Base makeup includes Primer, Concealer, Foundation, Loose Powder, 2 Way Cake and Highlighters.
Paul & Joe Protective Primer, Paul & Joe Primer
I currently only have 3 primers. The other one is from Beauté de Kosé.
So far I’ve not found the perfect face primer.
Inuovi cream concealer, Rimmel Hide The Blemish Concealer, The Bodyshop Tea Tree Concealer 01, Murad Acne Treatment Concealer 01, DHC Acne Care Concealer 01, M.A.C Studio Sculpt Concealer NC20, Lunasol Under Eye Concealer 00, Coffret D’Or Stick Concealer Light Beige, Za Concealer Perfection 01, Coffret D’Or Magicflat Concealer, IPSA concealer 1.
Technically, I should split this into 2 categories – eye and face concealer. Concealer meant for the eye area is not meant for face and vice versa. Eye concealers need to be hydrating to protect the delicate eye area, while face concealers to conceal blemishes need to be oil free and not clog pores, best with healing properties like salicylic acid or tea tree oil and such products can be drying and should not be applied on the eye area. Of course there are concealears meant for the general area and not a target spot, and those can be used anywhere. There are also concealers meant for pores, more like pore smoothners.
For most concealers, I use the lightest shade. So far, I cannot use cream or stick concealers as they cake up on me, everywhere. I can only use liquid type concealers. The Rimmel, Bodyshop, MAC Studio Sculpt and Coffret D’Or ones cake on me. The murad one, however, didn’t cake that much. So far, the best concealer for face amongst these are the DHC and Za ones. The DHC one has better coverage and lasts longer, but the anti acne properties do not show up. The Za one has less coverage. I’m not particular about having 100% full coverage and for me, as long as the overall look doesn’t look raw I’m fine. But of course, if I can achieve a perfect canvas, that’s be great.
For the eye area, my favourite is IPSA which I have repurchased. It doesn’t cake and the coverage is enough for me. My eye rings are not that serious so it depends on how your condition is like. The Lunasol one is alright too, but the colour is too light. I have it in 01 as well but that one’s too dark. Za can be put under eyes too but the coverage is very sheer. I’ve also gotten the Paul & Joe under eye concealer in the lightest shade before but it was too dark for me so I gave it away.
Maquillage Moisture Cream Foundation OC10, Vichy Normateint 03 Ivory, MAC Studio Fix Fluid NC20, Paul & Joe Protective Fluid Foundation 01
The maquillage cream foundation was a free gift. It isn’t perfect for me as my skin doesn’t accept the cream readily and it seems like a thick layer sitting on top of my skin throughout and could be scraped off even. However, it isn’t that bad. The Paul & Joe foundation has the same problem, but worse I feel. The Vichy one could be too drying at times. The MAC SFF is the most lasting one but the only gripe is the colour being too yellow.
Top: Paul & Joe Loose Powder 01, Lavshuca Loose Powder Beige, Lavshuca Loose Powder Pink, Chacott Finishing Powder 751
Bottom: Anna Sui Pressed Powder 01, Ettusais Day Protect Powder Light Beige
The best loose powder here is the Ettusais DPP which has some sort of coverage. The powder is finely milled and does not cake up over time. However, it’s been discontinued and the current loose powder Ettusais have is inferior.
The Anna Sui Pressed powder is alright too, actually.
The Chacott Finishing Powder has the best value at $29 for 170g from Taiwan. It’s not bad, and reviews say oil control is the best. I shared half of it by weight with my friend 2 years ago and still have not finished using it!
The Paul & Joe and Lavshuca ones has no coverage. It’s a translucent powder meant for finishing. The Paul & Joe has simmers to create a glow. However, if I have my foundation all done and all I need is a velvety finish, Lavshuca does the best job. This packaging has been discontinued already as I got these 2 or 3 years ago.
Top: M.A.C Mineralized Skinfinish Natural Light Medium, Za Two Way Cake 21, Maquillage Beauty Lasting UV OC10 (in Alexander Wang limited edition casing), Maybelline Angelfit Foundation (currently refilled with L’Oreal True Match), Laneige Sliding Pact
Bottom: Paul & Joe Powder Foundation, Paul & Joe Protective Powder Foundation, Chanel Mat Lumiere & Mat Lumiere Extreme, Majolica Majorca OC10, IPSA Pure Protect Foundation O10 in Majolica Majorca Limited Edition Casing
The MAC and Laneige is more like a pressed powder, but it has more coverage and can be used on its own. The MAC MSFN gives a very nice finish and I use it to save my makeup if my foundation looks disastrous. The Laneige I have was a discontinued version. I don’t exactly like it that much.
The Za was the foundation I first used when I was 16. It’s already, but just a bit too cakey. I got the Maybelline and loreal ones from the expo sale. It’s ok as a foundation but there are better ones. The Majolica Majorca one was too dark for me and that’s the lightest they have. I bought it online, because I got it way before it was launched in Singapore.
The Paul & Joe Powder foundation and Protective 2 way cake were the best I ever had! The perfect colour, perfect finish, perfect coverage and perfect lasting. However, it’s being replaced by newer versions as Japanese makeup brands loves to update their range, and the new ones were bad. When I was unable to get it again, I bought Chanel Mat Lumiere. However, I didn’t quite like it as much but had to do with it. It got used up VERY quickly and I got a refill, the Mat Lumiere Extreme. It’s not good, so I stopped using it.
My next staple foundation was the IPSA one. It’s really good! Almost as good as the old Paul & Joe ones. I started using Maquillage when my IPSA ran out. It’s not bad too, but IPSA is better. Maquillage doesn’t cover pores well and can cake.
Paul & Joe Face Colour 01, M.A.C Mineralize Skinfinish Perfect Topping, Guerlain Meteroites, Guerlain Meteorites
The pressed meteorites was a limited edition product. I like it. It makes foundation look better. The traditional meteorites are the BEST highlighters you can find. Do not ever buy dupes, get the real thing. The Paul & Joe face colour is not much of a overall skin highlighter but good for small areas like the eyes and nose. The M.A.C MSF is good too.
Maquillage Stick Foundation BO10, Beauté de Kosé Ultimation True Satin Liquid Makeup BO-20, Beauté de Kosé Ultimation Makeup Base, Beauté de Kosé Loose Powder Makeup, Beauté de Kosé Ultimation Loose Powder
These are recent purchases. The stick foundation is not in my usual colour but I decided to give it a try anyway. It’s from a sale and it’s very cheap. The Beauté de Kosé liquid foundation is lightweight in texture and my skin can still accept it if I don’t use too much. I bought 2 loose powders, the Beauté de Kosé one has slight coverage and is very velvety and soft in finish, while the ultimation one is translucent and shimmery, somewhat like the Paul & Joe loose powder.
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