Hema Natural Skin liquid foudation
Fresh Faces (face base & makeup),  Makeup,  Tested by me (reviews & swatches)

Hema Natural Skin Foundation #02, natural effect foundation – review and swatch

Finding the right liquid foundation is really hard and it’s even harder for “daily” products and those specific for dry or combination skin. Here’s my first review about some of the new liquid foundations I’ve tried and been using since my arrival in the UK. Today’s is about Hema Natural Skin Foundation in the shade 02 I was very high in hopes with


Hema
Natural Skin Foundation is part of the beauty range offered by Hema, a retailer with a huge catalogue covering a bit of everything (from home accessories to stationery, food and kitchen tools to bath and beauty item). It’s reminiscent of Flying Tiger, just less childish yet still colourful. Hema Natural Skin Foundation is a foundation ‘that mixes effortlessly on the skin for a natural effect’ and with a description like this and a ridiculous price, I had to give it a go.

Hema Natural Skin Foundation: product & packaging

Hema Natural Skin Foundation #02 is a liquid foundation with an adjustable coverage and natural finish. Its packaging is really basic: a 30ml plastic tube with minimal design and a transparent panel allowing to understand how much product is left.

Formula & texture
Its formulation is liquid and hydrating described as “ultra-lightweight” in texture and able to “blend effortlessly”. It doesn’t contain perfume and it’s dermatologically tested. It sounds no-irritating and so it is. Hema Natural Skin Foundation is extremely fresh when applied and I’ve found its texture quite runny and tacky. It tends to dry fast but not uniformly and it keeps “moving” while one tries to spread it, thus its coverage isn’t even. Despite the fresh sensation, it results tacky and its scent is fresh but weird and artificial. The formula seems to have no natural key ingredients and it clogs the pores with a frequent usage.

Hema Natural Skin Foundation in action
No filter, no other makeup or primer on: dewy finish but enlarged clogged pores (forehead), dark circles still evident

Shade & finish
Hema Natural Skin Foundation comes in 4 shades in total. In the e-shop, these colour options are grouped in two shades roses and two of beige, despite every and each foundation is described as “brown” on the same website. The package has no description or indication of the shade except for the given number. Unfortunately, the shop lightning was of no help and Hema Natural Skin Foundation #02 turned up to be a salmon pink with a pink undertone. The undertone isn’t warmer as expected from a salmon hue, thus it isn’t warm enough to correct dark circles which become grey. The finish is very natural and surprisingly luminous: this Hema foundation doesn’t contain any reflecting particles but it creates a dewy look, a supple and radiant appearance.

Time to simplify…

PROS
low price
natural look
dewy finish
fresh sensation

CONS
tacky texture
uneven coverage and drying time
comedogenic
poor colour selection

I was looking for an inexpensive foundation to use frequently for an easy and natural makeup look for work, so I used it extremely often with some breaks (no-makeup days) in between to avoid extra stress. During the first few weeks, I was quite happy with Hema Natural Skin Foundation’s freshness and hydrating feeling, as well as for the convenient price of my brand new foundation. The price let me forget about the time I needed to apply it… I was so happy and positive with the purchase, that I showed A. my new purchase with great enthusiasm while Skype-ing with her. We were talking about new beauty buys and discoveries, you could imagine my mom’s (no) interest in this part of the conversation…

Back to Hema Natural Skin Foundation: the more I used it, the more tricky it became and my pores started to clog, even in those dry areas where my skin is more sensitive and lacks in hydration. No matter my conscious and savvy attitude, I had to throw away this foundation with still some product left. Why risking my skin health for a cheap product? I’ve taken the right choice at the end… You can guess, my experience wasn’t positive and, despite I loved the fresh look I had with little sleep. You can find Hema Natural Skin Foundation in any Hema store or online at 4.25£ but I warn you: it’s not a good bargain…

Valentina Chirico aka Valens

Valentina Chirico: a past as an archaeologist, a present as an editor between London and Bedfordshire. An expat born in Southern Italy from an expat family. She holds an MA in Egyptology from the University of Birmingham and contributed as a co-author and postgraduate ambassador to the UoB PG Recruitment Blog before fully embarking on online editing. Besides archaeology, beauty and arts, this alumna loves travelling and shares an uncommon sense of humour. Online since 2009 with ValentinaChirico.com and later with ItalianMemories, Valentina is a storyteller and wants to inspire you a good laugh or to aim higher, to the stars.

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Italian Memories, Italian culture and lifestyle, semi-serious travel guide, Valentina Chirico