Every morning before I go to work, I spend about 20-25 minutes to do my makeup. I wonder why it takes so long although I don't go too crazy with it when I have work, because 20-25 minutes seemed too long for the result. But then I realised, I was taking about 10 minutes or more for my base. To me, base is the most important part of the makeup, so no wonder why!
So here are the base makeup items that I use on daily basis....
Primer: Benefit POREfessional
Work day foundation: Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation
Weekend foundation: L'Oreal Infallible 24hours Matte Foundation
I bought Benefit POREfessional at Heathrow Airport when I went to England this summer. I wanted it so bad that I thought of purchasing it from Boots so that I could use it during the stay, but I ended up purchasing it from Duty Free to save some money. The texture is similar to Micro-blur Skin Perfecter from Kiehl's -even better actually. I loved the one from Kiehl's but it separated a couple of weeks after I started using and it was a big mess. Whereas POREfessional never separates, and the texture is thicker which stays on the skin better.
When I go to work, I use Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation which I purchased from Duty Free at Haneda Airport before flying to England. I ended up using this foundation only during my stay, because I became obsessed! I had used this foundation before to write an article, and I instantly fell in love. I wanted to buy one immediately but the price tag put me off -it's about 8,000yen I believe. Duty free didn't make a huge difference but I took the opportunity. My shade is Sand 02, which could be a little bit lighter than my skin tone if I apply too much, but it's quite a good match I must say. With SPF40, it's a perfect foundation to wear when I have plans outside of my house.
On my day off, I use L'Oreal Infallible 24hours Matte Foundation which I bought from Boots. I was at Westfield and they didn't have all the shades, and the testers were all messy and dirty. I should have waited to go to another branch but I wanted to buy 3 items from the brand to get the offer. So without matching my skin, I picked up the shade Sand 20 -which doesn't match my skin AT ALL. It's too dark and I cannot use it on its own, so I mix it with a foundation that is too light for my skin tone. It's a shame because this foundation is absolutely amazing that I wish I could use it without mixing with any other foundations! As L'Oreal cannot be shipped to Japan, I have to wait until I come to the UK again to get the right shade.
POREfessional blurs out my pores completely. I apply a tiny bit on the cheeks and nose, and it keeps my skin matte and smooth all day. I love the pleasant scent too. I am not sure when I will use up the tube as I only need a little bit per use, but I will definitely repurchase it once used up.
Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation looks super yellowy in the photo above but it looks beautiful on my neutral-toned skin which isn't too yellow but definitely not pink. The reason why I'm obsessed with this foundation is because it gives a natural glow to my skin without making it look shiny. I have combination skin and quite large pores on the cheeks, so I always avoid glowy finish when it comes to a base product. But this one gives the most natural glow as if I am bare-skinned. It covers up the pores and dark spots without being heavy. Also the lavender scent is just amazing.
You can see L'Oreal Infallible 24hours Matte Foundation is too dark and pinky...especially when applied next to the one from Bobbi Brown, it looks ridiculously dark! I heard they don't have yellow-toned shade, I hope they would expand the shade range soon because I love the finish! It doesn't look too matte, but definitely not glowy. It makes my skin look soft and smooth, and plumped. I love how natural it looks on the skin. It's definitely worth the hype.
Evens out the skin tone: LANAREY Prism Concealer
Dark Circles: Calypso Magic Concealer
Dark Circles and highlight: Za Cosmetics Perfect Fit Concealer
To conceal dark spots and blemishes, I use LANAREY Prism Concealer that I got to review. It's an OK concealer in my opinion, I don't think it's worth the price (3456yen!) but it works as a concealer for sure. I apply it under the eyebrows too, to evens out the skin tone and conceal pores and baby hair.
My hideous dark circles can't be concealed by ANY concealer in my experience, but this combo works well. I first apply this orange concealer from Calypso, blend in only on the dark circles. Then apply lighter concealer from Za Cosmetics which sadly is discontinued, to brighten them up. They both are creamy and not drying at all which is important when you choose a concealer for under eyes.
I have the shade 02 Natural of LANAREY Prism Concealer and it's quite a good match to my skin tone. I just click the end of the pen twice, apply it under the brows, on blemishes and dark spots, as well as around the nose, and blend with a sponge. I carry it around in my makeup bag when I have a pimple that I want to cover up so that I can touch up during the day.
You can see Magic Concealer from Calypso is pretty orangy on my skin, whereas Perfect Fit Concealer from Za Cosmetics is much brighter. I LOVE this concealer from Za because it kind of melts on the skin when applied, and it never looks cakey or drying. The only downside is that it's hard to control how much to dispense because of the tube, I sometimes dispense way too much. The shade is perfect to brightens up the skin without looking too bright. I also like the fact it's not pinky at all.
Phew, it became a much longer post than I expected. I sometimes switch my foundation to BB or CC cream, but these are the products I use on daily basis. Let me know what your favourite base products are!
