Foundation With Skincare

It’s not the same as skincare with foundation – it’s even better. It provides coverage and takes care of your skin at the same time.

What’s the difference? Skincare with foundation is first a skincare product. The makeup element is secondary. Think: a tinted moisturiser.

If you’re looking to cover blemishes, or want a flawless and even base, you won’t get it from skincare with foundation. You will, however, find it in a foundation containing skincare, which offers both good coverage and good skincare. It’s the better of both worlds.

Take Shiseido’s Synchro Skin Tinted Gel Cream. It replenishes nutrients lost by the skin throughout the day, says the Japanese brand. It also has spring water from the Kirishima mountains, long used by Japanese spas for its high potassium, sodium, magnesium and calcium content. And it contains trehalose, a plant-based sugar that binds water to skin. Makeup artist Larry Yeo says the latter makes the formula particularly hydrating, even for dry skin.

Similarly, YSL Beaute’s Touche Eclat All-in-one Glow Foundation is 70 per cent water and hydrating agents like glycerine and hyaluronic acid, so it feels like a light moisturiser. Skin-calming calendula and butcher’s broom root extracts are also good for sensitive or irritable skin. One layer gives medium coverage, enough for light scars.

Useful as it is, a foundation with skincare can’t take the place of actual skincare, says Yeo. “Actives in the foundation may provide hydration and protect skin against free radicals, but they are still ultimately makeup.” – CT

1 La Prairie Skin Caviar Essencein-foundation has caviar water to improve skin elasticity. $365

3 Fine, nutrientrich powder capsules in Shiseido’s Synchro Skin Tinted Gel Cream burst when they come into contact with skin, drenching it with foundation pigments and minerals. $56 

4 The liquorice extract in Chanel’s Vitalumiere Glow Luminous Touch Foundation helps improve uneven skin tone over time, while hyaluronic acid hydrates. $90