FOUNDATION

Giorgio Armani Designer Lift Smoothing Firming Foundation Review

October 26, 2011

Giorgio Armani Designer Lift Smoothing Firming Foundation with SPF20 is my latest foundation acquisition. I tried to refrain myself from buying new foundations because I have way too many, however this foundation is just too good to be passed upon testing at the counter so I promised myself that this will be my last foundation for this year! (although the new Sisley foundation SKINLEYA is calling my name every time I walk pass..)

I love GA foundations in general, and if you have read my review here, you will know the Luminous Silk foundation has been my HG for years. It is due for a replenishment but I was more than curious to try the new one out.

I was matched with shade 03 and 04 and it appears 03 is a perfect match for me. The SA also told me the shade 03 is equivalent to GA LSF 04 .

It has the signature GA foundation scent that lingers on my skin for quite a while. I find that the scent is quite pleasant and smells expensive. The texture of this foundation feels very unique – silky, dense and creamy in an emollient milky formula – GA describes it as a gossamer-like texture and I cannot find a better word than that! Compared to LSF it is more creamy. Since it has a denser and more opaque consistency than most liquid foundations, a tiny amount of it goes a long way. It glides over the skin and spreads effortlessly, but for a weightless finish I like to use a foundation brush to apply a sheer layer of it, followed by patting my skin using the beauty blender just to make it more sunk into the skin. The result is extraordinary – flawless yet natural looking, translucent, dewy and feels weightless. It stays put for 10 hours of wear and still looks amazing by the end of the day.

On to the most impressive part:

A NEW Beauty Breakthrough has been introduced into this foundations – A NEW BLUE

Young, vibrant skin has a higher blue light retrodiffusion. Yet as we age, the blue light component decreases and a yellow tinge takes over, causing the skin to loose its natural radiance. Designer lift pioneers a bold movement towards including a precise dose of the magical Prussian blue pigment to diminish dullness, maintain flawless coverage, and “backscatter” radiance on the face.

I am normally quite skeptical with the so-called beauty breakthroughs, however with this one I can really see the difference. Most foundation shades are either yellow or pink based. As an Asian with not so yellow skintone, whenever I go for the yellow based shades they always appear quite yellow or even orange on me, and they wear into half a shade darker once it settles in with my skin’s own natural oil. As what they said, once the yellow tinge appears more prominent, I tend to look dull and tired.

I can really see the difference with the blue pigment used in this foundation. It counteracts the yellowness and brightens up my skin without looking too pinkish or white. Visually my complexion looks more lifted. At the end of the day it stills look radiant and fresh on me, almost like I have a softbox cast over all my face all day! Truly amazing…

I pulled out some foundations from my stash that are similar to shade 03, and from the swatches I hope you can see the difference in the undertone.

From Left to Right:

Giorgio Armani Designer Lift Shade 03 – compared to the other pink and beige based shades, this one strikes a perfect balance.

DiorSkin Nude Shade 02- pink based

Chanel Mat Lumiere Shade 20 Clair

BECCA Luminous Skin Color Shade Cashmere

MAKE UP Forever HD Shade 125

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Shade B20

Bottom Line: Perfection! I love this foundation more than any others now. If you have normal to dry skin and looking for a new foundation to try, this is the one to go for! But ladies with very oily skin might have to stay away from it. The GA Designer Lift Foundation is available here or here.

{ 34 comments }

Labels: FOUNDATION • Giorgio Armani

Chanel Perfection Lumiere Foundation Review and Swatch

September 30, 2011

Being an avid user of Chanel foundations, I got my hands on the Chanel Perfection Lumiere Foundation as soon as it was landed in Australia about two weeks ago. It retails for AUD$86, which is the same price as the other Chanel foundations. This range replaces the pro lumiere foundation.

The 4 things about this foundation that Chanel promises to deliver:

– Long wear flawless makeup with SPF10

– It flatters your face with a perfect balance of correction and light: with the use of the patented Chanel Perfect Light Control Complex

– Offers your complexion incomparable perfection: color and radiance lasts all day long – at the end of the day your makeup is still fresh and intact.

– Perfection has never been this simple: the fluid and light texture glides on seamlessly for adjustable yet lightweight coverage

Others

– Oil Free, dermatologist tested and non-comedogenic.

– Made in France and contains 30ml of product.

Shade: I bought the shade 30 Beige. Please note that I am currently NC15-20, and 20 Beige is a perfect match for me, but I went with B30 as summer is around the corner and my mission is to go a few shades darker!

Texture and finish:

The finish is a cross between natural looking and semi-matte (depending on the wear time) with a natural radiance (not dewy). The fluid texture feels quite creamy when it is dispensed from the bottle but translates to a velvety powdery finish on the face with a hint of luminosity. If you like to use a silicone based primer underneath your foundation to smooth out the pores, then this foundation gives a very similar finish. It totally evens out the complexion and gives a very flawless airbrushed look. Even though the finish is more matte than my usual preference, this foundation is extremely finely milled therefore blends into my skin seamlessly, and it doesn’t enhance any dry patches on the skin. However I find that it looks a bit too dry on my under eye areas. Coverage is buildable from medium to full.

The skin starts to look more and more natural and luminous on me over time. Overall the finish remains semi matte and the coverage stays the same for an entire day. I am most impressed about the staying power of this foundation, as this is the only foundation I have ever came across that after 10 hours of wear it stills looks freshly applied, no oxidation, no transferring, and no fading.

Compared to the Mat Lumiere:

Honestly I don’t really notice any difference in terms of the finish between the two. They are both quite mattifying on me and more natural looking and luminous over the day. If you are considering buying Mat Lumiere, I highly recommend you to check out the Perfection Lumiere as it lasts twice as long as Mat Lumiere.

Compared to the Vitalumiere Aqua:

Perfection Lumiere offers a better coverage and longer wear time than Vitalumiere Aqua. But I personally prefer the melt-into-your-skin texture of Vitalumiere Aqua and the youthful dewy finish.

Compared to Teint Innocence

Again I believe Teint Innocence is targeted at a younger age group for a naturally luminous finish, whereas Perfection Lumiere offers a very flawless and polished look.

Compared to the Pro Lumiere:

Might be disappointing to the Pro Lumiere fans as this foundation has no similarities. As mentioned earlier, it is a semi matte foundation that doesn’t offer the same dewiness. If you are like me where Pro Lumiere turns your face into a grease ball after a few hours of wear, then Perfection Lumiere is your savior as I can skip the oil blotting for the whole day.

Swatches:

Perfection Lumiere 30 Beige: 2 shades darker

Mat Lumiere 20 Clair: perfect match on me now

Vitalumiere Aqua B20: a tad darker

Teint Innocence 40 Beige: about the same as Perfection Lumiere in 30 Beige

A more blended out version

Bottom Line: I think this foundation will work brilliantly for the summers as well as for people with oily skin. I like it but I don’t love it, at least not for now as the weather is still quite cold in Sydney so I tend to reach for foundations with a more moisturizing formula. As said, this foundation offers a very flawless and polished look, and I personally prefer a sheer foundation that gives a fresh and youthful look.

{ 37 comments }

Labels: CHANEL • FOUNDATION

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation Review

July 7, 2011

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation is one of my holy grail foundations. I have been using it ever since it was first launched! I am switching between many foundations, but this is the only one that I rely on when I have important occasions to go to. For example I wore it for my engagement party, on my wedding day, and any other events that I want my face to look “naturally flawless”, luminous and most importantly – to photograph well.

Some background information:

– Oil Free in a fluid texture

– Made in France, housed in a weighty glass bottle

– Natural finish with a sheer to moderate coverage

– My shade is 04 Light Sand which matches me perfectly

What I love about this foundation:

– I love the texture, it glides on the skin like silk and feels weightless.

– It is an all year round foundation for me. I like to use it in summer because it is long lasting and controls the oil. It is also ideal for winter as it works effectively with dry skin as well. It sinks into your skin and doesn’t enhance any dry patches on the skin.

– Love the natural and luminous finish. The coverage is buildable – on a normal day I would just use 1 pump for a sheer coverage but good enough to hide 70% of my imperfections. For special occasions I use 2 -3 pumps for a flawless coverage and yet still look natural. It is long lasting and stays fresh for a whole day.

– It looks good in day light, night time, and as mentioned earlier, it photographs extremely well! I want to mention that the makeup artist who did my makeup for my wedding, she had 2 huge closets of makeups!! (I am not kidding). After trying on so many options we still went for this one.

What I don’t love about this foundation:

– None haha..if I really have to be picky, I would say it feels slightly more silicony than other foundations because of its silky texture. However it is by no means full of silicone unlike the smash box primer…If your skin reacts to silicone you might want to try out a sample of it first.

As usual, I applied Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation on half of my face. I only used half a pump hence the freckles on my face are still showing through a bit, which I don’t mind as I find it quite natural.

What is your HG foundation and I am curious to know which foundation did you wear for The Big day?!

{ 48 comments }

Labels: FOUNDATION • Giorgio Armani

Shu Uemura BB Beige UV Under Base Mousse

June 22, 2011

This week I am reporting back my thoughts on the latest Shu Uemura UV Under Base Mousse in BB Beige from its Sakura Collection. The UV Under Base has always been the best seller for Shu Uemura. To celebrate its success, Shu has launched a BB cream version of it in the form of a mousse and it comes in 3 shades – the one I bought is the BB Beige. This mousse contains all the benefits of the original version – has a spf of 30 and PA+++, and has a moussey texture that feels extremely lightweight on the skin. In addition, it also has the same coverage as a BB cream in a natural and luminous finish.

I love the airy and moussey texture, a marshmallow size is enough to do the whole face. Once it is blended out the foam turns into liquid and instantly aborbs into your skin, leaving your skin feeling hydrated.

Pros:

– An excellent multi-tasking product. It has a sun protection factor of 30 without the greasiness and heaviness. It can also be used as makeup base to brighten up or even out your skintone. I personally prefer to use it as a BB cream or foundation.

– The coverage is just as good as a foundation. You can see from the swatch below it totally covers up most of my skin imperfections without looking cakey.

– It makes my skin look poreless! It works better than any of the silicone based products I have tried so far.

– It gives a nice luminous glow and controls the oil for the whole day.

Cons:

– The shade in BB Beige is too light for my skin! Just when I thought I could not be any more paler…

– Just like some other BB creams, it leaves a hint of greyish cast on my skin but it disappears over time.

This picture shows the natural luminous effect.

Will I rebuy it?

Probably not simply because the shade doesn’t match up with my skintone.

{ 9 comments }

Labels: BB Cream • FOUNDATION • Shu Uemura

Diorskin Forever Extreme Fit Foundation Review

June 12, 2011

Diorskin Forever Extreme Fit Foundation was a beautiful mistake for me. I was meant to buy another Dior foundation but accidentally picked this one at the duty free shop. I never heard of this foundation before I had it, so when I read the name “Extreme Wear Flawless Makeup”, I was under the impression that it was going to be a heavy foundation for people who like full coverage.

To my pleasant surprise, it is a really nice foundation. It lives up to its claim – giving you a flawless coverage but the finish is no way as cakey and heavy as I thought it would be. Some general facts

– Contains SPF 15 and PA+: always a bonus to have more SPF!

– It has a patented Nano-stretch Network Technology, which means this foundation does not transfer, is waterproof and lasts even in extreme conditions. The Hydra gel system also helps to regulate moisture.

MY OWN THOUGHTS:

Texture: I would say the texture feels like a hybrid of cream and gel. Doesn’t feel as oily and greasy as a cream foundation but feels richer than a gel texture. As soon as it is applied it melts into the skin and fills up the pores really well. Since the texture is not as watery, it dries up really fast so I have to spread out the foundation as fast as I can, otherwise it can become hard to blend.

Finish: Flawless! Hides most of my imperfections whilst still looking natural. When first applied, it has an airbrushed satin finish which I appreciate but it can be “unnecessary” for a good skin day. What I love about this foundation the most is that it wears better and better as the day goes by. The look becomes more natural and radiant.

Long-Lasting Ability: Probably the best long lasting foundation I have ever used. It doesn’t oxidize on me considering I have quite oily skin. The coverage stays as it is for at least 8 hours of wear – no retouch required.

The only downside I can think of is that it is not as spreadable as a fluid foundation. It is easy to go overboard with this if it is applied with a brush.

My Rating: 9/10

Will I buy it again: YES!

{ 18 comments }

Labels: DIOR • FOUNDATION

BECCA Luminous Skin Colour

May 31, 2011

Quite a few people have expressed interest in the Becca Luminous Skin Colour, so I have decided to review this one first.

Becca Luminous Skin Colour is an award winning face base product that has been the best seller ever since Becca was launched – actually it was the first product Becca released. It has a wide range of colors to choose from for any complexion. My shade is Cashmere – it is a pale shade with a yellow undertone and it matches me perfectly. Becca’s website describes this product as a combination tinted moisturizer and sheer foundation. It initially failed to impress me because this is the sheerest foundation I have ever come across – it is even more sheer than any tinted moisturizers or BB creams I have used in the past. When blended out, it has very minimal coverage.

It started to grow on me as I used it more – I have come to appreciate this foundation more and understand why this is the best seller.

The Good:

– It contains a lot of moisturizing ingredients and has a very high water content. It is so easy to blend and adheres to my face like second skin even on the driest skin day.

– Different to most shimmery or highlighting products – it gives a “shine within” dewy glow. Same effect as if you just had a facial – people would just think your skin is naturally healthy and glowing.

– It contains SPF25, it feels weightless on my skin, feels lighter than any lightest sunscreen . On a normal day I would just skip suncreen if I wear this foundation.

– Due to its high water content, I like to mix this product in with an opaque concealer to sheer it down, that way it gives an illuminating effect for concealing the under eyes area.

The Bad:

– As mentioned earlier it is Ultra sheer, it only evens my complexion out but hides no imperfections.

– Requires more product (about 3 pumps for me) per application than regular foundation.

– Requires a touch-up after 5 to 6 hours of wear.

Swatched Becca Luminous Color in Cashmere on my hand:

When it is blended out, even at a closer look, you can’t even detect there is a layer of foundation on.

Being brave once again- exposing my bare face to the world wide web!

The picture below would give you a better idea of how it looks. The side with the Becca Foundation didn’t have any other products on. On a normal day I would wear some under eyes concealer on top of the foundation then I’m good to go.

I have also been trying different ways to apply this foundation. It is incredibly easy to blend. I like to use a foundation brush or fingers. I won’t recommend to apply it with the Beauty Blender because it will make it even more sheer! The foundation retails for AUD$68.

Long post, I hope this review will help any of you who are interested in this product.

{ 11 comments }

Labels: BECCA • FOUNDATION

Foundations Reviews Part 1 – Coming Soon

May 25, 2011

Being a self proclaimed foundation addict, I am quite ashamed I have yet done any foundation reviews. So I have set myself a ‘tough’ challenge. I am going to get through the reveiws for all the foundations shown in the picture by the end of June! I am hoping I can do at least 1 foundation review a week.

These are a subset of my foundations collection, they are mainly relatively new or my recent favorites.

Becca Luminous Skin color

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua – ultra light skin perfecting makeup

Dior Extreme Fit – extreme wear flawless makeup

Cle de Peau teint naturel fluide cream foundation

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

Shu Uemura UV Under base Mouse BB Cream

The rest of my foundations (not in the pic) will be covered in part 2 and 3.