I normally wear luxury foundation, but this pore-blurring £10 base has exceeded all my expectations
Lightweight with a polished finish, Max Factor's long-lasting base took me by surprise
My beauty collection has no class system. A quick rootle around my makeup bag would reveal chemist lip balms nestled in with designer eyeliner, and I truly believe the best mascaras are budget high street buys.
However, I'd be lying if I denied gravitating towards the luxury end of things when it comes to foundation, because frankly, you do tend to get what you pay for. I find this especially true of the best lightweight foundations - the pricier ones are stuffed with skincare ingredients and have elegant formulas that do a better job of looking like great skin, not makeup.
But as with any rule, there are exceptions. And after deviating from my go-to £40+ base to try a £10 option in the name of professional research, It turned out to be a long-lasting pore-blurring buy that's really worth shouting about.
Unlike many bases launching at the moment, which have a high water content and very sheer coverage, this has a creamy, 'proper' foundation feel and a polished finish that I'd describe as satiny. This makes Lasting Blur an excellent choice if you have any redness in your skin, oil on the T-zone, or get all hot for seemingly no reason (all three for me!) as it maintains a softly mattified look without being flat.
The formula contains mineral pigments, and that's where the blurring effect comes in. It certainly does a nice job of deflecting from the larger pores around my nose and forehead. The coverage level can be built up, so you could put a tiny blob on a damp sponge and bounce it around for more of a wash, or add a bit more with a firm brush for medium-level coverage.
(l) Beauty Awards ready with Max Factor on my face (r) my bottle of Lasting Blur
The thing that really stands out with this base, and where a lot of budget-friendly foundations fall down, is the way it lasts. I went from a 3 pm application right to the end of a busy, warm and mildly boozy night (our woman&home beauty awards 2026 celebration to be precise) without experiencing any oxidisation of the colour or creasing into the lines around my eyes.
That's a very strong performance for a £10 base, and though I noticed my chin perhaps could have used a little top-up by bedtime at 11pm-ish, you really can't knock that staying power. I'd try a 'foundation sandwich' technique with some powder and setting spray next time in oil-prone areas; I imagine it would resolve that snag nicely.
Shade-wise, there are 18 options, and I'd say each one is fairly adaptable, although in the age of 30+ strong shade ranges, a few more wouldn't hurt. Oh, and if you have very dry or rough-textured skin, you might find even the softly mattifying nature of this not quite right.
These are only very small things, of course. Like a Strictly judge commenting on a talented celebrity's every tiny foible, I'm nitpicking because this foundation is pretty fabulous, especially for the price, and definitely outperformed all my expectations.
