Review: Flow Fushi Area Foundy

This is a blogpost about a girl that tried to like a beauty product so much that she bought it in two shades hoping some miracle will befall her. No such miracle happened unfortunately. I think I wanted to like Japanese brand Flow Fushi’s Area Foundy so much simply because their campaigns were so beautiful and the packaging and concept seemed so appealing. I mean the brush on one end is made by some master Japanese brush maker!

Why did I want to love it so much? (a.k.a., the claims)

• the packaging is luxurious and beautiful
• they also make a liquid eyeliner called the Moteliner which I enjoy, so I thought this would be great
• concealer and highlighter with anti-aging properties
• SPF 27 PA++ and protects agains environmental pollution
• 1 shade with two different types of coverage (natural and cover)
• translucent beige that fits every skin colour
• covers blue and brown pigmentation
• lightweight and illuminating
• the brush allows you touch-up makeup without having to get your hands dirty

Packaging

This comes in a beautiful pearl and gold packaging with two ends. One end holds the product and a doe-foot applicator. The other end holds a slanted brush that can be used by pulling down the protective shield around it. You can remove the brush by twisting it off to clean or even put on a refill which they also sell.

Refill with which you can twist the brush on from the original product

Application

According to their website, you are supposed to apply the product in a V-shape under your eyes. They have very specific diagrams of how you should do this depending on your face shape. You can also use it to highlight in a T-shape on your forehead and in a C-shape around the outside of your eyes. The formula is really fluid, almost like a liquid foundation. After dabbing it on your face, you are then supposed it blend it out with the brush provided.

 

Review

So I guess you must be wondering why I ended up buying two of these. I bought the Natural one first, but found the cover too light for me, so I ended up buying the Cover one hoping it would have better coverage. These are not cheap at 2500 Yen each (I got mine for about $30 CAD)! I guess I just really wanted to make it work.

So was there a difference between the Natural and Cover version? Yes, there definitely is. I would say that the Cover version is about 50% more pigmented than the Natural version. However, this is not a full coverage concealer. It does not have the coverage of lets say a Nars Radiant Concealer, which is my favourite lately, or the It Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye. I mean, from another perspective, I understand that the brand is selling this as more of an illuminating product so I guess full coverage shouldn’t be expected.

This product is very natural-looking. It is super lightweight and absorbs easily into the skin. The luminously it gives is like a natural glossy sheen. There isn’t any sort of metallic or micro-glitter here. It just makes your skin look healthy and a bit dewy.

In conclusion, if you looking for a low to medium concealer that can also be used to highlight, you might enjoy this product. For me, I didn’t find the coverage or luminosity enough for me. However, the really deal-breaker was that it creased under by eyes within a couple hours no matter how I applied it (I used a Beauty Blender, brushes, and my fingers). I tried powdering it as well and it still creased and even looked a bit cakey after a few hours. The brush is good for tapping and blending in the product, but I found my fingers faster.

VERDICT:  A beautiful concept that just didn’t meet exceptions in reality. I think I will continue to use it as highlighter when I want to have a natural makeup day.

Makeup Edition: Gone Green and Haven’t Looked Back

I think the best and most frustrating things in life always sit in the “grey” area.  Ideally, if all beauty products were amazing and good for us, then that would be the ultimate.  However, with everything in life, I find it is best to find a place of balance.  For example, I tend to use more natural and organic products when it comes to skincare and body care.  However, with eyeliners, I still haven’t found replacements for my favourite non-green products.  Once in a while though, I find makeup items that fit that “ultimate” category and haven’t looked back.  Just on a side note, I am aware green beauty is more on the luxury side, so if anyone has any cheaper alternatives, I love some recommendations.  Plus, I not at all an expert on green beauty, so I am sure I missing out on some even more “ultimate” beauty products I haven’t discovered yet.

Cream Blush

I think if you are just starting out with trying out green beauty, I think cream blush is a good place to start.  I have really enjoyed all the ones I have picked up.  My favourite is probably the Kjær Weis’ Cream Blush.  They have a great colour selection, good pigmentation, and the packaging is beautiful and refillable.  Most importantly, their cream to powder formula has great longevity and blends out beautifully.

When it comes to green beauty, I think they really excel when it comes to blushes that give you that natural “I just came back from a run” flush.  Wasn’t sure about the Tata Harper Volumizing Lip & Cheek Tint in the beginning because it didn’t seem that pigmented compared to other blushes I have used.  However, now that I have been using it for a while, I really enjoy that natural flush it gives, and it really does plump up the cheeks, which is a plus.  Lately, I have also been trying out Jane Iredale’s In Touch Cream Blush.  This blush is in a stick form making application super convenient.  It also gives that natural flush that I am really into lately and it smells like chocolate.

Lipstick

For lipstick, my favourite has to be from Ilia.  I started out with their lipsticks that came in their sleek matte metal tubes.  I was just amazed at how creamy and pigmented they were.  They give a semi-matte look on your lips and come in some beautiful colours.  Then, I moved onto the lip crayons which I thought wouldn’t be as creamy because of the stick formula.  However, I was surprised to find that they are just as creamy and the sharper tip allows for even more precise application.  I was also going to put the Burt’s Bee Lipstick in this category.  However, mine has congealed into hard clumps in the bullet after a few months.  Anyone else have this problem?

Cream Highlighter

This is a little bit of a cheat, but for the most part, I have switched over to natural cream highlighters.  Actually, I really have one, but I love it so much, I use it all the time.  This is the infamous rms beauty living luminizer.  As indicated on their website, this highlighter gives a “satin-pearl” sheen to the skin.  This is subtle.  It is not an ultra glowy Becca highlighter, but I feel it just gives the right amount of natural glow and brightens up your face.  Plus, it lasts a lot longer than you think.  I still see it on my face at the end of a work day.

Do you have any beauty products where you have switched to green and never looked back?  I would love to know.  Thanks for reading!

This or That: Cream/Liquid Highlighter or Powder Highlighter

While I was applying my makeup the other day, I started thinking about how random my daily makeup application was.  I decided to give myself a challenge to see what I considered “must-haves” in my collection.

What if I really had to choose to keep only my cream highlighters or powder highlighters.  Which ones would I choose?

To help me decide, I am just going to talk through some of my favourites and their pros and cons. Just want to put a disclaimer out there, this is not a definitive review and might be a bit of a generalization.  I can only base my decisions on the highlighters I have tried.

Powder Highlighters

PROS

One of the greatest pros about powder highlights is that you need very little for each application, but you usually get a lot of product.  For example, the popular Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders has 10 grams of products and the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed has 8 grams of product.  Especially with the highly pigmented Becca highlighter in Champagne Pop, you need so little that I have barely made a dent in it.

I feel like powder highlighters are also a bit more multidimensional when applied.  They usually have different pigments combined into a metallic sheen.  Furthermore, especially with the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders, they are good at blurring imperfections.  Lastly, their longevity is usually longer than an equivalent cream product.

CONS

One possible con is that they are best applied with brushes.  It can be a hassle to find a brush, but it also can give more precision during application.  It is a bit of toss-up.  Another possible con applies to super pigmented highlighters, like Jaclyn Hill’s Shimmering Skin Perfector in Champagne Pop.  If you didn’t blend those in, you would look like you have bright streaks on your cheek bones. Therefore, sometimes I find a cream highlighter is a bit faster.

Cream/Liquid Highlighters

PROS

Cream highlighters just give a different look.  You can almost achieve a glossy finish with some cream highlighters.  Almost a little sweaty looking, but in all the right places.  My two favourites, the RMS Living Luminizer and the Kevin Aucoin Candlelight Highlighter in the Cream version, both give this effect.

I also find that cream highlighters are just a little easier to blend out.  You just have to apply with your fingertips and tap and blend with a clean finger.  Of course, you can always use brushes as well.

CONS

In general, one con is that many of the cream highlighters I have tried are a bit less pigmented. Although, Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Liquid really packs a punch.  Furthermore, during the summer time, you get so sweaty, you might not want to look even more “glossy.”  Lastly, I have found that the cream highlighters I have tried are less multidimensional.  Just an aside, the scent from the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector’s liquid version do linger a bit if you are sensitive to scent.

VERDICT

This is almost like picking between your children because they are all great products.  After much consideration (as if this is truly that serious), I think I would choose to keep my powder highlighters because there is more product, they last longer, and I enjoy the metallic glow a little more. However, cream and liquid highlighters are great to mix up in your everyday look.

If you only could keep one or the other, which one would you pick?