As the weather gets colder and my skin gets drier, I’ve been craving for a more luminous dewy skin. For this reason, I’ve recently picked up the Shu Uemura Lightbulb Foundation, and used it on myself for couple days. As you know, I was picked as one of the winners for the Shu Uemura Haute Street Style Instagram competition, and one of the products that they gave me was this foundation. However, just to be clear, even though I received the foundation for free, my review is based on my experience and honest opinion.
Picture courtesy of Shu Uemura Canada
First of all, I did not use the Shu Uemura lightbulb foundation sponge because I didn’t have one. Instead, I used a damped sponge to apply this on my face. Secondly, this foundation is shade 754, which is Medium Beige. It’s a pretty good match for my skin, which is an in-between MAC NC25-30, or Diorskin Star foundation 030, or MUFE HD Foundation 120 (now called Y245).
If you are not familiar with the Shu Uemura foundation shades, it comes with 3 digits, the first digit represents the skin undertone, and it is either a 3, 5 or 7 (and sometimes 9). 3 is for Pink undertone, 5 for Neutral undertone, and 7 for Yellow undertone (and 9 is very yellow).
Packaging
The Shu Uemura Lightbulb foundation comes in a gorgeous glass bottle. Even though it’s glass, the bottle is very lightweight and transparent. The bottle also comes with a pump, and 1 pump can cover the whole face!
Application
If you want to do just 1 pump of foundation to cover your whole face, my advice is to do it the way I do it:
- Squeeze 1 pump at the back of hand or clean palette.
- Pick a bit of foundation using your ring finger.
- Dot it on your face, and blend it using a damped sponge.
You can apply the Shu Uemura Lightbulbfoundation using your finger, or foundation brush. However, if you want that luminous finish, I really suggest applying the foundation using a damped sponge (lightbulb sponge/beauty blender/any non-latex sponge).
Longevity
If you do not set this foundation and have combination/oily skin, this foundation might not last long. You need to set the foundation with a translucent powder, or if you prefer to keep the luminous finish check out the Shu Uemura Lightbulb Glowing Face Powder. For this review I did not set my foundation.
If you don’t set your foundation and has combination/oily skin, this foundation will last may be around 4-5 hours. It’s quite slippery, and within an hour you will look like an oil slick if you don’t set it. If you set the foundation, it’s good for 7-8 hours.
Shade/Finish/Coverage
13 shades ranging from light to medium shades, with pink, neutral and yellow undertones. The finish is luminous, with full coverage.
The Shu Uemura Lightbulb foundation has a full coverage, but it feels very lightweight on the skin. Its luminous dewy finish makes my skin looks quite like skin. I really like this dewy finish especially for winter when my skin is looking a bit dry.
Price
CAD$66 for 0.9 fl.oz./27 mL.
Pros
- Full coverage but lightweight
- Luminous glowing finish
- Great for dry/normal skin
- Skin looks like skin but better
- Match really well for my Asian skin
- Blurs out imperfection
Cons
- Combination/oily skin might find this to be too oily
- Pricy
