Super Dew-per


You know when you live in a dark hole of an apartment that natural light never touches and can't take any decent photos for days because of it?  I think I might have to get some sort of a daylight studio lamp once the days get shorter. Anyway, I'm here with a little review of A'Pieu's Moisture Nude Foundation (SPF30 PA++).

I've been using Mizon's Hydra Full Solution Water Volume Moisture BB cream for the past year, but it recently started to run out. I really like it and might buy it again some day (unless they discontinue it), but I also wanted to try a new product, something with a little bit more coverage. After looking at several drugstore and high end options, I ended up buying A'Pieu's latest serum foundation. I got mine in the shade No. 13, which is a light beige color with a yellow undertone. 



Serum-based foundations are supposed to be more lightweight than traditional ones, but have as much coverage. Many of them also claim to have skin care benefits, which makes me think of them as a kind of a spiritual successor to BB creams. The ingredient index of A'Pieu's Moisture Nude Foundation lists several plant extracts with skin care properties: Mentha Rotundifolia or Bowles Mint leaf extract (anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial), Portulaca oleracea or Purslane extract (skin-soothing), Adansonia Digitata or Baobab fruit extract (emollient, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant), Nelumbo Nucifera or Sacred Lotus seed extract (antioxidant). What drew me to this foundation, however, was the promise of a very natural, skin-like finish. 



The Moisture Nude Foundation has a very thin consistency. It's definitely much thinner than any of the regular liquid foundations I've tried. But interestingly enough, it's also very pigmented. The first time I used it I ended up applying too much, which did not look good at all. If you put it on with a heavy hand, it will end up caking up and looking all weird and grainy. A little goes a long way: I think I could easily cover up all of my biggest problem areas with the amount of product shown in the picture above. It might even be enough for my entire face. The product has a medium coverage, but it can be built up a bit. It feels smooth, albeit maybe a tad tacky to the touch when I apply it. 


The swatch from the last picture blended out.

The finish is hella dewy. I'm talking dew town. My skin is mostly really dry, but even I have to set it with loose powder and blot during the day to keep it from looking too shiny. If you prefer a matte look, it's not for you, and I'm not too sure it would work for people with oily skin. I don't mind the shininess too much, though, because it's one of the most natural looking base makeup products I've ever tried. I find that I do need to spend some time on blending it out, but once I'm done, the product sits really close to my skin. I can wear it all day without it starting to separate, pill or bunch up on me. It is prone to creasing under my eyes, though. 



For me, the biggest fault with this product is the packaging. The dispensing system is terrible. Like many other serum foundations, Moisture Nude comes with a pipette. But for some reason, A'pieu chose to go with a clicky mechanical thing at the top instead of the usual rubber bulb. It makes it really hard to control the amount of product you pick up. A single click is way too much for me. I need to empty the dropper of most of its contents and then use whatever is left in the stem. Plus I've noticed that some of the foundation is starting to coagulate and cake up around the bottle's mouth. I wish they'd just put a pump on it! 

Another problem is the very limited shade range. Like a lot of other Korean companies, A'Pieu unfortunately only makes the foundation in three shades (which I guess is marginally better than just having only one shade like a lot of base products do). Based on the pictures online, the darkest of them looks like a medium beige. That's just kind of sad. 

I've been using Moisture Nude for a couple of weeks and I've really enjoyed it after figuring out how to get the right amount. The dewiness probably makes it an acquired taste, but I think it's a nice foundation overall. 

2 comments:

  1. This foundation sounds way too high maintenance for me, but it looks so beautiful and natural blended out on your hand!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Doesn't it? It has a very skin-like finish, but the formula won't work for everyone.

      Delete

Cosmetics sample inferno

I think the above is a familiar image to anyone who's a big fan of buying Korean cosmetics online (or shopping at Sephora's webs...