Over the past two years, I’ve been dabbling more and more into clean beauty but my biggest beef was the lack of foundations available for darker skin tones. Most brands stop just before my skin tone (TAN IS NOT DEEP!) so I mainly stuck to clean skincare. When I received an email about Credo Beauty’s newest launch a few months ago, I was intrigued. Credo launched a 43-shade foundation collection and primer by Exa, the retailer’s new in-house cosmetics brand.
Touted as the most inclusive clean beauty foundation, I immediately started testing the three sample shades and over the past three months fell in love. The Exa Foundation is formulated without controversial but common ingredients such as cyclical silicones, PEGs, parabens, synthetic fragrance, talc, mineral oil, and preservatives like trieodium edta.
Exa High Fidelity Foundation, $38
Described to be “a weightless vegan foundation that can be worn sheer to full coverage for a luminous glow that looks just like your skin on a really good skin day.”
They ain’t never lied!
What struck me at first upon application is just how lightweight the foundation felt on my skin. It didn’t feel or look cakey. It’s my skin but better. It has skin caring ingredients like aloe vera juice and plumping peach fruit extract to protect the skin’s barrier against environmental stressors. There are others (microalgae actives, maqui berry and hyaluronic acid team) but I just love how radiant and even my skin looks. It has a semi-satin finish so it’s a nice balance between not being too matte nor overly dewy.
I haven’t been wearing a ton of makeup as I’m staying indoors but on the rare occasion I do want to add a little’ somethin’ somethin’ this is among the top three foundations I will reach for. Plus it looks great on camera. It’s totally “Zoom friendly” (ugh I hate saying that but it’s true). Every time I wear this foundation, I look alive and radiant (not dewy or oily!).
In terms of longevity, I was pleasantly surprised that my makeup stayed intact underneath my mask although it does transfer slightly. It doesn’t completely rub off when you remove the mask but you will see some product on your mask (beware of wearing white masks!).
I get a decent six hour wear with this before I start to look a little haggard. Given that I started testing this during the summer, I can say that it doesn’t stand up to high heat and sweat since I did get a really shiny and oily. Now that the temperature has cooled, I think it’s a perfect winter foundation because I don’t look flat and deadly but I’m also not dripping makeup everywhere.
Exa Jump Start Smoothing Primer, $34
So if the foundation is the bomb, does the primer live up to the hype? Meh. It’s not bad by any means but I find it not completely necessary in my routine.
The Jump Start Smoothing Primer is a semi-matte primer featuring a triple antioxidant blend that creates a smooth base for the foundation.
In my honest opinion, it reminds me a lot of existing primers on the market with the exception that it’s a clean option. So if you’re seeking clean alternatives this will be for you. I didn’t notice anything exceptional in terms of making my makeup last longer or apply any differently without it. Quite honestly, I forget to use it.
Exa currently only has foundation and primers in their lineup and are available at Credo Beauty and ULTA.
Disclosure: samples were provided for editorial consideration.
