Finding the Right Liquid Foundation, Part 2

Here's my posting in Cozycot Forums. It is an indication of my quest to find the right liquid foundation, and I think that (for now), the right one is Kanebo's FairCrea liquid foundation in PO-B! Makes me look fair especially when I use their FairCrea White Brightveil base in 'Lucent'.

Yesterday, 03:02 PM
Originally Posted by CherLove
ANyone tried Revue Superior Stay foundations or their MU base?
Hi, CherLove, I bought $120 worth of Kanebo items from Robinsons Raffles City over the weekend. They gave a full sized FairCrea liquid foundation (old packaging, but this is still being sold when I went to JB recently), and I got it in OC-B. This is free for Robinsons card holders. I bought their Makeup base - FairCrea White, White Brightveil in "Lucent", $62.

After trying Chanel, Clinique, Avene, IPSA and quite a few other brands, I think I like the FairCrea liquid foundation best. It depends on your skin type. Mine is combination, towards the slightly dry side. The FairCrea goes on smoothly, coverage is good, doesn't slide and looks slightly dewey and nice. Chanel Whitening is not too bad too, but thicker. What are you looking out for? For me, I need something that is fair coloured enough, does not cake up (especially around the nose), stays on thoughout the day with minimal touch up or none at all.

For the FairCrea White Brightveil, it is a makeup base / sunscreen. Comes in skin colour, green and white (the one I took). It has a bit of alcohol in side, not much, to ensure your foundation or powder will stay true. It is not bad, just started using it, but because it is slightly opaque white in colour, I find that I must blend it in when it is almost dry, to avoid patchy colour. Also, if your foundation is the matte type, it would become even more matte with this base. So to make sure foundation is blended in properly on top of the FairCrea base, I have to apply when the base is still drying, and do it quickly so that it will be smooth application.

You could try FairCrea and Revue since they are both are from Kanebo. I think the Revue is the 'shake bottle' type containing some alcohol, whereas FairCrea is in a squeeze tube. Both are liquid foundation, but the sales people have told me that Revue is for oilier skin.Hope that helps!

THanks lladyrain,it really helps!Thanks for the wonderful advice!=P

Yesterday, 04:18 PM
Dear CherLove, you are most welcome. I think it is best if you could bring small containers to get the foundation samples home to try - the colours as well as the formula. It really is trial and error, and I find that when the salesgirl puts makeup on you in the store, it looks okay, but when you buy the foundation and try it at home, it is cakey, patchy,dry, oily, doesn't stay, etc. I find it very frustrating to buy liquid foundation!

Some Kanebo counters allow you to put the foundation in your own container, some don't. I usually just quickly put some and leave. But that is if you don't mind the risk that the foundation is contaminated or dirty, cos people would have tried from it. I don't mind, cos the mistake of buying wrong foundation colour or texture is too costly!

For the makeup base samples, I have gotten the FairCrea BrightVeil base at Robinsons City Hall. You could try getting the samples from there. If you are into trying the foundation, I think the Kanebo counter at Robinsons City Hall has the best gift with purchase, plus the free FairCrea liquid foundation. Oops, I got mine in PO-B (not OC-B as previously stated). They had OC-C and OC-D when I was there last Saturday. That will be a good way to try Kanebo foundations, if you don't like it, it is still a free gift. And you could buy the makeup base or skincare stuff to top up to $120 to get the gifts. With Robinsons Card, you get the free liquid foundation plus the mirror, FairCrea samples, Kate eyeshadow (green), white bag, lip gloss and nail polish. No card, you only get the other items, no foundation.

Yesterday, 05:19 PM
Posted by soliloquy3
hi lladyrain, you tried the chanel whitening liquid foundation is it? so you would prefer Kanebo over Chanel? do you apply loose powder from kanebo as well? i'm currently using powder foundation, but thinking of changing to liquid ones

Today, 01:01 AM
Hi Soliloquy3,
Did you get the free Estee Lauder CyberWhite liquid gel creme foundation sample from Metro Paragon? You can bring your Saturday's Straits Times LIFE! section (pg 3), or just request for it by registering with them. I just got it today (Wednesday), and Thursday is the last day. It is in a small glass vial, they'll give you the colour match. Worth a try since it's free. I brought an empty container and got their CyberWhite "Radiant" formula (liquid) to try too. Turns out that the Radiant formula is whiter than the new gel creme they're promoting. Better to try both.

Yup, I've tried the Chanel Whitening liquid foundation (Blanc Essential) in 10 Beige Clair. I brought home the sample in my own container to try. I would say between the two, Kanebo's FairCrea (I use PO-B) is easier to spread than Chanel's. It's strange, cos Kanebo comes in a squeeze tube, which you'd expect to be heavy and creamier than Chanel's which comes in a glass pump bottle.

The Kanebo FairCrea is less thick, but the coverage is still rather good. Somehow it is smoother, and towards the end of the day, after sweating and running around, the Kanebo looks nice and glowy. Chanel is a bit more 'flat' in effect, even though it is supposed to be light reflecting. I think it is because it's in a matte formula. Chanel also looks okay (it lasted without touchup when I went to JB for a day trip, and that I find amazing! Cos with L'Oreal's True Match, it oxidises and slides off the face). Both Kanebo and Chanel, for this range of foundation, does not oxidise so much especially if you use a base.

For the Chanel whitening liquid foundation, the effect is much better when I used a damp sponge. I could apply a thick layer and still look okay, but if I use fingers, I have to be careful because can't blend that well. Especially when it is almost dry, when I add on more foundation, it would cake up and have obvious streak marks. And you have to be more careful in blending this foundation around the nose and upper lip area, cos it is thick!

For both, it seems to be oil free, definitely mineral oil free. The old formula Kanebo FairCrea which I got as a free item from Robinsons has mineral oil, but small amount, so it's not oily.You really have to try. Because it depends on whether your skin is Normal to Dry, Normal to Very Dry, Normal to Oily, Normal to Very Oily etc. Best is to get both Chanel (can try their different formulas) and Kanebo and go back and try. Get the one that makes your face match your neck and rest of the body. I usually would go back and put stripes of the different foundation on my face to see the colours. Then I put loose powder on half of each stripe. After about half an hour, I see how it looks. And I "pat pat" on both the powdered and non-powdered portions, and see how the foundation stays. Then you can guess how lasting the foundation would be.

For powder foundation / two way cake, I like Christian Dior's whitening range. I've been buying for a couple of years, but I don't like it scented, prefer a fragrance-free one. I heard and read that the Chanel's whitening range powder is good too. I tried it on my hand, it is rather light.For powder foundation, I find that Christian Dior's whitening powder foundation and Kanebo's FairCrea range really 'melts' into the skin and provides good coverage without looking clumpy.

I bought the Kanebo Revue loose powder, would not buy again. It has mineral oil in it, and I guess that's what makes it clump up? In the container, it looks like little beads of powder have formed. The minute I puff the powder on, it clumps up! Very irritating, especially when I tried the Fancl foundation for normal to dry skin, it made my face look diseased and dry. Sigh.

You have to be careful about applying loose powder over liquid foundation, cos this can change the colour of your face. E.g., I thought the Kanebo FairCrea was too dark on me and oxidised quickly. Later when I tried different powders, I realised that it was my MAC loose powder that oxidised or was too yellow (it is a very old powder I kept, about 3 years, heh heh...), and affected the foundation colour. Solved the problem by adding other loose powders to mix.

It is a headache. I would say, keep your powder foundation for touch ups. And continue using it while you're in search for your perfect liquid foundation! Just have to test and trial and error. Loose powder is another headache. Get the wrong one (too dry or too oily), and your eyebrow and nose area would look powdery or scaly!

Today, 01:11 AM
Forgot to add. The "stripe test" of putting foundation samples on your face is best done at night before you clean your face or shower. Don't wear it the whole day (yes you'd look strange with a streaky coloured face ). After I do the "stripe test" on my face, I'll shortlist one or two foundations that I like. The next day, I'll put it on the whole face and blend onto the neck. Loose powder on top. Then I'll test how it performs in humidity, going in and out of air conditioned areas, etc. Hope that helps!

Finding the Right Liquid Foundation, Part 1

I think getting the right liquid foundation make-up requires a lot of trial and error, perseverance, luck and a degree in Rocket Science. Make that a PhD in Rocket Science.

Almost every liquid foundation I've ventured to try on my face came out too oily/dry and too dark. I've come to the conclusion that most cosmetic brands produce orangey or pinkish foundations to cater to their main Caucasian market. The last I heard, China is the most populous country in the world. And the Asian subcontinent makes up *some* proportion of planet earth. So why on earth won't they make more natural looking, yellow based but not too yellow (we are NOT from the species Banana, thank you!) for the rest of the world. Even Europeans and Americans and all the rest that go online that are not Asian, do comment that they would prefer a more neutral and slightly yellow-based liquid foundation.

Hope that my somewhat extensive experience in trying foundation would be of help. I've long given up on buying liquid foundation without trying it out on my face first. How I do it? I take small, clean containers to cosmetic counters. And I pour in the foundation colours that I want. So that I can try them out over the course of a few days. After all,
1)If you try it in the store, where do you put on the foundation? On the back of your hand? Why, should think that very few people have such poreless, fine, 'thirsty' skin on their faces. The back of our hands don't produce much oil, so how would you know how the foundation would interact with oil?
2)The colour of your hand is not the colour of your face. Neither is your neck the colour of your face. So best to put the liquid foundation on your FACE and see if your face then matches your neck and the rest of you. (I've seen far too many heavily made up cosmetic sales people with their faces whiter than their necks. My problem is that foundation on my face looks darker than my neck and the rest of me.)



"Why of course his face is kinda white and lighter than the rest of him. He's a clown. What's your excuse?"








3)You'll need to see how the foundation blends in with your skin colour and texture when your face and neck is nice and clean, before you leave home. Notice how it looks after you've dusted some loose powder on top. Then look again how it performs after a whole day of being outside, where the foundation has a chance to be thoroughly acquainted with humidity, heat, cold, changes in temperature, dust, pollution etc.

When you've had the chance to get some foundation samples home to try, put it on after your usual moisturiser, sunscreen and primer/base routine.

What to look out for:

• Formula - is it for oily, or dry, or combination skin? Is it mineral oil-free?


• Texture - is it cream or fluid? Is it too heavy or too light? Can it blend well into your skin?


• Colour - is it too dark or too light? Too yellow / pink / orange? Does it oxidise at the end of the day?


• Coverage - is it too heavy or too light? Cakey? Does it make your pores look bigger?


• Others - is it lasting enough? Does it slide off your face? Is the make up still there at the end of the day?

My Pet Peeves:
1)I just hate it when make up oxidises at the end of the day. Sometimes, using a primer / make up base only helps to a certain extent. You should get foundation that does not turn a darker or muddy colour on you. Instead of extolling the virtues of a make up base (sold by them, of course), these cosmetic companies should be making good quality foundations that don't change colour on you. Sometimes, I wonder... do these cosmetic companies make Oxidising Liquid Foundations, so that we poor unsuspecting consumers have no choice but to add another step to our make up routine and buy yet another (pricey) product?

2)I just can't find the right colour! Everything is too dark on me. I guess the best match overall is Chanel's Light Reflecting Fluid Foundation SPF20. The lightest colour, 10 Beige Clair is by far the best colour match I've gotten so far. It's okay on the face, can look a little cakey at the end of the day. But I tried using a damp sponge to put it on, and it is a huge improvement! Guess I'll have to cough up some $$$ and get a bottle of this. Sigh, do they have to really price it so high?

In terms of texture and appearance on skin, Kanebo's FairCrea range is really good. It looks glowy and smooth on the face, can hardly see pores or blemishes, and yet is not cakey or heavy on the skin. Unfortunately, their lightest colours, PO-B and OC-B, are too dark for me. I don't understand it, how do those Japanese women achieve that pinky whiteness? I don't think you can get it from Kanebo's foundation colours. Too dark! So I will still have to get the Chanel foundation in the end.