My Take: Lakme Perfecting Liquid Foundation In Pearl

What It Claims

Lakme Perfecting Liquid Foundation

• Blends easily into your skin to create a soft glowing and feather like finish.
• A water-resistant, oil-free formula with Vitamin E that provides  superior coverage.
• Contains Vitamin E that soothes and moisturizes the skin.
• Silicones help in easy application, spreading evenly for an even toned look.

Price
Rs 99 for 27 ml

Shades

 

Pearl is the lightest shade available and is a perfect match for my skin tone.It's a perfect blend of pink as well as yellow undertones.

The Good

• It has a lovely slippery texture which applies really smoothly using fingers or a brush.My favourite way of applying it is by spritzing a blush brush with a makeup fixer (my own version of MAC Fix Plus) dabbing it onto the foundation at the back of my hand and buffing a thin layer all over my face.I find that using a blush brush instead of a regular foundation brush gives a more air brushed finish.I have also tried applying it with fingers which gives a pretty good application too.
• Blends beautifully into the skin without being streaky (once you find the right shade).
• The shade (Pearl) is just awesome.When I bought this (actually at a kirana store, can you believe it!) there were only two shades available Pearl and Shell.I decided to go with the lightest shade, which turned out to be a bang on match.It is not overly pink nor yellow but a lovely peachy pink which looks very natural.

 

• The coverage is medium but is buildable.Again this holds true if you find the right shade.After applying a thin layer all over you can easily go over areas that need more coverage with a foundation brush.
• It evens out the skin and is helps tone down pigmentation. 
• Since it gives a good coverage and is in liquid form, it's great for mixing with your normal moisturizer or sunscreen to get a tinted cream.The resultant concoction is good for evening out the skin and covers minor flaws.
• Very economically priced.
• It lasts a good 2-3 hours which is pretty good.After that it makes my face look a bit greasy and dull.But what I loved the most about this foundation is that even in the sweltering heat it did not melt and start dripping like the Maybelline Wonder Finish.It does come off with sweat but it didn't wash right off my face, I still had some product on, once I dabbed it with tissue.So I strongly back up it's claim of being water resistant.Of course my application technique did help too. 
• Easily available, I mean I bought it at a kirana store while indulging my crazy potato chip fetish.

The Bad

• It smells absolutely horrible.Every time I open the cap I feel like throwing it out but then I remind myself how great a foundation it is specially at the cost and resist the temptation.Thankfully the smell does not linger and fades away eventually.
• No ingredient list, not that I always read it but since the website claimed that the foundation contains silicon I was really curious as to the authenticity of the claim.
• Does not last in hot humid weather, but then the Indian Summers can put even the best of the foundation to shame, so I won't consider this to be much of a con.
• Although it claims to be oil free, it can make oily skin look greasy since it has a dewy finish.Best suited for normal, dry or even combination skin.
• The shades are a bit tricky to gauge.All four differ very slightly and it can be very difficult to choose the right shade.
• If applied incorrectly it can look really ashy.The trick lies in applying a thin layer and buffing the edges.

Lakme Perfecting Liquid Foundation Vs Maybelline Wonder Finish Foundation
Lakme Perfecting Liquid Foundation is definitely more economical than the Maybelline Wonder Finish Foundation at Rs 99 (while the latter is priced at Rs 359).Texture wise, Lakme one is more slippery and gives a dewy finish while the Maybelline one gives a velvety finish.The Lakme foundation outlasts the Maybelline one by a fair margin on  hot humid days and did not melt as badly in the heat either. Both give a pretty comparable coverage, but the Lakme one is buildable unlike Maybelline plus has a wider range of shades to choose from.The only good thing about the Maybelline Wonder Finish Foundation is that it contains SPF 15 which is missing in the Lakme Foundation.

Love It Or Chuck It
Lakme Perfecting Liquid Foundation is why I haven't yet lost faith in Lakme, despite a few bad experiences with the brand.Agreed that lately Lakme has upped it's standard considerably and is at par with a few international brands, but this foundation is the reason why Lakme is still the favourite of the masses. I've noticed that the lower priced range and everyday products are inarguably the best ones churned out by Lakme.I actually bought this product to mix with my sunscreen to double up as a tinted sunscreen for everyday use and ended up loving it.And at this price this is worth a try at least once.