1906 The One A-Z Cream Hydra (Oriflame) Review

A small disclaimer – unfortunately, the images were corrupted, and I no longer have the products to take the pictures again… Sorry.

Does anyone else think that full-coverage foundations are losing their spotlight when it comes to makeup? Everyone is looking for breathable, looks like skin, natural looks more than full coverage from what I hear. For me, I like a full coverage foundation for occasions but every day (most of the time I can’t be bothered) but when I can, I do like a lighter foundation these days. There was a time when you wouldn’t catch me out of the house without a decent coverage foundation. What do you think?

Annoyingly and not surprisingly my skin was not a fan of a constant full-coverage foundation, I know shocking, right? I went on a bit of a hunt to find a CC or BB cream that would work. I never really understood the point of a foundation that wasn’t full coverage. The main point of make-up is to hide anything on your skin that you don’t like the look of. It baffled me that someone would go through the effort of putting a foundation on if it weren’t going to cover their blemishes. Now I realise that most of the time a lighter foundation will help reduce blemishes so then eventually (not in my case) you may not need a full coverage foundation. My skin is a pain in the butt and always wants to be red and I have quite bad breakouts still. At the end of the day, it’s not something you should feel you need to hide. If I want to hide it then yes, I will wear a full coverage foundation but for the days I don’t care, why go through the effort of a full coverage foundation, am I right?

So, on my hunt to find one. I accepted early on that I probably would have trouble with shades which is another factor that always put me off. I knew if I found one, I wanted to try then I would likely need to get the lightest shade and hope for the best. I found this one by the brand Oriflame. I believe I paid around £7 for it which is pretty good compared to moisturisers and foundations. A lot cheaper than foundation which is typically 20mls for £15 or more. Now, this product doesn’t state if it is a CC or BB cream, but it is cream and a tint, so I am going to assume that it is one of the above.

On to the product. So how many of your love a glass bottle foundation? How many of you prefer a pump? There are so many ways to package foundation, I thought it was a standard thing, but it isn’t. I don’t like the ones you have to pour out, I think they are such a waste. So, straight off the bat, I like the packaging of this one. It is smooth, appealing, and easy to use, the box it comes in is recyclable and overall, it is just great. There is no pump to get dried out, there is no tiny bit right at the bottom that you can’t reach.

They do lose half a point because of the cardboard box the items come in but that does give it a luxury feel. Even though it is luxurious, it is unnecessary packaging. I am trying to be mindful of the amount of waste I am creating. I am never going to be zero waste but if I can cut down here and there, why not? One major factor for me (but a boring adult one) is the SPF, I am TERRIBLE at remembering to put an SPF on. It is so ridiculously important that we wear SPF, you only get one set of skin. I know SPF is not always high quality in a foundation, but it is better than nothing right (hopefully).

This one has SPF 30 which is good, but I heard that to get the full 30 factors you would have to apply quite a generous amount. I am aware that due to the level of pale that I am, I am going to need a minimum of factor 50 so this isn’t perfect but a good start. I am not sure if it works like this so let me know in the comments if I bought a 20 SPF cream and used it as well as the 30 SPF CC cream, would that add together to make factor 50 or will it not work like that?

The pricing isn’t a bad price. What would you say is acceptable for a for want of a better word ‘drug store’ cc cream? I think the maximum I would pay for a CC cream would be £15, but I would have to love it and be able to test the shade. This one you can pick up for £12 if you are unlucky and it’s not on an offer but they do quite often stick in on an offer. They usually have it at £8 or £9 which is a steal if you ask me. Most of the foundations you buy in Superdrug or Boots are more than £10.

So, to discuss the product and tell you what I think. The one thing I love about this one is they do two formulas; one is called hydra (I am guessing that’s short for hydrating) and they do a hydra matte one. I think I will prefer the matte one, but I am trying to use things up, so I haven’t had the chance to try the matte one. I will be back to tell you more about that one later.

The consistency is quite loose but not so loose that when you squeeze it onto a hand or a sponge that it will run straight off, you will get a bit of spreading but it is manageable. It made sense why it came in a tube with the consistency it is. CC creams typically have a lighter finish, so I was never expecting full coverage. Having said that, it’s not bad you know. If you are someone who doesn’t have problematic skin or not much redness you could probably get away with this. Luckily, although it is a cc cream, the layering factor is there. I don’t do it too often, if I am having a bad skin day, I will usually only layer on the darker red areas just to give an extra stamp over it. I try not to layer foundations because my oily skin doesn’t allow for it forgivingly.

I haven’t tried with a brush, mostly because I never use a foundation brush now. I couldn’t even tell you the last time I tried applying foundation with a brush. I would probably look very awkward if I tried because I would be very rusty. With a sponge (I use the real techniques sponge) it blends easily but dries quickly so I wouldn’t recommend splodging all over your face and then blending, I would pop a bit on the sponge, do a bit of your face and go back in for more. I tend to do 1 cheek, 1 cheek, and forehead (popping the excess on the chin and nose and then going into the t zone last. Then just spend a few seconds blending and getting the coverage you want.

Now I have told you what I do like about this product I thought it is only fair if I share the few bits that I don’t LOVE about the product because we like to be honest and true around here. There is only a couple of things I don’t like. One of the biggest ones is the screw-on lid, now although I like the tube aspect because it is lightweight and easy to use. Screwing the lid on the product to keep it safe (not leaking or being contaminated) while trying to balance the product on your hand and most likely in the morning, is a very easy task to get on your nerves. I mean you might drop it; you must get the thread right etc, but I do get why it screw-on.

I have noticed this across the brand products, not just this product but they do not put the instructions on the product. (I know what you are saying, it is a foundation, so why do you need instructions) but a lot of foundations do have ‘apply to face’ or something along those lines. The instructions with this brand are typically on the box. Please put your hands up if you do not keep the box! I don’t. I recycle them. It is not the end of the world; it would be nice if you write what it is on the product.

I am not sure if anyone else does this but when I get a new product, I try it out at night when I don’t have to go anywhere so I can see how it applies, see the finish, and mostly decide if I hate it or I want to give it a full day’s wear. You don’t want to be in a business meeting, cough and your foundation all comes off on your hands, right?

Does anyone else do this? Between the meeting scenario and having to waste time playing around when you are trying to get ready (which is a nightmare already) I just like to know what I am working with. As I mentioned above, the main downfall of the product (for me) is that it seems to break up after about 4-5 hours and it is hard to cover or patch with powder as it sort of melts away, especially around the nose area. This could be because of my skin or the fact that I am not using the matte one. I would be interested to see if the matte ones stay on my skin better (stay tuned to find out).

I have noticed that it takes a second to settle and look right at the skin. It looks a bit sketchy right off the bat but gives it a second. Let it warm up to your skin, don’t just introduce it and then bat it off the playing field. It’s very shiny when it first goes on. It is a very natural skin-looking finish.

So then, overall. I like it, but I don’t love it. It is probably not the best suited for my skin. I am excited to try the matte version which this one is all used up. I will maybe do half and half when I get close to the end just to see a comparison. I would recommend giving it a go, you never know how it will work out because everyone has different skin. It is perfect for a quick meeting, or your everyday simple makeup look. I would probably choose a different one for a long day or if I were going out though.

I think, at least for me, this is a great everyday foundation, it is quick and easy to apply, natural-looking, and perfect for a meeting, or maybe a business lunch. I would maybe be a bit of a touch-up here and there and be prepared for reapplying if you are wanting to go out after work or are travelling for a long time. My skin doesn’t hold foundation well, most of the breakup on me by lunchtime, I haven’t found a foundation that doesn’t break up for my skin. You need a powder to hand for this one. I found sometimes when topping up with powder the CC cream was coming off a bit, but I think that was more to do with my oily skin than the product.

I will leave a link below but please let me know in the comments if you have used this one or if you want to.