Long-Wearing Glass Skin using MAC Face & Body Foundation

"Glass Skin", or an extremely dewy, non-shimmery glow, is a trend made popular by South Korean celebrities and media. But the traditional methods of achieving it - face glosses, creamy foundations etc - are not always great for real life (or warmer weather).

Well there IS one forgotten product that can achieve this effect without feeling like an oil-slick or smearing off after 2 hours. MAC's classic Face and Body is an ultra glowy film-forming foundation that actually sets looking like it's wet. And because it's made for use on bodies during shoots, it's transfer resistant and sweat resistant. What better to get the glass skin effect without the cons?

The thing is many people these days no longer use or even know of Face and Body, and I have to say it's got a strange texture and seems to have zero coverage at first, but there are some tricks for getting it to work beautifully.

Rubbing it on with fingers ALWAYS works better than brushing it on or sponging it on. The rubbing seems to allow the pigmentation to show more, so you get more coverage. Plus - this formula just soaks into bristles and sponges and can be a pain to wash out when it sets. Also, it's fantastic for layering. I've layered up to 5 coats for more coverage and it still looks beautiful and skin-like although the sheen by then is over the top.

I do like MAKE UP FOR EVER and Dior's versions but those are less dewy. So if "Glass Skin" is what you're trying to achieve, this is the only one that will give you that.

L'oreal True Match Genius 4-in-1 Foundation

L'oreal's launched its new True Match Genius 4-in-1 cream to powder foundation (SGD$32.90), which promises to do 4 things:

1. Smooth like a primer

2. Unify and even out skin tone like a foundation

3. Correct flaws like a concealer

4. Finish and set like a powder for 12 hour wear

Sounds perfect, but I have to admit I am always skeptical about products that claim to"do it all".They tend not to do any one thing particularly well.

Well first off, cream to powders are always incredibly convenient to use, because they go on quickly no matter what tool you use for application; they are portable and travel well unlike bottles of liquid foundation, and on their own they don't look as matte and heavy as compact powder foundations.

Revlon just launched their new Colorstay 2-in-1 foundation compact which I have very mixed feelings about because it's not very long-wearing despite the "Colorstay" name, the shade options are extremely limited, and the concealer formula just isn't that great in my opinion.

So I was interested to see how the L'oreal True Match Genius measured up in comparison.

Presentation and Packaging

You get a very slim, flat compact with a mirror and a thin sponge for application. Standard-issue, no-frills. I did feel there seemed to be VERY little product in the thin, thin pan for what you pay. You get just 7g of product. (Revlon Colorstay has 12.3g.) So if you like to really pack on the foundation or use a buffing brush with this, just be aware that you will hit pan and run out in no time.

The sponge itself is not hard to use but also nothing special. It does the job. I prefer using my fingers to pat the product on personally but the sponge works fine. One small issue is the base of the compact is transparent, so from the back it looks a bit gross to show everyone your stained cakey sponge if you bring it out for touch-ups. You could get around the issue by placing the sponge with the used side up, but that's just an extra inconvenience.

1 - Priming

This is one area I feel the product does excel. I've tried it for several days and never used a primer with it. I do feel L'oreal's "ultra-gliding" formula manages to go on very smoothly and makes skin look more refined and pores a bit smaller.

It also does last and stay pretty fresh-looking for hours in our humid heat without running or caking up, even after sweating and blotting.

2 - Evening out the skin

The product goes on sheerer than I expected. If you rub it on, it almost feels like there is barely any coverage at all, compared to typical cream foundations. That's a bit misleading though - because even though it feels like the product is sheer, I don't really feel like I need a ton more concealer on top to cover my dark circles and marks.

Plus, you can dab on a bit more (I advise using fingers for building up extra coverage) where you need. It's still not full coverage - this will not cover acne and obvious scars. But it does even out mild discolorations and reduce the need for concealer despite being quite lightweight.

3 Conceal and correct

I can't say this can replace your concealer unless you have very minor flaws. It can conceal redness around the nose, small veins, mild discolorations etc. But if you need brightening under the eyes or by the sides of your mouth, or correction of very red or dark spots you will need a separate concealer with different undertones and higher opacity.

I will use this as concealer only in an absolute pinch.

4 - Set and finish like a powder

While this product does set semi-matte and does not stay tacky or creamy, it does not really look like when you set foundation with powder. Also, these days a lot of us use color-correcting or brightening powders that may not be the same shade as our foundation, so True Match Genius cannot be expected to do that.

That doesn't make this a bad thing though. I actually really like the demi-matte finish. It doesn't look flat - as you can see in the pic above, it actually looks pretty undetectable if you find the right shade match. Great for "no-makeup makeup" days.

I don't think I've worn this 12 hours yet but I've done 10 or so without problems. The coverage fades but it doesn't break down like some foundations can. And I didn't get too many problems with obvious oxidation.

But this brings me to one major con; color options.

I was picking on Revlon for bringing so few shades in, and L'oreal has even fewer. There is N1, which I am using - this matches about a MAC N2/NW20/NC25. The only pink-toned shade R1 is actually not very pale. If you are quite fair, you won't be able to find a good match in this entire range. 

The 2 deeper shades are G2 and G4. I had expected that as an NC25, G2 would be my perfect match, but it's more suited to NC30-35 skin tones. Much deeper than I expected. G4 does look like a good fit for NC42 etc medium-tan skins. If you have caramel to deep skin tones, you won't find an option. 

(Why do I feel like I repeat this every single time I review drugstore foundations in Asia? There is an entire segment of the market that is being completely ignored.)

The shades do swatch a tad lighter than they look in the pan, but not as much as Revlon's. And I've always been a bit confused about True Match's marketing angle about "perfectly matching" your skin. It's not like one shade adjusts to match a whole range of skin tones. 

I've tried applying G2 to see if maybe it would be forgiving and just blend in, but it's still visible that it's a bit too deep. Make sure you swatch these to see if you can find a shade that melts into your skin. You are responsible for finding your right shade - just like any other foundation.

 Aside from this, I do actually genuinely feel this is a great formula. If you have combination skin or need something portable and quick for hot humid weather, I find this a much better option than Revlon Colorstay's alternative, although the cost is on the high side for the amount of product you get.

VDL Base Makeup Collection - Series 2: "Metals" for Lightweight Luminous Skin

VDL's updated their family of skincare and base products with one new launch and one re-design. Both make use of "metal" to help products work better.

Makeup colors: VDL Festival Mineral Eyes 901 NY. 34th Street layered on top of smudged black pencil, Expert Color Lip Cube in 102 Shell Berry dabbed  lightly over lip balm, Festival Mineral Blusher in 602 on cheeks.

Item 1: VDL Beauty Metal Cushion Foundation (SGD$54)

In my last VDL Base Makeup Collection post, I showed you how to "fake" a dewy glow using tactical application of Lumilayer Primer, even if you are using a matte, medium coverage foundation like Perfecting Last Foundation.

But what if you want a real dewy finish or just have slightly drier skin?

That's when you might want to check out the Beauty Metal Cushion Foundation, which has been given a slight makeover this year. 

Instead of a sponge or mesh net through which you try to pick up product with your sponge, this compact liquid foundation has an actual patented metal plate designed by LG, and you only press down to dispense as much as you need. 

If you haven't tried it before you might wonder what the big deal is, but there are a few reasons I like this product a lot. 

1. The special patented LG Metal Plate™ technology has temperature control properties to help to keep the lightweight foundation inside cool and less prone to drying out.
2. The metal plate dispenser minimizes contact with dirt and bacteria in the air, you are not depositing oil and grime back into the foundation inside when you "double-dip" with a used sponge. PLUS - you can easily wipe down the surface to clean it, which is something that's impossible with other cushion compacts.
3. Unlike typical cushion BBs and foundations, this formula is designed to actually be long-wearing on the skin even though it still gives a dewy glow. I can wear this out without worrying about it smearing off quickly or starting to look patchy after a few hours.

You use it just like you would any other cushion foundation. You dip your sponge in, then pat-pat-pat over the skin to apply and slowly blend out. If you've never tried these cushion sponges before, you should probably remember that they are not meant to be dragged over the skin. That would just remove product.

If you're already using or considering Perfecting Last Foundation and aren't sure if you should try this instead, here are some differences.

VDL Perfecting Last Foundation

Lasting Power: High
Finish: Matte
Texture: Medium-light
Coverage: Medium buildable to medium-high
SPF: Yes, SPF30, PA++
Oxidation: No
Portability: Low; you wouldn't bring this out for touch-ups and it's hard to apply this on the go
Benefits: Lumilayer Pigments stop the foundation from oxidizing and changing color through the day
Best used for: Special occasions and days you want to look quite flawless and need more coverage.

VDL Beauty Metal Cushion Foundation

Lasting Power: High
Finish: Dewy
Texture: Light
Coverage: Sheer buildable to medium
Oxidation: No
SPF: Yes, SPF50+, PA+++
Portability: High; the mirrored compact, accompanying sponge and hygienic metal plate means you can bring this in your bag to use when you need
Benefits: Powerful antioxidant Prune extract and moisture-retention ingredients help to maintain hydration for hours and protect your skin for hours. This formula also contains a Radiance Complex with reflective pigments to help blur imperfections and increase the luminosity of your skin in one step, without having to add additional luminizers.
Best used for: Days when you might be out and about and need a lighter, fresher feel and higher sun- and environment-protection.

Texture comparisons between Perfecting Last Foundation and Beauty Metal Cushion Foundation

Another interesting thing to note is that the Beauty Metal Cushion shades run just a touch lighter, partly because of the light-reflecting pigments. If you don't like that paler look, you might want to get a shade deeper than you normally would in the VDL range.

NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation - First Impressions

Unlike many of the other luxe brands, NARS isn't one to push out a new foundation every year or so. So when they do launch a new one, I take note. Here's a quick first-impressions review and observations after I've used it about 3 or so days.

They've now jumped on what I like to call the "liquid ink foundation" bandwagon a la Armani Maestro, Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet, Laura Mercier Smooth Finish, YSL Le Teint Encre Peau (and many more brands), with a line of foundations that marry an ultra-light almost "watery" texture with very high coverage.

NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation texture

Unlike NARS' other staples, Sheer Glow and Sheer Matte, the new All Day foundation comes with a pump that's designed to give you just the right amount of product in a single pump.

I know girls these days like to really load on the foundation, but in this case, if you're using more than a pump, you are either applying way too much, or your brush/sponge is sucking everything up.

The recommended method for application is to tap (not rub) it on with your clean fingers, which is my favorite method for getting a seamless, air-brushed finish anyway.

NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation coverage

Coverage

The reason one pump should be enough for most cases is that it has a lot of coverage.

What the foundation does not cover in one pump, you should be using a proper concealer to cover. (And this is true for all foundations in general.)

It's got slightly more coverage than many of the other "liquid ink" foundation options, similar - or possibly even slightly higher than Laura Mercier's Smooth Finish Flawless Fluid, which is more of a dewy option.

Texture

On its own, this foundation has a natural velvety matte finish (somewhat similar to Chanel Perfection Lumiere or YSL Le Teint Encre Peau), so I reckon it would work better on slightly oilier skins than very dry skins. But I daresay most skins can get away with using this depending on what you apply beneath. I applied the foundation over very moisturized skin (I have dry skin), so it ended up with quite a lot of sheen even though it doesn't slide around and smear. Similar to Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet, the NARS All Day foundation does take on a similar finish to whatever you've applied beneath.

This is because unlike old-school matte formulas, these lightweight silicone based foundations don't actually contain a lot of powdery fillers like titanium dioxide and talc, so it does not have that heavy unnatural built-up matte texture. BUT this also means that if you have a lot of texture flaws (scars, acne, etc) this type of foundation won't be able to mask the uneven surface as well as a heavier thicker textured formula.

NARS All Day foundation on the skin

As you can see above, the coverage of the foundation is enough that it can reduce or actually do away with concealer application for most minor flaws. However, it's not opaque of course. I still need a tiny bit more concealing on old acne scars. Which is what I want anyway. Skin should still look like skin if you can get away with it.

But overall, it does give a very much more perfected look while doing a great job of looking natural.

Lasting Power

The foundation does set very quickly, and I haven't had problems with it oxidizing on my skin through a 12 hour day, although it did fade slightly towards the end. I'd say this lasts better than most of the other liquid ink foundations I've tried, although Chanel is probably equally good in this regard.

Of course, everyone's skin chemistry and skincare regime is different, so I'd request for a sample or try it on in the store and let it sit for at least half a day before you decide.