The new Rose Inc Foundation is something to behold
After lipsticks and glosses I'd say foundations and base products are the makeup items that have the most launches in the beauty world. Every makeup brand you love has at least one signature formula claiming to give you a glowy, perfected base no matter the formula or the finish. And this quarter saw the launch of another base from a brand that had a lot of deserved fanfare for its makeup range. Rose Inc Softlight Skin-Smoothing Liquid Foundation.
If you're thinking, 'Hang on, don't Rose Inc already have a foundation in their pared-back range?' well yes and no. The brand has the Skin Enhance Luminous Tinted Serum which is a sheer coverage base but we wouldn't call it a foundation. It adds a dewy glow to the skin thanks to the micro-encapsulated pigment but if you're looking for any real coverage at all it's not the pick for you - the new Softlight Foundation will definitely be better suited.
It promises medium coverage with a brightening and balanced formula to combat redness and minimise oil. Here, the Cosmo beauty team put it to the test...
Rose Inc Softlight Skin-Smoothing Liquid Foundation reviews
Keeks Reid, acting beauty director
When it comes to coverage I'm normally nothing or, like, everything. If I'm going to wear foundation I want it full coverage babay! I don't want any pigmentation peeking through whatsoever thank you very much. So for me, a medium coverage foundation isn't a go-to but I wasn't about to rule this one out.
I matched with the shade 26N which is a deep neutral with a pull towards a reddish undertone and it was a great match for me. Despite the luminosity that it gives it's actually a velvety matte finish, which my oily T-zone very much appreciated and meant that I didn't feel the need to powder immediately. Instead, I'd say I blotted my nose, forehead and chin after a few hours wear, so while the oil wasn't completely controlled, it was more than usual.
Charlotte Bitmead, senior beauty writer
A glowy base that promises medium coverage? It almost sounds too good to be true but, somehow, Rosie has managed to achieve the impossible. This felt like it was going to be quite heavy (read cakey) when I first swatched this on the back of my hand but when I got around to testing it out on my – very tired – face, it seemed to almost disappear once I’d blended it out – it was that lightweight. Despite how skin-like it looked and felt, I was impressed with how well it covered up my redness and pigmentation. It truly delivered the best of both worlds.
It does claim to provide a “soft-matte finish” but compared with my fave foundation with this finish (hello, Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r), I would say this is definitely more dewy, so those with oily skin might need to bare that in mind. However, for my sleep-deprived dull skin, the hydration and luminosity it delivered was very welcome. It also lasted very well throughout the day for something so glowy, too. I think I was a bit ambitious with the shade 4W (who am I kidding, I’m not that tanned), so I need to opt for a paler shade next time [there are 31 shades in total], and it's a lot more than I'd usually spend on a foundation, however, I will definitely be making this my new go-to for cold winter mornings. Did I mention the formula is non-comedogenic (meaning it won’t clog pores and lead to breakouts galore)? Rosie, you really have thought of everything.
Elena Chabo, beauty writer
As you can probably see, I missed it with the colour match... a little. But despite that, I'm impressed. A lot of new base products are heavily branding down the tint/serum/barely there route, but I find many of them still dim my skin's razzle-dazzle a bit, no matter how lightweight. While this new offering from Rose Inc doesn't lean into that base 'genre' as much and is labelled good old 'liquid foundation', it too is skincare focussed, and described as sheer. And upon trying... it's given my skin a more natural effect than a lot of those branded lighter-than-light do.
I'm probably the pickiest foundation critic on the Cosmo beauty team, mainly because it's one of my least favourite product categories. As someone who goes bare-skinned a lot, my standards for what mimics that... are high. I applied two small pumps to the back of my hand and applied all over with a dense everything brush. While the formula didn't seem light on the back of my hand, with a slightly gloopy texture, it went on pretty radiant as promised.
As well as the glow, what stood out was the amount of coverage achieved. I didn't even use concealer on my super dark under-eye circles in the after pic, because I wanted you guys to see how much the foundation alone took away that darkness. It promises hydration, plumping, and to calm irritation, and while I'd need to try for longer to really way in on those, it certainly made any redness on my face, dissapear and through the day my skin stayed looking hydrated and bright.
Lia Mappoura, beauty assistant
Unfortunately not every foundation works for me – what with extremely high sebum production (aka, oily skin), an acne-prone complexion and well, high standards, to put it quite bluntly. But seeing as we’re having this little conflab, between you and I, Rose Inc’s latest launch may have made its way into my top rankings and daily routine. I know, I know, snaps for Miss Rosie H-W.
Initially, I was sceptical. And that’s bc the brand and its founder, Rosie Huntington-Whitely are known for luminosity and dewy glazed-doughnut skin. But, when applying their new Softlight Skin-Smoothing Liquid Foundation, to my surprise, it dried down to a soft matte finish. And it’s non-comedogenic (read: it won’t clog pores and/or cause blemishes or breakouts), too! I mean, it’s as if Rosie made this with me in mind…
To put it into perspective, after my hour-and-a-half long morning work commute on the TFL Central Line *shivers in despair*, I, without a doubt, am in need of a blotting sheet. But with this base, my makeup stays intact for at least six hours – normal for some but for me, that never happens.
In terms of the coverage, the formula was able to conceal my hyper-pigmentation without looking cakey. Sure, it’s buildable but I’d recommend this more so for a day-to-evening transitional look. Work and Thursday date night appropriate, IYGM.
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