Anddd I’m on a roll with foundations (or base products) it seems – perhaps it’s a long-overdue influx considering that I’ve been sitting on some of the products for some time (if I were a hen, I’d have hatched them into little miniature travel sized products or something by now hurhurhur). Anyhoos, I absolutely had to share this one with you guys cos a) The History Of Whoo will finally be available in Singapore at Tangs Orchard come July 2015, and b) cos this product is awesome!
I say…
The Packaging: I don’t need to actually describe anything – you can see how gorgeous the embossing and details are! That aside, it’s a rather tall plastic bottle (yes, even the gold portions are made of plastic) that’s pretty stable. The gold embossed cap is a click-on one that fits on pretty securely, and opens to reveal a pump dispenser.
The Scent: There’s a herbal-ginseng scent to the foundation that I adore – I find it rather refreshing instead of the usual fragrances (not that I don’t like ’em). The scent doesn’t linger for long though – it fades away once you’re done blending and applying it.
The Texture: A lightweight and yet creamy and spreadable texture. It’s so smooth and glides over your skin without pulling or tugging. I love!
The Application & Finish: One pet peeve that I often have (and often hear from people) is that Korean base products tend to have too much “glow” and “shine”, and I’m rather particular about this aspect because I have very easily excitable sebum glands that insist on doing overtime work. Unfortunately, a lot of Korean beauty products are created this way because of their dry climates and harsh winds, which is the total opposite from our almost no-winds and average humidity of 70-80% (ugh!). I’m not saying no to a glowy skin finish, but it has to be at the right spots (which is why I own so many highlighters!).
I’m super happy to report that this product, for once, has an almost perfect ratio of glow-matte! In my photos above, you can see that the cheekbones and node bridge are highlighted nicely, while the corners of the nose and the chin remain matte. I’d say it’s about 85% matte to 15% glow – what’s more, it gives a nice brightening finish.
Because of its rather-high matte factor, make sure that your skin is sufficiently moisturised (kinda similar to MAC’s Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation), because it might place emphasis on flaky skin portions.
The oil control factor is rather average (because of its lightweight texture) – I found myself blotting after 5 hours of wear, which I guess is pretty decent.
The wear time is also rather long – I clocked about 6-7 hours before it started fading (only at the corners of the nose). Minimal touch-up was required at the end of the day when I was ready to head out to watch a moooovie.
The Verdict: I am in love! Finally, another Korean foundation that I adore (after Etude House’s Stay-Up Foundation) – it’s lightweight, gives good coverage and a beautiful radiant finish, lasts pretty long, and is a good balance between glow and matte. Despite the luxe branding, this foundation is actually pretty affordable at KRW52,000. I’d say this is defo something you NEED to get when The History of Whoo comes to Singapore in July 2015 at Tangs.