Shiseido Week: Sun Protection Liquid Foundation SPF43

Foundation

Oct 16

Tokyo is intensely hot and humid in the summer. That was quite a surprise! I thought that since Japan has winter the weather will be milder in the summer season. But that is not the case. It was already sweltering by 7:30 AM when I walked to a fish market near our hotel then! (Longest 5 kilometers of my life, btw.)

But that wasn't the most surprising thing. I noticed that even while I was sweating as if I'm in a bikram yoga class, everybody else looked fresh and composed. Take note, people walk ALL THE TIME, to everywhere, in Japan. How does their makeup stay on? I think they're on to something when it comes to the long-wearing makeup department!

Anyway! Here's another foundation review for you. The Shiseido Sun Protection Liquid Foundation (P1,750) says "very water-resistant" on the label. That's like, music to my ears! I have combination skin but my t-zone oils up anyway as if there's no tomorrow. I need something that can stay there and won't dissolve when I sweat. Does this stay true to its promise, then?

Texture. This watery foundation sticks to skin like a second layer. It has a thin, runny texture that's easy to spread all over, but you do have to work quickly to blend it in perfectly. Fingers or a dense brush are your best bets when applying this liquid foundation!

Wear time. The staying power of the Shiseido Sun Protection Foundation is awesome. I wore it yesterday from 10am to 7pm, and didn't notice any obvious fading. I did oil up after four hours, so I blotted with paper to remove the oil and then dusted on some powder to kill the shine. After that I didn't need to retouch until I removed my makeup five hours later.

This is a runny foundation. Unlike BB creams or CC creams, this feels mostly like water, silicone, pigment. I didn't feel a lot of emollients in the mix; even if you're oily, you must wear a moisturizer underneath!

SP40 is a good match for me, although it is half a step lighter than I'd normally prefer. It eventually matches my skin tone as it settles in.

Coverage and finish. The coverage is light to medium, although you can build it up to get more opacity. Finish is mostly matte with a hint of sheen to it. The shade I got is SP40, which is a yellow, light medium shade (roughly NC30). There are apparently seven shades available for this foundie, but I only saw two on the counter when I bought mine. Anyway, SP40 is half a smidgen lighter than I'd like, but it looks okay to me. It just looks even lighter in the pictures because of the white cast.

The Shiseido foundation set with the Snoe Poudre Extraordinaire. It looks kinda white on me here but I think it's okay in person. It's just the white cast.

Ah, the white cast. I suppose I don't have to say that this is not a foundation you should wear during photo ops! The sun protection ingredients really show up, even if there's no flash from the camera. SPF43 is a rather high number; great if you're outdoors a lot, but not when you're having your pictures taken.

Sun protection. To get the full SPF43, you have to apply about a teasespoon all over your whole face. No sane person does that with liquid fondation though, so it's better to wear your usual sunscreen underneath if you want to get a solid layer of SPF. I use about half a teaspoon of this foundie on my face and don't wear a moisturizer with SPF beforehand. I do wear an SP35 or 50 powder, so maybe I get at least SPF30 even without a sunscreen.

This liquid foundie comes with a sponge housed in a nice blue compact. Don't use it though! It's a nice sponge, but it'll absorb the watery product like crazy. Just use your fingers and save the foundation for, you know, your face!

Recommenations. If you're oily and sweaty, or just always in an environment that encourages oiliness and sweatiness, the Sun Protection Liquid Foundation SPF43 is a great buy. It's something you can wear while you're commuting or working out. Coverage and finish is pretty good, and this feels absolutely light on your face even though the humidity is off the charts. You'll just need to blot once or twice during the day.

I'm not sure about the other shades since I only saw two. What I have, SP40, would work with light to light medium skin well. It's best to go to a Shiseido counter to check!

Verdict. Love it! Shiseido makes excellent face bases and this one is no exception. I will continue using this, for sure. ^_^ So happy to have another long-wearing foundation on rotation!

Sooo, what do you think? Does this look like a foundation for you?