The Revamp: Make Up For Ever Water Blend Foundation vs Face and Body
You know that moment when you find out one of your favourite products of all time gets discontinued and you immediately panic and plot out how many is considered reasonable to stock pile? I felt this way when I found out that the Make Up For Ever Water Blend Foundation was the replacement for my beloved Face and Body Foundation. The panic subsided slightly when the brand announced that the iconic formula was ‘back and better than ever’ – but I still knew I needed to put it to the test myself. So, does Water Blend hold up to my high expectations set by the original?
If you were familiar with the original Face & Body, you might remember the downright bizarre texture the formula had; It’s jiggly, gel-to-water feel might put some off at first but it just melted into the skin beautifully. I’ve happy to report the the new Water Blend carries the same texture and has the same finish on the skin, which was my number one concern about hearing it had been “improved”.
I think this foundation was a bit of an underdog in the consumer world (I know makeup artists adore it!) but once you try it’s incredibly buildable, blendable and super lightweight formula you are bound to be hooked! This is one of the very few foundations I’ve ever used where I feel it 100% looks like skin once applied (I credit that to the 80% water formulation). Even better so, if you struggle with the dreaded peach fuzz face like I do, this is incredible for not accentuating those hairs (in fact my skin looks smoother with it on!). My preferred application of choice is to buff this on with a soft and not overly dense buffing brush, like the Sephora Pro Airbrush #55 or Real Techniques Buffing Brush.
Oily skinned folks will want to set with a bit of powder as this does leave a natural skin-like sheen to the skin, but not with any of the tackiness that dewy foundations can leave.
Packaging wise, Make Up For Ever Water Blend looks almost identical to the original Face and Body, with the addition of a frosted glass over clear glass bottle. You get the same amount of product (1.7oz which is significantly more than most foundations which are around 1oz), with the same pump. I would say the scent has changed though, with the new Water Blend having more of a floral scent which I find smells pleasing upon application but thankfully disappears once applied.
Another huge improvement point over the original foundation is the shade range, which now boasts 20 options from the palest pale to ebony, and has a variety of undertones (Y=Yellow and R=Red). This makes custom matching so much easier and getting your correct shade foolproof. I would caution to get colour matched if possible; while the new Water Blend has the same numbering system as the Ultra HD Foundation now, they seem to differ a bit. Water Blend looks less yellow to me ( I have the same 3 shades in both Water Blend and HD) in the bottle, but surprisingly it seems to adjust to my skin!
So by now you can all guess that I am thrilled that the Make Up For Ever Water Blend Foundation isn’t a true case of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” because as far as I can see it is the same great foundation I loved, with an even better shade range! This is the perfect foundation for when you want super light coverage, a no-makeup makeup day, or want to build up coverage as you need it. If you’re one of those people who hates the “feel” of foundation, this formula will be amazing for you!
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I too was very afraid that the water blend was not going to hold up to the original formula. And unfortunately, Im going to have to disagree with you and say that water blend just isn’t as good. The texture is much more watery- it does not have the same gel consistency. Therefore, it does not seem to mesh with the skin as well. It does not glide and blend in with the skin like the original. It even seems to be emphasizing dryness and pores in a way I never experienced with the original. Because it does not mesh with the skin as well, it also seems to provide even less coverage than the original. I understand that it is supposed to be very light coverage, but this is nothing! Overall Im very disappointed and I wish I had stocked up on the original 🙁
Im sorry to hear it didn’t work for you! I found it SO similar to the original, texture and all. The big change was the scent for me, but it melted into my skin the same way. I wore the original for years, so I was definitely concerned (and did buy a back up just in case) but pleased with the new one!