In our series Trial Run, TZR editors and writers put the buzziest new beauty products to the test and share their honest reviews. This week, beauty news writer Eden Stuart is testing the highly anticipated Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex Natural Matte Longwear Foundation.
Confession: I didn’t love Fenty Beauty’s Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Foundation. To be clear, I will never take away from its influence — when it debuted in 2017 with a whopping 40 shades, many people felt included in the beauty conversation for the very first time. But I found the formula a bit heavy, and I could never actually find the right shade; while the former wasn’t a dealbreaker, the latter was. So when I learned that the brand was phasing out its flagship foundation and replacing it with an entirely new one, the Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex Natural Matte Longwear Foundation, I was intrigued — and when I learned that said new formulation was going to address consumer concerns around the undertones, my interest was thoroughly piqued.
Befitting the brand that made headlines for its expansive initial launch, Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex is launching with 50 shades, a decision based on seven years of consumer notes and three years of product development. In their research (which included real-world color matching sessions around the globe), the brand discovered that people wanted more undertone options, particularly neutrals. As such, within each shade family — Light, Light-Medium, Medium, Medium-Deep, and Deep — there are neutrals that lean toward another undertone (think “Neutral Olive” or “Neutral Peach”), true neutrals, and a few true warms and cools.
I got the opportunity to test out the Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex Natural Matte Longwear Foundation ahead of its official launch on Sept. 4. Read on for my experience.
Fast Facts
- Price: $44
- Size: 1.7 fl oz.
- Clean/Cruelty-Free: Yes
- Best For: A smooth matte base
- Ingredient Highlights: Fluid Flex polymer blend, starfruit extract
- What We Like: Excellent shade range, buildable coverage, lightweight feel
- What We Don’t Like: Some transferring
- Rating: 4/5
How TZR Keeps Score: 1/5: Making a return; 2/5: Keeping as a backup; 3/5: Finishing to the last drop; 4/5: Recommending to my group texts; 5/5: Already on auto-replenish.
The Formula
At the heart of the Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex Foundation is the brand’s Fluid Flex Technology, a polymer blend with pigments that allow the formula to “flex” with the skin; not only do the shades adapt to the wearer’s complexion, but they resist oxidation throughout the day.
Perhaps the main threads connecting Fluid Flex with its predecessor are the matte finish and buildable, medium-to-full coverage. While the new offering has a more skin-like finish that doesn’t feel as heavy on the skin, it still creates a smooth, shine-free visage, thanks in part to the starfruit extract, which provides oil control. It’s also waterproof and claims resistance to sweat, heat, and humidity.
Fenty Beauty
My Experience & Results
I’m a firm believer in judging a product against its claims, which can be tricky when those claims brush up against your preferences. And by that I mean: I don’t really love a matte foundation. But I will say, it does meet its own claims of lightweight wear. Over the course of a week, I wore the shade 396N, described as a Neutral Olive, during every outing (save a trip to the beach). It never felt heavy or mask-like, a major grievance I had with Soft Matte, even when it was built up from medium coverage (the baseline) to proper full. I didn’t experience any oxidation, either — another beef I had with its predecessor. In fact, by far my favorite thing about this foundation is my shade in it: As someone with a medium complexion and neutral undertones, I’m used to my base products being too orange or too light. Not only is 396N a perfect match, but it remains as such throughout the day.
This perfect match is enough to inspire me to work around the two challenges I faced with the formula. The first is the finish, which, again, isn’t my preference; for my combination skin type, I have to make sure the outer perimeter of my face is very well moisturized if I don’t want to look and feel dry. (For example, on one of the days I didn’t, I definitely noticed some settling into the fine lines on my forehead.) My other qualm is that I wouldn’t quite describe it as transfer-proof: While it did have impressive staying power overall, I definitely found a few streaks of foundation on my laptop and notebooks. A light dusting of setting powder is definitely the best way to circumvent this issue.
Eden Stuart
Along with the foundation, this launch includes an application tool, the Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex Foundation Brush — and I have to give it a special shoutout. Though I’m a committed beauty sponge user, I’ve really been enjoying using it; the bristles are dense, leaving a streak-free finish, and the shape is absolutely perfect for moving around the contours of the face. (I find it even contours between the eyebrows and the temples flawlessly, a weirdly and specifically tricky place to apply foundation.)
Is Fenty’s Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex Foundation Worth It?
Fenty’s Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex Foundation gets high marks from me for its shade range alone, which has flexible hues and plenty of undertones to choose from. If you’re in the market for a matte foundation that feels lightweight and provides medium-to-full coverage for your higher-glam days, it’s definitely worth it.
(Stay Up To Date)
Become A Style Insider
Join The Zoe Report’s exclusive email list for the latest trends, shopping guides, celebrity style, and more.
