Benefit Just Dropped A New Blurring Foundation, Here’s How It Worked On Real Pores
Laura is a Marketing Coordinator for Hair, Makeup and Fragrance. When she's not refreshing the 'New In' page to get her hands on the latest beauty from Adore, you can find her thrift shopping at her local Salvos and lovingly curating her many Spotify playlists.
I have had a love/hate relationship with foundation for many years while I figured out what worked best for my skin. I have dryer skin, larger pores on my cheeks and sensitive little pores all over that just love to clog up on the first touch of anything too rich and creamy. A winning foundation for me is one that lasts without getting patchy and dry, a skin-like finish and coverage for pores and blemishes.
Some of the things I always do before foundation is my hydrating skin prep, a really good primer (hello Porefessional) and grabbing a skincare ingredient rich foundation. I also have natural freckles that I like to show through, so I also tend to opt for a light coverage foundation or skin tint over something heavier.
Minimising the look of the pores on my cheeks is always on the list for me when applying makeup and I have been a long time user of the POREfessional primer for exactly this reason. I mean since buying it at a Benefit counter when I was maybe 15 and re-stocking ever since!
I also got to road test the Benefit Pore Skincare range when it came out a few years ago, so be rest assured me and my pores are the right people for the job when it comes to this new exciting foundation.
Let’s meet the foundation: Benefit Porefessional Foundation
Fast Facts:
- Blurs pores and smooths the look of skin instantly
- Buildable, medium coverage with a natural matte finish
- Long-lasting, up to 24 hours*
- Dosed with Niacinamide, Rose hip extract and glycerin to hydrate
- Non-comedogenic
Before applying any foundation I always do my skin prep, SPF and hydrating primer to make sure my skin is clean, dewy and ready for foundation.
You’ll see it looking a little like this (image below of the before) - glowy, clean and ready for pore Primer and foundation! I was also lucky enough to be joined by some hormonal breakouts for this road test so we’ll really get to test that coverage.
First Impressions
It’s easy and creamy to apply. I did a little pump on my hand and then used my fingers to apply all over my face - starting in the middle and sheering out towards the sides. I find this method works best for me to avoid streaks and to warm the foundation into my skin for that natural finish.
I had already applied the Porefessional Primer on my cheeks, nose, chin and T-zone and I found that the foundation glided over it really nicely. I found it more full coverage than medium, so I only really used a few small pumps for my whole face, but it’s certainly buildable so I think it would work well for all light-full coverage options.
Hot tip: Due to the putty like texture of the Porefessional primer, it can pill if you use too much or don’t wait for it to settle.
I was shade 7N - Savvy, and on application it felt a little toned warm for me - but then blended out to a really good match.
To finish my face I opted for a whole host of my favourite Benefit products:
- Benefit FloraTint - for blush
- Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Wave Bronzing Balm, shade Light - for bronzer and eye-shadow
- Benefit Cosmetics Badgal Bounce Mascara - Mascara
The cherry on the cake was a healthy misting of the Benefit Porefessional Super Setter Spray - 120ml. I had never used this before and was also super impressed with how gentle the mist was - it didn’t feel too heavy or wet and it made my makeup STAY.
After a full face was done I was really impressed! With my skin, sometimes it feels like it repels foundation, but this felt skin-like almost instantly.
(Here is my makeup right after)
And the pores…. really blurred. You’ll never get them gone fully, but foundation and glow can really make them more pronounced so to have this level of coverage and blur was great. They even got lost in all the photos I took - I even tried to get the most unflattering angles to highlight them and honestly I found that hard to do - so a tick from me on the photo test!
Benefit Porefessional Foundation Wear Test
I had this makeup on all day in the sun, walking, talking, eating and drinking. While it did ‘fade’ over the course of the 8 or so hours I was wearing it I found that it still looked lovely and skin-like right until I washed it off in the evening.
The biggest win for me was that it didn't go patchy in areas like upper lip and T-Zone, which are always the first to wear away. My pores still felt blurred and my blemishes also had coverage the entire time too.
Another mark of approval: I didn’t develop any new breakouts during the day either. A big gamble when you’ve got sensitive hormonal skin that just loves to hate foundation on it.
Transfer is also a big deterrent for foundations and I think this stood up the the ‘ transfer-proof’ claims. I didn't see it on my grey shirt neckline or my boyfriend’s tee-shirt post hugs that day. (RIP to many of his white shirts). I also did a test a few times last week without Porefessional primer underneath too to see the difference.
While the foundation alone still had great pore filling and blurring, my preference was primer under as I think it looked more dramatically different and had better long-wear.
Final Thoughts
I’m hard to please when it comes to foundation and this passed the test for me with flying colours. It was easy to apply, blurred my pores, stayed skin-like and lasted with consistent texture.
I have found myself reaching for it over the last few weeks - even on days when I just need a little something for virtual meetings.
The buildable nature of the coverage has meant it's been a versatile option for me. The price is on the higher end, but I think for the coverage options and long-wear it's worth it for me knowing that the bottle will last a long time.
Final shout out to the Professional Primer and Setting Spray too - I thought they paired beautifully with this foundation.
Chloe's Benefit Cosmetics The Porefessional Foundation Review:
"Have you seen that velvety, soft matte base? That’s the look I’ve been trying to nail for a LONG time, the Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional Foundation gets me there.
I buff it in with a dense brush, then tap over it with a beauty sponge for that airbrushed finish. It gives you a soft matte glow, not that dry, flat matte that sucks the life out of your face.
It’s officially my go-to for going out. I wore it to a concert recently and my skin still looked fresh by the end of the night (and I’ve got combo to oily skin!). I even tested it on my best friend who’s full-on oily, and it stayed put all night on her too. So, SO good!" - Chloe Nguyen
Fran's Benefit Cosmetics The Porefessional Foundation Review:
"I didn't expect to like this one as much as I did.
I love Benefit (their mascaras, brows, bronzers = heaven!) but I don't typically gravitate towards their base products which are often marketed as full coverage. My glow-chasing, dewy bones wince at the thought.
Though full coverage (and buildable), I was pleasantly surprised at how seamlessly and naturally it appeared on the skin. I used 1.5 pumps for the full face (and neck) and loved how it sheered out. A little goes a long way.
A beauty blender gave it that slightly lighter coverage and dewier finish that I was after. True to name, it did really 'blur' and minimise the appearance of pores and texture on skin. It was filter-esque in nature, everything just looked a little less harsh and a little more dreamy.
And importantly, it also felt breathable and comfortable to wear.
The photo above was taken at the end of the workday, a full 8 hours of office aircon later, and the complexion still looked soft-focused and polished. No creasing, pilling or fading.
I also got sooo many compliments from colleagues on my makeup that day. Buzzwords like 'blurred', 'seamless' and 'airbrushed' were thrown around. There were also special mentions for the perfect colour match (I wore 12N), though the implication there was that my usual colour matching skills were sub par (lol). Win some, lose some!
Overall, I really enjoyed this formula and am keen to add it to my complexion wardrobe." - Francesca Hartley
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