KVD Beauty good apple skin-perfecting foundation balm
What does it feel like?
The compact balm is made with apple extract (hence the name) and sodium hyaluronate, which promises to nourish and hydrate the skin.
It’s completely vegan too, along with the rest of the KVD Beauty range, and offers a matte finish.
On first impressions, it doesn’t look like a lot of product – despite containing 0.35oz – as it’s very slim. The packaging has no mirror or metal hinges which looks clean and minimal and makes it fully recyclable.
From all the TikTok videos we binge-watched, users can be seen applying a wide stripe of product onto their cheek that’s completely opaque. As a result, we were expecting a thick, heavy texture akin to a rich moisturiser but it has a very thin consistency, the kind you’d expect from a gel-cream highlighter.
It feels super soft and creamy on the skin but weightless at the same time, without that thick feeling most full coverage foundations have.
Our reviewer’s often oily, combination skin has recently been plagued by severe dryness thanks to acne medication, so this felt like a soothing texture that would aid both skin types without leaving skin looking flat.
How good is the coverage?
It’s undoubtedly full coverage but we’d describe this as a modern matte, without that chalky, cakey feeling that can often occur with a full coverage formula.
It’s easy to understand why the before and after shots on TikTok are so dramatic, there’s not an imperfection it doesn’t cover. We had a particular sore hormonal breakout dotted along our chin which it concealed completely and there was not a spot of redness to be seen once applied.
On one side of our face, we used the KVD Beauty lock it edge foundation brush #10 (£26, Boots.com), which we loved in our guide to the best vegan make-up brushes.
It has a sculpted shape that follows the contour of your cheekbones, under the eye and along the jawline, ideal for ensuring even coverage.
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Dipping it directly into the compact a couple of times instantly delivers an almost opaque layer of product that’s so full coverage we skipped concealer.
On the other side, we used a damp beauty blender, which if you’re more sensitive like our reviewer, felt much more comfortable on the skin – especially on dry patches – while still remaining full coverage.
One thing to note, however, if you’re particularly dry, make sure you moisturise and prep skin properly before using this foundation to avoid it clinging to dry areas and looking patchy.
Does it last?
Once we’d applied to our whole face, we skipped powder to see how well the matte formula held up and finished the rest of our make-up routine as usual.
Due to the balmy texture, we’d recommend using cream formulas for the most complementary finish when it comes to your blusher, bronzer or highlighter, as we found they blended seamlessly and layered well on top of the foundation.
After three hours of wear, there was a healthy-looking glow to the skin which we loved, it was the sort of radiance you try to achieve with a foundation with a dewy finish, but it didn’t look greasy at all.
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By the time we came to remove it, nine hours later, it had begun to gather in drier areas, most prominently under our eyes and the sides of our nose.
It’s also important to note that very few, if any, foundations will last longer than 12 hours without looking patchy or fading throughout the day, and being in lockdown, there’s little need for them too either.
That said, while the brand says it can be used on oily skin, we’d recommend steering clear if managing shine is your biggest concern, as it’s likely this formula will make it worse and could leave you looking greasy.