Future perfect
Foundation goes hi-tech with long-wearing and multitasking formulations, writes Karen Fong
As the core of many a make-up routine, foundation not only provides much-wanted coverage but also increasingly serves to hydrate, rejuvenate and protect the skin.
Brands are constantly working to improve their formulations, using the latest technology to create foundations that provide moisture, regenerate skin cells, protect against external damage and reduce the appearance of wrinkles - all while delivering a lasting, natural finish.
Chanel's new Perfect Skin Affinity Complex technology uses a flexible and adhesive biopolymer that is designed to adapt to changing skin. It forms an invisible and comfortable second layer, giving up to 15 hours of coverage with even colour and a subtle fragrance of fruit, fresh flowers and sweet musk. This technology is perfected in their Perfection Lumière Long-Wear Flawless Fluid Makeup, which is moisturising and mattifying.
Helena Rubenstein's famed Prodigy Powercell Foundation features a unique anti-ageing formula boasting vegetal stem cells, a continuation of the brand's Prodigy Powercell skincare collection. The stem cells help to accelerate regeneration of the dermis and epidermis layers of the skin, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and imperfections. The serum-like texture is light and moisturising, providing SPF 15 protection. Already well known for its foundations, Giorgio Armani's latest version is designed to flatter rather than disguise the skin. Released last year after eight years of research and development, Maestro features an ultra-thin, oil pigment suspension that reflects light and can match any skin colour. The light texture - free of water, powder and fillers - is easily blendable with no make-up feel.
M.A.C spent two years creating its new Matchmaster Foundation SPF 15, which features an innovative pigment technology that offers buildable coverage designed to reveal rather than conceal the skin's natural undertones. The patented technology features micronised pigment particles in translucent spheres to provide a smooth matte finish. It also provides broad-spectrum protection against UVA and UVB rays.
La Prairie's Skin Caviar Concealer Foundation SPF15 comes with its own colour-matched concealer that evens out imperfections and features an advanced silicone polymer technology that emulsifies and binds the ingredients into a silky powder, improving distribution across the skin. The pigments are covered in a clear, inert coating that keeps the foundation resistant to natural skin oils, light and environmental influences throughout the day. Naturally, it also contains all the nourishing, firming and moisturising properties that La Prairie's Caviar Collection is famed for.
