If we had Bourjois here in Malaysia, I’d tell you to stop reading this right about now and head out there and get your very own Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation! Yes, its that good and I like it that much!
Its a pity therefore that we do not have Bourjois here in Malaysia. However, they do in Singapore, so you can always get your Bourjois fix if you head down to our Southern neighbour 🙂 I got mine a while ago from the UK and it was a purchase on a whim. And for once, a whim paid off 😛
The Healthy Mix foundation was introduced early in 2010 but as Bourjois isn’t a brand we get here, I tend to not pay attention to it. Still, when confronted with a counter in Superdrug, I just had to pick something up. And this was one of the “somethings”.
My colour is No. 51 Light Vanilla which is my shade to a T. The product comes in a slim plastic bottle as you see in the picture, with a pump nozzle. 1 pump is about all I need for my whole face. The texture is medium-sheer but buildable. Doesn’t go much further than medium coverage though if you prefer something full coverage.
Like all Bourjois products, there is a strong scent. This one smells of fruits, which is really quite strange. Not strange when you consider that they have enriched it with fruit ingredients. As you can see from the label, its Apricot (radiance), Melon (hydration), Apple (anti-oxidant) and Ginger (energy). The scent is mostly that of Apricot/Melon. It does dissipate, but only after quite a while but on the hands, it can linger.
This foundation does not clog my pores, does not accentuate pores, gives a nice glow to the skin and does not look cakey, thick nor artificial on the skin. It is about as good as or even better than any high end foundation in the market and this is probably what I wanted Teint Miracle to be like, which that wasn’t.
On my skin, this foundation feels like nothing on (its so lightweight!) and does not cause my skin to turn any oilier than it naturally does. It is non drying, does not accentuate flaky skin and importantly, it makes my skin look good. Ultimately, that’s what we really want in a liquid foundation right? 🙂
Pros: Inexpensive, Light texture, Not cakey or thick formula,
Cons: Not available in Malaysia, strong scent
Bourjois claims that it can give you “Perfectly glowing complexion and toned skin” for 16 hours. I did not test it that long, but it did withstand the test of a yoga class, pretty much like the Clarins Everlasting foundation did, without the flat effect that Clarins gives. If the Clarins Everlasting foundation and Lancome Teint Miracle had a baby, the result would be this very affordable Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation 😀
Some fun facts about Bourjois I’ve learnt over the years:-
- Chanel and Bourjois are sister companies! You must admit the Bourjois little round pots of blush and Chanel Joues Contraste blushes bear an uncanny similarity.
- Bourjois has been around since 1824!
- Bourjois’ little round pots of blush have been recorded as the world’s first powder blushes
- Bourjois is French and named for Monsieur Alexandre Napoléon Bourjois who is credited with creating the world’s first powder blush
I knew retaining all those trivial facts would pay off some day! 😛
Bourjois as a brand has been mostly a bit touch and go for me but their blushes do still remain in my blush stash and now the Healthy Mix foundation and concealer have joined them. So if you have access to Bourjois do give this foundation a go and let me know if you might agree that its a pretty good foundation for its price 🙂
Paris B
Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation comes in 8 shades and retails at £9.99 each. Its not available in Malaysia at time of writing but you can try StrawberryNET.com which carries a limited selection of Bourjois products
Samantha Lee says
I’m indecisive between light vanilla and vanilla (51 vs 52), and I’m thinking of purchasing this online. Do you mind telling me how much they differ? Is 51 very very light?
ParisB says
I’m afraid I cannot remember how big a difference #51 and #52 is. I remember that #52 was definitely darker on my skintone. If you use any foundation that are similar to the shades I wear, then #51 might suit you, otherwise it might have to be #52. A list of foundations I use and the shades that suit me can be found at the top here.
Samantha Lee says
Thank you! 😀
That really helps a real lot. Appreciate it very very much. 😀
ParisB says
Glad it helps!
Samantha Lee says
Hi ParisB,
Just wanna give you a big hug and thank you! I bought the shade 51 of the Bourjois foundation from a little bit of guessing and heaps of help from your blog. Luckily, it is an exact match for my skin tone, literally disappear onto my face.
I do have a question though, what does it mean when you say the foundation is “your shade to a T”? I spent hours pondering but still unable to figure it out. Please pardon my lack of knowledge for beauty jargons.
ParisB says
Hi Samantha! And I’m so happy to know #51 works for you! 😀 my “shade to a T” isn’t a beauty jargon m’dear, it just means it suits my skintone perfectly, pretty much like how #51 works for you too, disappearing into your skin so it looks like your skin but better 😀
Bun Bun Makeup Tips says
I must make a trip down to a Bourjois counter to try this out!
Balwinder says
I went to the Bourjois counter in a shopping center in sg and found the darkest was light beige. Wtf?
I put a swipe on my face and it was too light for me. fyi: I am a light brown colored Punjabi girl.
When I checked out their colors on their website, I found that there are darker colors which the sg distributor didn’t bother to bring in.
This situation is not the first or the only one either. I notice that sg distributors tend to stick to colors meant for Chinese skins only. This is for foundations, powders, lipsticks, you name it.
It is so annoying!
Peggy says
this was 7 years ago. and finally it is available in Malaysia. what are you thoughts on the new version? Have u tried it? Would love to hear your thoughts on it! xx
Paris B says
Hey Peggy, It’s actually been available in Malaysia for a while but I THINK they’ve just reformulated it again. I haven’t tried the new one (the one before this was a little warm vs the original one I’d used before) but if I do get to try it, I’ll share! And I can’t believe that I wrote that post 7 years ago! And that you found it! :O LOL