by Guin White, GirlPaint.com

I recently had the good fortune to try a new foundation from a line I was not familiar with. The line? L.A. Colors, a division of Beauty 21. who create makeup “to target the diverse beauty needs of women of every demographic at an affordable price.” The foundation? Mystic Foundation, which claims “natural looking coverage and a creamy formula that evens out skin tone and improves skin texture.”

I have long been a fan of cream foundations. Unlike liquid foundations that tend to be tricky to apply, difficult to blend and can rub off after a few short hours of wear, cream foundations tend to solve those challenges and still give a nice, natural finish, usually with better coverage.

You will be pleased to know that my experience with L.A. Colors Mystic Foundation was a fantastic one! It has a smooth, creamy and dense consistency--I liken it to Becca's stick foundation, but with a creamier texture and less ‘drag'. However, unlike many stick or cream-style foundations, Mystic Foundation does not turn powdery and it does not get cakey, a big plus, especially if you set your makeup with a dusting of powder, which I definitely do.

Mystic Foundation offers superior blendability. I rubbed the stick across my forehead, cheeks, chin and then rubbed a little extra around my eyes and nose (the areas where I tend to need a more coverage), blended quickly with my foundation brush and I was, in essence, done. A few blemishes were still barely visible, so I grabbed my concealer brush and found that Mystic Foundation covered them quickly, completely and still looked very natural.

The coverage is medium to medium-to-full, and easily blended. I found the finished look especially natural if a foundation brush is used (I know, I know…enough with the ‘natural' already!). It totally gave my skin a smooth tone and texture; my husband even said that my face looked especially healthy and clear (wow!). Also, coverage can be built up, so in effect, Mystic Foundation may be used effectively both as foundation and as concealer.

The color and pigmentation is superior (the color I am using is called Nude—my skin tone is fair with some freckles and red spots). With nine shades available to match almost all skin tones, you are sure to find one that will give you "perfect skin", too.

Another HUGE plus: Wear is superb. Example? After one hour of rigorous tennis and marathon shopping trip, I found that Mystic Foundation still looked perfectly fresh and even.

One note for those who are fragrance conscious: Mystic Foundation contains fragrance but not so much so to be overpowering; in fact, I found the fragrance quite nice; it's soft and minimal (reminiscent of baby powder mixed with almond).

Overall, L.A. Colors Mystic Foundation is one of the best foundations I've used. And at $6, it is a complete steal!