Gressa Corrective Serum Foundation and Lip Boost in Bare

Gressa Serum Foundation

Gressa Lip Boost Bare

The Gressa Minimalist Corrective Serum Foundation is one of the few makeup products that I have tried, since my switch to green beauty that does not make me miss my old, conventional favorites–at all. Not only does it provide enough coverage and make my skin look better, but it does not even feel like foundation on the skin. You probably know what I am talking about: that gross feeling of having something caking up on your skin (maybe to the point of wanting to scratch it off after a few hours from the application?!). Instead, when I wear this foundation I completely forget that I am wearing it. How cool is that?!

The consistency is runny. It looks and feels like a lightweight serum. However, it almost immediately sets to a powder finish. The powder-y finish makes it sit on the skin without slipping all over the face, but it does not give a dry, cake-y, aging look. In fact, the finish is quite luminous…in a good way (probably because of the minerals in it). I have combination skin, and the luminosity of this foundation does not make me look more oily. It gives a subtle sheen, that looks very pretty and youthful. I absolutely adore this type of finish.

The coverage is medium. It is pigmented enough to correct discoloration, however being that the texture is very thin I am not sure if or how it would conceal an angry blemish (haven’t had one of those in a while, thank God!). In fact I do not usually add any concealer, because all of the shadows and pigmentation are sufficiently covered. Overall, I think that the coverage and finish would please most people. The company recommends using 2-4 drops for the entire face. However, I use about 5-6 and I apply it even under my eyes as a concealer. Having a luminous finish, I find that it actually works very well to brighten the under eye area and it does not sit into fine lines. I also use an additional 2 drops on my neck, so that means I use about 8 drops of product with each application to get the coverage that I prefer.

While Gressa makes the Air Focus Foundation Brush, that is specifically designed to blend this foundation (and works very well for that purpose) I do favor my fingers for the application. The fact that I can apply the product with my fingers as if it was skincare is one of my favorite things about it, not to mention it only takes me about a minute to do it and maybe another minute to properly blend it on my neck. Two minutes and my skin is done. I mean, come on–two minutes!

As for which skin types this foundation would suit, I think that all skin types can use it, as long as the skin is properly prepared. Some reviewers found that he foundation would cling to dry patches, but I have not experienced that. I do find however, that after 7-8 hours the area around my nose starts to wear off a bit, but the rest of my face looks even better than upon application. It looks like my skin gets better throughout the day, instead of starting to look worse. I cannot explain how this happens, but that is what it looks like to me (and my husband agrees).

Here’s the shade range:

Gressa Foundation Shades
Gressa Serum Foundation Swatches

Gressa offers 8 shades going from very fair to dark. The undertones change with each shade, so each skin tone may not find an exact undertone match. For example, the fairest shade, #1, has a yellow undertone, while the second fairest shade, #2, has a peachy/pink undertone. The deeper shades (numbers 6, 7, 8) tend to oxidize slightly, while the lighter ones stay pretty much the same, at least on my skin, (at least that is what I noticed while swatching them on my arm). I wear shade #4, which is a medium shade with strong golden undertones, that matches my body skin tone perfectly.

This is how Gressa describes the shades on their website, which I find to be an accurate description:

01 Warm Porcelain, pale shade with subtle yellows

02 Fair-Light, pink undertones

03 Light Medium, olive/slightly warmer undertones

04 Medium, golden yellow undertones

05 Medium-Tan, neutral undertones

06 Tan, warm undertones

07 Light Deep, yellow undertones

08 Deep, red undertones

If you are still unsure about which shade to pick, Gressa offers personalized consultations. You can even tell them which shade of another foundation brand suits you, and they’ll find the best match for you. That shrinks the chance that you will purchase the wrong shade for yourself.

*Update* Check out the new shade 3.5 in the swatches below. Keep in mind that my skin tone is light with yellow-golden undertones and that my perfect match is shade #3 during Winter and 4 in Spring/Summer.

https://www.instagram.com/p/9B_3GCQvSn/?taken-by=lillygenuineglow

Full list of Ingredients:

*Brassica oleracea (Broccoli) Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Silica, GRESSA Healing ComplexTM *Silymarin, *Neem (Azadirachta indica) Extract,*Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) Extract, *Lemon Balm (Melissa officianalis) Extract, *Barberry (Berberis vulgaris) Extract, *Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) Seed Extract, *Elder Flower (Sambucus nigra) Extract, *Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia) Extract, Licorice Root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate Non-GMO, Coenzyme Q10, Ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate, (Vitamin C), *lecithin, *glycerin, mica, iron oxides, titanium oxide. *CERTIFIED ORGANIC

The list includes several beneficial ingredients such as Broccoli Seed Oil, which gives a silky, silicone-like feel to it; the Gressa Healing ComplexTM, which contains several botanical ingredients that are supposed to balance and heal the skin); Sea Buckthorn, and Coenzyme Q10, among the others. Some of you may be pleased to know that it does not contain any coconut oil, which is comedogenic and may cause milia, (as I unfortunately experienced with the RMS Beauty Un Cover Up).

With all that being said, I think that this foundation is brilliant and offers many benefits, from being easy and quick to apply to providing skin care benefits. The only one thing that I am not fond of is its scent, which is slightly metallic (??! maybe from Titanium Oxide?). It smells a bit like a physical sunscreen product. Other than that, I think that this one of my best finds of 2014.

Gressa Serum Foundation Review Before After

Lip Boost Bare*

The Lip Boost is a tinted balm with a slight shiny finish to it. It makes the lips feel soft and plump. The shade Bare* is the perfect my lips but better color. It is a sheer, rose-y color with a mauve tone to it (worn in the photo above on the right). I have not tried the other Lip Boosts, but some of them look more pigmented than Bare. I think that Bare is just meant to be an every day nude shade that does not wash out the lips, but is neutral and easy to wear. Although I do not prefer lip products that come in pots, I do think that the lip boost is lovely.

You can shop Gressa Skin here.

I am obviously in love with the foundation and hope that you will love it too if you give it a try. If you do try it, please make sure to come back and let me know how it works for you. Learning about your experience helps me to help other people to find products they need, and it is also great for the companies to have helpful feedback so they can make their products better. Never underestimate the importance of an honest, thorough product review. Next on my list to try from Gressa are the Contouring Serum Bronzer and their skincare ritual (cleanser, mist, and purifying oil). Have you guys tried any of those? If you have any questions about the products I reviewed, please leave a comment below.

Watch me using the Gressa Minimalist Corrective Serum Foundation in this video: Everyday Makeup.

**Foundation was purchased by me. Samples of the other shades, foundation brush and lip boost were kindly sent by Gressa after I let them know that I wanted to review the foundation. I am not affiliated with the company in any way and this is not a sponsored post. I just really like the product and wanted to share it with you.

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