm. My skin was still soft and clean. I put some on the back of my hand and then dotted it on. I felt like I had to blend it quickly otherwise it would dry too much. It wasn’t the easiest foundation I’ve blended. I definitely had to buff it into my skin with more pressure than I am used to.

It dried matte, but to the point where it looked powdery on my skin. While both sides accentuated dry patches, having the lighter colour on my left was extremely obviously and flat. 3.5 suited my skin tone much better.

As my skin looked too dry I wanted to try again. So I washed it off, and moisturized. This time it did not catch on dry patches and it was also slightly easier to blend. 2 layers achieved full coverage, much fuller than I am used to. It covered up redness on my cheeks amazingly well. It also completely brightened the darkness under my eyes, so I didn’t need concealer at all. A small dark scar on my left cheek was the one thing that wasn’t completely covered.

This time it didn’t dry down matte. I could also feel it. It didn’t look thick but it bothered me, especially under my eyes. I certainly wouldn’t use anymore than what I did. It’s also much more obvious that I’m wearing makeup with two layers.

After 8 hours of wear, I did find that I looked shiny and oily. I blame this more on my skin and the fact that my moisturizer was quite rich.

PROS:

• Dries matte on unmoisturised skin
• Medium coverage with one layer
• Full coverage with two layers
• No strong scent
• Looks like your skin
• You do not need a lot to achieve full coverage
• Covers redness very well
• Covers dark circles very well
• Exceptional ingredients and texture

CONS:

• Dries too matte when skin isn’t properly moisturized
• Even though it’s packed with oils, they do not counter dry patches of skin. This will accentuate them
• Does not dry matte on freshly moisturised skin, but this can be a pro as it will give a dewy appearance.
• I can feel it on my skin when I apply 2 layers, especially under my eyes
• Doesn’t blend as easily as I would like.
• Looks more obvious when applied heavier
• Expensive – A full size is 15ml and its $54 US. This converts to approximately $70 AUS plus flat rate of $20 US / $26 AUS for shipping.

Final Word:

While I love the ingredients, I find that it’s not the most forgiving foundation. I moisturize daily, already have oily skin and it caught on dry patches I didn’t even know I had. While I was trialing it, this wasn’t a huge problem, more of an inconvenience.

Unfortunately, this presents a problem. I need a rich moisturizer for my dry patches, yet I can’t use it in conjunction with the foundation because then the foundation doesn’t dry matte and I end up looking greasy.

In terms of coverage, it is absolutely wonderful and I did not need a concealer. The amount needed to achieve this is also minimal. In fact the more I put on, the less I liked the finish. To justify the high price point, I would argue that it would last longer than other foundations because I needed so little. I would also not need to purchase a concealer either.

However, the high price point means I want application to be easier. I want it to blend better and I don’t want the risk of it caking on dry patches, where I’m going to have to waste product by washing it off, exfoliating and then reapplying.

I would absolutely recommend this product if you have the money. Considering many organic liquid foundations cost at least $50.00 AUS, an extra $20.00 doesn’t seem so extreme, especially if you factor in the cost of a concealer (some of which I have seen priced at $50 AUS).

To further that argument, this serum is much better value, because many liquid foundations have a base of water and far less active ingredients. This isn’t the case with this foundation, their base being broccoli seed oil, so the ingredients would likely improve your skin in the long run.

However, unless your skin is supple, hydrated and free of dryness, you might find that it takes a little patience to learn how to use it to suit your skin. I would also recommend investing in a good brush, as even the Real Techniques left streaks that I had to buff away, with a lot of effort.

After a few days of wearing this, it did unfortunately make me break out. I have incredibly finicky skin, so all I can suggest is trying the samples first, not only to find your matching shade, but also to test whether the same will happen to you. None of the ingredients were a red flag, so I don’t know what would have caused it and I’m likely one of the unlucky few.

This is an excellent product, with full coverage, that I wish was more forgiving, with fool proof, effortless application.

Click here for their official website.