I finally got around to using Shu Uemura Lightbulb Foundation!
I’ve had it for several weeks now but started using it only a week ago. I have sought other opinions which turned out to be unspectacular (surprising!). Many claimed that the face looks oily after application. But I was really keen in using it so I went to the Shu Uemura counter at Metro Paragon to consult with the brand’s head makeup artist in Singapore. She offered suggestions on how to mitigate this issue and correctly use the product.
The Shu Uemura Lightbulb Foundation is sold as a set along with a lightbulb-shaped sponge at SG$75.
This brand new foundation, launched just this year, boasts a new generation in fluid foundation that delivers modern, glowing beauty and fulfilling the paradoxical needs of modern women for beautiful, natural glowing skin yet perfect coverage to veil imperfections.
I believe we are all familiar with this need of wanting a foundation that gives good coverage to minimize our skin’s imperfections, but without the end result looking so thick and pancake-y. While we all strive to achieve that beautiful, naturally luminous skin which looks flawless, many foundations out there either doesn’t cover enough or way covers too much.
The new formula contains a high concentration of natural-origin macadamia oil. More highly reflective than regular oils, macadamia oil also stays on skin for longer, contributing to a lasting glow while providing continuous hydration.
I guess this is why shine can become an issue because this foundation has been designed to impart glow on the skin, hence use sparingly for best results. The foundation provides 12-hour moisture which is really long lasting.
How to use Shu Uemura Lightbulb Foundation
The hand-finished lightbulb-shaped sponge is a unique design specially created to ‘tap and glow.’ One side is designed to enhance glow simply by ‘tapping’ and the other pointed-shape is specially coated to absorb oils to control the level of glow, and allows for easy control of the foundation by targeting where on the face to add glow.
Instructional diagrams below:
What I enjoy about this Shu Uemura Lightbulb Foundation is its light texture. The coverage evens out the skintone beautifully while retaining a natural look. The visibility of pigmented spots on my cheeks still bothers me and even though this foundation does a fairly good job in making them look less jarring, I add a tiny dab of concealer on top to give me an even better coverage, but just a thin layer of it.
Supplementary products to use with Shu Uemura Lightbulb Foundation
I’m not familiar one bit with the Shu Uemura brand and had never used any of their products before, so I was pleasantly surprised when the in-house head makeup artist told me about the Shu Uemura UV Under Base Mousse PORE Eraser (SG$60) – that can be applied as a primer underneath the Lightbulb Foundation to prep the skin and minimize shine.
I find it super duper cool that the Pore Eraser comes out of the bottle as a mousse-like foam! A small amount of this soft and fluffy foam is enough to mattify my entire face. I notice that the Pore Eraser gives a slightly brighter tint to my face also, like one shade lighter, which is a good thing as it enhances the Lightbulb foundation’s luminous effect.
What an innovative product format, don’t you think?
Another product, and the last step to use is Shu Uemura Dual Fit Pressed Powder (SG$50). It creates an air-like veil to help work against two major skin concerns: shine and dryness.
To complete my makeup, I picked up this Hourglass Femme Nude Lip Crayon (US$30) in a soft mauve beige color during my latest trip back to New York. I love how it looks for natural everyday makeup.
Overall I am quite happy with the Shu Uemura Lightbulb foundation and my skin feels hydrated throughout the day. I am cautious about the shine issue as my face tends to get way too glow-y (particularly in Singapore; whenever I’m back in New York I don’t have that oil-spill look and my complexion is waaaaay better there) so I’ve been using the foundation very, very sparingly.
Anyway, a little indeed goes a long way – just a small pea-sized amount is more than enough and the lightbulb-shaped sponge does a good job spreading it around the entire face. An itsy bitsy tiny drop provides a pretty good, natural-looking coverage for me without looking too washed-out or dense.
Additionally the moisture providing capability is also superb and my skin appears really hydrated, with a sheer glow to boot. What I hope to see soon from the brand is a sponge cleaner and that a replacement sponge will made available as separate purchase. As this is my first time using Shu Uemura products, I became interested in other items too (Oleo Pact, Eyeshadow Palette).
If you desire a bright and naturally luminous look, I think the Shu Uemura Lightbulb Foundation is a good choice.
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