Ladies, most of us know that foundations come in more than just powder, liquid and cream. They also come in a solid stick form which from recollection, quite a few brands used to carry, but now no longer do. My first experience with a stick foundation was from Estee Lauder many moons ago. For some reason, I never quite caught on to it and found it a little thick.
Recently, I’ve been reintroduced to stick foundations and this time, I was suitably impressed enough to have worn this foundation for about 2 weeks straight. The brand is the little known Face of Australia – a brand which, as the name implies, is Australian born and found only in Australia for now. Don’t go looking in the department stores though, instead, look in Priceline and selected pharmacies because this isn’t pricey at all! 😀
The product is the Anti-Ageing Stick Foundation and I love this one for a very quick natural look, for use as a concealer (almost) and for holding up in our hot and humid tropical weather 😀 The last point is always a win factor.
My shade is Outback Ivory which I found a little amusing. In the Australian Outback, it is a very hot and dry place and an Ivory complexion would be quite difficult to achieve 😉 However, Outback Ivory is my perfect shade, blending in perfectly with my skintone.
The construction is simple. A solid slightly creamy foundation in stick form that comes in a chubby twist up tube. To use, just twist up part of it and swipe on your skin. It is quite chubby so I only use 1 swipe for my forehead, 2 swipes down my cheeks, a thin stripe down my nose and a dab on my chin.
Then, I use my fingers to spread and lightly blend it into my skin. The thing I quite liked is that the formula is a little creamy so it isn’t very dry going on the skin and it makes blending a breeze. This also means that I do not have to press down very hard with the stick on my skin. If you do so, you will deposit too much product and it will look very thick unless you blend it out very well. So, use a light hand – its enough.
The texture, as I’ve noted is a little bit creamy so when you blend it out, it actually ends up covering quite a large area. The coverage is sheer to full, depending on your preference. I always sheer it out because its how I like my foundation. However what I also like about this foundation is how it is opaque enough that I can use it as concealer if I wanted to!
I sometimes blend a wee bit under my eyes and a slightly heavier coverage for areas that need more concealing. It offers just enough so I can get away without having to use a separate concealer so I love this one for toting around and for use on casual weekends. A light dusting of loose powder or Guerlain Cruel Gardenia (or regular Meteorites) over it is sufficient for a very natural no-makeup look.
FOA Anti-Ageing Stick Foundation Outback Ivory Swatch (1) straight from tube (2) blended out
When first swatched, I was a little worried because Outback Ivory is the lightest shade and it goes on a bit dark and a wee bit pink. Just a wee bit. But when blended out, its a perfect match for my skin (my other matching foundation shades are here for reference)
There is SPF15 and mineral kaolin in there, the latter of which I attribute to it staying on my skin through our mad tropical weather. I don’t turn very oily with this on, and it does not slip on my skin at all. On the other end of the scale, it isn’t drying either. I wore this over the Chinese New Year festivities, especially when I was going out and about to visit people, just to test how it would hold up to heat and sweat. And it holds up impressively well! A light blot and it looks as fresh as ever. That said, I do not have very oily skin so your mileage may vary.
The only fly in the ointment is the scent. For some reason, this foundation has a sharp metallic smell like that found in some sunscreen formulas. There is also a powdery scent that will go away, but the metallic sunscreen scent does stay on a bit. I don’t mind it but there may be people who do.
In a nutshell
A handy stick foundation that is sheer enough for use as a sheer to almost full coverage foundation and opaque enough to use as a concealer for the under eye and blemishes. It is easy to use, and blends very easily with fingers. On my not very oily skin, it lasts very well throughout the day, in the hot and humid tropical weather, even through sweat. A light dusting of loose powder or finishing powder will help it last longer. There is however a slight scent that some people may not like but I otherwise like this foundation and do think it worth checking out if you can.
Pros: Holds up very well in heat and humidity, Easy to blend out on skin, Doubles up as a concealer, Quick and easy to use while on the go, Gives a very natural finish and coverage provided you do not use a heavy hand, Affordable
Cons: Only available in Australia, Slight metallic and powdery scent that some may not like
I’ve taken to using this one on weekends where I like something barely there, yet evens out skintone. I alternate it with my Garnier BB Cream which I also happen to really like. On weekdays, when I’m starved for time in the morning, I just slick this on, dust on Meteorites, do a quick touch on makeup and its impressively enough for me to face the day – its quite impressive, this little wonder 🙂
So if you have friends in Australia or who are visiting Australia or if you are planning a visit, I think it worth checking out this little wonder because its perfect for our weather and a lovely handy product 🙂
Have you tried a stick foundation before? Have you heard of Face of Australia or tried any of their products and if so, do you have something to recommend? I love discovering new brands and I love it even better when the new brands deliver a decent product at a nice wallet friendly price 🙂
Paris B
Face of Australia Anti-Ageing Stick Foundation comes in 4 shades Price: AU$11.95 Availability: Priceline Australia and selected pharmacies in Australia Online: Try Fashion Addict that ships internationally but I have never used their services
Tine says
February 13, 2012 at 8:46 amYAY for FOA! 😛 I don’t use this as a foundation, as I found it too thick for my skin. But I love it as a concealer 🙂
Paris B says
February 13, 2012 at 5:09 pmIt makes a great concealer! I do agree it can feel a bit thick so I sheer it out quite a bit – its been perfect for weekends when I don’t want to scare the populace and yet am too lazy to apply anything else.
Ana N. says
February 13, 2012 at 8:55 amHmm.. funny enuf I’m in melbourne, I’ve tried their lipglosses, which I liked. Never tried this foundation though. Have tried other stick foundations when I was younger, now I’ve evolved to mineral foundation. Nonetheless, this product sounds like worth a try.. creamy but holds its place on humid condition… just the one I need!
Paris B says
February 13, 2012 at 5:10 pmSince you’re in Melbourne, pop into Priceline and check out the testers (if there are any) and see how you like it – lucky you! 😀
Sukie says
February 13, 2012 at 8:55 amI haven’t tried stick foundation as I always thought their texture would be too dry for my liking as it comes in a tube! :s after eating both you and Tine rave about Face of Australia’s products, I foresee a haul coming up :p
Paris B says
February 13, 2012 at 5:10 pmI had the same thought as you before but the first time I tried it my impression was – thick! 😀 If you have a chance to try FOA, do consider this one.
Iza says
February 13, 2012 at 9:07 amUsed to use Bobbi Brown stick foundation, now its too drying. I use it now just to top up my make up or as concealer.
Paris B says
February 13, 2012 at 5:11 pmI think that the last one I tried was the Shu Uemura Nobara stick concealer that’s been discontinued. It made a good concealer too mostly because its thick, right? 🙂
Jyoan says
February 13, 2012 at 10:39 aminteresting! I’ve always been thinking how in the world can one use stick-foundations… … lol.
Paris B says
February 13, 2012 at 5:15 pmThey are actually fast and practical things, just less popular for some reason. Maybe because they do feel a bit thicker and will need a bit of work to sheer out 🙂
Christina says
February 13, 2012 at 12:03 pmwhen i first saw Tine from beautyholics anonymous raving about face of australia, i was intrigued. now that even you are stamping your approval… I’m definitely going to search for someone who’s going to Australia soon XDD
Paris B says
February 13, 2012 at 5:15 pmHaha yes the Australian bloggers definitely had me very intrigued about Face of Australia and my first product has been a win! I can’t wait to try others in the range and see if they live up to the hype 😀
Ling says
February 13, 2012 at 12:48 pmOh yay! I use this mainly as a concealer too. It’s a big tube and it’ll take a while to go through this.
Paris B says
February 13, 2012 at 5:16 pmAs a concealer, this is probably your best investment. Ever! 😀
LeGeeque says
February 13, 2012 at 12:59 pmI’ve got foundations coming out of my ears. Will be good and sit on it a while. For the quality you’re describing, you’re getting a top notch product cos it’s probably less than $20 in our pharmacies!
Paris B says
February 13, 2012 at 5:17 pmOh yeah! Its just under A$11 most of the time! Not bad if you say, forgot your foundation 😀
Honey says
February 13, 2012 at 1:56 pmOh dear! This is not good. I have an Australian trip comimg up and this is now on my radar…….!
Paris B says
February 13, 2012 at 5:19 pmOh you’re going to Australia! I’m jealous – I’ve been wanting to go for a couple of years but the exchange rate puts me off 🙁 Still on a happy note, this one’s not expensive at all – yay! 😀
Helen Nguyen says
February 13, 2012 at 3:11 pmI tried a stick foundation a long time ago, I think when I first start experienced with make ups. With these kinda foundation you gonna get a pretty good coverage. Now days I had to switch on to something lighter, cause my skin is so prone to clogging. But the one I can recommend you to try is The Face Shop’s stick foundation. Cant remember the name, but it has 2 ends. On one end you get a stick foundation and on the other you get a liquid creamy concealer. Its pretty good, if you like light to medium coverage!
Paris B says
February 13, 2012 at 5:20 pmThanks for the recommendation Helen 🙂 I have tried a concealer from The Face Shop in a similar sort of design – the Flower concealer I think it was called. But it went bad on me after a while – had a funky smell so I had to toss it.
xin says
February 13, 2012 at 5:05 pmi have tried a stick foundation, i think from stila before, and found it to be just average, and too oily for me back then. have never tried any more stick foundations since then.
Paris B says
February 13, 2012 at 5:23 pmI felt the same way about the Estee Lauder one so I was hesitant to try this one but am happy I did 😀
Tina says
February 13, 2012 at 5:54 pmOh I’m so glad u Like the stick foundation! I actually use a wedge sponge to swipe the product off, then apply it. It’s ultra blendable so I can then use the beige one for pimple scar, and the honey beige for contouring. I used it for my wedding too, and the results were great!
Paris B says
February 15, 2012 at 11:03 amI do like this one indeed! Good idea about using a sponge to apply. I do think that will make it easier to manipulate and less risk of it going on thick. Also, using a brush to dab it on as concealer may help too! That you wore this for your wedding really says it all 😀
Lisa says
February 13, 2012 at 7:09 pmThe only stick foundation that works for me in our humid weather is the macquillage stick foundation.
Paris B says
February 15, 2012 at 11:06 amI’ve never tried Maquillage bases but I’ve heard that their powder base is pretty good too!
milktea says
February 20, 2012 at 12:30 pmI want Face of Australia to show up in Malaysia! Lemming at it.
Paris B says
February 20, 2012 at 4:48 pmHaha would be nice wouldn’t it? 🙂