Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation SPF 40 in #2 Sand, Review, Swatch & FOTD

I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend. I went for a shopping spree yesterday and today on my mission to get appropriate clothes for the new job. One would think that in the university everyone is rather casual but it turns out they like presenting their best selves to the students. It is time to get used to the idea that I can't use the half of the clothes in my closet because of the weight gain in the last 3 year. I have to shake these off eventually but for the time being I need to buy a few things. And I need shoes but it was so hard to get one because my size is is between two sizes so one size is too big and the other one is not so comfortable. Shoe hunt has to go on! Oh then I had to wait for hubby to pick me up from shopping and ended up drinking two Mojitos while waiting. I told them to go easy on ice but who would know they would fill it up with Rum instead! I am tipsy, so bear with me.

Bobbi Brown's new Serum Foundation shook the blogosphere a bit and made me super curious. Right on time when I was considering to order it from another country, they released it here. I have been using it for a few weeks now, on and off and here are my thoughts.

Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation SPF 40

Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation SPF 40 is describes as a hybrid foundation. The formula is not as thin as other Serum Foundations such as YSL Fusion Ink or Diorskin Nude Air. I would describe it to be between a normal liquid foundation and a serum foundation. It feels a bit like a mousse as a result. "Skin Serum" name is backed up with ingredients such as lynchee, bamboo grass & cordyceps extracts and it is one of the higher sun protection foundations with SPF 40 UVA and UVB protection through ingredients such as titanium dioxide, zink oxide and octyldodecyl neopentanoate. The full ingredient list is as follows:

Ingredients:

Inactive Ingredients: Water\Aqua\Eau, Dimethicone, Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Methyl Trimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Diethylhexyl Succinate, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Laureth-4, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Magnesium Sulfate, Dipentaerythrityl Tri-Polyhydroxystearate, Citrullus Vulgaris (Watermelon) Fruit Extract, Laminaria Saccharina Extract, Litchi Chinensis Seed Extract, Lens Esculenta (Lentil) Fruit Extract, Artemia Extract, Cordyceps Sinensis Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Sasa Veitchii Extract, Thermus Thermophillus Ferment, Dimethicone Silylate, Sodium Lactate, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycerin, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein/PVP Crosspolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium PCA, Methicone, Dimethicone/Peg-10/15 Crosspolymer, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Dimethicone Crosspolymer-3, Sodium Hyaluronate, Potassium Sorbate, Dipropylene Glycol, Dextrin, Silica, Disodium EDTA, Linalool, Phenoxyethanol, [+/- Mica, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77492), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491), Iron Oxides (Ci 77499)] <41438>

Some of you may have noticed the lavender oil and linalool in the list. These give the foundation a lovely and soothing scent but if your skin is very sensitive you may want to patch test first. Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation didn't irritate my skin. Tom Ford foundations have lavender oil as well and I love them just as well. As far as I have read the ingredient per se is not bad but the concentration matters. These two are down at the list in this case.

Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation SPF 40

It is advised to give the foundation a good shake before application. The applicator is unfortunately not very suitable to this thicker formula so it ends up getting stuck in the tube or not being sucked in on the first place. I ended up spending much more time than necessary trying to get the product out of the bottle which is a shame. I am hoping they change the applicator because the foundation is really good.

The coverage of Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation is medium, the finish is satin to matte. It applies beautifully and stays long. I like using my hands to apply this foundation and as a finishing touch, I go over it with Rae Morris #27 Radiance Brush. It is my preferred method of foundation application for a month and two and I like the blended result. 

Before/After: Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation SPF 40 in #2 Sand

Bobbi Brown's range is very impressive when it comes to find the right color for yourself. There are 16 shades to select from. I went for Sand without trying it out, it is a shade with natural undertone but seeing the swatches, I might have gone for Beige which is a bit deeper but still natural. That said since my neck is a little lighter than the rest of my face, as you see in the swatch above, Sand works quite good on my skin tone. It has a tad of peachiness which provides the complexion with a waken up look. The finish looks natural and not too matte. Below you can find a comparison of Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation #2 Sand to Chanel B20, YSL B20, Tom Ford Fawn, Givenchy 4 and Dior 020.

Comparison swatch: Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation SPF 40 in Sand

In my last FOTD (here) you have seen me wearing Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation. It doesn't give me the glow which Guerlain Parure Gold provides (reviewed here) but it is a great everyday foundation which stays and looks natural. It is also more affordable than the Guerlain one by having two third the price. The price in Germany is around 58€ for 30 ml and it is right now available.

FOTD: Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation SPF 40 in #2 Sand

Check out Lily's lovely review here.

Final thoughts: Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation  is a good coverage foundation with a significant SPF (which is always a good addition) and a good formula with antioxidants. If you are allergic to lavender oil, you might want to patch test. It applies beautifully, looks natural and lasts long. Thumbs up.

Do you like Serum Foundations? Which one is your favorite?

Disclaimer: The product in this post were provided free of charge for my consideration.
I am not paid for this review. All opinions are honest and my own.

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