Antonym Cosmetics Baked Foundation Review: Clean Organic Makeup

My Clean Beauty Makeup Collection

In the past few months, my clean beauty makeup collection has started to really take shape. I was so pleased to have found the Antonym Cosmetics Baked Foundation. Many of the clean beauty foundations I came across were liquid or cream styles. I’m not sure if this preference for liquid or cream style foundation is typical of clean beauty makeup lines, or if I was just looking in the wrong places. Either way, my combination skin errs a bit on the oily side, so I prefer a compact powder or matte foundation. Plus, I like how light powder foundations tend to be, when compared to liquid counterparts. This baked foundation really covers all the bases for me: it’s long lasting, the price is agreeable, and it was fairly easy to find my foundation match color.

Update (8/7/2023): The Antonym Cosmetics Baked Foundation powder does not seem to be readily available anymore. Instead, I would recommend trying out the Sephora Collection Microsmooth Multi-Tasking Baked Face Powder as an alternative. The Sephora Collection option is a vegan product and is made without mineral oil or fragrance. You can learn more about the Sephora Collection powder in my full review here.

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Antonym Cosmetics Baked Foundation

An Organic, Cruelty-Free, Florida-Based Beauty Brand

Antonym is a relatively small beauty brand focusing on certified organic makeup. Despite being small, the brand is still pretty widely available, which is nice. Founded by Valerie Giraud, a Miami makeup artist, the brand seeks to “create the best organic makeup and makeup brushes that [are] cruelty free and gentle on the skin.” The company follows the notion that “natural makeup doesn’t have to mean a natural look” and has created some highly pigmented products for more dramatic looks. Personally, though, I like to use their foundation for a lighter and simple makeup look, but appreciate that it can do both.

Antonym is a big supporter of sustainability in beauty and is working to create beauty that performs, but is also free of harmful chemicals. Beyond this, they are very eco-friendly and don’t test on animals. Ecocert certified, their organic products come in FSC certified paper packaging. They are also Leaping Bunny certified and are committed not to sell in markets that require animal testing. Lastly, their makeup brushes are certified vegan.

Organic and Clean Beauty Matte Foundation Powder

I’ve been using the Baked Foundation from Antonym for a couple months now. I referenced it in an earlier post about daily makeup, and it even appeared as part of my daily carry here. One of the first things I noticed about the powder was the bamboo compact. It’s larger and bulkier than a typical plastic one, but is also better for the environment than their traditional counterparts.

The second thing I noticed was the unique, almost swirling colors within the powder itself. Each of the shades are multi-hued in this manner, providing dimension as well as uniformity. This clean beauty foundation comes in a variety of colors and is designed to be adaptable to all skin tones. I personally have it in “fair.” I appreciate that it, unlike a lot of other “fair” tones I’ve tried over the years, actually has dimension and accommodates when I have a bit more sun.

The powder is made by baking a foundation cream (I had never heard about baking makeup before!). It is designed to remain largely transparent on the skin with light reflecting properties in the product. It has a matte finish without being too powdery. While providing uniformity of foundation coverage, this foundation maintains some dimension.

Price Point and Where to Buy Antonym Cosmetics

Antonym’s Baked Foundation Price

As far as clean beauty goes, Antonym is pretty affordable at $38. That isn’t to say it’s affordable makeup, generally speaking. You can certainly find cheaper. However, it is either comparable to or less costly than many of the powders available at Sephora and other stores.

Previously, I had been using the Sephora brand pressed powder foundation. At $20, this was definitely easier on the wallet. However, with my last two compacts, I noticed that I was going through the powder far more quickly than previously. The Antonym Baked Foundation has been lasting much longer. I don’t lose as much when I apply it with a makeup brush as I did with the Sephora brand option.

All this is to say, I think it’s worth the price.

Where Can You Buy Antonym Cosmetics?

Perhaps the easiest option would be to buy the foundation directly from the makeup company itself. This is the easiest way to shop the available range of colors, as I’ve noticed stores tend to carry three or four tones. It is also available through Amazon with Prime shipping.

I purchased my Antonym Cosmetics Baked Foundation from Bloomingdale’s. It is part of their Wellchemist Clean Beauty collection, and Bloomingdale’s also carries some other products from the clean beauty company. Plus, Bloomingdale’s offers cash back through Rakuten.

Sephora had carried Antonym’s Baked Foundation when I checked a few weeks ago, but they seem to rotate through products from the brand. I’d check back there later if you’re looking to buy from them.

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 *This post was originally published on June 28, 2020. It was most recently updated on August 7, 2022.