I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a greenie nor terribly sold on natural/organic products. But I know there are many people out there trying to go organic or natural for a healthier lifestyle. So, when I was given the chance to learn a little more and to try a brand of organic makeup, I took it up. I thought it would be interesting to see how well natural and organic makeup stand up to regular department store or pharmacy/drugstore makeup :)
The brand I was introduced to was Nvey Eco an organic makeup brand that hails from Australia. There aren’t many around, in case you are wondering. Nvey Eco aims to provide high quality, high performance makeup that is 100% Certified Organic. I think you’ll agree that this is rather fascinating :)
Today I’ll tell you what I think of the Nvey Eco Moisture Rich Fluid Foundation in 514 Cool Natural. There are 4 shades available locally at TNS Skinlab although there are 6 shades available in all. The key ingredients in the foundation are organic chamomile, vitamin E, safflower oil along with being oil free, fragrance free, paraben free… you get the picture. But importantly, how does this measure up to say… my Holy Grail liquid foundation? Ahh…
Well, lets just say the position of my Holy Grail foundation isn’t threatened just yet :)
My “problem” with this one isn’t with the texture but with the shade. 514 Cool Natural, despite the name, has significant yellow tones in the base and it is actually rather deep in shade. This belies the colour you see through the transparent plastic packaging. The colour in the bottle is actually very pale.
It is quite creamy as you can see. The packaging is simple and straight forward. It reminds me somewhat of the Benefit Hello Flawless liquid foundation. However, when I pumped it out, it was clearly far too yellow and deep for my skintone.
Here’s a swatch alongside other foundations I wear regularly for comparison.
(1) Kanebo Lunasol Skin Modeling Foundation OC-01 (2) Nvey Eco Moisture Rich Fluid Foundation 514 Cool Natural (3) Shiseido Perfect Refining Liquid Foundation I00 Very Light Ivory (4) Diorsnow Liquid Foundation 010 Ivory (5) Revlon Colorstay Makeup liquid foundation 200 Nude
Speaks for itself doesn’t it? :) Even the Revlon Colorstay I told you about last week, that I was moaning at for being a bit too deep looks pale next to the Nvey Eco. So I have to say, the shade disappointed me. I checked the foundation selector on the Nvey Eco website and found that I should be wearing Cool Ivory 510, a shade unavailable locally. Based on the foundation selector, Cool Natural would be suited for someone with light-medium skintone with yellow undertones. I think it does make sense.
Still, I found out that if I apply a very thin layer on my skin, and then set it with the Nvey Eco Mattifying Compact Powder (review soon!) the yellow tones are toned down, and I could get away with wearing this one. Without the powder, it does make my skintone look a tad deep and yellow. I also realised that the best way to apply this foundation was with a flat top foundation brush or fingers or maybe a sponge. Regular paddle foundation brushes causes streaking and so does the Real Technique Expert Face brush. Took me far too long to work at it so use your fingers for best results.
Texture-wise, it is light but it also took a long time to set properly. It definitely needs setting powder, something I haven’t been using in a while. Coverage is also sheer. Its buildable if the shade suits you, but since I couldn’t build it up further, I rely on concealer. I am a little nonplussed by this because the texture actually feels very creamy and when it pumps out, it does look very creamy. So you would expect something of this texture to have a medium coverage at least. It always surprises me when it doesn’t.
Before and after, you may notice the slight yellow tint and light coverage. Evens out skintone but it is sheer, which shouldn’t be knocked. Some people do live for sheer coverage foundations :)
However, I find that my skin looks its best wearing this foundation about 2 hours in, when its had time to settle and meld into my skin. Then, I look at myself in the mirror and think “Ok, it looks pretty impressive. Shame about the shade!” 2 hours in, it gives my skin a lovely dewy and even finish. It isn’t very longlasting though. I get about 7-8 hours wear till about 3-4pm when it starts to fade quite significantly.
Since I’m not all that into using, eating or wearing organic products, I can and have found liquid foundations that fare much better for me in terms of performance. However, if you are in the market for an organic and natural makeup brand then this will be one to watch. I don’t believe there are many out there so this one does come at a premium price.
In a nutshell
Nvey Eco Moisture Rich liquid foundation is a liquid foundation that is certified organic and hails from Australia. Despite the creamy texture, the coverage is light-medium and does not dry out your skin. I do find that it does need setting powder and it takes a while to set on skin. Shade-wise I didn’t get one that suited my skintone so it was harder to like it. I find that my skin looks at its best with this on about 2 hours into wearing it and it wears on me (non oily skin) for about 7-8 hours before I notice significant fading. This isn’t a foundation I’d wear to impress. But if you are concerned about what goes into the makeup you wear daily, and don’t mind sheer coverage then this will be one to consider.
Pros: Non oily formula, Does not settle into pores, When it has melded with skin it gives a very lovely finish, Lightweight texture on skin
Cons: Foundation shade is significantly yellow and deeper in shade when pumped out as opposed to viewing it in the bottle, Fading is noticeable, Pricey
Who will like this: Anyone who is looking for organic makeup, Anyone who doesn’t mind light and sheer coverage
Here is the ingredient list for those interested.
I do have to say that its rather pricey. Locally, it retails at RM168 and on the Nvey Eco website, they retail it at $49.95. I do find that most organic products carry a higher price tag, perhaps due to the ingredients, but it does make it hard for most people to splurge on this when they could get a department store brand foundation that is very good, at a similar or even lower price, and luxuriate in the shopping experience. The only difference would be that most department store brands aren’t organic so that will ultimately be the tipping point.
Have you tried any Nvey Eco foundation? Have you used any organic makeup or do you not bother if it is organic?
This is my first time trying anything from Nvey Eco. I can’t say I was wowed by the foundation, mostly because I have my faves already firmly in place. However, I do like the blush and I’ll probably tell you about it next ;)
Paris B
Nvey Eco Moisture Rich Liquid Foundation comes in 6 shades and 4 are available locally Price: RM168/30ml Availability: TNS Skinlab stores and online in Malaysia and Nvey Eco website ships worldwide
I saw the swatch on your hand and immediately went: eek! Too yellow! I’m not too fussed about organic/all-natural at the moment but I’m trying to be a little conscious and get bunny-friendly products. It’s not easy :(
I think many brands are now animal cruelty free actually ;) But not the huge ones who don’t seem to care :P
Interesting how you described it as oil-free but there’s plenty of oils in the foundation (safflower and sweet almond)! Maybe that’s why it’s so creamy and doesn’t last that long.
Maybe what they meant is mineral oil free? LOL I’m not sure – picked it off their website. Not crazy about this one to be honest.
I am not much into this organic band wagon just yet :) the shade is so deceiving from outside the tube! its quite dark almost would suit my NC40-42 skin tone! a bit expensive for my taste!
It does seem that way doesn’t it? I was so shocked when it touched my skin and saw that it was so yellow haha! Wish it was the shade that’s in the bottle which means I could potentially wear it!
Wow, that is quite yellow and dark! I love the idea of it being organic, but that doesn’t mean it’s all good for you, so I’m always wary of generalizing over organic brands.
Have to agree with you there, Larie. I think we should operate on the basis of “Does this work?” and “Oh good, its organic” as opposed to “This is organic and so must be better for me” I have my own beliefs about organic products/skincare but I know I’d be very unpopular to say that I think its all hogwash :P
Well, I can say: good attemp. I think organic makeup, foundations needs more time and investigation to develop. It is a an early stage industry. It´s true there is many people out there to use those products, me too, but perphaps: deep yellow undertones and light coverage are not my cup of tea. I have hopes about organic/bio industy in cosmetics, just needs time to build up properly. Thanks Paris, have a good week :-))
You’re right Pipa :) Its a case of “Try again next time!” ;) I’m sure things will start to improve once there’s a better demand for more organic makeup. For now, the market is still pretty tiny by all accounts.
Woah! That’s way too dark. What’s up with the bottle that makes it so deceiving? Hmm…sneaky.
Think I’m gonna skip this. The ‘moisture rich’ part of the name is freaking me out a little bit. My skin is recently rebelling, and anything that is too moisturizing will turn it into an oil pit. Namely the Diorskin Nude foundation. It’s such a shame really. Cause the shade that I was matched too was perfect. Back to my trusty old NARS Sheer Glow, which surprisingly is not causing me to oil up more. On the hunt for a good primer and setting powder to control those nasty oil on the T-zone. A day in a girl’s life. Le sigh… :P
I was just as puzzled actually. I don’t think you’d like this one at all :P Maybe your skin is acting up coz its Summer? I still haven’t gotten round to trying Nars Sheer Glow >.<
Hi there! I am commenting on behalf of TNS Skin Lab the exclusive retailer of Nvay Eco in Malaysia. My appreciation and thanks to Paris for her unbiased review of the Cool Natural Liquid Foundation, and to all the comments that followed. However, I cannot help noticing that most comments have been centred on the colour of the foundation, which was unfortunately a mismatch for Paris very fair skin tone. The quality of a foundation however should not be judged on its color alone, which is really a matching not quality issue. Factors such as light and easy and non-oily wearability, breathability to enable the skin to breath without clogging pores, coverage (liquid foundation is for sheer to medium coverage), suitability for all skin types (especially sensitive and blemished skins), the finished look and the smoothness of the finish for makeup application, ease of washing off and removal etc. are the determinants of a good quality liquid foundation, without mentioning the absence of toxic ingredients which could be harmful to our skin and health. In this review, unfortunately the wrong shade was chosen for Paris to try out, the correct shade should have been cool ivory, which is lighter with a pink undertone. Good news though, Nvey Eco has just come up with a computerised colour selector to help users to choose the correct foundation shade with just a few clicks (see the web page listed above).
With the above selector, the wrong choice of colour for Paris would certainly have been avoided. Sorry Paris for the mismatch.
Hi Terry, thanks for the feedback. Colour aside, I did think the foundation was good to use for short periods of time, but it could not live up to a whole day’s wear in our tropical weather. It could be due to the ingredients as some people pointed out the oils in them. The short term wear was lovely, as I found out but what I think ultimately will scare people off is the price and the foundation longevity. For those already keen on pursuing an organic lifestyle, I can imagine this will be ideal for them. For those on the fence, much more convincing is needed. No apologies needed in terms of colour. I did realise that there was no Cool Ivory option available locally which I’m not surprised about as not many brands carry very light shades of foundation here :)
Hi Paris, thanks for your clarification. Yes, I guess the shorter longevity could be due to the absence of silicon in the formulation, and the higher pricing due to organic ingredients and the cost of Natrue and NSF certification. With the increasing convergence of makeup and skincare products, there is increasingly a trade-off between skincare & makeup features in such products, hopefully in the near future more ideal convergent products will be made available to the consumers. :)
I don’t like the colour on you It sort of makes you look sick to the stomach :-)
Haha sadly, very true :(