L’Oréal Infallible Matte vs. L’Oreal True Match Foundation

Boots were offering 3 for 2 on all L’Oreal products so I bought both the Infallible Matte and True Match foundation (for the sake of the blog, obviously!). They’re both much loved by many and you can probably tell by now that I always buy into the hype!

Before I start, it’s worth noting that I have combination skin. I have an oily t-zone and my cheeks can be a bit on the dry side. This is important because foundations will look, feel and sit differently on different skin types.

To make sure it was a fair fight, I used the same brush and I didn’t use a moisturiser, primer or finishing powder with either foundation.

L’Oreal Foundation: Infallible Matte

I purchased mine for €12.29 from Boots.

Available Shades in Infallible Matte

There are a mere 6 shades available for the L’Oreal Infallible Matte foundation which is surprising! Especially considering that they have made 23 shades for the True Match Foundation (see below). Although, considering this foundation has proved to be so popular, it’s only a matter of time before a full shade range is released.

My Shade: I have pale, pink toned skin (with freckles!) and the shade Vanilla (2N) is a perfect match for me (without tan). It’s a pale shade but it still warms up my face.

Before I tried this foundation, I didn’t know that I didn’t like matte foundations, but this has brought me to that conclusion.

Coverage

It’s said to be high coverage and oil-free with a non-cakey matte finish. From my experience, it’s more medium coverage. As you can see from the below before and after, you can still see the marks on my skin and it doesn’t cover my freckles (although I like that).

Longevity

It is said to be long lasting (24 hours to be exact) however, I found that after about 5-6 hours, it started to gather around my brows and wear off my forehead. Now, I have an oily t-zone so this happens with most foundations.

Thoughts

As mentioned, my cheeks are on the dry side and I found that this foundation clung to the dry patches, which is never a good look (see picture below). So for those people with dry or combination skin, I don’t recommend this foundation. if you have normal skin though, this foundation may just be the one you’ve been looking for.

The L’Oreal Infallible Matte Foundation has been named the holy grail foundation for many beauty bloggers so just because it doesn’t suit my skin, doesn’t mean it won’t suit yours. The main reason why I didn’t like this foundation was because of it’s very nature, i.e. it has a matte finish. It made my skin look flat and dull. In saying that, if you prefer a matte finish, this might be your ideal foundation.  For me though, I now know that I prefer a dewy finish foundation, which is why I fell in love with the True Match foundation!

L’Oreal Foundation: True Match

I purchased mine for €12.29 from Boots.

Available Shades in True Match

There are 23 shades available in the L’Oreal True Match Foundation which are said to match 98% of UK skin tones. The shades range from warm to neutral to cool undertones and the foundation numbers will tell you which are which i.e. warm (W), neutral (N), cool (C)…)

My Shade: I also chose Vanilla in this foundation. It’s the exact same shade as Vanilla in the Infallible Matte, not surprisingly.

Due to the fact that I have some oily areas, I had a preconception that this foundation was going to slide off my face but it didn’t, my skin welcomed it with open arms (the dramatics!).

Coverage

This foundation is said to be a velvety, oil-free, flawless, blendable formula, which matches your skin’s unique tone and texture. It’s all true. The bottle notes that the coverage is “perfect” and I couldn’t agree more. You can see from my picture below that it covers the marks on my cheeks and while it covers my freckles for the most part, they still come through in places, which I love. I would say it is medium (maybe even medium to full) coverage which I’m surprised by, I thought it would be a lighter coverage given its watery consistency.

Longevity

This might be a weird thing to say but I actually think I prefer this foundation after a few hours! It never cakes and doesn’t cling to my dry patches. My forehead gets a bit shiny, like it does with all foundations, but it looks dewy rather than greasy. I can honestly say that it’s still perfect at the end of the day and even night! I wore it out to a party last weekend (see below).

Overall Thoughts

I love the process of putting this foundation on my face, it feels so luxurious. It’s more watery than I’m use to. In saying that, this consistency is what makes it so easy to apply and blend! It has a similar consistency to Chanel Vitalumiere foundation but this definitely gives better coverage!

If you look closely at the bottle above, you can see a shimmer in the formula. This leaves the most beautiful, glowy finish. No highlighter needed (for the day time at least!).

I think this foundation would suit all skin types! Although those with oily skin might feel like they need a setting powder.

If you’re thinking of purchasing any of the above foundations and you’re not sure of your shade, keep reading!

Finding Your Perfect Foundation Shade

The best way to find your perfect shade in any foundation, is to swatch it in store or ask one of the beauty experts for help. You should decide first whether or not you’ll wear the foundation with or without tan! Oh and always get a sample first if you’re buying a high end foundation!

However, if you want to purchase online, you can use this really helpful tool from Findation.com. I used this before (it works!) and Lauren from Love Lilo Blog reminded me about it recently when she posted it to her Facebook page.

If you input the shades of the foundations you wear, the tool will tell you which shade to go for in countless other foundations. For example, if you know that you are shade NW20 in MAC Studio Fix and True Ivory in Rimmel Match Perfection, the tool will advise you what shade to go for in L’Oreal True Match (or any other foundation you want)! Amazing, right?

Have you tried any of the above foundations? Have you tried both? If so, do you prefer Infallible Matte or True Match? Let me know on any of my social media channels or by commenting below. Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat (livelavishlycom). You can read about my LEAST favourite foundations here.