When it comes to skincare and makeup, beauty lovers know firsthand just how quickly prices can add up. You buy a serum here, indulge in a makeup brush there, and next thing you know half of your paycheck is gone. But one beauty vlogger just raised the ante on trying luxury products, where Tati Westbrook reviewed the "world's most expensive foundation," La Prairie's Skin Caviar Essence-In-Foundation.
Made by Swiss skincare brand La Prairie, it's the type of label that you find on the counters of Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, where an illuminating cream can set you back nearly $700. La Prairie is known to use the science of cell therapy in their products, and they combine their formulas with lux ingredients like caviar water, rare platinum, and even gold. So when they launched the Skin Caviar foundation in 2018, which is the first compact foundation infused with caviar water, that was seen as very on-brand. But is it worth its $195 price tag? Thankfully we have vloggers like Westbrook that find out the answer for us.
In the beginning of the video, Westbrook shared that she had a soft spot for La Prairie, where she loved one of their older foundations — and even gifted it to her sister — and enjoyed their tinted moisturizer and powder in the past, so she was well familiar with the brand.
Being a compact foundation, one needs to press down on the pad for the liquid foundation to come out. One of the concerns that Westbrook had was that the compact itself was bulky and gave the appearance that it held a ton of product (she mentioned it was the size of a hockey puck,) but she felt like one wouldn't be able to get a lot of uses out of it. The product details stated that there was one fluid ounce of product in the container, though, which is standard.
Westbrook also pointed out that the shade range was very limited, where the line catered predominantly to lighter skin tones. She did a side-by-side comparison of the lightest and darkest formula as swatches on her hand, and it wasn't a broad selection.
As for the formula itself, La Prairie is known for its high performing skincare, and there is cell therapy skincare inside the foundation, which is part of the reason why it's so expensive. A light coverage foundation with SPF 25, when Westbrook went on to put it on her face, she was pleasantly surprised. It was buildable, easy to blend, and gave a pretty,radiant texture to the skin. She felt like the product gave off a natural appearance, where she looked like she wasn't wearing any foundation, but had perfect, flawless skin.
But would the formula carry well throughout the day? After a full day of running around in California heat and working, Westbrook checked in during the evening and shared that the foundation didn't last well. Her husband felt like the makeup "looked like makeup," where it settled into her pores and fine lines and gave a caked-on effect.
About halfway through the wear test, the foundation began to dry and crack, which she thought made it not worth the price tag. Instead, Westbrook recommended saving your money and going with foundations like the Laneige BB Cushion Pore Blur, which is $38, the Dior Backstage Face & Body Foundation, which is $40, or the Wet N Wild Photo Focus Foundation, which is $6, and all of which don't bunch or crease like the $200 formula.
It's an official pass for Westbrook, and your bank account is safe for another day.
