Makeup, Skincare, Fragrance and a Bit of Fashion
Last fall, Sisley released Skinleÿa Anti-Aging Lift Foundation, which promises to even out the complexion and restore freshness of the skin. It is available in nine shades, and today I am featuring 00 Light Linen, the lightest shade of the lineup.
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After posting about the two new powder foundations from Shiseido ZA, I decided to try both in order to decide which one of them would be the successor to my ZA Two-Way Foundation. Now, after trying both, I present another Foundation Face-Off. (This time, it is sibling rivalry!)
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Over the years, one of the questions that I have been asked the most by my readers is “Have you tried B. B. creams?”
Personally, B. B. creams don’t fit in with my daily skincare/makeup routine. Currently, when I don’t wear makeup, my daytime routine ends with Olay’s Complete Care Daily Sensitive UV Fluid SPF 15. When I do want coverage, I wear ZA’s Two-Way Foundation on top of the Olay moisturizer. Generally, I prefer pigmented products for face, eyes, and cheeks to be powder-based. (Powder foundations suit my sebaceous skin a lot more, and I find powder eyeshadows (especially those from Japanese lines) and blushers a lot easier to work with. Also, I very rarely wear primers.) Therefore, I haven’t been tempted to purchase a B. B. cream.
However, today, I am taking you through the basics of B. B. creams and I will be reviewing Garnier‘s Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All-in-One B. B. Cream.
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Givenchy released Radically No Surgetics Age-Defying & Perfecting Foundation SPF 15 PA++ as an extension to the brand’s No Surgetics skincare line. It is available in six shades, and today I am reviewing 1 Radiant Porcelain.
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With the launch of Botanical Essence No.1 and the haircare range, Liz Earle has been branching out from skincare and bodycare. Now, the new Sheer Skin Tint SPF15 marks the beginning of Liz Earle’s new Colour range.
Sheer Skin Tint SPF15 is marketed as a foundation, not a tinted moisturizer. The insert that comes with the product suggests the cleanse-tone-moisturize routine before the use of this product. Based on that, it also stresses that makeup with SPF benefits “should never be used as a replacement for sunscreens”, which in itself is a correct statement.
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Since Sofina Raycious was discontinued, I have not been adding many foundation cases to my collection. But when I saw this case on-line, I thought I might decide to have it at some point.
Kanebo Coffret D’Or‘s spring/summer 2010 base makeup collection doesn’t feature a new powder foundation, but it does include this powder foundation case, which can house powder foundations from Coffret D’Or (Lasting Power Pact UV and Silky Fit Pact as well as previous versions such as Beauty Lasting Pact UV and Beauty Essence Pact). It can also house some of the powder foundations from some other Kanebo-owned brands/lines.
When I received the case, I thought that the colors of the jewel embellishments were not as vibrant as how they looked in magazines. But when I photographed it, I noticed that the colors did come alive on photographs. I guess this difference is by chance, not by design.
When light hits the case from certain angles, there is some soft blue iridescence, which is quite a nice design detail.
I do like makeup items with jewel details, and this case is a good addition to my stash of foundation cases!
Related posts:
Other foundation cases:
Foundation Cases from Anna Sui & Jill Stuart
Bring It Back! Cynthia Rowley Cosmetics
Other items with jewel details:
Jill Stuart Moist Silk Liquid Foundation
Visée Dual Shine Rouge Palette
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– Estée Lauder Idealist Pore-Minimizing Skin Refinisher (bottom left)
This product is obviously not designed to be a primer, but the silicone-rich formula makes it a good primer. It helps disguise the appearance of pores and creates a soft-focus finish. (If you have very oily skin, be very light-handed with it.)
(I very rarely use primers and Idealist is the one I use the most (only a couple of times a year at most). Also, I don’t use oil-control primers so I don’t really have a personal recommendation.)
– ZA Two-Way Foundation (top)
I think this is one of the best powder foundations for those with combination or oily skin and it has been my favorite foundation for years. It has a semi-matte finish, a decent coverage, and a good pore coverage. The sebum-control efficacy and the overall lasting power are fairly good too.
– Coffret D’Or Beauty Lasting Pack UV (center)
Compared with ZA Two-Way foundation, it has less coverage but controls sebum better. I like it slightly less mainly because it doesn’t have the level of coverage that I want, but this is an outstanding powder foundation if you need a good deal of sebum-control.
– Lavshuca Finish Powder in Lucent (left)This is the new version of the discontinued Face Powder in Lucent. (The two are very similar.) It mattifies the skin well and has a fairly good pore coverage.
It has a subtle redness-neutralizing effect. – Kiss Mat Chiffon Powder (bottom right)It is as good as Lavshuca’s Finish Powder in Lucent. Between the two, Mat Chiffon Powder is sheerer but has a marginally better pore coverage. I quite like its skin-brightening finish.
– Coffret D’Or Makeup Powder (right)
Among the three loose powders here, this is the most natural-looking one. It has a very airy and translucent finish that almost never looks powdered, but
it doesn’t control shine or disguise the appearance of pores as well as the two above. (Among the three loose powders, this is the most likely to suit those with a none-oily skin type.)Related posts:
– If you have a drier skin type, then these items might be worth considering:
Jill Stuart Moist Silk Liquid Foundation
Lunasol Skin Fusing Powder Foundation
SUQQU Loose Powder in Natural– Have a look at my
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It has been over a year since my last Foundation Face-Off, and I hope you will enjoy this long overdue addition. Today I am taking you through two spring/summer 2009 releases: Dior’s Snow Whitening UV Compact (White Reveal UV Shield Makeup) and Beauté de Kosé Esprique Precious’ Dramatical Stay Pact UV EX. The two trial samples are from the April and May 2009 issues of Biteki.
(I have oily skin that is prone to slight redness. I prefer powder foundations that control shine well, offer at least medium coverage and have decent pore coverage. I don’t usually wear a primer or a concealer. I have a light-to-medium complexion and ZA Two-Way Foundation in 22 is one of my ideal shades. (I haven’t used MAC foundations for a very long time so I don’t know which shade is currently the closest to my complexion.))
Basics
– Dior Snow Whitening UV Compact (White Reveal UV Shield Makeup): SPF 30, PA +++, 6 shades (shade tested: 020)
– Beauté de Kosé Esprique Precious Dramatical Stay Pact UV EX: SPF 25, PA ++, 7 shades (shade tested: OC-410)
Both shades are lighter than ZA Two-Way Foundation in 22.
Finish
The two differ quite a lot in finish. Dior has a luminous and glowy finish, while Esprique Precious has a soft matte finish which is only very subtly luminous. Neither has visible shimmer.
Texture
Dior has a soft velvety texture, while EP has a slightly drier feel (which is far from chalky). Both go on evenly and smoothly.
Coverage
Both have a light-to-medium coverage, but Dior has marginally more coverage. With Dior, I feel that the coverage is more based on the luminous semi-transparent light-reflective powder than on opaque pigment. One thing I don’t like about this is that, as I have applied the powder evenly and then look straight at the mirror, the coverage looks sufficient on the forehead, chin and top of the cheeks (wherever the light hits straight on and creates the coverage) but the sides of my nose and the sides of my face (where the light bounces off sideways from where I can see) seem to get almost no coverage.
Even though this type of coverage creates more dimension for the face and should please some people (as the powder emulates a shading effect), I prefer EP’s soft-focus and even-looking coverage.
Pore Coverage
Dior’s luminous and glowy powder can exaggerate the look of pores. On the other hand, EP has a decent pore coverage.
Shine Control
Again, Dior’s glowy finish can make shine more pronounced overtime. EP has a fairly good shine control.
Staying Power
Dior does have a reasonably good staying power (with all the blotting), but I am more impressed with EP’s lasting ability. It can be a little hard to tell how the coverage and finish last since they are on the natural side, but, after a whole day, there is no patchiness and my skin tone still looks very even.
Overall, Dior reminds me of Primavista’s Powder Foundation Moist Touch and Esprique Precious reminds me of Coffret D’Or’s Beauty Lasting Pact UV. (Coffret D’Or has slightly better shine control). For me, between Dior and Esprique Precious, Esprique Precious is the obvious winner. If it had more coverage, it would definitely be a product I’d consider buying.
You can read my friend Betsy’s review of Esprique Precious Dramatical Stay Pact UV EX on Autumn Masquerade.
Related posts:
Foundation Face-Off (1) – Chanel vs. SUQQU
Foundation Face-Off (2) – Lunasol vs. Coffret D’Or
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(RMK Powder Foundation EX in 103)
RMK is one of the Japanese beauty brands known for their base makeup. It doesn’t update its base makeup range as often as many other Japanese beauty lines, so it really attracts attention when it does. Today I am reviewing RMK’s latest powder foundation, Powder Foundation EX (SPF24, PA++, in 9 shades).
The whole idea of this foundation is to create the dewy finish of a cream foundation with a powder foundation. The foundation features a “powder” layer and a “pearl” layer. The powder layer is used as the usual powder foundation, while the pearl layer is used as a highlighter (with the brush that comes with the foundation).
This foundation gives a slightly-above-medium coverage, and the pore coverage and the lasting power are satisfactory. In terms of the dewy finish that this powder foundation sets out to achieve, it is a successful product. The powder is very fine and it doesn’t create a powdered look. The finish is indeed dewy and glowy.
According to the instruction sheet that comes with the foundation, the pearl layer should be avoided on the T-zone and the sides of the nose, which can get oily overtime. I think the pearl layer is definitely more suitable on the top of the cheekbones to both emphasize the dewy look and to highlight the cheekbones.
The downside of this foundation is that it has very little oil control efficacy. If you have oily skin, the dewy finish (just from the powder layer) will not hold overtime and will make your face appear even more oily as the day goes on. (I tried using Kiss Mat Chiffon Powder (which is the most matte loose powder I have) to set the foundation, but my face still started to look oily within two hours.)
The shade you see here is 103, which is a yellow-toned shade. It goes on a little darker than it looks in the pan, and it is about one shade darker than Majolica Majorca Skin Remake Compact in OC20 and two shades darker than my staple, ZA Two-Way Foundation in 22. (The other shade tested is 202, which is a pale pink-toned shade that is considerably paler than ZA 22.)
There are two other things worth mentioning. Firstly, the sponge that comes with the foundation doesn’t work particularly well. The fact that it is so soft and smooth actually works against itself, as it is not porous enough to grab and dispense/spread the powder efficiently. It still helps the foundation create a smooth finish on the face, but it takes a long time. (The sponge from my ZA Two-Way Foundation, which is just an ordinary powder foundation sponge similar to most others, actually works better with this foundation.)
Secondly, I like the grey velvet sleeves for the foundation case and the brush. At the first sight, they didn’t look as glamorous as the dark ones from Chanel, Dior, YSL and SUQQU. But overtime, they prove to be very practical as they never look as dusty as the dark sleeves can sometimes look. They are also somewhat chic-looking.
Overall, I think this product falls into the category of fall/winter foundations from Japanese brands and will suit people with normal or dry skin. Essentially, if your skin can take an emollient cream foundation and if you like the dewy finish from it, then this product can work well for you. (It should also provide a speedier application than applying a cream foundation). However, if you have combination or oily skin, this product is certainly not for you (even if you avoid the pearl layer). A more matte foundation with a good sebum control ability, such as Coffret D’Or’s Beauty Lasting Pact UV, will suit you a lot better.
I will review RMK’s new Super Basic Liquid Concealer next month.
Related posts:
Japanese Base Makeup Week
Foundation Face-Off: Chanel vs. SUQQU
Foundation Face-Off: Jill Stuart vs. SUQQU
Jill Stuart Moist Silk Liquid Foundation
Primavista Powder Foundation Moist Touch
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– Primers
I actually tend not to use primers at all. For my oily skin, I use as few base makeup products as I can after skincare and before point makeup. I used to use primers a long time ago, and I did find a couple of products from Ettusais (a yellow-based color-adjusting primer and a pore-concealing primer) to be quite effective. Among the primers I have talked about so far (that are currently available), I have been relatively pleased with SUQQU’s Makeup Base Creamy and Makeup Base Brightup. If you are interested, please have a look at my post on Coffret D’Or’s Beauty Lasting Veil UV and Lunasol Smoothing Makeup Base as well.
– Powder Foundations
I have been a fan of Shiseido ZA’s Two-Way Foundation for many years. I think the product has been revamped once since I started using it (while the product name remained the same), but the change is (fortunately) minimal. (It has very slightly less coverage and the finish is marginally more luminous.)
Other than ZA Two-Way Foundation, I think one of the best powder foundations I have tried in the last couple of years is Coffret D’Or’s Beauty Lasting Pact UV, which has very good sebum-control efficacy. (The link above will also take you to my thoughts on Lunasol’s Skin Fusing Powder Foundation.) Some of my other posts on Japanese powder foundations include those on SUQQU’s Powder Foundation Glow, Jill Stuart’s Smooth Silk Powder and SUQQU’s Powder Foundation Fresh, and Primavista’s Powder Foundation Moist Touch.
– Pressed/Loose Powder
At the moment, all my favorite pressed powders are from Raycious, and they have been discontinued. In terms of loose powder, my favorite is Lavshuca’s Face Powder (in Lucent). Mat Chiffon Powder from Kiss is almost equally good too. I also enjoy using Coffret D’Or’s Makeup Powder, but it slightly falls short on pore coverage and sebum control compared with the previous two.
(Lavshuca has launched Finish Powder (in two shades) on February 1st. It is replacing Face Powder, but Face Powder might still be available for a little while.)
To finish off the series, I’d like to mention the wave of mineral makeup (particularly foundations) arriving in Japan at the moment.
Since last year, I have started to notice that more and more Japanese beauty blogs are covering mineral foundations from the west. While I like some of the mineral eyeshadows I have tried, I have not yet been a fan of mineral foundations. There is very little doubt that mineral foundations have attractive appeals, as true mineral-based foundations can be saviours for people with very sensitive skin. However, I feel that, compared with some of the best (Japanese) foundations that I have used, they generally lack sebum control and pore coverage and they often lack staying power. For me,
purely in terms of the quality of the finish (not of their skincare benefits), mineral foundations are generally mostly about coverage and not much else, as their straightforward ingredients do not seem to provide multi-faceted results.It seems that many Japanese consumers are very open to trying out new products, so I think the novelty factor will work its magic for a while. But I do wonder, compared with some of the best foundations that one can buy in Japan, whether most of the mineral foundations will continue to hold consumers’ attention in the next few years. I guess this will depend on future product developments from both sectors.
So that’s it from me now, and I hope you enjoy this series. Now I would love to know your favorite Japanese base makeup products. You could simply drop in a short comment with the name of the item(s), and it would be really helpful if you would tell us your skin type as well. Of course, if you have any comment on this series or any question, do please feel free to post a comment here too.
I look forward to hearing from you!
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Lunasol Spring 2025 Makeup Collection (image from www.cosme.net)
