Shiseido Integrate Mineral Foundation in OC 30

I finally have a review of a Japanese cosmetic brand!

I'm happy to get back to the track I blog the most about. Although I consider myself to be a multi-flexible blogger, I often like to review beautyproducts that do not get that much love in the English language, but are still noteworthy...And...getting more popular as well in the so-called Western world: NY times has even published an article about it (here), featuring the most popular 'Westies' blogging about Japanese cosmetics...Kathi from Lotuspalace and Muse from MusingsofaMuse.

Fab thing is that the Western cosmetic brands learn and 'borrow' from Japanese brands. The foam hair dye brands is one of the most popular examples, but the Western version often gets lower reviews so, yeh, L'oreal and the likes just have to perfect their bubble dyes a bit more.

Oh, and BB cream is a funny one. Almost everyone knows they started making BB in Germany for post-operation people, and it gotten really popular in Korea (afterwards the whole Eastern part of Asia) and now it is getting popular in the West again.

Sticking to the subject: my review. Mineral foundations are another thing that has been popular in the West for a couple of years, starting out with Bare Escentuals and transferring into a million of etailer brands and larger drugstore versions.

So some Japanese brands jumped upon this bandwagon as well. Kanebo Kate has issued a Mineral powder, and Integrate suprised me with a fluid mineral foundation.



Shiseido Integrate Mineral Foundation in OC 30: 'be happy with the power of mineral'

I often prefer fluid versions over the loose powder forms. It is claimed that powder versions are often more pure and with less additives, but I like the fluidity and control you can get with fluid foundations. Oh, and they often add more moisture to dehydrated skin.

Most Japanese brand add their SPF's in their foundation these days. This foundation has a SPF 23. The PA ++ is added too.

The bottle is a squeezable plastic one and has a little opening. No pump:

 

I picked colour no. OC 30 ---> the darkest one. It starts with OC 00, OC 10, OC 20. I picked the darkest colour for when having a (self)tan.

To my suprise, it is quite a dark tone! My colouring was a NC 30 to 35 after a couple of self-tan sessions. The formula was quite the match. Normally, a Japanese OC 30...for example the Lunasol Water Gel Foundation in OC 30 (one I still have to review!), is so much lighter.

On NC30-ish skin:

LOL, it looks like a weird omelet my skin and the swatch like this!

As you probably can see, the formula is quite runny, if not watery. a little dot like this blends out quite a large part of the skin:


Shiseido Integrate Mineral foundation in OC 30- red line is line between bare skin & foundation



The arm is even more tan...ugh, I am not getting that tan again, but you can see the contrast.

For such a lightweight product, it really covers up a bit of imperfection.

It is not a glowy foundation like Lunasol Water Cream Foundation. It is quite a matte one.

That makes it a more suitable foundation for the oily and combination skintypes.

For me, a notorious shiny t-zone-y person during warmer seasons, I had about 3 hours of longer matte-ness compared to a non-oil controlling foundation (even with Jurlique Rose powder, which is not that great agaisnt the oilies, afteral). Quite reasonable, I believe.

Scent: none! Always a plus for the scent-sensitive and less-tolerant skintypes.

Summing up:

The positives:

* Colour range goes up to mid-tone or NC 30/35.

* Scent-free

* Mineral foundation

* Little bit covers quite some area

* fluid texture (might be a negative to some people...I'm quite neutral about it, but in the summer month I love a lighter texture)

* slight yellow undertone covers little bit of redness (also a negative if you are really cooltoned)

* Mattifying

* portable little bottle in not-easy-to break plastic

* mid-range price

* No personal breakouts and skin reacted tolerant

The negatives:

* Perhaps too matte for some people, which brings me to the next:

* not really moisturizing

* limited colour range, and not really suitable for cool toned skins

* not a real luxury level with the packaging that you will get with, e.g. Jill Stuart or Lunasol Water Cream    Jar

* Difficult to track down the totality of ingredients in English.

I bought it over (here) at adambeauty for $19.