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SCMP Reporter

THE new looks for the spring/ summer season from Helena Rubinstein - Caramel and Amber rose - are based on a foundation that is far from solid, but a new fluid called 'Translucence'.

    Beauty trainer Annie Wong said Translucence gave women 'a natural and radiant complexion'.

  'The texture is fluid and it is easy to apply. It is a light foundation so, when you wear it, you can't feel anything on your face. It looks natural but it also gives good coverage.'   Helena Rubinstein already has a matte fluid foundation for combination skin, but Ms Wong said Translucence gave a more transparent finish.

   It is suitable for all skin types, as it contains an emollient oil.

  It is one of the new breed of light-perfecting make-up bases and combines two fine powders: silica micro-spheres, which diffuse the light to hide imperfections in the complexion, and polyamide micro-spheres, which ensure softness and absorb excess sebum for a long-lasting matte effect.

  Additional benefits include an ultra-violet filter and an anti-free radical agent to guard against ageing.

  Translucence comes in light beige, natural, rose sand and beige rose and costs $230 for 30 millilitres.

  For the Caramel and the Amber rose looks, the natural Translucence is selected and colours are based around coral: apricot for the skin; coral for the eyes; and, for the lips, honey beige or hot ginger.

  'The powder we put on is apricot-coloured Opalescence. It is a pressed, loose powder, so it is more handy to carry. It is also a light powder and can capture and diffuse the light,' Ms Wong said.

  When it comes to foundation, Yves Saint Laurent is also offering more natural shades with a new colour for its recently launched liquid make-up base, Primer Teint.

  'This time, instead of an additional colour, like pink or apricot, we have created an ivory colour,' said marketing manager Dorothy Cheng.

  'It looks white in the bottle but, once applied, it looks natural.'    The texture was light, somewhere between a smooth day cream and a foundation.

  'This product has self-adapting pigment so it adapts to the colour of your skin. It will help to reflect the light so it also makes your skin look more natural and fresh,' she said.

  'After that, you can put on either a foundation, or loose or pressed powder. We encourage people to use our new semi-loose powder.'    Primer Teint is available in four colours to match any one of the three themes in Yves Saint Laurent's spring/summer look - pastel, woody or vibrant.

    For women requiring more contour on their face, Yves Saint Laurent recommends its Sunny Touch product, which is applied to enrich the colour of the complexion.

  'You look more natural instead of applying something pink or purple on your face,' Ms Cheng said.

   Radiant Touch is designed to lighten the dark areas.

    The YSL make-up collection, called Bengale, has three harmonies.

  'We are trying to be more practical and create different faces within the look,' Ms Cheng said. 'They can mix and match with each other.'   In addition to the familiar vibrant colours to match the fashion lines, which this year centre on sparkling mauves, oranges and blues, YSL has made an unusual sortie into more natural, toned-down shades.

  A one-off product group is a family of subtle, woody-green, brown and dark chocolate hues.

  'This has never happened in the history of Yves Saint Laurent make-up,' Ms Cheng said, but added it would be particularly suitable for the local market.

  'Asian people demand a lot of subtle make-up, because we are not expert at using strong colour on our faces.'   She also said it was part of a general trend towards more natural make-up this season.



Light and natural dominates season