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Despite what celebrities and magazines of yore would have us believe, drinking an exorbitant amount of water won’t give you glowy skin. Instead, the small group of people who make up Hollywood’s elite maintain regular, intense skin regimens. Even fewer of them get time with makeup artist Patrick Ta.
Glow-maker to Salma Hayek, Joan Smalls, and more stars, Ta has now bottled his interpretation of the ideal radiance-boosting foundation formula: Major Skin Hydra Luxe Luminous Skin Perfecting Foundation. “When I'm working with clients, I found myself always making a cocktail mixture of different ones to get what I wanted,” he says. “I wanted to make sure that every aspect of the formula fit the look I love to create for my clients—a ‘lit-from-within’ effect.”
Ta’s 30-shade collection promises buildable coverage and long-lasting wear. “It’s loaded with lightweight, high-shine emollients that provide a radiant finish,” says cosmetic chemist Amanda Lam. The formula omits silicones, she adds, which allows it to play well with other products.
The new base product also boasts hydrating and skin-smoothing ingredients, including humectant hyaluronic acid and emollient squalane. The latter, Lam says, can replenish oil and improve your skin’s barrier.
As someone who strives for that I’ve-been-chugging-water-all-day glow (again, that’s not actually possible, but a girl can dream, right?), I was thrilled to get my hands on this formula in 15 Golden Neutral, a perfect shade match for me. For application guidance, I looked to makeup artist Joseph Carrillo: He suggests sweeping it on with a dense foundation brush in small, circular motions. “This ensures an even application,” he explains. “Then, use a beauty sponge to press the product into the skin, giving it a smooth, airbrushed finish.”
Just two pumps (that I dispensed straight onto my face) hid the redness I was having around my cheeks and nose, giving me a more even-looking complexion. I added an extra pump for fuller coverage, creating a complexion that looked like skin but better. Its finish is not wet, glittery, or greasy—it’s more like the delicate shine of a ribbon. (Very demure.)
The thin liquid took little effort to blend across my skin for a seamless finish—but tapping it with a beauty sponge as a last step did give me an even more airbrushed finish. After applying, I stood in front of the window to “find my light.” It took no effort whatsoever.
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It lasted for hours, but after a sweaty day walking around the city, I did find myself looking a little too shiny. Nothing a few gentle sweeps of my setting powder (the Supergoop (Glow)setting Powder 100% Mineral SPF 35) couldn’t fix.
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I rarely feel comfortable applying a foundation with my hands, but this formula blended perfectly using just my fingertips. I love how lightweight and breathable it is—and I really can't overstate how easy it is to blend. The finish is skin-like, not too dewy or too matte. It played well with the rest of my makeup and didn't feel cakey after I finished my full beat. I can definitely see adding this to my rotation of go-to foundations.
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This is among the least foundation-y foundations I’ve used lately, and in my eyes, that’s a really good thing. I love the flexible coverage: I used a light hand when applying it on my cheeks and forehead (with a flat foundation brush), added a little more under my eyes instead of concealer, and the formula built up beautifully—no creasing.
I rarely wear foundation, but when I do, I prefer a lightweight, medium-coverage formula that looks like my natural complexion while covering up any redness I might be experiencing. Patrick Ta’s new formula gives me exactly that and more. It blends easily with a dense foundation brush, never piling up or caking around my laugh lines and nose. It also plays well with my skin care and other makeup (such as my contour and blush), never separating or transferring as the day progresses. Of course, during a recent heat wave (coupled with intense humidity), my T-zone got a bit oily, but with a touch of setting powder, the shine was gone. The best part: Shade 17 (Golden Peach) is identical to my olive-toned, slightly tan skin.
Patrick Ta is pretty much the king of glow, so I was pretty stoked, to say the least, when I learned he was launching a liquid foundation. (I have nothing against creams or powders, I just prefer the former.) Because I deal with redness on/around my nose, and some near my brows (how fun!), I look for a lightweight formula that’s easy to build up as needed (and doesn’t cake with additional layers). I’m happy to report Major Skin is aces on all fronts. My skin still looks like my skin (I’m 10 Neutral), but texture is diffused and my complexion is noticeably more radiant. We love a soft-glow moment.
"If it doesn't glow, it's a no-go," has been my approach to skin after leaving behind my mattified, twice-baked base routine in 2016. The Patrick Ta Major Skin Hydra-Luxe Luminous Skin Perfecting Foundation provides the effortless sheen I'm chasing. I apply it using a dense kabuki brush to buff and blend using small circular motions. The finish is a glow that lasts, but—be advised—you may need to powder later on; I needed a substantial blot after six hours of wear, despite giving myself a solid powder after applying.
The Major Skin Hydra Luxe Luminous Skin Perfecting Foundation is available now for $58 on Sephora's mobile app. It will be available on Sephora and Patrick Ta Beauty on August 27.
More makeup products and trends we love:
- The Fall Makeup Trends of 2024 Are as Futuristic as They Are Moody
- I Tried Anastasia Beverly Hills's Blurring Serum Blush
- The 11 Best Dewy Foundations for Skin That Looks as Plump as a Dumpling
Now, watch Ariana Greenblatt's 10-minute contour routine:
