Almay : Smart Shade Smart Balance Foundation

Brand:
Reviews
3.3
9 Reviews
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Active Ingredients:
Titanium Dioxide (3.8%) and Zinc Oxide (2.0%).

Inactive Ingredients:
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, HDI/Trimethylol, Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Nylon 12, Cetyl/PEG/PPG 10/1 Dimethicone, PEG/PPG 18/18 Dimethicone, Talc, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Alumina, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hyaluronate (Hyaluronic Acid), Fomes Officinalis (Mushroom) Extract (Mushroom), Glycerin, Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans, Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis) Leaf Juice, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract (Grape), Centaurea Cyanus (Cornflower) Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Ginseng (Panax Ginseng) Root Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Aspalathus Linearis (Rooibos/Red Tea) Leaf Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Trisiloxane, Moringa Pterygosperma Seed Extract, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Galactoarabinan, Acrylonitrile/Methacrylonitrile/Methyl Methacrylate Copolymer, Methoxy Amodimethicone/Silsequioxane Copolymer, Palmitoyl Hydroxypropyltrimonium Amylopectin/Glycerin Crosspolymer, Boron Nitrate, Sorbitol, Alcohol Denatured, Methicone, Tribehenin, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Silica, Ammonium Polyacrylatedimethyl Tauramide, Cycloheptasiloxane, Tetrasodium EDTA, PVP, Polysorbate 20, Polysorbate 80, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Zinc Oxide (CI 77491).

The list of ingredients above is provided for informational purposes only. Always check the actual product label in your possession for the most accurate ingredient information due to product changes or upgrades that may not yet be reflected on our web site.

5
22.2%
4
33.3%
3
22.2%
2
0%
1
22.2%

Used Almay : Smart Shade Smart Balance Foundation? Rate It:

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December 12, 2011

Pros:

Gives you coverage, moisturizer, and sun
screen all in one
Good for combination skin
Hasn't clog pores or caused breakouts
Evens out skin tone
Doesn't look like a thick layer of makeup and matches perfectly - if you're like me and your skin tone changes drastically depending on sun exposure, it's great because it will adjust quite a bit!

Cons:

Expensive
Won't give you a lot of coverage
It can get in your eyebrows and look a bit funny if you let it

I love this product. Actually, I am a huge fan of everything Almay makes in the foundation/concealer/powder department. My biggest complaint with this product is that it is expensive - although it looks like I am paying way more than other people...maybe because I'm in Canada? Sounds like some people have a problem with the colour, but I always get a perfect match from Almay (maybe because I have olive skin, so it works well with golden undertones where perhaps it might not with pink?) However, if you don't spread it over your face while it's still white the match isn't as good. I go through several bottles a year and I wear it almost every day, and I see no reason why that will change!
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July 29, 2010

Pros:

Feels natural
Evens out my patchy, weird skin tone
Tint changing formula matches your skin color
Covered most of my hyperpigmentation
Didn't make me break out at all

Cons:

Won't cover everything
Might not work for you if you have very oily skin?

I have skin that is very sensitive to foundation, so I'm often afraid to switch to new products for fear of breaking out. I heard that this particular makeup would be alright for my type of skin, so I decided to give it a go. I have a weird uneven skin tone that is hard to match in the store, so I thought the color changing effect was great. Finally, I didn't have to buy two bottles in order to match my shade! I have combination skin, so I was concerned about my T-zone being oily. However, applying a little extra powder to set the foundation did the trick for me. It took a little concealer to cover a few of my spots (I have very pale skin and problems with hyperpigmentation), but most of my dark spots were lightened enough to be barely noticeable with just the foundation. Maybe it was a trick of my eyes, but I feel like maybe the color change takes a little longer than you think. When I first put this foundation on, I felt like nothing was covered at all, but as the day went on I looked at myself in the mirror and thought, "Wow, my skin looks great!" Overall, I would recommend this product to almost anyone, not just those with finicky skin like mine. I've been wearing this for about a week and a half and have not gotten any pimples other than a few just before my period, which is normal for me. Yes, I'm sold! By the way, I gave this product four stars instead of five partly because I still had to use a little concealer, but mostly because I'm not sure well the coverage would be for those with more severe acne. I think it's worth a try, though. Oh, and did I mention that this product is SPF 15? Much better than my normal brand (SPF 6)!
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January 21, 2010

Pros:

covered consistentaly , moisterizes,

Cons:

can bee too oily and makes skin greasy under power

works for dry skin nor for oily didnt cause any unwanted acne
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September 25, 2011

Pros:

doesn't make breakouts worse
pretty good coverage

Cons:

didn't mach my skin AT ALL
make orange lines and patches on my skin

I bought this makeup thinking it would be a better color and texture for my skin, but i was WRONG. At first it looked like the right color and covered good enough, but in certain areas it turned orange!! My best friend was always telling me that i had orange on my face(after i got to school) so i went through those day with a strange colored face. Try it out before you wear it anywhere and see what it looks like outside.
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February 4, 2010

Pros:

Very light
Does not cause skin to break out
Can even be soothing to irritated skin
Matches skin tone well

Cons:

Will not cover scars/pimples
Will definitely need to use a concealer if you have significant imperfections

I like this product because it hasnt made me break out and it feels good on the skin after BP treatments. As long as you are good at apply concealer this foundation will work well, just dont expect it to cover everything --it wont--
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February 1, 2011

Pros:

Smooth
Blend-able
Build-able
Color-matching
Non-greasy
Light/moderate coverage
Evens out skin tone
Long-lasting

Cons:

Not heavy-duty coverage (if that's what you're after)
Needs to be set (I use Almay Pure Blends Translucent Shimmer Loose Powder)
Does NOT hide pores

I like this foundation. After more or less clearing my skin up with the Regimen, my skin just needs a little evening out. It's light-weight and smooth, goes on extremely easily, and with Almay's Pure Blends Powder, it sets perfectly to avoid greasiness. Use an extra layer to get better coverage over spots and imperfections, but this foundation will make your skin feel soft and great. If you have large pores, I suggest using a good primer or moisturizer that will minimize them, because this foundation won't (not that many foundations will, though).
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August 28, 2011

Pros:

May match your skintone.

Cons:

Doesn't hide blemishes at all
Made gross looking streaks
Shade didn't even match? Weird

I thought this stuff would work good because I have a really hard time matching my skintone with makeup. This makeup sucked for my skin! It wouldn't cover anything unless I caked it on hardcore, and even then it made some of my acne look more brown then the rest of my skin. Absolutely hated this product, horrible. Only good for people who have light or NO acne or blemishes, scares, nothing. People who don't need foundation.
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