Kosas recently unveiled a new product that caught my eye, their Revealer Skin Improving Foundation. I had really good success using their ever-popular tinted skin oil and thought I would try it since all the ads showed beautiful complexions. I was pretty much sold before I even touched it!
A few things drew me to this foundation aside from seeing the finish it produced on people’s skin. I really liked the fact that it had SPF in it. Albeit, it’s SPF 25 and I usually want at least 30, I at least have a bit of sun protection just from the foundation. I will say though, that 90% of the time, I use sunscreen as a primer so I get that protection most days.
Initial Details
The foundation claims to have medium coverage with a natural “dreamy” finish. Maybe people don’t like the word dewy and equate it with shiny or sweaty looking but in my experience, the finish of this foundation can be controlled by the base you use underneath. If you want it more natural (not matte, but leaning towards matte) don’t wear oils or heavy moisturizers underneath. When I want to punch up the dewiness, I make sure to use a dewier sunscreen, or I top things off with light facial oil to add some moisture.
Best Base options
I find that Cerave Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen with Sheer Tint gives me the most fantastic finish under a lot of my foundations. It hydrates, slightly evens out tone, and adds a touch of glowy sheen to the skin. Drunk Elephant Umbra Tinte is another good one that is hydrating, slightly evens out a tone (less than Cerave) and if I am choosing to use just oil to increase dewiness levels, then I like Farmacy Honey Grail, Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Oil or True Botanicals True Radiance Oil (renew).
Shade Range and Finish
I chose shade 200 light-medium neutral. This shade matches perfectly with my skin and I hope it matches through the Summer because I really like how it looks. There are 36 shades in the foundation range compared to the 16 available in the tinted skin oil which gives light to medium coverage. When I bought the tinted face oil, I got shade 6 which is a bit darker, so I have something if I get more color in the next few months.
I really love the radiant finish I can achieve with this foundation. The slight sheen I see on my forehead and high points of my cheeks just make me feel like my skin looks healthy, hydrated, and younger. My skin looks smoother in my eyes when I wear this foundation and does well holding up all day (9 am to 6 pm) pretty well.
Skincare Ingredients
The added benefit of this radiant to natural finish foundation is the skincare benefits. They made sure to include niacinamide and caffeine (evens tones and brightens), plant-based squalane, arnica, and provitamin b5 (soothes and balances the skin), peptides, and hyaluronic acid plump and smooth the skin. It also has the added benefits of UV and Blue-light protection due to the mineral-based SPF and artemisia flower.
Obviously, skincare outside of this foundation will matter the most — but having those extras are very appealing to me because every little bit counts!
Final Thoughts
I’d say this is a very well-rounded foundation for someone who wants a foundation with a nice finish. Offers some skincare benefits and SPF, and is fairly easy to get at a local store if you have Sephora near you. I’d also say this is on par with my other favorite foundation from Beautycounter, Skin Twin Foundation. Similar price point, different skincare benefits, but just as beautiful finish.
WHERE TO BUY
I had a lot of luck with their tinted oil foundation as well, and I am very curious about this one as well. I definitely want to try this one, thanks for the review, Claudia!
I have wanted to try something from Kosas for the longest time. The foundation looks fabulous on you. You look like summer!
Wow what a nice finish! It looks so beautiful on your skin and totally natural! I’m super into this “your skin but better” look. Gotta try this one for sure!