Graftobian HD Creme Foundation Palette

Hello ladies!!

I thought I would write a little review about another of my favourite foundations. If I'm not using Airbrushing foundation on clients then my next go to foundation is Graftobian HD Crème Foundation. It’s just truly beautiful. Its super pigmented so you only need a small amount and its one of those foundations which you can add moisturiser or water or highlighter to, to thin out or to give it a good glowy boost. It looks amazing on all skins and really is a dream to work with.

It’s not one of those foundations that you could wear everyday as its very old school and was created for the stage and contains some quite heavy ingredients that could cause massive breakouts, but as I said its super pigmented, has no SPF and looks amazing in photographs so it’s a one to keep for special occasions. It’s also pretty cheap for what it does and you will find this foundation in most make up artist’s kits.

Graftobian has a great colour range: there are 59 shades that are divided into warm, neutral and cool tones so there’s something to suit almost everyone. However the shades all have random names like ‘midnight marigold’ and ‘hidden magic’ so it’s difficult to guess your shade. Luckily they have created a little chart which compares the shades to those of other more known brand foundations so its easy to find your right shade.

They also sell these foundations in five shade palettes, which is great for starter kits and also good if you tend to go up a shade in summer and down a shade winter or you simply need to mix shades together to get the perfect one. The palettes are split into their Cool, Warm and neutral groups.

You can apply the foundation using your fingers, a foundation brush, stippling brush or beauty blender sponge. I find it looks its best when applied with a stippling or buffing brush, but the beauty blender sponge does give more coverage but doesn’t leave skin with the ‘airbrushed’ finish that you get from a brush. So I would recommend you cover blemishes and under eye area with the sponge and then use a brush for the rest of the face.

In spite of the crème’s oily texture it is surprisingly long-lasting with and without a setting powder. It does look its best when set with a good finishing powder such as Laura Mercier's translucent powder. I had assumed when I first got it that it would slip off on more oily areas like the t-zone, but I was pleasantly surprised when 8 hours later oil had just started to show through. It’s also pretty good with humidity so ideal for holidays or for ladies getting married abroad.

Price wise it retails on Amazon for £26 for the 5 foundation palette, which when you think you are getting 5 shades is pretty cheap! You also really don’t need much and it can even be thinned out if necessary. The packaging is a little cheap and plasticy, but it does its job at keeping the foundation safe and dry so who cares!!

Overall the product has versatility that many brands advertise but few deliver: sheer, medium and full coverage all in one (small) package and also with a variety of shades which are great for mixing and matching. Brilliant in my book!!

Graftobian can be bought from http://www.graftobian.com/commerce/product.jsp?prodId=1618&catId=2063