Bourjois is one of the French beauty brands I miss the most. I know they were sold in the US just a few years ago, but now you can only find them online (Asos has a decent selection). When I went back home to France last summer I raided the Bourjois display at a Monoprix (a high-end supermarket, kind of Whole Foods meets Macy's). The first product I picked was the popular Healthy Mix Foundation that I had been dying to try for years! Is it worth its excellent reputation? Let's find out!

If you don't know Bourjois, let me give you a quick introduction to the brand. Created by an actor in Paris, Bourjois was initially making stage makeup for theater actors and performing artists. The baked powder formula the brand is still known for was developed in 1863, the year the company was founded, and it's their little round boxes of blush that turned Bourjois into a successful popular brand. For much of the 20th century the brand was owned by the Wertheimer family, who also owns Chanel. It was then bought by cosmetics giant Coty in 2015.

The Healthy Mix Foundation was originally launched in 2010 and quickly became a best-seller, with the brand consequently adding a lighter Serum version. The popular foundation was reformulated in 2017 to become the Healthy Mix Anti-Fatigue, enriched with vitamins, fruit extracts and hyaluronic acid. If you're not sure whether what you're buying is the old or the new version, check the shape of the bottle: the original one was round while the new formula is square.

Bourjois promises up to 16 hours of wear and an instant radiance boost with a refreshing, hydrating formula. Most retailers only carry a handful of shades, but I found the widest range of 15 shades at UK-based website Feelunique (ships to US). I got 52 Vanilla, which was a tad light this summer but is perfect for me at this time of year. It's a light shade with a neutral, slightly peachy undertone.


The foundation comes in a hefty glass bottle with a transparent red cap and a pump. The packaging feels very high-quality, especially considering the affordable price tag (between $14 and $18 depending on retailers). This is a scented foundation that smells like natural apricot oil. I don't find the fragrance too strong and I can't smell it after I'm done applying.

The first thing I love about the Healthy Mix Foundation is how easily it applies. With a brush, a sponge, or even my fingers, I always get a perfectly smooth result. It spreads easily, blends like a dream, and sits on skin beautifully. It doesn't emphasize or sink into my pores or fine lines, and it doesn't cling to my dry patches either. The texture is fluid and very forgiving on imperfections.

I would describe the coverage provided by this foundation as medium. It's not as light as a Western BB cream, but it doesn't completely hide everything. I can see my freckles and skin texture peak through, but it evens out my skin tone and smoothes out my complexion really nicely. The finish is satin, not really dewy but definitely not matte either. It's very skin-like and looks incredibly natural - in fact it doesn't look like I'm wearing foundation at all, it's just as if my skin was looking great. If you dislike the mask effect a lot of heavier foundations create, I think you'd really like this.

Before/after with Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation Photos are unedited so you see the real result

So what about the anti-fatigue effect? Well the Healthy Mix Foundation does feel hydrating, despite being very lightweight, so it definitely helps my skin look a little more plump. And somehow it makes me look better in a way that I can't quite describe. It's not glowy, it doesn't have any visible shimmer (something I was slightly concerned with based on the description), yet it does make my skin look more luminous and healthy. Not sure how it achieves that, but yes it really does provide the radiance boost that Bourjois promised!

As for the 16-hour wear time, I can't back this claim. I definitely need to powder my T-zone or my natural oils make me shiny after a few hours and the foundation tends to break down on my chin by the middle of the afternoon. I would certainly not describe it as long-wearing, but then I have yet to find a foundation that actually lasts the whole day without disappearing on my chin. If you have oily skin and want to try it, I would suggest using a good primer and a blotting powder throughout the day.



The Bourjois Healthy Mix Anti-Fatigue foundation lived up to its reputation! It's a fresh, lightweight foundation that provides medium coverage with a very natural, skin-like finish. It really brightens my complexion to give a radiance boosting effect that helps hide fatigue and lack of sleep. I absolutely love how this foundation makes my skin look, although it doesn't last anywhere near 16 hours as the brand claims.



The product featured in this review was purchased by me. I received no compensation to write this post, which only reflects my personal opinion. This post contains affiliate links. I receive a very small commission when you click or shop on those links, and the money generated covers a small portion of my expenses to purchase products for review. Clicking on those links helps ensure that Beaumiroir continues to publish reviews of new and exciting high end French products - at no cost to you!