When searching for a foundation (or indeed any type of make-up product, whether it be nail varnish, blusher and so on), I admit that previously the Collection 2000 stand would be one of the last I would visit when browsing through Boots or Superdrug.
It has attracted a rather dated, teen-market image for itself, and when I used to think of the brand, I instantly thought of lime green eyeshadow and cheap pearlescent pink lipstick - even the name is a bit naff!
However as they are celebrating their 25th anniversary this month, in an attempt to shake things up they have rebranded themselves as
Collection Cosmetics (with the image they now promote not dissimilar to that of Rimmel or Barry M), and will introduce more vibrant, trend-led hues for their take on the season's hottest looks.
For all you animal lovers out there like myself, Collection 2000 (or rather Collection, sorry) state that they do not test any of their products on animals, nor do they get any companies to do so on their behalf (whether or not any of the ingredients used in making their products have been tested on animals however is not mentioned) - you can read their animal testing policy
here.
I think by now every man and his dog (or at least every beauty blogger) knows about the infamous Lasting Perfection concealer that has been making the rounds on YouTube and blogging land and, therefore I shall only discuss it briefly here, and rather focus on it's 'sister' product - the Lasting Perfection foundation, which I feel has been somewhat neglected in comparison.
Lasting Perfection Foundation
First things first, if you are looking for a heavy-duty, Estee Laudee Double Wear highstreet/drugstore dupe then Revlon Colorstay step aside, this foundation is the one for you!
I LOVE the 30ml bottle. It's made out of what feels like glass (although I suspect it might be heavy-duty plastic made to give a glass effect?), and feels lovely and reassuringly heavy in your hand. (That sounds odd. Maybe it's just me, but sometimes plastic bottles feel a bit cheap and flimsy, where as this feels more luxurious!).
The pump-action bottle is also very convenient, not to mention hygienic.
Like Double Wear (DW), this foundation is very thick in consistency, which for some may be a downside, but ideal if you want serious flawless yet still quite luminous coverage without looking too matte.
Unlike DW (and indeed Revlon Colorstay), it is very blendable on application (I use my
ELF powder brush to apply it) and sets after a few minutes - no frantic blending on one area of the face as with DW/Colorstay!
There is no obvious smell to speak of, and it is an oil-free formula, making it ideal for normal/combination/oily skins - those with dry skins may find it sticks to dry patches, so make sure you moisturise or use a primer beforehand.
You might also find on initial application that it is a tad tacky, but this soon sets to a nice finish - although I have found (despite claims that it is anti-transfer) that if I don't buff it in completely I can end up with foundation residue on my phone etc. Nice.
An extra bonus is the SPF20 forumla, which is one of the highest out in the drugstore/highstreet foundation market right now.
The downside to this however is the flashback - not a good look as you can see below!
Apart from the ghost-face effect of the SPF (which isn't really a negative, it just means you should avoid wearing this any time you will be near a camera flash!), the only other downside/negative/let down to this foundation is the colour range available.
The Collection
website shows 6 shades, but when I picked up my bottle of foundation at Boots I don't recall seeing any more than approximately 3 on sale.
As with many cosmetics companies, Collection are limiting their customer base by only providing 'generic' foundation shades that only cater to those of light to medium skin tones.
Now from those 3 or so that were available, I went for what I thought was the lightest shade (as anyone would, going in numerical order!) 'Vanilla 1'.
However as you can see in comparison to the skin on my hand, this is by far too dark for me, and on checking the Collection website, it would appear I have somehow picked up the third darkest shade?!
To get round this, I have been mixing my Lasting Perfection with my Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation to lighten it somewhat - i'll make sure I try and get the shade Ivory next time!
In terms of wear, this stuff is definitely hardcore!
Whilst admittedly I can't verify the 16 hour claim (very rarely would I have foundation on that long anyway - taking my makeup off tends to be the first thing I do when I get in from work!), I can vouch for its staying power of at least 8-10 hours through a day of work in an air conditioned office.
If you have oily skin you might find you start to look a tad dewy after a while, especially during hot weather, but the foundation coverage should remain intact, and you should be able to remedy any shininess with blotting paper or some powder.
If you're not looking for full, almost mask-effect coverage, then I would avoid this. I personally love the blank-canvas effect that heavy duty foundations provide, therefore I really like this foundation, but as I say if you're more of a natural-effect foundation then I would look elsewhere!
It is also fantastic value for money at around £5 from Boots, Superdrug and other Collection 2000 retailers (I think Asda sometimes stock them?) - makes me wonder why I paid the 20-odd pounds for the EL DW in the past!
Lasting Perfection Concealer
Like the foundation, this concealer claims to be an 'ultimate wear' productwhich conceals flaws, imperfections and blemishes for up to 16 hours. It is transfer proof and water resistant for full and long lasting coverage.
Like the foundation (or indeed most drugstore concealers), the shades available are quite limited: fair, light, medium and deep (although you could always buy a couple and mix up your shade - at £4.19 you can afford to!)
It is packaged in a clear tube (the writing on which is notorious for rubbing off within days, hence why mine has nothing on it!) that contains a twist-off doe foot (not 'dofer' as I thought some people were pronouncing it on YouTube!!) applictor in the lid. I'm not too sure if i'm overly keen on this type of applicator - it isn't the most hygienic, and I don't really use it as an applicator anyway, as I tend to put it on the back of my hand and apply from there. Maybe a squeezy tube would be better?
The concealer is quite thick and creamy in consistency; almost paste like (therefore no danger of it running down your face on application!), and goes onto skin - both under the eyes and over blemishes, etc - very easily and smoothly, and is really easy to blend out - I use either my ELF powder brush again, or my Bobbi Brown travel foundation brush.
It covers dark circles brilliantly, but i've found in order to prevent it settling into fine lines around my eyes I need to make sure the eye area is thoroughly moisturised beforehand.
I do use it here, but also primarily on red patches round my nose and over spots/blemishes. It can also be used on eyelids as an eyeshadow base and to cancel out any red/purple tones.
For coverage reference, you can see that it has very effectively covered up a small cut on my hand that was shown on the foundation swatch picture (shown covered up in the concealer swatch photo).
It is undoubtedly one of the most long-lasting matte-finish concealers i've used to date, but I would day it has a tendancy to slightly fade by the end of the day before the foundation does. It still does a fantastic job however, and I like to keep it in my handbag make-up bag for 'just in case' purposes.
Before and After
Warning: if you are of a squeamish disposition, look away now. Kidding. It's just me sans make-up!
Alas, I am not blessed with perfect, glowing, blemish-free skin (I believe that's what airbrushing is for), and definitely have to work at it to fake the flawless look!
I wouldn't say I have serious acne, but I do get clusters of small spots (and the odd mountain, such as the one above on my cheek!), particularly around the time of the month, as well as suffering from blackheads, and enlarged pores and redness around my nose.
As you can imagine then, I tend to go for medium-heavy coverage foundations to cover up my flaws, and both the Lasting Perfection Foundation and Concealer have not let me down in this respect.
I am really pleased I looked past the old Collection 2000 image and decided to try these two products - the foundation in particular.
In my opinion it is a better dupe for the Estee Lauder Double Wear than Revlon Colorstay - not to mention cheaper! There has been a bit of a mix up in terms of shades, but i'm quite happy to mix it with my Healthy mix at the moment (it might also be a better match when i'm tanned), and when I run out i'll definitely repurchase (in the right shade!)
Have you tried this or any other Collection products?
