A quest for the holy Grail

For women, finding the right foundation is similar to the quest for the Holy Grail. "It’s like finding the right pair of jeans”, and that’s saying something! Very receptive to advice from "experts" - girlfriends, specially bloggers, internet users in general, and even in very special cases, the pharmacy’s sales staff and ultimately, selective- they will use whatever time and money it takes, multiplying tests until they find the right product. The product which, among other qualities "melts in into the skin leaving no lines, concealing imperfections with no plaster effect, and which holds" So once they have found it, not surprisingly, they stick to it ... Until a bigger, more beautiful and efficient product appears, until there is a change in their skin, more sensitive, drier, oilier, more mature - until the desire for a change is back!

Packaging doesn’t mean satisfaction but it will contribute to it

Women want the packaging to be aesthetic and practical. And even if they don’t slip their foundation case in their hand bag, they still want it to be an option, therefore glass, they appreciate otherwise, has no place, they believe, in the universe of complexion. Moreover, there are two opposing camps in the field of packaging: some are in favor of a pump bottle-only system , which they consider hygienic and handy, while the others no longer want to hear about them, complaining about out of reach product drying up at the bottom precisely because of these pump-bottles!

Texture is the essential access key

Texture should be fluid but not too liquid; in compact version, soft and velvet-like, or in the form of mousse. "It should glide easily on skin", "melt into skin". Texture is women’s first real contact with the product; texture allows them to apply easily or not foundation ... So, if they dislike a texture, they will have a tendency to reject the foundation in a whole!

The smell of it, the icing on the cake!

It never will have a negative influence, it will only add to the positive side of a judgment.

Easy and quick application

Women are no experts in putting make-up on, they say! So they appreciate all the help they can get to easily apply the product, including the texture, whether fluid or velvet-like. What about applicators? Of course, they use sponges, brushes, roll-ons when available, but they often end up using their fingertips.

Real but undetectable result

An ideal foundation should cover but not mask, it should melt in but not be inexistent. It should conceal imperfections, without marking fine lines, with no plaster effect, no lines, in a word, it must be natural not to say "undetectable". Even if women believe that a 12,16 or 24 hour foundation is more a discourse used by brands than a fact, -still the product must be long lasting and keep the skin from shinning or drying up. They expect so much from the product and its properties that they are eager for promises. But be careful, better offer little than not hold your promises. If the product claims to be Infallible, Tone on Tone, with Lifting Effect, and of 16 or 24 hour duration... then it better be. Otherwise, women will go for it the first time, but won’t be attracted a second time on the contrary they will be extremely critical with products / brands that disappointed them.

Shades to develop

There are a number of internet users to regret not finding the suitable colour for their skin. And the extremes –very clear skins, mixed-skins- are the ones complaining the most.

Price is correlated with product quality

If sometimes women find prices too high, it is usually indicative of a dissatisfaction with the purchased product. Actually, they are willing to pay the price for the cult product, the one that achieves everything. But be careful again, if they loosen the purse strings, they want their money’s worth: in which case it’s zero tolerance. Another interesting fact is that they also gauge the price by the quantity of product required for a good make-up which explains why some expensive foundations are considered worthwhile because they are used up less quickly than others, "a small dab is enough"…

Even harder to satisfy

The ideal foundation looks like a Holy Grail even harder to get hold of for:

 Middle-aged women: they are seeking advice. How must they put make-up on, what product should they use, which one will erase their imperfections and have a real tensing effect? In her case, there’s virtually no prescription from Internet users.

 Women with oily skins: which product should they use to avoid a shiny complexion? Prescription from Internet users: a mixture of foundation + powder.

 Women with sensitive skins: when soothing creams or anti-redness creams give no results, what is the best way to conceal the small red spots and other symptoms generated by sensitive skin? Prescription from Internet users: 1/ products from the pharmacy and/or pharmacist’s advice. 2/a mixture of products (green-based cream + day cream + foundation).

 Women with dry skins: which product should they use to avoid dehydrated skin? Prescription from Internet users: ultra-rich moisturizer + fluid foundation.