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Being a passionate and experienced beauty writer, it may come as a surprise to hear I’ve not always worn foundation. Until I was about 27, I would only ever invest in tinted moisturiser - and even then, applying the lightest layer. Although when I started noticing pigmentation on my cheeks, and hormonal acne crept up on me (a bit late?!), I felt it was necessary to find a solution that offered a bit more coverage, whilst also tending to my ever-drying (and ageing) skin. Despite a lot of trial and error over the years, I'd never quite found my perfect shade, often leaving me either paler than I am or slightly tangoed. But I recently discovered DCYPHER Beauty and its shade match tool. So naturally, I had to get my hands on its brand new Custom Glow Booster, £29 (which launched on October 23) and Custom Foundation, £39. These are currently 15% off with code REACH15. And after trying out its ‘World First’ skin-matching technology, I have to say the match is pretty impressive - it's practically identical. Now, as a beauty fan, I’ve tried a lot of skin tints and foundations that have left me relatively impressed and do rival this product. I’ve tackled the budget-friendly L'Oréal Paris True Match Liquid Foundation with SPF and Hyaluronic Acid, L'Oréal Paris Paradise Lumi Glotion (both £9.59 at Lookfantastic and great for holidays), the e.l.f. Halo Glow Liquid Filter Highlighter (£16 Boots) and Charlotte Tilbury’s Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint Hydrating Foundation Stick (£35, Charlotte Tilbury). But there’s always been something slightly off - only Charlotte Tilbury’s came pretty close to perfect, personally. Although they've all had high praise from beauty fans. But DCYPHER Beauty’s Custom Glow Booster Skin Tint and Custom Foundation (£39) had my jaw dropping at how close it was to my skin colour. It's because it uses a World First shade match tool to create the perfect palette from scratch to match my skin tone and only needed a current photo of my face. This was taken on the website there and then with whatever device was available (it was my phone) and with good, natural lighting (the window) to determine my ultimate shade. It was then sent to the brand after checking out and tailor-made to match my specific undertones. I must admit, I was a bit cynical as to whether it would actually work, thinking it was a smidge too dark when the image of my skin tone was generated ahead of checkout - but I trusted the process. When it arrived I tentatively applied the product to my primed skin (using bareMinerals' Prime Time primer ) on one half, to compare and contrast. Needless to say I was actually blown away with how unreal the shade match was. The colour on one side of my face barely differed from the other but was smoother and less dull. It neatly gave my skin a little boost - going from dull to slightly glowy - smoothed out some of my dark lines and hyper pigmentation as well as added a veil of coverage. It also gave my eyes a nice lift, covering up the circles underneath. Packed with Hyaluronic Acid and Glycerin , it certainly felt hydrating and gave my skin a little plumpness. A description of the product adds how it includes Caesalpinia Spinosa Fruit and Kappaphycus Alvarezii extracts that are ‘known to create a protective, second-skin layer to smooth for a soft-focus effect’. And the product didn’t cling to flaky, dry patches, like the one between my eyes. It's a great option for those no-make-up-make-up days where I need a little bit of a boost without putting anything too heavy on my skin - it gives a light veil of coverage but still looks super natural. What I will say is that I didn’t quite get the ‘soft focus’ effect - my pores were still pretty visible on the side of my nose and didn’t really blur, which left me slightly disappointed. Although this isn’t entirely the fault of the Glow Booster - I’ve always had large pores and they’re never blurred regardless of the products I use and their claims. As the for the foundation (with the finishes sheer, natural, oily/combi), it looked slightly warmer than expected, despite being the same shade as the Glow Booster , upon first glance. But once I’d applied it to my skin and blended, it was a pretty seamless match. It adds that extra bit of coverage that is needed when pimples and stubborn dark spots appear. It leaves my skin gorgeously dewy and stays put for hours on end - even in humid conditions and doesn’t pill. What I will say is that a little goes a long way and when I applied a smidge too much, the foundation did cling a little to the extra dry patches - especially near my hairline and between my eyes (but I am being picky!). Although a solution I found was ensuring pre-application my skin was moisturised and those pesky patches are extra-hydrated - for that, I use my beloved jack-of-all-trades skincare staple Wonderbalm (Amazon, £29). All in all, the Glow Booster and Custom Foundation have left me pretty impressed when it comes to finding a match to my skin tone and is well worth the cost. Worn together, they leave my skin looking glowy, smooth and, most-importantly, natural and I will most certainly be treating myself to a top up when I run out. While the £29 and £39, they're not exactly cheap, the brand is currently running a special offer for our readers to get 15% off - enter REACH15 at the checkout.
