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.
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.
I’m not optimistic. 😦 I know the owner truly believe they will continue as they are now, but they will just have more money and access to better manufacturing. In reality, their agility and uniqueness will be diluted as they now answer to boards and shareholders. Nothing is free – there’re always trade-offs!
The rational side of me knows I probably won’t like the Coverage formula but out of curiosity, I will probably get both to try.
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Yeah, exactly. I mean, I don’t delude myself into thinking indie companies aren’t just out to make money—but it is a different story when you’ve got a corporate giant pulling strings. I’ve just fallen in love with their The Chemistry foot cream and now I’m annoyed at things potentially going south with the company. We shall see!
I don’t really think either of their foundations is for me. To be honest, I like that CG foundation I recently reviewed better than both, and it goes on sale for $5.99 for the same amount of product. (Talking about cosmetic giants, LOL!)
They’re definitely worth getting to try, anyway, though. So inexpensive (FOR NOW 😇).
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Yeah I better grab them before the prices start to creep up… 😛
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I really hope that they will remain true to their formulation, pricing and cruelty free standards.
I probably won’t try this one since I prefer lighter coverage foundations, but it does sound like it would be great for the colder months!
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Fingers crossed!
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I really want to give these a go! great review very thorough! xo
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I hope they come back in stock soon! 😘
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Thanks for the review! I really want to try the coverage foundation and I think for the price I’ll stick get it when they come back in stock. I’ll definitely think carefully about the shades though! 🙂
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I wish all these big companies would just stop snatching up all these smaller cosmetics brands. It’s annoying how they continue to monopolize the market but I guess at the end of the day, it’s business.
Hmm I’m not sold on either of these foundations based on your reviews. My skin is combo/dry and I have a hard time keeping them on my face. I also hate trying to colour match over the web too. At least the price is right!
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