By Adele Chan
I’ve reviewed many liquid foundations in my life as a beauty journalist, and I still get excited every time a new bottle is launched. I believe that when you get your base right, your day will be right as well. There have been many standout liquid foundations launched this year, such as shu uemura’s Petal Skin Fluid foundation (gives skin the texture of a soft petal), Shiseido’s Synchro Skin Glow Luminizing Fluid Foundation (apparently “syncs” with skin to create a natural, but “better than skin” finish), and even drugstore options like Bourjois’ Healthy Mix Anti-Fatigue foundation (NYLON’s Associate Editor, Tami says that it blends well and smells nice). There’s a lot of choice when you’re shopping for a good liquid base, so before you spend your money, make a list of what you want:
PRICE: How much are you willing to spend on this product? I always recommend spending more on base makeup (like foundations) than face colours like eyeshadow, blushes and lipsticks. Invest in a good foundation and your skin will look and feel fabulous. NOTE: I’ve tried foundations that cost more than any makeup product should (eg. clé de peau beauté The Foundation, $430!!!), and they aren’t always the best. I’ve learned over the years of editing beauty, that the price of makeup usually correlates to how good it is, but it’s not always the case.
FINISH: Matte or dewy? It’s really a personal preference, and sometimes may boil down to the type of skin you have. For example, if you have an oilier skin type, you may want to focus on matte finish foundations to tone down the shine.
COVERAGE: Do you want sheer or full coverage? Again, this depends on the condition of your skin. If you have generally good skin, you can get away with just a hint of foundation (that looks like you’re wearing nothing!); but imagine those days you break out and your skin is red and patchy, you’ll want to even out your skin and cover that up. A good liquid foundation will offer buildable coverage, which means you can apply a light layer for something sheer, or you can layer it on and make it heavier based on the coverage you want.
This month, an exciting liquid foundation landed on my desk, with an equally exciting campaign video. Check this out:
Why is a liquid foundation exciting? That’s because it’s from YSL; and YSL is currently a super hot makeup brand with products that command overnight queues and stampedes (by the way, that particular Sparkle Clash collection will be back exclusively on tangs.com on 9 August 2017!!); not to mention their Encre De Peau cushion compact has a immense cult following and is the top seller across all local YSL stores and counters. If you’ve tried the Encre De Peau cushion or powder compact, you know how lovely the finish and application is; and this is the new liquid foundation version of this same line. What’s also exciting is that there will be 22 shades of this foundation, all launching in Singapore. So yes, whatever skin tone you are, you’ll find your match.
And because I have the most awesome job in the world, YSL sent me all 22 shades to play with and review, so I called five friends (including the makeup artist) to try them out.
DOLLEI SEAH
Dollei working on Claire Jedrek at the shoot.
Dollei is a makeup artist that has been in the business a long, long time… and she’s a person I love to work with because she speaks her mind and gets to the point (very much like me). She also really knows her stuff and I trust her professional opinion on beauty products. So I passed her these bottles of foundation to use on four girls, and according to her, this liquid foundation is best. She was obviously having fun applying the foundation on the girls, and she says that “the texture just keeps getting better and you want to keep adding more”. Her summary of this foundation: it’s easily buildable, gives good coverage, has a modern matte finish (it’s matte but reflects light at the right areas), it does not cake, and is good enough to use as a concealer to cover scars and dark rings.
AARIKA LEE
I last saw Aarika on an Enfagrow ad (baby milk powder if you didn’t know). This girl has been popping up on my computer (when I log on to Paypal), television screen (dancing to McDonald’s!), and social media (I just saw her new blonde hair for Kérastase), so I thought… here’s a busy girl who I could try this new wonder foundation on. Aarika’s feedback: she likes the smell, she likes the coverage, she doesn’t like to use a lot of makeup and this product feels light — like her skin can breathe, oh, and the bottle is nice. A plus point for Aarika is the wide range of shades this foundation is available in; she usually falls in-between colours and this wasn’t a problem with 22 shades to match her with.
Makeup used on Aarika:
All Hours Foundation in B60, $98
Rouge Pur Couture in 70 Le Nu, $51
Vernis à Lèvres Vinyl Creme in 401 Rouge Vinyle, $51
The Shock Volumizing Mascara, $60
Couture Variation Palette in Tuxedo, $129
All Hours Foundation in B80 (for contouring), $98
Dessin Du Regard in 1 Black, $38
SAVINA CHAI
If you follow Savina on Instagram, you’ll know that she’s a very busy girl. She tells me that she wakes up daily at 8am, has coffee by 9am, is out of the house by 11am, and has meetings and events all the way past dinner. So her requirements for a base makeup is something that can be a “BB cream, powder and concealer all in one”. After we tried the All Hours foundation on her, her immediate feedback was that it didn’t feel heavy; and her skin felt like skin. Yes that’s definitely a good thing. But the main selling point of this foundation for her: it’s long lasting, i.e. 24-hour longwear.
Makeup used on Savina:
All Hours Foundation in BD25, $98
Couture Variation Palette in Tuxedo (on the brows), $129
Rouge Pur Couture in 70 Le Nu, $51
Rouge Pur Couture in 01 Le Rouge, $51
Couture Palette in 2 Fauves, $105
CLAIRE JEDREK
This is the third time I’m working with Claire on a shoot, and you know what they say… third time’s a charm. In this case, CLAIRE’S PREGNANT! Wow! Congrats Claire!!! As I’ve said before, Claire is one of the coolest girls I know; I mean, she’s a race car driver for goodness sake! Naturally, she’ll need a foundation that stays on the skin and won’t transfer to her helmet. The All Hours foundation claims to be waterproof and transfer-resistant; everything our super cool mum-to-be needs. Also, because she’s out in the sun so much, sunscreen is essential; and this foundation has SPF 20 PA+++. Claire’s reaction to the All Hours foundation: “It feels super light, almost like powder, and it doesn’t feel cakey. I don’t want a look that makes people think I took hours doing makeup, or a powdery white look when you take a photo — this one seems to get that picture perfect finish from the start.”
Makeup used on Claire :
All Hours Foundation in B50, $98
Blush Volupté in 5 Favorite, $70
Kiss & Blush Duo Stick in 1 From Marrakesh to Paris, $50
Rouge Pur Couture in 13 Le Orange, $51
Couture Palette in 2 Fauves, $105
R NAMETHA
I first met Nametha on the set of Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 5. She was one of the Singaporean contestants on the show, and I noticed her because of her edgy hair cut and expressive stare. I invited her to try the new YSL All Hours foundation because as a model, she would be able to show how impressive this foundation is. And it just so happens that Nametha wasn’t having a good skin day on the day of the shoot (it happens), which made the challenge even more interesting. Check out her before and after photos; the transformation is impeccable. Dollei claims not to use any concealer on these looks, so it’s really all the work of the foundation. Namatha’s thoughts on the product: “It has a cool feeling on the skin and it doesn’t feel dry.” Yes, my sentiments exactly.
Makeup used on Nametha :
All Hours Foundation in BD45, $98
Couture Variation Palette in Tuxedo, $129
Rouge Pur Couture The Mats in 207 Rose Perfecto, $51
Rouge Pur Couture The Mats in 205 Prune Virgin, $51
YSL Beauty All Hours Foundation, available in 22 shades, $98.
Available from Friday 4 Aug 2017 at YSL Beauty stores and counters, and on tangs.com.
Look out for the NYLON team’s review of the product! Coming soon.
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