Before I go into the review, Toronto-based DECIEM came out with some big news yesterday—they’ve sold a stake in the company to Estée Lauder.

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The very very big thing has happened. It will change everything and yet nothing will change at all! @esteelaudercompanies (a really really big company behind really really big brands) has today acquired a minority stake in DECIEM. The ELC team embraced us like a loving family from the very first meeting to the emotional hugs at closing. Instead of trying to control things like big companies sometimes do, ELC insists that we continue to be who we are. We are really emotional today because we know that, together with ELC, we are going to lead innovation in beauty and bring you more and more of very good things (and less and less of very bad delays). We are here today because of your support and love for us along our journey in the past few years. We promise that every step we take will be one to continue to recognize your support. (PS1- No, we won’t change who we are in any way; PS2- Brandon is and will still be the CEO; PS3- Yes, we have a lot of money now to invest in big infrastructure so we can serve you very promptly; PS4- Yes, we will have many more stores in many more places; PS5- We never have and will not test on animals. ; PS6- No, we won’t raise the prices of products we sell to you; PS7- ELC may seem like a big conglomerate, but please believe us when we say that it has a big soul and a team of truly loving people; PS8- The release is here: elc.deciem.com) 🙈🐒🐒🐒❤️❤️❤️

A post shared by THE ABNORMAL BEAUTY COMPANY (@deciem) on Jun 15, 2017 at 1:33pm PDT

The very very big thing has happened. It will change everything and yet nothing will change at all! @esteelaudercompanies (a really really big company behind really really big brands) has today acquired a minority stake in DECIEM. The ELC team embraced us like a loving family from the very first meeting to the emotional hugs at closing. Instead of trying to control things like big companies sometimes do, ELC insists that we continue to be who we are. We are really emotional today because we know that, together with ELC, we are going to lead innovation in beauty and bring you more and more of very good things (and less and less of very bad delays). We are here today because of your support and love for us along our journey in the past few years. We promise that every step we take will be one to continue to recognize your support. (PS1- No, we won’t change who we are in any way; PS2- Brandon is and will still be the CEO; PS3- Yes, we have a lot of money now to invest in big infrastructure so we can serve you very promptly; PS4- Yes, we will have many more stores in many more places; PS5- We never have and will not test on animals. ; PS6- No, we won’t raise the prices of products we sell to you; PS7- ELC may seem like a big conglomerate, but please believe us when we say that it has a big soul and a team of truly loving people; PS8- The release is here: elc.deciem.com) 🙈🐒🐒🐒❤️❤️❤️

The optimist in me wants to say good for them! And that this new injection of money will seriously improve their production and distribution, particularly considering the issues they had upon the recent launch of their first colour cosmetics.

The pessimist in me realizes that The Estée Lauder Companies is one of the world’s largest cosmetic conglomerates, with brands like Clinique, MAC, Too Faced, Bobbi Brown, Tom Ford, Becca, Origins, Smashbox, La Mer, Aveda, Jo Malone, Le Labo and more under its umbrella. It seems possible that formulations might become altered, prices may start to increase, and some of the things that I personally liked about the company will change: being local, cruelty-free (Estée Lauder is not cruelty-free), and the values they claimed to have about honesty in skincare.

Each box DECIEM mails out has ABNORMAL BEAUTY COMPANY emblazoned on it in bold, sans-serif letters. It rings a bit false now that there’s a beauty behemoth behind the scenes.

In any case, Brandon Truaxe will remain DECIEM’s CEO (he has previous with launching a company only to sell it, and was also a founder of Indeed Labs). The company’s fans, including myself, will have to hope that this move allows DECIEM to grow comfortably, without losing sight of what made them so very popular in the first place.

•••••

This week, I test drove Canadian skincare brand DECIEM’s first foray into color makeup with one of their two new foundations.

In April, they released a Serum Foundation and a Coverage Foundation under one of their brands, The Ordinary. I picked up both in the color 2.0YG (Light Medium, Yellow Undertones with Gold Highlights) for my NC25–30 skintone.

Last week, I reviewed the Serum Foundation, and I wasn’t a huge fan.

Today, I’m reviewing the Coverage Foundation, which, obviously, is meant to provide more coverage. It claims a light cream texture, full coverage, higher pigmentation than the Serum Foundation, and a semi-matte finish. The shade I got, as indicated by the “G” in the name, has additional subtle gold highlights mixed in.

Sounds good to me!

The formula is a thicker liquid, and it is indeed well-pigmented. The color matches up well across the two formulas.

This foundation also has SPF15, though it can only be claimed in the EU:

Coverage Foundations sold in the European Union offer an SPF 15 claim. This protection is achieved without the use of chemical sunscreens and only through physical protection from Titanium Dioxide. Additionally, no nano-particles are used to achieve this sun protection. These attributes are unique in foundations because it is exceptionally difficult to create a natural, lightweight look and consistent shades when using only non-nano forms of Titanium Dioxide for sun protection without any chemical sunscreen agents.

Please note that the formulations are and will be the same in all markets but the packaging will claim SPF 15 only in the European Union while regulatory processes for claiming SPF in other markets are carried out individually.

The Color

I found the color to have tinges of grey and olive, which were not quite what I wanted for my warm, yellow-toned skin.

Once applied, the undertone was still vaguely noticeable, so I don’t think 2.0YG is an excellent color match for me. A little tinted face powder helps to swing the undertone back in my favor, but I’d certainly prefer a closer color match.

The hints of gold highlights are very subtle, so it isn’t as though you’ve just applied highlighter all over your face.

The Texture & Application

The Coverage Foundation should to be shaken before use.

The oil-free formula has a very smooth consistency.

I don’t love applying this with my fingers, because it makes me feel like I’m using too much foundation. It’s a well-pigmented formula, after all.

Applying this foundation was best with a slightly damp makeup sponge. This way, the product spreads out more thinly and evenly, and the finish looks much better.

I personally like a foundation that I can use with my fingers, simply because I am often rushed for time and don’t want to fuss with a beautyblender—so this wouldn’t be my foundation choice for a hectic morning.

The foundation set to a semi-matte finish, as expected. I have not tried any other shades, so unfortunately, I can’t really compare this shade with gold highlights to a shade without highlights. It doesn’t look totally flat and matte on the face, though, which is a plus for me.

I think this foundation did a good job of dealing with the several layers of product I put on my dry skin first: one or two serum-type products, moisturizer, and sunscreen. It is neither lightweight nor heavy feeling—right in between and probably just slightly heavier feeling than I’m used to. On the plus side, it does feel like it holds in moisture on my face well.

The Coverage

Coverage certainly approaches full, as DECIEM claims. I can actually achieve better coverage with the makeup sponge than I can with my fingers. I will note, however, that I did find I needed to use more product than I usually have to with most other liquid foundations. Despite its very low price, a little doesn’t really go a long way, and I’d be interested to see how much use I can get out of the 30 mL bottle.

The Wear Time

My dry skin doesn’t usually have much trouble with foundations staying on. This foundation doesn’t last as well as others, though. I apply a little bit of finishing powder over it in the morning, but still find that after about six hours on a warm day, it starts fading and looking uneven. I wouldn’t call this a long-wearing foundation—perhaps it performs better over a primer, which I never use, or in cooler weather. I think I’ll definitely save this one for fall and see if it works out better for me.

The Packaging

Both the Serum and Coverage Foundations are packaged in identical 30 mL plastic bottles with pump dispensers; there is no cap included. Despite their very low price (CA$6.70), the packaging is quite pleasant in its simplicity. The bottle and pump have semi-matte textures themselves, which is a nice touch.

I really like the pump dispenser for this foundation’s consistency.

The Ingredients

Aqua (Water), Coconut Alkanes, Dimethicone, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Caprylyl Methicone, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Glycerin, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Coco Caprylate/Caprate, Cetyl Diglyceryl Tris(Trimethylsiloxy)silylethyl Dimethicone, Sucrose Laurate, Dipropylene Glycol, Polysilicone-11, Tocopherol, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Hectorite, Dimethicone/ Bis-Isobutyl PPG-20 Crosspolymer, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Sodium Chloride, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin. May Contain [+/-]: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Tin Oxide, Aluminum Hydroxide, Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), Mica, Triethoxycaprylylsilane.

My Verdict

Due to the color being a touch too grey and olive for my skintone, I would not repuchase the Coverage Foundation in 2.0YG. I’d be open to trying another shade (probably 2.0N), but I’ll wait for cooler weather to do so. I don’t think this is a great summer foundation for me, even with my dry skin.

Have you tried Deciem’s newly-released foundations?

[Note: I purchased both of my foundations directly from Deciem’s website. I’ve also ordered their products from Well.ca and Sephora (though the latter does not carry The Ordinary).]

•••••

DECIEM The Ordinary Colour Coverage Foundation contains 30 mL and retails for CA$6.70. The formula is free of alcohol, oil, nuts, and soy. The company is cruelty-free* and vegan.

DECIEM was launched by Brandon Truaxe in 2013. “We decided to do 10 things at once and called our craziness DECIEM, coming from decima, the [L]atin word for 10 in a sequence.” The company is based in Toronto, ON, Canada, and currently has stores in Canada, Australia, Mexico, South Korea, and the UK.

• While DECIEM remains Canadian and cruelty-free itself, American cosmetic giant Estée Lauder, which is not cruelty-free, bought a stake in the company in June 2017.