Special benefits: Long-wear foundations
All-day coverage can be smooth and light rather than thick and cakey, writes Karen Fong
Estée Lauder’s Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup SPF 10/PA++ is a comfortable, oil-free and oil-controlling foundation with high coverage that reduces the appearance of pores and spots. Designed for 15-hour wear with a lightweight, comfortable texture, it is resistant to humidity and heat, making it great for Asian climates.
Lancôme’s Mat Miracle 24H has also been specially formulated to withstand extreme climates. Featuring the brand’s Aura-Inside technology – which uses a combination of pink and blue pigments infused with a unique liquid light essence – this new foundation is a longwearing, no-transfer base designed to give skin a morning-fresh, satin, luminous finish.
Nothing looks better than a foundation that looks like it’s not there. That was the goal with Shu Uemura’s The Lightbulb, designed to recreate the natural luminosity of bare skin. Its glow-boosting oil complex and hydrating formula offers long-lasting moisture, high coverage and a luminous light effect. The foundation comes in 14 shades to match Asian and Western skin tones.
Technology plays a big part in these new foundations. Guerlain’s Tenue de Perfection uses three volatile oils that evaporate one after the other. The first evaporates after the product melts into the skin, and the second coats the skin and evaporates after helping the foundation glide on evenly. Finally, the third is released for all-day hold and correction. It also contains absorbent powders and corrective pigments for a velvety finish that can withstand daily activities.
Special ingredients also enhance a foundation, such as in Sulwhasoo’s new Evenfair Smoothing Foundation, which uses peach blossom mimicry powder to evenly diffuse light, conceal flaws and brighten skin tone. Apricot seed oil prevents oxidation and provides deep hydration, and the soothing scent comes from centuries-old prunus mumes from the Seonamsa Temple. The airy texture of this foamlike foundation locks moisture into the skin, maintaining it all day.