An Introduction to Koh Gen Do Foundations

 Foundation, Ken Gen Do  25 Responses »
Oct 072011
 

I’ve begun experimenting with foundations by Koh Gen Do based on their stellar reputation. Up until now, they’ve been carried online on Koh Gen Do at at Barney’s New York’s. Recently, they’ve been added to Sephora’s online store. I’m hoping that they’ll also reach Sephora brick & mortar stores although I honestly don’t know. Liz and I have been flirting with the counter testers at Barney’s location in San Francisco for a few months, so finally I took the plunge.

Since Chanel has now discontinued the Pro Lumiere line, Chanel’s only “glowy” foundation is Vitalumiere fluid (which feels heavy on my skin) and Tient Innocence Compact (which has too much coverage for my skin type). There are reports that Chanel will release new Vitalumiere compact products in Spring 2012, although I’m not certain how those products will be formulated. Right now, my glowiest foundation is Guerlain’s Parure Gold (reviewed here), which is a very elegant foundation with medium coverage. When I wear Parure Gold, I sometimes cut it with a good moisturizer to make it slightly more sheer.

As background, Koh Gen Do has been formulating high definition foundations designed for makeup artists for use in film. The science relies on the use of deep sea waters which include minerals and nutrients that are easily absorbed into the skin. These foundations are blended with a perfect ratio (or “golden ratio,” as the company says) of pigment, deep sea water and emolients/oil) to give lustrous, moisturized coverage. If you love a soft glow, you will want to take a look. Both have a lightweight feel.

I’ve been trying two–the first is Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation ($62/ 1.0 oz). This has been featured at Into the Gloss and The Beauty Look Book, and given favorable reviews on both. The Aqua comes in a glass pump bottle. This foundation feels lightweight and moisturizing on the skin. The color range is insanely small–only four colors. Four!! OC-1 is a bit light for my NC15/20 Chanel B20/Cameo/Ivoire skintone.

So far, my impression is that Koh Gen Do Aqua is a very, very sheer foundation in my opinion. It’s probably the sheerest foundation that I’ve tried–if my memory is correct, it’s sheerer than some tinted moisturizers that I’ve used (Tarte’s Smooth Operator, for example, seems more pigmented). If you are looking for a soft, moisturizing veil of color over relatively unmarred skin, this will work beautifully. If you have imperfections, a good concealer will be necessary.

Ingredient list (click to enlarge):

Koh Gen Do Moisture Foundation ($62/.071 oz/ Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Moisture Foundation), comes in a red squeeze tube that holds about 1/3 less than most foundations. It’s extremely packable, and comes if a far greater range of colors:

The Barney’s sales associate matched me to 123, which is the last time in my entire life I’ll ever let a sales associate match me. It’s a bit dark. I would have wanted to get 023. I’m sorry to say that I do not have swatches, but I’m hoping to persuade Karlasugar to do a set.

Ken Gen Do Moisture Foundation is 60% water, which is twice that of most foundations and even more than the Ken Gen Do Aqua Foundation. Although the sales associate thought that Aqua foundation would be heavier coverage (and based on the math, she’d be right), I found that Ken Gen Do Moisture Foundation was noticeably higher coverage. In other words, in my opinion Ken Gen Do Moisture foundation is a medium coverage (similar to Chanel Perfection Lumiere, but the Ken Gen Do had a softer, glowy texture), and Ken Gen Do Aqua Foundation is light/sheer.

Ingredient list (click to enlarge):

When I wore Ken Gen Do Moisture Foundation to dinner last night, DH gave a favorable review. He far prefers this look to Chanel’s Perfection Lumiere on me. Honestly I loved the look of the Ken Gen Do Moisture myself. It gives a very soft and glowy look, very natural looking, and felt extremely lightweight. It absolutely looked like “my skin but better.” It uses two differently shaped powders to smooth over imperfections, give an airbrushed finish and feels both lightweight and nurturing.

Here are some swatches of Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in B20, next to Chanel Perfection Lumiere in BR 32. This swatch also includes the too-dark Ken Gen Do Moisture Foundation in 123 and the sheer Ken Gen Do Aqua Foundation in OC-1.

Ken Gen Do also makes some lovely primers. I got some samples of the Yellow (meant to diffuse redness) and Pearl White. These feel very moisturizing without being too oily when applied:

Here are swatches of the sample packets in the late day sun–Koh Gen Do Makeup Color Base in Yellow on the left (light and heavy swatch), and Koh Gen Dow Makeup Color Base in Pearl White (heavy and light swatch) on the right:

 

I’ve purchased Makeup For Ever’s HD Foundation recently, and my plan is to do a comparison with the Ken Gen Do high definition foundations. I’ll continue playing with these and report back soon. In the meantime, let us know if you’ve tried these and your impressions? Also, if you see these at your local Sephora, would you kindly tell us that as well?

 Tagged with: , , ,

Dr.’s Remedy Enriched Instant Cover Review and Swatches

 Foundation, Skin care  1 Response »
Oct 032011
 

If you’ve ever been subject to the rigors of traveling, moving, sports or other bumps in your life, the occasional bruise and scrape can happen.  Other skin events can draw attention where we don’t necessarily want it to go.  Recently, I had the chance to try Dr.’s Remedy Enriched Instant Cover ($40/ 3.5 oz.) (sold here).  This is a super-opaque, non-transferrable cover-up that comes in three different colors–fair, medium and deep.  I tried it in light.

The product comes in a squeeze tube with a sponge top. It’s a built-in applicator, which looks like this when the tube is squeezed:

Basically, you smooth the sponge applicator over the area that you wish to cover.  It makes application quite simple.  The product dries down quickly.  It contains soothing ingredients, including Tea Tree Oil, vitamins and wheat protein to aid healing. Ingredient list (click to enlarge):

 Although the formula has these healing ingredients, it is not intended to be used for open wounds or on the face.  When I tried Dr.’s Remedy, I found that it dried down in about ten minutes.  It didn’t rub off on clothing after it’s set.  To test it, I drew four hearts on my arm with a black eyeliner and covered up most of them (I put dashes where the hearts have been covered up by Dr.’s Remedy).  As you can see, two coats of Dr.’s Remedy covered the hearts really well.

I suggest that you apply it over a moisturizer, as you can see the product does look rather dry once it sets.  Overall, I was happy with the coverage.  I believe that this shade–light– is bit too light for my fair skin tone (I didn’t get samples in the other colors, but it’s something to keep in mind).  I’m not sure whether I could make this work without mixing it with something darker, or obtaining it in a darker shade.  If you are looking for something with a good dry-down and opacity, Dr.’s Remedy is worth a look.

 This product was sent to Cafe Makeup without charge for consideration for review.

 

 Tagged with: ,

Chanel Perfection Lumiere: Initial Review, Thoughts and Musings

 Chanel, Foundation  20 Responses »
Oct 012011
 

I’ve been wearing Chanel Perfection Lumiere ($55) for the past few days, and wanted to post some initial thoughts:

  • Incredible shade range.  Swatches and the ingredient list are here, with some comparison swatches here.
  • I was matched to Beige Rose 32 (bottle pictured above), although I normally consider myself to be warm and very fair.  Typically, I wear Chanel foundations in Intensity 1.0 and go for the warmer shades in the line (Cameo, Ivoire).  I was surprised to find that Beige Rose 32 is a pretty good match.  It’s more neutral than cool on me.  I’ve also purchased some colors from the Beige (warmer) line, particularly to use after my summer color fades so I’m curious to see how those will work.
  • The foundation starts out very matte, and then settled into a matte-satin after about 30 minutes once it warmed to my skin.  I like the finish, it looks natural and like “real skin.”  In my opinion, it’s appropriate for both men and women (if you’ve got an HD TV, you may have noticed more men wearing foundation than in prior years, so I thought I’d put that one out there).
  • On my combination skin, it remains stable the rest of the day.  The “glow” that I usually get mid-afternoon on my forehead is far less apparent than usual.
  • Some sales associates have told me that this is not designed for dry or aging skin.   I think they mean that, unlike Pro Lumiere, this foundation does not give a “glowy” finish.  Having said that, it does well on the dryer parts of my face without emphasizing anything. You would need to add glow (by adding a glowy finishing powder or fluid) if that is the look that you are going for.
  • This is a medium coverage foundation that can be applied lightly with a brush for sheer coverage, or layered for heavier coverage.  It layers well without caking.
  • Perfection Lumiere’s coverage is higher than Vitalumiere Aqua and the discontinued Tient Innocence fluid, and roughly the same as Pro Lumiere, Lift Lumiere and Vitalumiere (fluid).  It is not as intense (or as glowy) as the Tient Innocence creme compact.
  • Highly transfer-resistant.  I love a good white blouse and use an iPhone close to my face–no problems so far.
  • No breakouts or clogging after three days of wear.
  • The feel is very light.  I cannot feel the foundation once applied.
  • There is a scent when first applied–it’s a touch of perfume and I can detect alcohol.  It fades after several minutes, but it is detectable when first applied.
A few more notes–right now, I’m have a good skin moment.  I’ve been slowly using most of the items recommended by Colbert MD at this post, including his skin care line (reviews to follow), and its working.  So far, I’ve worn Perfection Lumiere without a primer, and with Le Blanc de Chanel primer and had good results both times.  Typically, foundations do not oxidize on me (I do not consider the color shift that happens within the first 1/2 hour of the application of Perfection Lumiere to be oxidation, because it is absolutely stable on me the rest of the day). Overall, I like the finish, texture and coverage of Perfection Lumiere.  The coverage and finish are a good everyday finish for the office or whenever I want to look polished. For me, another Chanel foundation success.

More reviews:

  • Front Row Beauty is here.
  • RAEview is here (video).
  • Lacroix the Beauty Blog is here.
  • Lisa Eldridge Audrey Hepburn tutorial (using Chanel Perfection Lumiere) is here.
 Tagged with: , , , ,

Chanel New Foundation Brush #6

 Brushes and Tools, Chanel, Foundation  5 Responses »
Sep 302011
 

With the release of Chanel’s new Perfection Lumiere Foundation (swatched here and here), Chanel released a single Foundation Brush ($45) (#6) (Chanel Brush/ Les Pinceaux de Chanel Pinceau Fond de Teint).  Some stores have not yet received these in stock, mine was purchased from Chanel.com.

According to some sales associates whom I’ve interrogated (yes, Cafe Makeup brings it when we visit a makeup counter, and sometimes we feel a little bad about that), Chanel’s brush redesign should be completely up for sale around Spring ’12.  Please note that “Spring ’12″ in the makeup world means “late December ’11.”  We’ll have to see what actually happens, because none of this information is official and may have been obtained under duress.

The brush is just over 6 inches long.  As you can see, Chanel has dramatically changed the brush head into three colors, which if inspected closely have three different textures.

For lack of a better word, I’ve come to think of this as a “tri-fiber” brush  head.  Chanel’s former international (non-U.S.) foundation brush was somewhat similar.  The fiber closest to the ferrule is very stiff, so that the brush head holds its shape when wet with liquid foundation, and pressed against all of the different parts of the face.  The center portion (the dark brown) has more flexibility and seems quite absorbent to hold the liquid well.  The bristle tips are soft and feathery, which is a good brush texture for blending an airbrushed finish.  The ends taper to a very fine point.

The handle has the same feel as Chanel’s former international (non-U.S.) brushes–it feels like wood (or a wood composite), which is not too heavy but sufficiently substantial to give you a good grip.

The text on the back is simple–only the brush number (#6) and brush name (“Foundation”) are printed there.  Curiously, I did not see the country of origin stamped on the brush.  This is true even on the ferrule, where Chanel had previously stamped its country of origin.  Like Chanel’s now-discontinued brush, this new one is made in China:

Some of my former Chanel brusheswere made in China have held up very well for years, and perform extremely well.  I would not have noted this at all, except that I occasionally get questions.

Comparison of three foundation brushes–my well-worn Chanel now-discontinued foundation brush (#16), Shiseido’s new Perfect Foundation Brush (reviewed here) and Chanel’s new foundation brush:

I liked the brush head of the new Chanel Foundation Brush (#6), better than the discontinued Chanel foundation brush (#16).  The feathery tip helps me get a flawless look with fewer brushstrokes.  The finish that I can achieve with the new foundation brush and Perfection Lumiere has drawn compliments (it does look better, in my opinion).

If you are choosing between Shiseido’s Perfect Foundation Brush and Chanel’s new Foundation Brush #6, here are my thoughts:

  • As you can see, the brush head shape of either is remarkably different;
  • The Shiseido brush tends to be faster, because the flat head absorbs and deposits foundation very quickly;
  • If you are inexperienced or rushed, the Shiseido will give you a slightly heavier coverage (those with more experience or care can work well with either);
  • The Chanel brush shape is a classic shape used for layering foundation–it’s more intuitive for light coverage that is then “built up” only where needed;
  • Shiseido’s compact size is perfect for travel and less expensive;
  • Chanel’s seems to be easier and faster to clean (this isn’t really a performance issue I thought I’d point it out).
  • Bottom line, if you are choosing between them you cannot go “wrong” with either one–really, it’s going to come down to your personal foundation style and use preference.

Overall, the new Chanel Foundation Brush is a positive step forward.  I far prefer it to the older Chanel foundation brush–the smaller size, the feathery bristle ends, and the tapered top deliver a better product.  To get The Beauty Look Book’s views, see her review here.

 Tagged with: , , , ,

More Chanel Perfection Lumiere Swatches

 Chanel, Foundation  17 Responses »
Sep 292011
 

Lovely readers, after thinking about Chanel Perfection Lumiere Foundation ($55) (full swatches are here), I was curious about some color comparisons.  I thought I’d create a little sketchbook with the pictures to share.

First, I wanted to check Chanel’s Perfection Lumiere against my other foundation shades.  Here is a comparison of:

  • Chanel Vitalumiere Fluid 20 Clair/Cameo
  • Chanel Perfection Lumiere B10
  • Chanel Perfection Lumiere B20
  • Chanel Perfection Lumiere B30
  • Chanel Tient Innocence Fluid in 20 Clair/Cameo (discontinued)
  • Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua B10
  • Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua B20
  • Chanel Lift Lumiere 15 Ivoire
  • Chanel Pro Lumiere 20 Claire Cameo
You’ll notice considerable variation among these.  In shade with flash:
In sun with flash:
This one compares the Perfection Lumiere Beige Rose 32 both wet and dry.  I want to emphasize that a quick arm swatches must dry down.  On the left is a freshly applied swatch of Perfection Lumiere BR 32 that has not dried at all.  On the far right is the same foundation that has dried down for a good 20 minutes, maybe longer–what a difference in color that dry down makes.  In the center is a swatch of Vitalumiere Aqua in Beige Rose 30, which is darker and different tonally.
Finally, I wanted to compare a medium skin tone color across all of the different color tones.  Here are swatches of Beige Rose’s deepest shade,  Perfection Lumiere in Beige Rose 52.  Also, there is Perfection Lumiere in Beige 60, Perfection Lumiere in Beige Ambre 64 and Ambre 94:
It’s so interesting to me that numerically, the first three shades toward the left of this picture are all near 60.  But the undertones are so very, very different.  Beige Ambre is so warm, it’s really an amber in the true sense of the word.  Even the “Beige Rose” does not seem very pink to me. The shade range in this release is certainly enormous for Chanel.  Even if you don’t find your perfect match, it may be that you get much closer than with any previous Chanel release.  It’s certainly good to see a very high end luxury line take notice of the wide range of color shades of women.
 Tagged with: , , , , ,
 Older Entries
© 2010-2011 Café Makeup Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha