Review: Kill Cover Stay Perfect Foundation (CLIO)

This product was sent to me by StyleKorean for review purposes. I was not paid for this post but please note that affiliate links are used on my blog. These go towards supporting Oh My Stellar and future content.

In my humble opinion, everyone is looking for the perfect foundation (unless you have perfect skin in which case, thanks – I am very jealous). I’ve personally been trying out a lot of different base cosmetics to try and find something that really works for me; my skin type has changed in recent years from very dry to combination-oily, which was a pretty big jump and can even vary depending on the seasons and weather. A lot of the foundation formulas that worked for me back in the days don’t anymore but, in general, I now prefer to use lightweight matte formulas.

The CLIO Kill Cover Cushion is one that I used back when I first started experimenting with cushions, but I haven’t tried out their foundation until now. This is the Kill Cover Stay Perfect Foundation, which is a liquid foundation that comes in a set with a “hydro makeup sponge”. It comes in four shades and I’ll be reviewing Lingerie (which is the equivalent of a shade 21 and my usual when it comes to their base cosmetics).

I received this from StyleKorean for reviewing purposes so, if you’re keen on getting this, it is available on their website for USD$36 – it is similarly priced in comparison to other CLIO products too, but liquid foundations will last much longer than cushions.

So, let’s get into it!

Product Description

The Kill Cover Stay Perfect Foundation is a liquid foundation from CLIO’s Kill Cover line, promising a light and natural coverage can that be build up without caking, as well as a long wearing finish that doesn’t ‘darken’ or slip. It also claims to be soothing and have anti-wrinkle care too through the use of Berryflux Vita, which is an ingredient extracted from raspberry stem cells with strong anti aging benefits. That being said, I don’t think I can vouch for this one; the effectiveness of skincare is generally minimal when used in cosmetics.

Here are the three main points in more detail:

• Thin, yet flawlessly powerful coverage: A mixture of skin-fitting covering covering powder of various sizes for light, natural coverage without clumping even after several applications.
• A new standard of long-lasting coverage: Contains an integrated time-proof network that keeps the foundation in place over time without caking to help maintain an oil and darkening-free, shimmer complexion.
• Semi-matte, skin-fit coverage free of smearing: Flawless, natural skin-fit without smearing or any sticky sensation. Light feather-cotton powder creates a subtle, semi-matte finish.

As I previously mentioned, this foundation comes in four different shades which would be the equivalent of a Korean 21 – 25 range. It’s not amazing but is actually relatively good considering that most K-beauty base products only have two shades. Descriptions are listed before:

• (No 2) Lingerie: Biege with pink hues
• (No 3) Linen: Natural beige with yellowish tones
• (No 4) Ginger: Medium beige for a lively complexion
• (No 5) Sand: Sand beige for a healthy skin tone

Packaging

This foundation comes in a set, which is great if you’re wanting to gift this! The actual box is quite large and has a nice print over it – the design is quite typical for CLIO so I don’t have much to say about that part. It has a spot UV gloss over the matte cardboard too which makes it feel a bit more premium. The overall design of the unit carton isn’t that luxe though but I think the actual bottle looks a lot better.

Opening it up, the foundation bottle is made of a frosted glass and has a simple shape that makes it easy to stand. It also has a black cap with gold detailing on the top, which features the embossed CLIO logo. The design looks high end and feels to be of a good quality too, though it is too heavy for me to recommend this for travel. In addition to that, it also has a simple pump applicator – nothing too fancy but the quality of the plastic is good and the pump works smoothly.

The best about about this foundation is that it also comes with a beauty sponge (or a beauty blender – what ever you prefer to call it)! This is called their Hydro Makeup Sponge, which is recommended to be used dampened. The sponge is very soft but also dense, allowing for smooth application over the skin. I also like the unique shape of this sponge which has a triangular top (for getting smaller areas), two broad flat sides (to use on cheeks and forehead) and also a curved bottom (which claims to enhance skin fit but really just works like an average sponge would).

I am personally in love with this sponge and I’m wondering if they sell it separately? It’s really easy to use and makes my make up application super fast (because of the flat sides). It’s also really soft and expands a lot when it’s dampened. It’s about palm sized for me.

Formula & Personal Experiences

As per the product claims, this is indeed a very lightweight formula that applies like a second skin. The foundation is a bit watery and a little goes a long way. I would generally dot this all over my face before blending it in, since it doesn’t dry too quickly and I like that the coverage can be built up by going over in thin layers. I will generally do that to cover up any blemishes or areas where my skin is more uneven.

I would consider this to have a medium buildable coverage.

I would personally consider the Stay Perfect Foundation more of a comfort matte finish, but I can see why it is called a semi-matte too. It does not have much shine or tackiness, so it doesn’t need to be powdered, but the look of this foundation is more natural and easy to wear than a typical matte formula. It does a good job of covering up blemishes, though it may struggle with darker pigmentation spots.

Longevity wise, this foundation gave me 6 hours of wear before oils started to peek out from around my t-zone. It did cake up a bit at my mouth and between my brows (which is very common for me), but was otherwise fairly intact. As long as I blotted during the day, and maybe did a minor touch up on my t-zone, this foundation actually lasted decently for my full 12 hour day. It also remained lightweight and the colour did not oxidise or darken – even at 12 hours of wear, I was confident that I could touch my face without any slip or smearing.

Above I have an example of the foundation applied on my hand for reference – it’s a perfect match for me and I usually wear a Korean shade 21, Estee Lauder Cool Bone 1C1 or Fenty 150. I was a little bit all over the place with my photographs this time around – I forgot to take a photo of the pump (there’s nothing special about it) and the foundation before I blended it out (sorry). However, I have tried to go as in depth as I could with this foundation.

In general, I like the formula of this because of how lightweight the formula is and also how easily the foundation builds up for coverage. The foundation does somewhat ‘blurs’ texture and pores, but I feel like very textured skin will still need a good pore filling primer. For myself, I preferred to use a mattifying primer underneath of this foundation – any hydrating primer would make the foundation break up too easily on me.

Since this product has a semi-matte formula, it doesn’t control my oils as well as I could hope and shine starts to peek through by the 6 hour mark but I can work around it. The formula doesn’t actually cake up except for in very oily areas (which I previously discussed) and can be easily fixed with blotting or a cushion. I would probably recommend this foundation for people with normal or combination skin type, but not those with very oily skin. It may work for dry skin types too, since it isn’t overly matte, but I’m not personally a good judge of that.

So, here’s the verdict!

SO WHAT IS IT?

A lightweight, semi-matte foundation with medium buildable coverage

THE GOOD

• Comes in a gift box – suitable for gifting
• The make up sponge is amazing: a very useful shape, expands well and is also very soft
• Luxe frosted glass bottle packaging
• Lightweight application that doesn’t slip or transfer
• Doesn’t need to be powdered – it fully dries
• Natural semi-matte finish
• Buildable coverage that doesn’t look heavy
• No oxidisation or darkening

THE BAD

• Doesn’t control oils – oils peek through by 6 hours
• Can cake a little bit in very oily areas
• Average pore and texture blurring – will need a primer

RATINGS

• PRICE POINT | 4/5
• PACKAGING | 4/5
• SHADE RANGE | 4/5
• FINISH | 4/5
• COVERAGE | 4/5
• LONGEVITY | 3/5
• BLURRING | 2/5

OVERALL RATING? 7.1/10

WOULD I RECOMMEND?

I will be continuing to use this foundation but I think that it still isn’t a perfect foundation for my skin. It does have some attributes that I love (the finish and the buildable pigmentation) so I would recommending this foundation for people with normal or combination skin – maybe even dry if you use a hydrating primer underneath.

However, if you having oily skin or even combination skin that leans heavily to the grease – I would not be recommending this one. It just doesn’t have any oil control properties. People who struggle with texture may also want to steer away from this one as creamier formulas will generally help to blur texture more.

WHERE TO GET IT FROM

The Kill Cover Stay Perfect Foundation was sent to me for review from StyleKorean to jump over to their website to get your shade for USD$36 each.

cliokbeautykorean makeupstylekorean