March 2023 brings with it many new beauty launches, most of them you can find on our Instagram feed; but what really gets me excited is base makeup — foundations, concealers and primers. When you get your base right, the rest of your makeup will follow through smoothly, plus it adds that dose of confidence to your day knowing you look and feel good. There’s really nothing better than clear, good-looking skin; and even if you’re having a breakout, today’s highly-advanced beauty products will allow you to fake it. These are the ones to update your beauty box with.
Dior Forever Glow Veil and Velvet Veil
No base makeup roundup would be complete without including Dior. The Dior Forever liquid foundation has fast become the industry standard and now they’ve launched primers to match it. There are two variations: Glow Veil (for radiance) and Velvet Veil (for blurring), depending on the kind of result you wish to achieve. Like all Dior base makeup, the textures for these primers are sublime; they are a silky fluid that sinks into skin, evening it out instantly. On weekends or gym days, you could wear these on their own without any foundation for a sheer, fresh look.
Dior Forever Glow Veil and Dior Forever velvet veil, $95 each. Shop online at SHOP.DIOR.COM.SG.
Gucci Beauty Natural Finish Fluid Foundation
Liquid foundations are one of those makeup products that you can instantly fall in love with, and that happened the first time I tried this product. It looks soft and powdery in its frosted glass bottle, which alludes to the kind of finish you’ll get on your skin. It creates a smooth, soft matte texture with medium coverage. And like all good base makeup, this is buildable to something more full if that’s your thing. I recommend pairing this with the brand’s Silk Priming Serum for the best results; you’ll get a finish that Gucci Beauty intended — smooth, soft, semi-matte, yet still natural-looking.
Gucci Beauty Natural Finish Fluid Foundation, $105. available in 25 shades. Shop online at SEPHORA.SG.
M.A.C Studio Fix Every-Wear All-Over Face Pen
I like the pen packaging this product comes in; it’s handy and hygienic, with a firm cap to protect the nozzle, and an “on / off” button at the bottom. What’s interesting is that this cream is both a liquid foundation and a concealer in one, so the formula surprised me; I wasn’t expecting such a fluid yet creamy texture that glides so well on skin and blends in easily. I expected it to be thick and heavy in order to double up as a concealer.
As a foundation, only very little is needed to cover the entire face. The finish is matte, with medium to full coverage. As a concealer, I spot applied it to dark rings under my eyes and this actually lightened them better than most other under-eye concealers that I’ve tried.
The press release says that this formula is transfer-proof and waterproof (which makes it wonderful as a concealer over spots!), and lasts for up to 36 hours. Wow. It’s also pumped with hyaluronic acid to keep skin hydrated, and there’s caffeine to tighten skin and reduce puffiness (good for the under-eye area).
If you’re having a bad skin day, use this all over to even out skin texture and tone, and then go in with your industrial concealer over your spots. If you’re the sort to travel with your full bottles of liquid foundation, I recommend this as a good alternative because of its convenient form factor.
M.A.C Studio Fix Every-Wear All-Over Face Pen, $63. available in 19 shades. Shop online at SEPHORA.SG.
Tom Ford Traceless Soft Matte Concealer
The key word to describe this concealer is that it’s soft. It’s like a pillowy cloud on the skin, which you can’t feel at all. You see the product touching and gliding over your face, but you can’t feel it, which ends up being so addictive. I found myself applying more and more of this product everywhere just because I loved seeing it sink in to the skin.
It offers medium coverage and there are blurring powders to reduce the appearance of pores. The product doesn’t feel dry on the skin at all (it’s skincare-infused) and it’s exceptionally comfortable.
Tom Ford Traceless Soft Matte Concealer, $102. available in 12 shades. Shop online at SEPHORA.SG and tangs.com.
Clé de Peau Beauté UV Protective Cream SPF 50+ PA++++
As far as sunscreens go, the Shiseido group really has some of the best formulas and technology, and their luxury label Clé de Peau Beauté is always at the receiving end of it. They recently reformulated their popular UV Protective Cream with what the brand calls “Adaptable Innershield Technology”. It does the necessary blocking of harmful sun rays, but it lets red light through, which is beneficial to skin. This new version is also infused with Moroccan Thyme extract that helps the skin protect itself against sun damage.
On the skin, the cream feels comfortable and not tacky after settling in. Just a small amount is needed for the whole face, so while this tube is costly, it should last you for a good many months.
Clé de Peau Beauté UV Protective Cream SPF 50+ PA++++, $175. Shop online at SEPHORA.SG.
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