Kiss Mat Chiffon Powder)
– 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!
{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for doing this series on Japanese base makeup! It is quite informative and helpful for the readers in making decisions about which brand to buy.
As for my favourite Japanese base makeup products, here are some of them:
Primers: – Jill Stuart Makeup Base
– Lunasol Control Makeup Base
Foundations: – Lunasol Intellectual Liquid Foundation(discontinued)
– Fine-Fit Base Foundation UV Long Keep Liquid
– Coffret D’Or Beauty Lasting Pact UV
– Jill Stuart Smooth Silk Powder Foundation
Loose Powder: – Kiss Mat Chiffon Powder(Same as you^_^)
Skintype: Oily with occasional pimples. Large visible pores.
Haha, basically I have similar skintype to yours and I live in a year-round tropical, high humidity environment. So, I tend to go for light to medium coverage liquid foundations with high SPF as they tend to have less of the “floating powder” look after long hours of wear.
S.
my all time fav loose powder is kesalan patharan. it really controls oil. i’ve used kiss make up base for a few bottle already. and i like lunasol modeling liquid foundation. :)
i've really enjoyed reading your base makeup week posts :)
i love japanese makeup too, and my favourite base make item (at the moment :P) is sonia rykiel's powder foundation. <3 i also use ayura's f sign defense liquid on a regular basis, as well as CDP's loose powder. i'm still trying to find a primer i like though. (i have sensitive combi skin)
my skin type is, normal to combination. my favorite used to be the paul & joe 2 way cake in 01 ivory. the older formulation! the application was a dream, oil control was good, coverage was perfect and it was lightweight and comfortable on my skin with minimal oxidation. and then they revamped it and i had a horrible experiernce! the powder had poor adhesion: like one swipe of the sponge has too much powder coming off, it also ahdered badly on skin and the cake itself is.. erm, brittle. which is such a let down. if that was not bad enough, the colour match wasn't good, the powder looked cakey on the skin and it oxidised terribly. oil control was bad. i was so shattered! wasn't easy to find such a good foundation and now it's replaced by something so lousy.
the great other foundation i used was the za two way cake. it's as good just that the powder is slightly thicker on the face and the color match isn't that good. 21's too orange/ dark for me while 20 is too fair.
Thank you. The series was very informative to a japanese base makeup newbie like me!
I’ve dry sensitive skin and these are the prods that I really like:
Powder Foundations:
– Jill Stuart Powder Foundation (1st Generation)
– Kanebo Revue Still Keep compact (Summer 2006)
– SK-II Advance Whitening Source Pan-cake
Liquid/Cream Foundations:
– Cle de Peau Creme Naturel Fluide
– Cle de Peau Refining Fluid Foundation
– Kanebo Impress Cream Foundation
– Kose AQ Foundation Melority (sp?)
Loose Powder:
– Lavshuca Face Powder
– Kose AQ Melority Powder (forgot the name but it’s the only loose powder in the Melority series)
– Cle de Peau Loose Powder
Thanks for your extremely helpful posts on Japanese foundation PJ! I've finally decided to buy a Za refill on eBay and put it in another cute case. Do you know if Za will fit in a Coffret D'or case? Or if anything else besides Coffret D'or will fit in their case? (their foundation refill is way too expensive and I don't think it provides enough coverage for me)
Thanks again!! <33
Great blog but I can’t get most of these products here in the US, now can I?
Thanks a lot for writing these. It’s so hard for me to find these info. I can’t read Japanese so even though I get some of those Japanese mag from book store, all I can do is to look at all the photo. (Thank makeup god they have a very good photo system. Still I don’t understand all those star and criteria they’re using anyway.)
My favorite base makeup line right now is Sonia Rykiel. They don’t available here in Thailand though so everytime I have friends going abroad or I go on a trip, I stock up. I just love the feeling of their product agaist my face. I find them very moist and make my dry-skin face soft and look natural all day. I’ve tried so many brands before, another brand that seems to give a similar effect with more coverage is Bobbi Brown. However, I find hers too thick to my liking.
Anyway, thanks for writing this series!
:)
Dear PJ,
First of all, I love you for making this series! I’ve been wanting to try Japanese foundations for the longest time, and though it’s easy for me to buy them online through ebay/Ichibankao/etc, I just can’t figure out which brand/shade to pick; I was just overwhelmed. My first and only Japanese foundation would be the Shiseido The Makeup Powdery Foundation. It was easily accessible since it’s available at Sephora/Macy’s/Dillard’s/Amazon. Well, the most lightest shade available in the States is OC20, which is pretty dark on me, it sort of makes me look dirty. Reading reviews, I believe I’m closer to OC10 or OC00 since I’m lighter than MAC NC20. Enough about my shading story, I have a question to ask of you:
Would you think certain companies would cater towards certain age groups and would the foundation formulas be affected by this in any way?
For example, the Shiseido Maquillage line is targeted towards those in their early 20s by having young models like Juri Ueno (22). while Kanebo Coffret D’Or has Shibasaki Kou (27).
Also, the Coffret D’Or foundation shade appear to be darker than those of Maquillage. I’m young (22 yrs old), fair and Asian with combination skin (depending on the weather, mostly). I wonder which of the two would you recommend. The Coffret D’Or looks more appealing, but the lightest OC shade (Ocre-B) looks so dark, it’s scary.
For a compact that costs US$59-62, I feel pressured that I must get the right shade the first time.
I apologize for this long post, but I’m really looking into buying a new foundation soon. I would like to look pretty for once, and not having cakey foundation on a humid summer day :( I’d appreciate your help, I consider you as the guru when it comes to information on Japanese cosmetics!
All the best,
Thao Nguyen
Wow, thanks for posting on this! I agree about mineral makeup. It’s great at first but after a while it doesn’t really have anything special. For people with almost perfect skin, I think it works though. But for pore, redness etc. coverage, I’m really seeking for something better.
I’ve used a few liquid foundations, but never quite got a perfect match. I’m not sure what to try first as I don’t want to buy fullsized foundations if they’re not my match.
What would you recommend I do? We do have Shiseido- the makeup, SKII, shu here in australia but I really want to try the Za you talk about.
It just seems impossible to get though!
Thanks in advance!
Really great series.
My favorite (and the only proper foundation I use) is Suqqu cream foundation (I think they just refer to it as “foundation”) I use the Suqqu loose powders over it.
I have dry to normal sensitive skin.
Grace
Will you mind if I butt in a little?
Betty,
ZA’s under Shiseido Brand so any brand else that Shiseido do, the refill will fit in.
For Coffret D’or, since it’s under Kanebo, you can also use the compact for any sub-Kanebo brand.
Hi PJ
Thanks for posting this, it is very informative for people like me who get confused by the vast amount of cosmetics for purchase. I have combination/dehydrated skin depending on the weather!
I am currently using (non Japanese) Lancome Mousse foundation and Lavushca Loose Powder in Lucent. I was very impressed by a Shiseido foundation sample I received (can’t remember now what it’s called, I’ve thrown it away!) and I will be purchasing a Japanese one after my current foundation finishes. I have hit the pan now, so to speak so it won’t be long :)
I have one question regarding the difference between powder foundation and liquid/cream foundation. Which one gives a more natural finish?
Thanks PJ I love your blog!
Hi S.,
You are very welcome, and thank you very much for reading this series of posts!
It does seem that we have very similar skin types, and we share our fondness of Mat Chiffon Powder. :) It really is a very good loose powder.
I have only used a sample of Coffret D’Or’s Beauty Lasting Pact UV, but I really like it too.
Thank you very much for letting us know your Japanese base makeup favorites! :)
Hi Eve,
It is nice to know that the Kesalan Patharan loose powder has good oil-control. I will definitely look into it.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! :)
Hi Therainbowstar,
I am happy that you enjoyed reading these posts! :)
I have been interested in Sonia Rykiel’s powder foundation for a while, and I will certainly share my thoughts on my blog if I have a chance to try it.
Do let me know if you find a good primer that suits your skin type.
Thank you very much for posting your comment again! :)
Hi Melissa,
It is certainly extremely disappointing when a revamped version of a foundation doesn’t perform as well as the previously one. I have also come across similar complaints on this revamped version elsewhere…
It sounds that your skin tone is lighter than mine. I use ZA’s Two-Way Foundation in 22 and it is a pretty good match to my skin tone.
I hope you will find a few better foundations for you than the ZA one!
Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts! :)
Hi Evynoppie,
You are very welcome!
Thank you very much for reading these articles and for posting your comment, and I hope the series is helpful for you! :)
Hi Nekoconeko,
Thank you very much for letting us know about your favorite Japanese base makeup items. I am sure your comment will be very helpful, especially since we have different skin types.
Thank you again for stopping by! :)
Hi Betty,
You are very welcome, and thank you for reading these posts!
Unfortunately, the ZA refill doesn’t fit into the Coffret D’Or case (or cases from other Kanebo lines).
Normally a refill from a Shiseido line can fit into any other case of a Shiseido line. However, ZA refills are still contained in metal trays whereas most other Shiseido foundation lines are using plastic trays for powder foundations. I have tried putting my ZA refill into the Majolica Majorca case, and the refill was too big for the slot.
I have actually managed to put a ZA refill into a Raycious case, but I had to push quite hard to fit the refill into the slot. It seemed that the slot might crack overtime, so I removed it immediately. It is likely that the Primavista and the Raycious refills are of the same size, but I personally wouldn’t suggest trying to fit the ZA refill into a Primavista case…
But if you find another Shiseido line that also has the refills in metal trays, then the ZA refill will probably fit into the case.
Thank you very much for your question! :)
Hi Sickitten,
Thank you for reading this post!
Unfortunately most of these items are not available in the US. But let me know if you would be interested in purchasing them from websites in Asia.
Thank you for your question! :)
Hi Vichaya,
I think I know the star rating systems for the foundations that you mentioned. Often there are two sets of stars. One would indicate the finish (the more stars, the more luminous) and the other would indicate the degree of coverage (the more stars, the more coverage). But the rating systems can vary in different magazines (and, occasionally, in different issues of the same magazines).
Thank you very much for letting us know about your base makeup favorites! I think I might spend some time looking more into Bobbi Brown’s base makeup items as well. :)
Dear Thao,
You are very welcome, and thank you very much for reading this series of posts!
Your question is a very good one and is directly related to a topic I was planning to discuss in my series, and I am glad that you asked it.
I don’t think the answer can be clear in any way (which is mainly why I didn’t discuss it in the series), but I do think that, with some brands, the formulae of the products can be related to the target age groups that a line is trying to appeal to.
For example, I mentioned (in Part 4) that SUQQU’s foundations seem to be quite suitable for those with dry skin. I think one of the reasons is that SUQQU’s main target consumer group is mostly more mature customers. Obviously there are people in this group that have combination or oily skin. But, generally, as we age, our sebum glands produce less and less oil. Many mature customers tend to look for moisturizing foundations that give them a luminous finish. The products they are looking for would not usually suit those with oily skin.
In contrast, ZA is a brand that is targeted at a much younger clientèle and their Two-Way Foundation has good oil-control efficacy, which tends to be what a lot of younger consumers need.
However, it is hard to have a definitive answer to this. Many brands have a variety of products that suit various skin types.
(By the way, I’d think that Maquillage’s and Coffret D’Or’s target consumers (as well as Esprique Precious’ and Aube’s) are pretty similar in terms of age. )
As for the suitable foundation shades for you, I am wondering if you have tested the lightest Ivory shade from Shiseido The Makeup. I think one of the reasons why Shiseido The Makeup has more Ivory (Pink Ochre) shades is that, as a more international line, it has to cater to Caucasian skin tones, some of which can be very fair. In my experience, Pink Ochre shades can go on paler than they look. If you haven’t tried them before, perhaps you would like to look into them.
(Or you might want to try Pink Ochre shades from Japanese drugstore lines, so you are not spending too much money on shades that might not suit you.)
Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts and for your questions! :)
Hi Istase2000,
If you would like to try foundations from Japanese brands that are not sold in Australia and if you are worried about spending a lot of money on the wrong products, then I’d probably suggest testing out products from Japanese drugstore lines (such as Shiseido’s Majolica Majorca, Kanebo’s Lavshuca and Kate…all of which should be easier to find than ZA). You can also skip the case and just pick up the refill.
(The fact that these lines are cheaper doesn’t mean that they are of poorer quality. The price points usually indicate the ages of the target consumer groups, not necessarily the quality.)
It can be difficult to get the right shade at the first time, so you might have to try a couple of shades before you find the right one for you. (But if you know the shade from Shiseido The Makeup that is the most suitable for you, it can really help, especially with brands that use a similar shade categorization system.)
Hope it helps, and thank you very much for sharing your thoughts and for your question! (I certainly agree with you on mineral foundations.) :)
Hi Grace,
Thank you very much for letting me know about your skin type and your favorite Japanese base makeup products. SUQQU is certainly a great brand to look into for base makeup products, and I am glad that the two items are working well for you! :)
Dear PJ,
Thank you for your prompt and informative reply! I have contacted Ichibankao about the shading, and indeed the lightest Coffrett D’Or Ocre shade Ocre-B is only equivalent to Shiseido’s second lightest shade OC10. Since you mentioned that lighter shades actually apply lighter on skin, maybe I can get away with OC10. :P I really want to try out Coffret D’Or cos of your rec.
Unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to test the lightest Shiseido shades in person, only the OC20, but I was reading a blog (fuzkittie.com) and the author uses I00 and we have similar shading in other foundations (also cos OC00 is unavailable). I also read reviews on the Powdery foundation on MakeupAlley.com, and those of similar shading also use OC00. Where did they get the OC00, I wonder?It can’t be found anywhere…
Anyway, onto foundation formulas: I forgot about that point, makeup companies would like to broaden their audience by including different products that’ll suit different skin types.
Since I think we have similar skin types (I’m a little oily right now cos it’s getting warm–I currently live in Louisiana, the deep south :S ) so I’ll read up more on your foundation reviews. Ichibanko is having a 5% off sale on Coffret D’Or and Maquillage products until March 15th, so I’m going to head over there right now and get the latest Coffret D’Or pact! Hopefully the shade will suit me, and if not, I’ll just use a loose powder to fix it. Hehe :D Have a great week. You’re the best!
Love,
Thao
Hi Vichaya,
Thank you very much for your comment again.
I have also answered Betty’s question, but you might want to note that ZA’s refills are in metal trays and that they don’t fit into foundation cases of other Shiseido lines that use plastic trays for powder foundations.
Many thanks again for stopping by! :)
Hi Sandy,
You are very welcome, and I am happy that you find this series helpful. :)
Thank you as well for letting me know the base makeup items that you are using.
I don’t think either powder or liquid/cream foundations create a more natural finish. Some might say that a light liquid foundation can create a very natural finish, but, in my experience, so can a powder foundation. I suppose the key would be to find a product that really suits one’s skin type (and skin tone).
Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts and for your question! :)
Hi Thao again,
I just want to leave a quick note for you. :)
I might have been a little unclear. What I meant was that it seemed to me that some pink-toned shades (categorized as “Pink Ochre” shades, “Soft Ochre” shades (as in Coffret D’Or) and “Ivory” shades (as in Shiseido The Makeup)) can go on lighter than they look. So you might want to see if Shiseido The Makeup’s lightest Ivory shade might suit you.
If it is the Coffret D’Or Beauty Lasting Pact UV that you would like to consider, you might want to have a look at this review from Autumn Masquerade. According to this review, the shades tend to be lighter than usual (as compared with the shades of the same names from other Kanebo lines), and my experience echoes this. (The sample I have is OC-C, which is lighter than what I would expect of a typical OC-C shade.)
Hope it helps! :)
Hi PJ,
Thank you for sharing with us your thoughts during the Japanese Base Makeup Week. Your thoughts on Japanese makeup helped formed the basis of my purchases for base makeup.
I have stocked up on Lavshuca’s Loose Powder in Lucent and the other shade (can’t remember the name). I think the old version, at 16g, offers more product than the new version, which is about 6g. Kathi from Lotus Palace blogged about how she bought the new version of Loose Powder from Lavshuca and did not like it.
I think the outcome of how the Loose Powder, or liquid/powder foundation performs generally depends on whether we have selected the right type (moisturizing or sebum controlling) for our skin, and also depends on our application method. Although you and I enjoy using Lavshuca’s loose powder, I believe Kathi, with her sensitive/dry skin type, will totally find it too drying.
The Lavshuca powder foundation works well for me too as it gives me an emolient finish by noon time. I am experimenting this week with Lavshuca’s old moisturizing cream foundation (the one in the tub). The cream foundation was geared towards people with dry skin and gives a luminous, dewy finish. I was unaware when I purchased it. However, I made it work with my oily skin by mixing a bit of foundation to sebum controlling emulsion and it works perfectly fine for me. The coverage provided by the cream was even better than using its powder foundation (using my freckles as the benchmark). Excellent coverage plus skin care benefits from the emulsion/foundation mix made my base makeup really exceptional.
I did not have to use any concealer, just a light dusting of loose powder on my cheekbones did well. This approach lasted me well for 10 hours, after which I took a run and my skin remained luminous.
I noted how different my base makeup would have looked when I first applied the emulsion, then layer the cream foundation on top. This approach will make it seem like the cream foundation is sitting on top of my skin. Mixing the cream foundation and sebum controlling emulsion allows the mix to adhere to my skin really well.
I am highlighting this, although some people already know it, because I think some products really makes a difference with the right application method.
Cheers,
Laura
Hi Laura,
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful insight!
Indeed, choosing the right products (with the right formulae) for our skin types is really the key. Even among powder foundations, which I usually go for, there are some that impart a very luminous finish and that are not particularly good at sebum-control.
Your method of mixing a sebum-controlling emulsion with the cream foundation makes great sense. Sometimes, by mixing two products together, not only do we get a better consistency (alongside the skincare benefits you mentioned), we also get a more natural finish. Furthermore, very often, we end up not needing as much product from either item.
As for Lavshuca’s new loose powder, I am still tempted to try the two shades. I am curious to see if the one in Lucent is similar to the previous Face Powder in Lucent (the one I have). I am also intrigued to see how High Cover performs. Like what you said (which I completely agree with), everybody’s skin type is different and different products can perform very differently for all of us.
If I do decide to try either of the two shades, I will definitely talk about it on my blog.
Thank you very much again for sharing your thoughts! :)
Hi PJ,
I have combination skin and very oily T-zone. So far my flavourest 2 way compact is Covermark Moisture Veil Foundation. The texture is very fine. Good coverage but feel nothing after put on it. Most important, I found it look so nature with excellent oil control ability by sufficient moisturising.
Carol
My favorite: the new Shiseido Smoothing compact foundation.
Since my skin is somewhat dry, I prefer to use it over a base but I haven’t found the right one yet. Right now, I have Shiseido’s Pre-Makeup Cream but I’m not crazy about it.
You’re right: nobody can touch the Japanese brands when it comes to foundation. I’m so glad I went back to Shiseido, which I used a few years ago, and the new one is the best yet.
Hi Carol,
Covermark is certainly another Japanese brand that is noted for its base makeup. I think I will need to add it to my list in Part 4…:)
Umm…it seems that the Moisture Veil Foundation is something that might suit me. I will certainly look into this…
Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts! :)
Hi Stellina,
I have to say that, even though Shiseido The Makeup is available in the UK, I have not really looked into their foundations. (I nearly bought a primer from them though.) I think I will definitely have a look at them the next time I am at their counter. (It would be nice to have a product that works for me that I can purchase locally…)
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us! :)
I am interested in purchasing Coffret D'or but I do not know where I can purchase their line. I went to their site but I can not find an indicator that they are selling it online. I would like to know where I can purchase their line for a semi reasonable price. Thank you!
Hi Shea Marie,
There are two websites that carry Japanese cosmetics that I have shopped from:
http://www.adambeauty.com
ichibankao.com
Adam Beauty is based in Hong Kong and Ichibankao is based in Japan. Both take PayPal payments and ship internationally. There are some other websites that carry Japanese cosmetics, but I have only shopped from these two sites. I have been happy with their services and I would recommend both.
(On the other hand, most official websites of Japanese beauty brands are for information only and don't offer on-line ordering.)
Hope it helps, and please let me know if you have any other question.
Thank you very much for stopping by! :)