Review | L'Oreal Infallible 24H Matte Foundation

I picked up L'Oreal's Infallible 24H-Matte Foundation in shade 10 'Porcelain' a few weeks back now; I had high hopes for a base that offered a great coverage with a matte finish and a good amount of lasting time. I've never yet needed a base that lasts 24 hours but if I can manage 14 I'll be happy! Claiming to offer a medium-texture yet full-coverage, non-cake base for 24-hour matte perfection, this sounded like a strong contender for my perfect base product!
The squeezy tube has quite a fine nozzle once you remove the screw-cap, making it easy to dispense the right amount of product. The foundation is quite runny in formula, which makes it easy to spread over the skin and means a little goes a long way. I have to admit I have really struggled to get to grips with applying this; as well as clinging to even the slightest bit of dry skin (which makes it a nightmare if you've had a spot or a bit too much sun!), I also found that it basically headed straight for my pores and sat in them looking frankly horrible. Not cool. The photos below show my skin on a fairly good day, on the left with just primer, and on the right with primer and foundation. As you can see, 'Porcelain' is a pretty perfect shade match for me.
I've found an application method that kind of works, but it does take some doing, so this really isn't a foundation I'd go for when I'm in a hurry; I need a good ten minutes just for my base, whereas usually I can do my whole face inside ten minutes! I've tried this over a few primers and have found it works best for me over Benefit's The POREfessional, which is a shame as that's far from my favourite primer... I've been applying the foundation directly to my skin from the tube, then buffing in with my dampened Beauty Blender; this seems to be the best way to reduce the pore problem. I've then been buffing in a little more with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, which doesn't work for application straight off, but seems to help in blending out the product pooled in my pores. Below you can see, mostly on my nose, how the foundation gathers in my pores after application with the Beauty Blender.
Once it's on, the finish is definitely matte and is one I could get away without powdering to set; it's not chalky or unnatural, just soft and matte. I do still powder over it, mostly through habit and also because my skin is just so oily! I'd hope after all that fuss to get it on my face in the first place, that it would stay put. Sadly, I've found that oil starts to show through within 1-2 hours and the foundation seems to go patchy after about six hours - falling well short of the 24 hour claims. This has really been an all-round disappointment to me, and more so because I had such high hopes for it I think!
L'Oreal Infallible 24H Matte Foundation is priced at £7.99 for 35ml of product and is available in six shades. Overall, it's far from the best base I've tried and it's not one I'd choose in future, because it's just such a faff to use and doesn't really give the results I'd hoped for! Have you tried L'Oreal Infallible 24H Matte Foundation? How did you get on? I'd love to hear if you have any tips to share on how you've made it work for you?

xo