CoverGirl’s Clean Fresh Skin Milk Foundation is available in 14 shades and contains coconut milk and aloe extract in a Leaping Bunny certified 100% vegan formula. It claims to provide light coverage for all skin types and “a glowing, dewy finish that lasts all day long, blurring imperfections and creating a more even skin tone.” Sounds like my ideal foundation, so I gave this drugstore find a go.
Price: $11.99
Find it HERE
Tested June 2020
The Clean Fresh Skin Milk Foundation has two things printed right on the front of the tube that instantly drew me in: “Vegan” and “Dewy Finish”. Sounds great! I wear the lightest shade in this range, 510 Porcelain, and think it’s a really nice match for me.
My day-to-day foundation needs are (I think) somewhat uncomplicated. I like light coverage, prefer liquid formulas, a luminous finish and nothing thick or matte. My goal isn’t to erase everything on my natural skin, but to tone down my redness and dark spots while keeping the complexion hydrated and glowy. The Skin Milk foundation does most of this.
I use about a dime size of product per layer. I say layer because this is one of the few foundations where I came to prefer building up two sheer layers on the skin. One layer wasn’t quite enough coverage, even for me, but two was pretty perfect. There are still imperfections showing through when I apply it this way, but my overall complexion is far less red and much more even. And it still looks like my skin, not like foundation.
If you want this to look like foundation just sitting on the skin, go ahead and use your fingers to apply it. When I did this, the foundation was patchy and I noticed it gather up in my pores. No, no, no. A damp makeup sponge is the only way I like to apply this product. I’ve been using the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge (read more about this in our Best Coast Battle on sponges). With a sponge, the product applies far more evenly and the moisture of the sponge dials up the dewy finish of the foundation, which I love.
Another thing I noticed about this foundation is that I really need to wear primer under it to get the best results. Without a primer, it didn’t wear very long or apply as evenly. Any primer will probably do, because I tested this with a few different ones, and it looked good with all of them.
When I wore this foundation (with primer!), it did fade after 8+ hours and start to dry out in a few problem areas, like my chin and on my nose. I kind of expected this from a lightweight drugstore foundation, but if you really need long wear, you might want to pass on this.
I also noticed this has an interesting smell; not fragrance, but kind of a bland, dull scent. Maybe like a box of plain crackers? Don’t take that as an exact scent reference, but it’s the closest thing I can think of to describe it. Whatever it might be, it’s not gross and goes away quickly, so no harm, no foul for me.
I wouldn’t reach for this for a really dramatic look or a big event; it’s the kind of foundation to wear on a causal Saturday or with just a little shimmery eyeshadow and lip balm. I’ll keep using the Clean Fresh Skin Milk for those occasions because it leaves me with natural looking, everyday, glowy skin.
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