Minimalism for Makeup Purists: Gressa Skin Minimalist Corrective Serum Foundation

GFoundation2 One of the things I love most about green beauty is the uniqueย innovation involvedย in creating healthy, cutting-edgeย products. I admire green beauty brands that constantly bridge the gap between high-quality makeup and beneficial skincare. One such brand is Gressa Skin. I’ve loved Gressa since the beginning with their gentle and pure skincare products. Now, the brandย has an outstanding full line of cosmetics: Minimalist Glamour featuringย liquid foundation, liquid contouring serum, liquid highlighter, and their bestselling Lip Boosts (my review here).

While visiting myย sister in Portland a few months ago, I also met up with Gressa’s founder, Svetlana for coffee. It was so fun to meet her in person and chat about everything from her company’s story to everyday life, and she kindly gave me a bag of goodies, including theย newย Minimalist Corrective Serum Foundation*ย to try. ย Whileย I don’t usually wear foundation everyday, I was definitely curious about these new products especially with their claims to be high-quality, pigmented, and full of nourishing, healing botanical extracts.

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The Minimalist Corrective Serum Foundation*ย ($48) is a true gem. As far as high-quality, natural makeup goes, this product is a game-changer. The formula is smooth, lightweight and gentle yet provides serious medium to full coverage.ย The foundation glides on skin and never leaves my face feeling cakey or weighed down, pores do not feel clogged either. You only need a tiny bit to apply to the whole face, I usually use only 2-3 drops of product. Application is as easy as applying a facial serum; when I’m in a rush I like blending and patting the product into skin with my fingers. But I recommend using a beauty sponge or better yet, Gressa’sย new vegan Immaculate Buffing Brush* ($31) which isย the perfect shape and size for buffing in product and results in a more airbrushed finish.

This foundationย has a unique, natural liquid-to-powder finish so I find I don’t really need any other powder to set it.ย The end result is a radiant but semi-matte look and though I’ve found the foundationย to be pleasantly hydrating on my dry skin, I recommend using a light moisturizer prior to applying if your skin is like mine.ย The liquid-to-powder formula does leave me with tiny flakey spots on the dry areas of my face and those areas become quite matte for my skin.

GFoundation3My favorite aspect of this foundation is that it really does feel more like a facial serum than a foundation and has an amazing formula to vouch for it. Infused with tons ofย beneficial organic ingredients like broccoli seed oil, barberry extract, licorice root extract, and neem extract among many, this foundation not only hydratesย and provides excellent coverage, it heals and nourishes skin at the same time.ย The Minimalist Corrective Serum Foundation also contains Gressa Skin’sย proprietary blend of botanical extracts, the GRESSA Healing Complex which provides skin with overall balance, radiance and clarity, while minerals provide tone-correcting coverage. I can definitely tell my skintone looks more balanced overall and less red while wearing this foundation as well as after I remove it.

I don’t often use full-coverage foundation but when I go out to events or fancy parties where there’ll be lots of picture-taking, this foundation would be my first-choice product to last all night long. It gives you that photo-readyย airbrushed, flawless finishย with naturalย ingredients that are gentle and beneficial for skin. My skin never looks red, inflamed or feels irritated after use, unlike many other foundations I’ve tried,ย and my skin seems to look healthy, if not better even after removing the product from my face. Thisย unique product is definitely up to par, if not superior to mainstream high-quality foundations!

GressaFoundation3The Minimalist Corrective Serumย Foundation comes in a range of 8 shades, perfect for a varietyย of skintones. I wear the shade 03ย or, “Light Medium” and it matches flawlessly with my olive, cool-leaning undertones. It’s usually tough for me to get the perfect match for foundation or concealer but I was surprised at how muchย the Gressa Skinย Foundation looked like my skin. Gressa’s website has a “Shade Guide”ย detailing each foundation shade. You can email a photo of yourself with details about your skintone and other foundation shades you use.ย I highly recommend finding swatches on the web or contacting Gressa Skinย to find your perfect foundation match. (Svetlana is a shade-matching genius!)GressaFoundationFace(Photo: Face before foundation, face with foundation.)

Next up, I’m dying to try Gressa Skin’s Contouring Serum Bronzer! I’ve never tried a product like that and if it’s anything like the foundation formula (which I’m sure it is), it’s sure to be a hit in my book.GressaFoundation2

Purchase the Minimalist Corrective Serum Foundationย for $48 (.5oz/ 15mL) at Gressa Skin. There’s also a convenient giftย set with the Foundation, Illuminating Serum, buffing brush, and a lip boost you can purchase here.ย Check out the bestsellingย Minimalist Glamour collection here and the brand’s bestsellersย here.

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

Have you tried any of Gressa Skin’s Minimalist Glamour products? Have you tried the Minimalist Correct Serum Foundation? Whatย otherย natural foundation products do you like?

 

*Products were kindly provided to me for consideration. As always, all opinions are honest and my own.

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22 Comments

  1. Reply

    Sarita Rosenhaus Coren

    December 29, 2014

    That before and after photo says everything (pretty before AND after, btw)! The second I tried this foundation, I knew it was a sensation — better than most that I’ve tried. Love your in-depth review, Kasey.

    • Reply

      Kasey

      December 29, 2014

      Sarita, you are too sweet! This foundation is definitely the best one I’ve used in a while! Glad you’re liking it as well ๐Ÿ™‚ Thanks for reading!

  2. Reply

    Mademoiselle nature (@MlleNature)

    December 29, 2014

    Looking really tempting! the skin is still matte after a few hours?x

    • Reply

      Kasey

      December 29, 2014

      The finish is more radiant/semi-matte but definitely does not look oily at all! It does last the whole day but I find I could add powder to areas like my T-zone throughout the day. I think it also depends on your skintype.

  3. Reply

    Jana

    December 29, 2014

    Wow it looks beautiful on you!<3 I'm still waiting for my parcel with this beauty to arrive!! Hope it will be this year ๐Ÿ˜€ xx

    • Reply

      Kasey

      December 29, 2014

      Thanks Jana! Oh I can’t wait to hear your thoughts! What shade did you order? Hope you love it as much as I do ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. Reply

    greenproductjunkie

    December 30, 2014

    Great review…I’m even more intrigued now…

    • Reply

      Kasey

      December 30, 2014

      Thanks Katie! ๐Ÿ™‚ I think you’d love the formula, it’s definitely very unique as far as natural foundations go.

  5. Reply

    Ashley Rose (@Damederose)

    December 30, 2014

    Oh this looks amazing, I got excited reading about it. ๐Ÿ™‚ I’ve been mixing in my mineral foundation with a serum lately, but I’d love to try this!

    • Reply

      Kasey

      December 30, 2014

      Ashley, this product really is that amazing! ๐Ÿ™‚ If you’re a serum + mineral foundation gal, this is gonna look and feel even better on your skin. Would love to know if you try it out!

  6. Reply

    Hephzibah (@GFMGFY)

    December 30, 2014

    I am so obsessed with this product – enjoying all the reviews that are popping up! Agreed with Sarita, both before and after photos are lovely, and I like how it evens slightly without looking like a mask . I think lots of green brands foundation that do that well, but this looks so healthy and natural.

    I’ve tried mixing serums and foundations in the past and always found that it rolled up on my skin (does that make any sense? Like, it wouldn’t stay on my skin but formed little foundation balls…), so I’d be really interested to see how this one applied.

    Wow, essay much… sorry! Great review ๐Ÿ™‚ x

    • Reply

      Kasey

      December 30, 2014

      Thanks Hephzibah, you’re too sweet! Haha, no I love essay comments! (And that was not an essay!) I agree, this foundation is very healthy looking and it also feels great too. You’re right, it definitely corrects the skin’s overall tone subtly enough so it looks natural and not like you’re really wearing makeup. I know what you mean by foundation or facial products “balling” up on skin. I’ve found some products that do that do my skin and I think it’s either due to the formulas being too dry for my skin or because I haven’t primed/moisturized my dry face well enough. Do you have dry skin? The Gressa Foundation does not do that to my face and is pretty moisturizing all-over. I’ve only experienced small dry spots on the areas of my face that are usually dry from time to time if I don’t remember to moisturize.

      Hope you get to try this product out, I’d love to know your thoughts! ๐Ÿ™‚

  7. Reply

    julie (@dreamlivemaui)

    December 31, 2014

    beautiful review Kasey, you help me finally to make a choice ๐Ÿ™‚ x

    • Reply

      Kasey

      January 1, 2015

      Thanks Julie, so glad I could help you! ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. Reply

    Ana Green (@Anagoesgreen)

    January 2, 2015

    You have simply amazing skin and the foundation has me super curious I must order something soon Xx

    • Reply

      Kasey

      January 2, 2015

      Aw thank you Ana, I am blushing! ๐Ÿ˜› I awe all my skin’s healthy appearance to all the amazing natural skincare I’ve been using and my healthier eating/exercising habits.

      You should definitely get your hands on this foundation, it’s great! I love that it hydrates and protects my skin rather than create breakouts/clog my pores. Plus, it lasts all day and requires only a few drops for application. I can’t recommend it enough! ๐Ÿ™‚

  9. Reply

    Amber

    January 6, 2015

    Ahhhh I need to try this! You have beautiful skin anyway but it just makes your skin look flawless!

    • Reply

      Kasey

      January 7, 2015

      Aw thanks Amber! I definitely recommend you try this foundation, it’s amazing! Would love to know your thoughts ๐Ÿ™‚

  10. Reply

    Nicole (@LiveLoveGreenIt)

    January 7, 2015

    Great review, so in depth. Lilly from Genuine Glow was kind enough to send me a bottle of this foundation. It truly is unlike any other product out there. xo

    • Reply

      Kasey

      January 7, 2015

      Thanks Nicole! ๐Ÿ™‚ Wow that was so nice of Lilly, I’m glad your loving this foundation too!

  11. Reply

    Ru (@shortsmallsweet)

    January 8, 2015

    Your skin looks soooo good! Sometimes I still struggle with application of this foundation… I moisturize & tone properly beforehand, and use about 2 drops for the entire face, and I still get dry patches. I tried using fingers and brush method and they give the same results. Maybe it’s my skin that’s finicky!

    • Reply

      Kasey

      January 9, 2015

      *blushing* Thanks Ru! ๐Ÿ™‚ I can definitely see how this foundation can be a bit of a struggle. I also see dry patches on my skin that last throughout the day, mostly unnoticeable though. Perhaps it’s just the nature of this product’s matte formula? Or maybe your skin still just does not agree with it ๐Ÿ™ It’s a very unique formula that should be moisturizing enough even for dry skin but I find the matte finish can perhaps cause even more dryness. Hope you find a solution to wear it soon!

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