By Terry Cover Expert Foundation Review

I think I may have only heard about By Terry Makeup about two years ago and I quickly dismissed it because the prices, to me, was simply outrageous like seriously £75 for one foundation...nopes; not happening. I was very curious to be honest but I just could not see myself ever spending such an amount of money on one foundation. I also didn't think there would be suitable shades for darker skin but I was wrong because By Terry has a rich selection of colours for various skin tones including olive and darker skin tones.  Anyway, I was perusing the Space NK sales page and spotted the By Terry Cover Expert Foundation for £11. I was like heyyy!! what's going on? It was for real and it seemed like a shade that would suit me so it got into my basket along with the Laura Mercier Eye Canvas (reviewed here) and I checked out. I got a few other bits so you can check out my Space NK Haul here.


Packaging
I expected a better packaging for a foundation that originally retails for £45 but it comes in a tube. I don't particularly rate foundations in a tube (except for my beloved Mary Kay Foundation reviewed here) but this one is actually pretty. The tube is a pretty purple colour and it looks lovely on my dresser. The only downside is it can be a little messy especially when it is standing upright. Due to the texture of the foundation, it could run all the way down into the lid so you have to be super careful when you open it otherwise you would experience a lot of messy waste. I always store it laid flat so I don't have any issues with any mess. It contains 35 ml of product which is great because most foundations only contain 30 ml or 1 Fluid Ounce.



Shade Match
Of course, it has never been a good idea to buy foundation online especially if you have never tried the brand before. I took a gamble and purchased the only shade available for £11 - Intense Brown (13) which is a little bit darker than my actual skin tone. I was not really bothered per say because I already spoke about how I make darker or lighter foundations work for me in this post here. If you are a MAC NC 50 foundation shade, I think this will suit you really well. I usually mix a little pump of this with my Dior Star Foundation (review here) which is slightly beigey or I just mix in my moisturiser/primer to get my accurate shade. This has not affected the efficacy of the foundation at all and it's no hassle whatsoever.



How does By Terry describe this foundation
By Terry describes the Cover Expert Foundation as an ultra smoothing foundation that adjusts to the skin to reveal a flawless complexion with a velvet finish. I was a little sceptical about this foundation because I was not sure it would actually cover my blemishes. The texture seemed light/thin even before I mixed it in with my primer/moisturiser. Surprisingly, it did a good job of covering majority of my blemishes although I still go in with my NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer (review here).

Texture/Formula/Application
As already mentioned earlier, it has a really light/thin consistency . Most runny foundations I have tried are either light coverage or have a dewy finish which I am not a fan of. Thankfully, this foundation provides adequate coverage, has a velvet (non-dewy) finish and you can hardly feel it on your skin when it is applied. It has a slight fragrance which does not bother me but I think it may be annoying to some people. Despite this fragrance, I have not had any breakouts or allergies so I am guessing it may be suitable for people with sensitive skin but I can't really say. It sets into a lovely matte/velvet finish which is not drying at all on the skin and I don't think it will cling to any dry patches if you have dry skin (I have oily combo skin). I still set it lightly with a powder. You can apply this with your fingers but I use my favourite Buffing Brushes (Real Techniques, Nanshy or Sephora Multi Tasker) and when I have time during the weekends, I use my Beauty Blender which gives the best results.



Coverage/Longevity
Once it is well blended (mind you, a little goes a long way), I go back in with my concealer because I have some very dark hyper pigmentation on my cheeks which usually needs extra coverage. I go over my face with a powder to ensure everything is set and it does not budge all day. It is really incredible and now I understand why people may want to spend a fortune on this foundation. The overall coverage and result is really beautiful, natural looking and it still feels so light on the face (like you have nothing on). Most foundations with such a light formula will not deliver the amount of coverage this foundation offers. I already mentioned I mix this in with my primer and it lasts allllllllll day; like seriously allllllll day (I know the all looks super annoying) but that's the only way I can emphasize how good the coverage and longevity is. When I wear it to work and have a really long day, I come home ready to cleanse my face and it looks almost the same as it was in the morning. I still experience the odd slight shine on my forehead but a light blot of my brush (sometimes with no powder) solves it all.


Cost
There's a saying/maybe proverb in Nigeria (my country) which says "Soup wey sweet na money kill am". It is Pidgin English and it literally translates as "A tasty soup costs a lot of money to prepare". Basically, it means excellent quality does not come cheap and the By Terry Cover Expert Foundation is no exception. It currently retails for  a pricey £45. I was incredibly lucky to find it for £11 in the Space NK Sales and it was the only shade available at the time. I guess that's why it was on sales; maybe many people were not purchasing this shade. I think the reduction from £45 to £11 is a huge bargain. You can purchase this from Space NK.


What I don't like
1. It is super expensive.
2. Although there are shades for darker skin tones, it is quite limited (there are about 14 shades in total)


Overall Thoughts
I am really happy that I got this in the Space NK sales although I was a little hesitant at first. I think it's a great foundation and I even suspect during summer or when I travel to Nigeria, it may become my exact shade/match. It's one of those few foundations that somehow mimics and adjusts to my actual skin tone really well. You would never guess it's not my actual shade because it looks lovely all day and it also does not oxidise which is a winning property in my books any day any time. Would I repurchase this for £45? I honestly don't know but I do love it. That's all folks. I hope you had an amazing weekend and see you in my next post....xx