I have a serious foundation problem. There I said it. I can’t stop hauling foundations; cream, stick, powder, gel…
It was MAQUillage’s extremely pretty packaging that made me pay attention to their newest foundation release (and they are always releasing new base products for the different seasons) – Lighting White Powdery UV Foundation.
Don’t expect the names of a lot of Japanese beauty products to make perfect sense – sometimes they just don’t.
I don’t even like powder foundation! But powder foundations are hugely popular in Asia where the climate is hot and humid. It makes perfect sense since a powder base will last longer, absorb sweat and oil etc.
Shiina Ringo, a Japanese singer/rock star is the face of this brand and she looks so, so, so good for her age. But she strikes fear into my soul. Mr C is a fan of hers and I’ve had to listen to her squeaky voice on and off for a few years now. Check the end of the post to see what I am talking about.
Info:
A powdery foundation formulated with Glow All-over Powder that lights-up your skin to create a translucent, pure-white finish.
Absorbs only sebum to prevent makeup wearing-off. Formulated with Pure White Essence* to nourish, smoothen and brighten your skin with continuous use.
Do not be put off by the word ‘powdery’ – it’s just the description, it won’t be chalky.
This comes in 6 shades and has a SPF of 25.
Shiseido MAQUillage’s darkest shade is OC30 which is a decent enough match for my skintone, depending on the product. I found their stick foundation was way too ashy, but this foundation is more yellow so works better.
This comes with a mirror and a sponge. The foundation is refillable and you can buy other formula’s from MAQUIllage and put it in the case.
This is a whitening foundation and whilst I don’t believe for one second it will whiten my skin, it’s also not usually an area I am interested in (whitening). However I am really interested in brightening my skin and evening it out so that I get rid of pigmentation. If these products help a bit, then great! But I do love being olive.
The texture of this foundation is superb! I used the word superb!
It’s just so soft, and pigmented, and creamy. For a moment when first applied it looks like powder, then very quickly settles in to give a gorgeous soft finish with lots of coverage for pores, redness and minor scars. It blends like a dream.
Lasting power – I don’t know, I’d say it could do with a touch up 6 hours in and that’s with dry skin so if you are oily, perhaps this won’t control oil for a really long time.
Now – whilst it matches my skintone, it also adds some brightness to it. I don’t think it leaves a ghastly white cast on my face at all, it just looks ‘bright’ and even, but bear in mind it will leave you with this kind of finish.
Before – no make up on, do excuse the pores, the redness – my skin was very sensitive at this point:
With one quick layer applied – I love the result. It settles in without looking powdery, really evens out the skin, covers pores…and it just…great. Trust MAQUillage!
NOTE: There’s no foundation on my eyes, so they look more ‘yellowy’!
Verdict:
Fierce powder foundation, brilliant finish and great coverage for pores and redness. Must recommend if it can match your skin colour.
This is what Mr C would make me listen to in the car…I am sure Shiina has other less…squeaky songs:
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Amazing coverage – thanks for the review
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Thanks Jamilla!
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It sounds fabulous! Probably wouldn’t work too well on my oily skin, but I’m tempted to try it anyway
My favorite Shiina Ringo song is koko de kisu shite:
But I admit that she’s screechy. Still, I love the way she works this song. I can’t believe she wrote it when she was 17!
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Hey Kuri
I don’t think this has amazing oil control….I mean I look a bit sweaty and I have dry skin half way through the day with this. How old is Shiina?!
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forgot to say that it looks fabulous on you. absolutely gorgeous!
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Omg squeee! Finally a review on this foundation!
I am a huge Shiina fan, and she got me interested in this foundation however, I couldn’t find a matching colour.
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Hey Rid!
SHAME! Their base products are so good but I guess the colour selection is specific
Quite yellow and light.
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is this the same one with the japanese advertisement about “i’m a virgin”? Lol when i was in japan that CM/song kept going off on tv that it totally got stuck in my head, and i ended up having to buy the foundation just because of the CM x____x
out of curiosity, how did you apply it? I usually swipe with the sponge into the pan, then pat onto my skin, but i’m wondering if that dispenses too much onto my skin.
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Hi Shannon
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS that one! It’s kind of annoying (the ad!).
I just swipe half a sponge over the pan then spread it out starting from the centre of my face. Have you seen the MAQUillage site? they have a guide on how to apply (they think of everything Japanese sites!). I don’t think you need much at all!
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WOWSERS…great coverage and lovely finish from a powder foundations…plus the compact is so pretty!!
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Hey Jen
Trust MAQUIllage!
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Looks fantastic and now has me wondering if I could get away with that shade…
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Hey Nazia
I guess it blends in but it’s not cheap! Not one to take a risk on :/
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Ahhh I think I have to check this one out
I love powder foundations because yes I live in the hot humid tropics of asia!
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Hey Paris!
it’s so good perfect for your climate
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ah, I should probably pass on the foundation then.
Shiina’s 32 now – so the video is from when she was 26. geez, really? Man, I gotta stop slouching around.
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Thanks for this review! I was thinking of checking out some of these japanese pact foundations but I was wondering whether you know if most of these (high-end) japanese compact cases are interchangeable between brands? There are some beautiful cases I’ve seen that do not neccesarily coordinate with the foundation I want to try out. Of the refills you have, are most of them the same size? For example, I was thinking of getting this maquillage foundation but putting it in a visee/primavista case. Will that work or should I just stick to one brand for the case and refill?
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