I’m no good with liquid foundation. Put me near liquid foundation and immediately my face feels like an oily mask – no matter how light it might be. So, when I was at the I Nuovi store during their friends and family sale, I decided to pick up the I Nuovi Gelbase liquid foundation (amongst other things… hee…)
The promise that was made to me was that the Gelbase foundation is so light that I wouldn’t feel like I was wearing a mask. Also, I was told that it does not rub off easily and defies running even after jogging! Ok so I got the Gelbase foundation out of curiosity more than anything else! 😉
I put it on on a day when I knew I’d have a rough day at work – I mean this literally. I knew I was going to be out in the hot sun, waiting around for hours in the heat and (horrors!) sweating so what better way to test out the foundation right?
The I Nuovi Gelbase foundation is as what it says – gel based. The texture is slightly bouncy and is a light gel that spreads easily on the face. The colour I got was 2C – one of the lightest in the range – it was all they had in store.
The drawback to the I Nuovi Gelbase foundation is that its sheer. Ok, its super sheer! They aren’t kidding when they labelled this a “Sheer Finish Gel Foundation”. If you are looking for coverage, do not even consider the Gelbase or you will come running back to me complaining about how it covers nothing. So, if you want something that covers don’t get this.
That said, I first put on concealer per usual and then applied a thin layer of the Gelbase foundation all over my face. You can see its very sheer because all the marks on my skin can still be seen through the foundation. Although it is very sheer, it has a nice way of balancing out the redness in the skin giving a more even skin finish. You’d know how important that is when you’ve been standing out in the sun for a couple of hours – your skin starts looking red and blotchy.
So, after my stint in the sun, the minute I got into the car, vanity took over and I flipped down the sun visor to look in the mirror to see how the foundation stood up to the acid test. To my surprise, although I had a sheen of sweat on my skin, my face did not look red or blotchy and my foundation did not run! Hmm….
To put it to another test, I wore it during my yoga class. Yoga is not all meditation and poise – oh no! Its pure torture on your muscles and you do sweat and get heated up. Again, no blotchiness to the skin and again the foundation did not run in rivulets the way most liquid or powder foundations would. Interestingly also, it did not rub off as easily as most foundations do.
By now I was very impressed. For those interested in Hollywood trivia, the makeup artist for Sarah Jessica Parker had confided that the I Nuovi Gelbase foundation was used in Season 6 of Sex and the City for the dewy look. 🙂 I’m no Sarah Jessica Parker but I liked the look I was left with.
I wear the I Nuovi Gelbase Foundation for “no-makeup” days or when I go out on weekends. It does a decent job of making my skin look even toned and keeping it looking that way; and its light enough not to make me look cakey. It is overall, a pretty decent foundation in particular if you have good skin and/or only looking for light coverage. I do dust some loose powder over it to help it last and I do rather like this because I don’t feel like my skin is suffocating under it. If you prefer something with more coverage, give this one a miss or you’ll be disappointed.
The 50ml I Nuovi Gel base foundation retails for RM98 and they are changing the packaging soon, I’m told. You don’t have to use much as it speads easily so it’ll last a while.
Pros: Light coverage, Non oily, Evens out redness in skin, Does not run
Cons: Some might consider it pricey, Light coverage
prettybeautiful says
April 20, 2009 at 9:58 amoh yeah we tested it there and then. i didnt get this coz sheer foundation is really not for me. hehhe
ParisB says
April 20, 2009 at 10:00 amHi prettybeautiful
I usually shy away too. But maybe my skin is behaving itself better than it usually does so its been working good so far 🙂
Shay says
April 20, 2009 at 11:30 amThanks for the review!
I was interested in this, but I guess I’ll stick to my bb cream since it sounds to have the same effect.
Shay says
April 20, 2009 at 3:30 pmOh, can I check if the texture is a gel to powder on skin? Or like a gel cream that disappears on skin?
ParisB says
April 20, 2009 at 6:39 pmShay – For me its a gel cream that disappears. No powdery feeling but then I pat loose powder over everything 😛
ParisB says
April 20, 2009 at 6:30 pmHi Shay
Even BB Creams made me oily so I guess its a bit of a personal choice 🙂
Shay says
April 20, 2009 at 10:20 pmI treat bb cream like a foundation. I also put powder over it. Even powder foundation. Haha…
ParisB says
April 21, 2009 at 9:57 amHi Shay
Ooh I see. Lucky you then to be able to handle BB cream! 🙂
eliza says
April 20, 2009 at 1:04 pmgel foundation? o.O that’s a first for me. what are the ingredients?
sheer coverage? too bad….i need medium coverage XD
ParisB says
April 20, 2009 at 6:32 pmHey Eliza
I’ve seen gel foundation in Maybelline but I couldn’t get a color match. Its very sheer so I guess lots of people won’t like it LOL… I don’t have the ingredient list with me at this time. I’ll update later.
Ms. Blacklace says
April 20, 2009 at 2:38 pmMy friend actually uses this. And it really evens out her skin tone. I considered buying it until I saw the price tag…. Lol…. But it really makes her skin look lovely.
Without it is another story. She has been going without sunblock for decades… And her skin tone is really uneven, and she still says to me:”Nevermind… it’s ok la….. I don’t need sun block.” But when you look closer, you can see very slight sun spots on her face [and arms!], and she’s only 5 years older than I am…. She NEVER wore sunblock… Even on the sunny beach.
ParisB says
April 20, 2009 at 6:36 pmHi Ms. Blacklace
OUCH! No sunblock?! That goes against all my tenets of having good skin. I’m surprised that even with such a sheer coverage this foundation can help. It barely covers my imperfect skin 🙂 I guess she might be needing foundation with more coverage in future if she doesn’t start using sunblock. Not that I’m trying to judge of course 🙂
beetrice says
April 20, 2009 at 3:22 pmhehe…I note the “amongst other things…” 😀 the only thing that held me back was the price tag…must….resist….dammit!
ParisB says
April 20, 2009 at 6:38 pmHey Beetrice
Yep but there was 40% off during the sale remember? That sealed it for me hehe…
Nikki says
April 20, 2009 at 5:28 pmwow, it is indeed pricey, the first gel foundation I’ve tried is from Maybelline, it works well on me but I think I got the wrong shade! Because I trusted the SA before and boom! I look like a ghost! LOL
Hmmm…this sounds like a wonderful product!
ParisB says
April 20, 2009 at 6:40 pmHi Nikki
I don’t think its pricier than any other foundation out there. But for me, a liquid foundation that doesn’t make me feel like I’m masked is so rare I’d pay for it! Hehe…
Ms. Blacklace says
April 21, 2009 at 12:16 amIt helps because she uses powder on top. You know, the benefit yellow powder thingy? I think it’s called get even.
If she uses just the foundation, it evens it out slightly but you can still see the uneveness. Then she dusts powder on top and tada… Natural looking even skin.
But even if she uses powder on top, I still can see her sun spots. Lol… Don’t know how long will she continue to be stubborn…
ParisB says
April 21, 2009 at 9:59 amOh I see. Well, try to get her to start using sunblock. No better time than the present! 🙂
Leann says
April 21, 2009 at 12:43 amI’ve never tried soemthing gel-based. I only need sheer coverage so this could work for me.
ParisB says
April 21, 2009 at 10:00 amHi Leann
This was the first time I tried something gel based too. Its nice if you like sheer.
Connie says
April 21, 2009 at 8:02 pmthe texture is great but i love coverage too much to try this!
ParisB says
April 22, 2009 at 12:19 pmHey Connie
Definitely not for those who need or like coverage!
Sherbet says
April 24, 2009 at 3:06 amDoes this foundation turn oily after a while?
And most importantly, does it clog your pores? I’m very prone to blackheads. Anything with mica will form blackheads on me.
j3nny9irL says
April 25, 2009 at 12:02 pmaikssss.. I like sheer coverage. Hmmm ParisB, the RM98 is without discount? 😛 If it’s without discount I’ll get one to try 🙂
ParisB says
April 26, 2009 at 10:53 amJ3nny9irl
I always use retail prices so yes RM98 is before discount. There’s 40% off now so its a good time to get it.
Liesl says
April 4, 2010 at 12:24 amI practically ran out to get this foundation after reading your review! I was lucky to get it during this three days sales in Singapore which has 40% off everything storewide!
Tried it today and it’s exactly as what you have described! I’m loving it alot! Finally found a non oily, light foundation after my revue liquid foundation discontinued !!! The long wait for a similar product is over! Thanks so much for this great review!!