Review: Kose Addiction Dewy Glow foundation in 02 Madeleine

I like you to introduce my latest foundation acquisition from the Kose Addiction line:

Buying foundations online without any swatches available can be risky. The Addiction foundation had been launched for a short time, and reviews on Kose Addictions are not as widespread as, eg MAC or NARS. However, I had some faith in Addiction's quality as they have proven to be of high standard of the purchases in the past. 

Kose Addiction foundation and a freebie

When I read a positive review on porcelain beauty Drivel about Frivol I decided to take the plunge. I picked up a shade darker than her, because I have a darker colouring.

There are a limited amount of shades available, however, they are named in the foodie category with cookie-based names. The no 02 is called Madeleine (that's a French type of cake).

I always have NARS in mind when seeing the packaging of Addiction. That is not so strange because Ayako, the makeupartist behind the brand, used to work for NARS.

So I somewhat lack originality (compared to DrivelaboutFrivel's post) and want to compare the foundation with one of NARS top-selling and loved-among-beautybloggers foundation: the Sheer Glow Foundation. I could have compared to some other ones I have, such as the Chanel Vitalumiere, but I didn't want to do a 'compare' post, just a review next to the brand Ayako abandoned for his own brand.

Of seeing the bottle of Addiction: it looks similar of the Suqqu liquid foundation I saw online. I don't have that one so I cannot compare them. However, the bottle is made of a matte texture (NARS is shiny)  and is a longer/thinner shape.

Kose Addictin has a good dose of SPF 20 & PA++ in it. NARS seems to be without SPF protection.

It is made of a liquidy texture and a thinner formula, without any obvious shimmer/flecks/etc.

It is easy to blend and is a tiny bit pinker than my skintone. I actually enjoy this because it adds that bit of freshness to my skin.

Blended:

Somewhat luminous but not in any way shimmery. I find the foundation quite neutral: a My-Skin-but-Better foundation.

I still wanted to compare the Madeleine with NARS Santa Fe for colour-reference and luminosity factor.

(I have some scary goosebumbs going on...sorry about that)

I do think the picture above is a bit off, because the Addiction swatch looks darker than the NARS, which, in real life they are almost as light, NARS a tiny bit darker.

I have to agree with DrivelAboutFrivol for feeling weightless on my face. It is also scentless so it feels like I don't have any foundation on.

It is not as glowy as the NARS sheer foundation, but I actually prefer that--> It's a velvet luminence. glow looks good on cheeks, etc but not so much on the parts you like to keep toned down, such as my 'lovely' T-zone. The velvet-like texture of the Kose Addiction is better suited for that: and I can always apply the glowy by means of my highlighters/blush.

I actually like it's simplicity in the field of foundation. It is a thin-to-medium coverage that you can layer or take care of the 'imperfections' by means of concealer.

It did fade a bit after a couple of hours (6). I have that with lots of foundations so the durability is not particularly different.

A big downside that it is quite expensive, but a foundation is...you might guess...the foundation of your makeup. I rather spend a bit more on my foundation and save on my eyeshadow than the other way around. (but the truth is, I don't really save on either :P)

I purchased it on ichibankao.com.