To me, one of the most fascinating aspects of Japanese cosmetics is the generally outstanding quality of the base makeup*.

In the first week of March, I will be posting five articles on Japanese base makeup. These posts are largely based on the questions that I have often been asked in the past two years by readers new to or interested in Japanese makeup. I hope these articles will be helpful to some of you as well as any future reader who might have similar questions.

The first article will go up on Monday March 2nd. If you have any question on Japanese base makeup or suggestions on what you would like to see covered, please feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail.

Thank you very much, and stay tuned!

* In Japan, “base makeup” (or “base make”) refers to items applied before any color is added. They include primers, concealers, foundations, highlighting/contouring items, and loose/pressed powder. With some Japanese brands, they can also include delicately pigmented blushers.

Items featured in the photo:

Jill Stuart Moist Silk Foundation

Paul & Joe Light Cream Foundation

Anna Sui Fluid Foundation

{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }

eclectic.satire Saturday, February 21, 2009

Can’t wait! (:

Reply

Thepunkcat Saturday, February 21, 2009

Aww~~ lovely pic!
I am looking forward your articles!!

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Anonymous Saturday, February 21, 2009

I would like to know which shitaji with which foundation works perfectly well together. During my stay in Japan, I bought the expensive creamy foundation case of Cle de Peau, but it can not stay long on the nose area of my face. I was told that I should put some special shitaji to go with. But I have totally no idea…..

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PJ Saturday, February 21, 2009

Hi Eclectic.satire,

Thank you for stopping by, and hope you will enjoy the posts! :)

Reply

PJ Saturday, February 21, 2009

Hi Eru,

Thank you very much! :) Hope you will enjoy the articles! :)

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PJ Saturday, February 21, 2009

Hi,

I am assuming that you were told that you needed a suitable primer underneath the foundation.

First of all, personally, I don’t recommend using a liquid or a cream foundation on the oily parts of the face. It can slide of fairly easily, even with a right primer.

I think, with the oily parts of the skin, the fewer the liquid/cream-based makeup products that are used, the better, and I would recommend using a powder foundation (without a primer).

If you do want to use the Clé de Peau foundation that you mentioned on the nose area, I would recommend using a press powder that is good at absorbing sebum. Both Lavshuca’s Face Powder and Kiss’ Mat Chiffon Power are nice choices. You can see my reviews here and here.

Hope it helps! (One of the things I will be discussing in Japanese Base Makeup Week is the relation between different skin types and different types of foundations. It might be something you might like to have a look at.)

Thank you very much for your question! :)

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lilsweetkaz Sunday, February 22, 2009

I’m really looking forward to this. thanks for doing it!

btw, there are people selling za two-way foundations on =)

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Anonymous Sunday, February 22, 2009

Hi, I see you like Japanese brands. You should try IPSA. I absolutely love their cleansing oil for makeup removal, cleansing milk face cleanser, metabolizer (moisturiser), concealer (3 shades) and their foundation I use the stick and liquid foundation from their line.

There are also great Japanese brands to rave about like Fiberwig mascara and FANCL

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PJ Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Hi Lilsweetkaz,

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you’ll enjoy the posts! :)

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PJ Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Hi,

I tried some of IPSA’s skincare products quite a few years ago (trial samples I got from skin consultations) and I was quite pleased with a few of them. I have yet to try their base makeup items but I am always aware that some of them are quite popular. I will certainly look into them a bit more.

Thank you for posting your comment! :)

Reply

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Please note that information on purchasing Japanese cosmetics on-line can be found on my FAQ page.

Thank you very much!

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