Shu Uemura Face Architect Review 「シュウウエムラ スムースフィット ミネラルファンデーション」

Oh man it's been over 2 weeks since my last blog post... :(

I finally finished exams (hopefully forever lol) so I was hoping to have lots of time to blog/make videos but now I'm working pretty much everyday so I don't have much time at all :( But when I do have days off I will try my best to film as many videos as I can. If you guys have requests please let me know! I have a huge list of videos to get through so hopefully I can soon!

Also another reason why I haven't really been active is that I've been really busy with other stuff too... I'm actually going to Los Angeles in about 1.5 weeks to work with Liz Lisa again at Anime Expo! I will post more details later when I get them, but if you are going to Anime Expo 2013, please come say hi to me! I would love to meet more of my blog readers! Oh, and Supanova Perth 2013 is coming up next weekend as well, so please say hi to me if you see me! I'll be part of the official photography team again this year, so I'll be around the whole time!

Also, I'm going to be going to Tokyo (for only 1 day/night) because flight transfer times suck :( Last time when I went to San Francisco, I flew United Airways and Qantas... and to be completely honest, worst flights I've ever taken in my life. So I requested Liz Lisa to book me a Singapore Airlines flight instead (around the same price, and it's my favourite airline). Only downfall was that I had to wait around 9-10 hours at Tokyo Narita Airport, so I thought why not just stay a day in Tokyo to see some friends, do a bit of shopping and maybe vlogging? If you guys have requests for vlogs in particular, please let me know!

Anyway today I'm going to be reviewing my all-time favourite foundation: Shu Uemura Face Architect




I use it in number 774, light beige. There are 2 types of this foundation, "Smooth Fluid" and "Illuminating Moisture". I have tried both, and I think that the Illuminating Moisture is a lot better (in my opionion). The Smooth Fluid looks more natural, however it has more of a matte finish which tends to look more cakey. Illuminating Moisture provides more coverage, however it gives you a nice dewy finish. Since it does give you a dewy finish, you MUST set it with a powder, otherwise it will look really shiny.

I picked up this foundation about 2 years ago when I was in Singapore Airport when I went to Japan for the first time. Initially I never intended to buy this foundation, I remember I was trying to find a Lancome foundation but they had none in stock. Since I really wanted to buy a foundation, I decided to grab the Shu Uemura Face Architect one quickly so I won't be late for my next flight. Since then, it has been my HG foundation.

I have tried many different foundations before, from drugstore brands like Revlon, Maybelline, Rimmel to high-end like MAC and Chanel. None of them ever suited me. My face is quite sensitive, and I was never able to wear foundation everyday because my face would start breaking out. Before Shu Uemura, I used to use the Revlon Colorstay foundation, however it would break me out if I continuously used it, and it had a pink undertone (mine is yellow). I also had the Chanel Pro Lumiere foundation which also broke me out if I used it everyday. What I used to do, was wear the foundations everyday until I saw signs of breaking out, stop for about 2 days and keep going again (really bad, I know).

However, the Shu Uemura foundation has NEVER broke me out, and I found that it is absolutely perfect for my skintone. It provides a medium to high coverage and is buildable. I have been using this foundation for over 2 years now, and so far I've had no problems with it. I don't use this foundation as often anymore (I'm trying to not wear as much makeup lately), but it is still the only foundation I use when I have to. The only downside I can think about this foundation is the price, it is a little more pricier than most foundations. However if you buy it at duty free when you go on holiday, it's not very expensive. I know in Australia they sell it for around $70, but you can get it for around $40 in Singapore Duty Free. Not sure how much they sell in the states, but I know in Japan they sell for around 4000yen (around $45).

Anyway, here is a quick demonstration with the foundation:


Here is my no-makeup face. As you can see, I have very uneven skintone.


Closeup

Typically I use about 1 pump of the foundation and that's enough for my whole face


(my bad about the watermark, wasn't meant to be in the middle but I accidentally saved it over the original file :x)


Blended out. That is foundation only, no concealer and no powder.

And finally, foundation all blended out. Looks a lot better if you compare to before
After:

Before:


As you can see the coverage is really good. I usually like to blend with my fingers these days as I find that it's just quicker and actually lasts longer than using brushes. When using this foundation, I feel that I don't even have to apply any concealer and my face can still look flawless.

Pros:
- A little goes a long way
- Lasts all day
- Doesn't break me out even if I use it everyday
- Looks great in photos, even with flash photography

Cons:
- Pricey



I definitely recommend this foundation to anyone, it is seriously the best one I have ever used.