Product Review: Awake Invention Hydro Manage Makeup

Today's review is brought to you by Meg's Makeup. Go here to read a condensed version of the review, or to see what other gals thought of the product!

Anyone ever tried Bernard Callebaut's truffles? They are chocolate heaven... everything about them is perfection. From the delectable fillings raging from fluffy and whipped to creamy and rich, to the light dusting of cocoa on the outside... it's a world-class experience.

Trying on this foundation from Awake reminded me of the first time I tasted a Callebaut truffle. Behind the surprised delight, a little voice in my head whispered, "Daaamn. I am about to develop an expensive habit."




Upon first glance, I was wary of using this. The base looked like it was loaded with shimmer! Now I love sparkly things as much as the next product-obsessed girl, but an entire face covered in shimmer? Yikes.

Throwing caution to the wind, I grabbed my trusty foundation brush and went at it. Then came my next surprise... the foundation felt spongey in the pan. If you press on it lightly with your finger, it "gives" a bit, and then springs back. A shimmery, spongey, foundation? Those zany Japanese make up folks!

Due to the unique texture, in order to pick up the product, you kind of have to push the foundation brush lightly into the pan in a stippling motion. My third surprise came when I applied it to my face with firm, but short brushstrokes -- it feels cool! I can imagine how refreshing that'll feel during the summer months.

Regardless of all these bizarro properties, the best thing about this foundation is the coverage. It feels barely-there, but provides this amazing, natural looking coverage. For blemishes or redness, all you have to do is dab a bit more product on, and the imperfections fade away.

Even on my undereye circles, the coverage is impressive. I still use a concealer (because I: a) don't sleep, and b) am obsessive like that) but those with only light circles may find that they can ditch the concealer entirely. In fact, if I were in a rush, I wouldn't bother with concealer either -- and I wouldn't do that with any other foundation I've tried to date.

Meg, being the pro that she is, sent me this in Apricot, which is an almost perfect match for my light/med warm skintone. It's maybe a hair on the light side, but for winter, it's a great match. This base looks incredibly skin-like, but there IS the sparkle factor to account for. If you've powdered, from far away, it just looks like glowy perfection. But up close, you can see tiny shimmer particles here and there. It doesn't feel at all gritty and it's not super obvious, but it may be a concern for some.

I think I am in love with this, especially for night-time, when the shimmer thing won't matter as much. At $33 USD a pop, perhaps it's a good thing that I can't get it readily in Canada. It comes in 10 shades and can be had from Neiman Marcus. I think Bath & Bodyworks also carries some of the Awake line, but I'm not sure that they have this particular base.

Thanks again to Meg for this one; foundation is such a varied thing, so be sure to check out her site for other reviews to see how well it worked for others. But me? I am smitten.