Historically I have shied away from foundation; rather opting for a tinted moisturizer. But as my skin has changed and as I’ve spent more time in front of the camera, I am more apt to give myself a smooth canvas off of which to apply my makeup.

Clinique just released a new foundation and asked if I’d give it a whirl so today I’m sharing my experience with it.

The Superbalanced Silk Makeup Broad Spectrum SPF 15 Foundation is oil free and instead of caking on, it actually goes on so well with a matte finish (it also claims to control oil which is a big win in my book.)

I’ve seen such horror stories of girls wearing the wrong shade of foundation so I opted to visit a Clinique counter to get shade matched. Given my fair skin I selected both the Silk Bare and the Silk Shell since I tend to wear a slightly darker shade in summer months when I’ve had more sun exposure.

In today’s post I went with applying Shell though (RIP summer sun!). I loved how you could build coverage but yet the coverage remained sheer and natural looking. Before I applied the Silk Makeup, I put on my favorite firming serum that I wear every morning. (I follow it with moisturizer as well typically but opted to skip it to see how the makeup applied without).

Following the serum, I applied about a quarter size amount of the makeup using a foundation brush in small circles around my face. True story: I used to never use a brush to apply makeup but this year I became a huge fan of doing so!

Here’s the before:

After applying:

My skin was smoother and more matte instantly and the best part? I didn’t feel like I had to apply a pressed powder afterwards! It also eliminated the redness I tend to experience around my nose and on my chin.

Here’s my outfit that I shot following the foundation application that showcases the makeup out in the daylight.

Do you guys wear a foundation? Do you have a favorite? Would love to hear!

p.s. unique and cool beauty products you should try and how to fake second day hair.

[Bekka Palmer Photography]

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Clinique through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about Superbalanced Silk Foundation, all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting brands that support wit & whimsy!