Two foundations with good coverage: Shiseido Synchro Skin and MAKE UP FOR EVER Ultra HD Stick Foundation

With the slew of lightweight cushion foundations and summery tinted moisturizers coming out these days, I find myself hankering a higher-coverage offering that doesn't sacrifice a fine, natural, skin-like texture.

One of the best this past season is Shiseido's Synchro Skin Lasting Liquid foundation. In terms of texture, it's pretty similar to other silky silicone-oil foundations like Diorskin Nude Air, Armani Maestro and Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua. However this formula is not bi-phase and doesn't separate as much as several others, which come in shaker bottles with little metal beads within.

There is nothing new about the concept of a super light liquid with high coverage. But what's different is how well Synchro Skin actually does it. 

What I love is you get instant coverage without a heavy, cakey texture, and it is shine-free but not flat, and powdery-looking. It smooths over pores and fine lines beautifully, doesn't settle into them, and while I wouldn't say it's as long-lasting or matte as something like Hourglass Immaculate Foundation, it does give an absolutely gorgeous velvet finish and stays very well through the day. 

My favorite way to apply this is with my fingers. You get the most coverage using the least amount of product that way - and this is not difficult to spread and blend. It has an almost airy liquid-to-powder type of feel, but doesn't go fully powdery. There is no shine - however there is still a radiance.

I have a little scab on my cheekbone under my right eye and this pretty much covered it up. I also did not apply any undereye concealer. This is able to correct and cover but doesn't crease and cake around fine lines under the eyes. Great if you need to pack light and want to skip concealer.

The soothing skincare ingredients and "smart" formula that adapts to the skin's needs is an extra bonus. There are a lot of more expensive foundations that don't do quite as much.

Of course - this is a very silicone-heavy formula so if you are allergic, I don't need to tell you to stay far away from this. The other thing to watch out for is many people is silicone-heavy formulas may "reject" certain other silicone skincare and primer products, like oil and vinegar. If you've had foundations slide off or "peel" and rub off during application, nine times out of ten it's because of incompatible silicones in the formula. There's really nothing to do except try with different skincare and see if it works better.

If your skincare works well with this formula though, it is beautiful.

Definitely a good one for oily up to slightly dry skins even, if you like a natural matte finish. I personally found this to be more matte than even the latest Revlon Colorstay formula for oily/combi skins. The shade does oxidize a little, so try to let it sit for an hour before you settle on a shade.

Another good thing? This is available in 12 shades in Singapore with different undertones (Rose, Neutral and Golden). The shade match for NC25 is Golden 2 or Neutral 2.

Now for those who want something even quicker and more portable, there is MAKE UP FOR EVER's new Ultra HD Invisible Cover Stick Foundation (SG$72, launching 31 March 2016). Ultra HD liquid is the foundation I wore for my wedding, so I was extremely excited to try the new stick version, especially since it was launched a while ago in the US, and we've been seeing it on all these vlogs and blogs.

The main reason you want to use this is the portability, how space-saving it is, and the super-quick application you get. You literally swipe, blend, and go.

I've used many cream foundations but usually when you blend them out, they can look slightly patchy, or crease easily. And they rarely look natural and adhere to the skin seamlessly. But then this is MAKE UP FOR EVER Ultra HD, and if they dare to claim this works on 4k cameras, it's got to at least sit better than the average stick or cream foundation.

And it does. 

I used no sponge with this. Just my fingers - it blends right out and smooths in, looking incredibly "real". This is less matte than Synchro Skin and won't control oil or give a soft-focus effect; but you get a nice demi-matte finish and the coverage of a concealer without a noticeably "made-up" feel. I daresay you can go on camera wearing just this and no powder, and it would look like you rolled out of bed looking like this.

I don't consider this extremely long-wearing of course. That's not REALLY its purpose, but it does last satisfactorily well in humid hot weather, and I think anyone except the extremely oil and dry can pull it off. It does sit nicely under the eyes although it's not completely crease-resistant.

The one con is you only get about 4.4g of product. Not quite 4 lipsticks. Which means if you are intending heavy/regular usage, you will find yourself having to repurchase quite frequently. That's not a huge issue considering you get a lot less per shade if you buy a makeup palette - but MUFE tends not to be very cheap in any case.

If you are using it more for spot coverage as a lightweight, high-coverage concealer only where you need, then it's perfect. 

Which brings me to a brief mention of the Ultra HD Invisible Cover Concealer. I'm not a huge fan of them because I kinda feel like they don't give that much more coverage than the regular Ultra HD Liquid Foundation, and the stick gives quicker, more even, and longer lasting coverage faster.

I found when I applied the liquidy formula over the stick foundation, the moistness of the formula seemed to melt and break down the foundation and make the coverage patchy. I would definitely recommend them on their own, or used with the liquid foundation rather than the stick.

Also, I used it twice and broke out in rashes all over the areas where I applied it, so I set it aside and can't really give it a full and complete review anyway. 

If you like lightweight liquid concealers with medium coverage like the original HD concealer, and you don't get a negative reaction to the formula, go ahead and give them a try. They feel very similar to the originals to me.