Lunasol Watery Makeup Base and Water Gel Foundation in OC 02

Lunasol is renowned for its Water Cream Foundation, a foundation comprised of 60% water. On spring 2011, the brand released a new makeup base and a gel-based foundation with 65% water content. It seems gels are the prevailing base makeup theme for spring and summer 2011, for Bourjois has also released an essence gel version of their Healthy Mix Foundation. Since the last Lunasol foundation I tried was Skin Fusing Powder Foundation from three years ago, I opted to give this base set a go. Initially, it was the gel factor which caught my interest, but the foundation turned out to be far from what I expected.

The Watery Makeup Base with an SPF of 27 PA++, true to its claim, leaves the skin brighter and more translucent. It does not smooth out uneven surfaces and pores though as stated in the product description. The first time I opened the tube, my eyes stung. I suspect it could be the witch hazel present in the product. However, it didn't happen again in the succeeding times I used it. To be fair, the makeup base didn't irritate my skin or cause any redness. The Lunasol Water Gel Foundation is water-based and has an SPF of 25 PA++. Usually, I ignore sunscreen factors in makeup because I always put on a separate sun protection product. The finish of the gel foundation is beautiful -- smooth and even. There is really nothing to complain about in terms of the finished look it provides. But I have a few qualms about it which I will state in the next few paragraphs.

I must admit that I always fall for Lunasol's style of packaging. The tubes look elegant and practical at the same time. The makeup base needs to be shaken before use and it is really watery because the product comes out very liquid-y. The foundation is surprisingly thick though, so much so that it has to be squeezed out of the tube. An effort to push the contents out of the bottle is necessary. I was expecting a light gel substance to come out of the container, but it is like cream foundation instead. It is easy to control the amount of product dispensed with this kind of texture in a tube container, however.

To the left, the makeup base proves to be way more watery; the gel on the right has an almost cream-like texture.

Blended out, the makeup base is a peachy skin tone color. The foundation looks quite yellow here, but it blends out pretty well on my NC20 skin. 

The overall thoughts I have on these products mainly take into account my skin type, which is oily, sensitive, pore-ous on the cheeks and nose, while also suffering from rosacea. In short, i am dealing with fussy skin. It takes in light, simple formulas but rejects heavy ones. I would know right away if a product suits me because it has no heavy feeling and "sits" well on the skin. At the end of the day, a product that works for me would mean that it didn't settle into and clog my pores, or gave me pimples. 

My skin can tolerate Watery Makeup Base a little better, because it is a lighter texture. However, I find that it still settled into my pores and left them slightly clogged. Water Gel Foundation, unfortunately, is too heavy for my skin to take. It is almost the same texture as cream foundation, which I was never able to tolerate. While it did not break me out (a very good thing), it started to slide off my face by midday and ended up in a cakey mess. By the time I removed all of my makeup, I found that it clogged my pores. I would not berate the quality of the ingredients for they did not cause me redness or acne. It is just not the right formula/consistency for my oily skin type. Typically most oily skin have visible pores, and the bigger the pores, the higher the chances of products settling in and thereby clogging them. 

These are excellent base makeup, providing medium to full coverage. The foundation really smooths out the the skin and makes it look naturally supple. I can imagine how wonderfully these would work for those with normal to dry skin types. In the meantime, these would probably work better for me during winter trips when my skin would be needing more moisture. Unfortunately, not in our hot, humid Manila weather.