Shu Uemura The Lightbulb Foundation and Sponge - 764 Medium Light Beige and 774 Light Beige

I'm always on the hunt for the perfect foundation, as are, I think, most people who wear makeup. And my requirements are extensive: it needs to look like my skin, cover all my redness, smooth over fine lines and pores, and provide a naturally radiant finish. So basically...magic.

The Lightbulb Foundation from Shu Uemura was the latest to be put to the test.

I recently found out that Shu Uemura has a particular expertise when it comes to oils. They have a huge reference catalogue of pretty much every oil in existence, complete with the most up-to-date information about their various properties and benefits. When they formulate anything involving oils, they have this vast resource to pull from, and do so with very specific aims in mind. When they formulated the Lightbulb foundation, they did so knowing they wanted to create an oil-based foundation that would have high coverage, yet retain an illuminated appearance no matter the actual level of light. They achieved this with a mixture of fast and slow-evaporating oils, including macadamia nut oil - which is more reflective than other oils, and remains on the skin longer, with a longer-lasting glow.

In practice, what does this mean for the look and feel of the foundation?

Shu Uemura The Lightbulb Foundation in764 Medium Light Beige and 774 Light Beige

Top to bottom: 774 Light Beige and 764 Medium Light Beige.

I actually had a bit of a learning curve when it came to application. For one, I needed less foundation than I would otherwise, due to the high pigmentation. I made the mistake of over applying at first. I also used my hands, which is how I usually test foundation the first time I use it, to get a solid impression of consistency and feel. Again, I felt like it went on too heavy this way. This foundation really does best when applied with a sponge - and luckily, a unique, specially designed sponge is actually included with the Lightbulb foundation. (And can be purchased separately if you need a replacement.)

Shu Uemura The Lightbulb Sponge

The idea behind the sponge is that it can be used to enhance glow by using the bigger side in a tapping motion, or to diminish it by using the pointed side in a stroking motion. I didn't see a huge difference in terms of glow, but I do think the tapping application results in the smoothest finish. (The sponge is much denser and smoother than the Beautyblender, by the way.)

(Side note: I noticed that the kind of moisturizer I used made a big difference in how the foundation turned out on my skin. I was testing a water-based cream with alcohol content at the same time as I started testing this foundation, and they did NOT like each other. It just looked like a hot, flaky mess. When I switched over to my trusty Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentré, no such issues. If you have dry skin, I would recommend using a rich, oil based moisturizer as well.)

Overall, I think the Lightbulb foundation has great coverage - solidly medium to full. It's very buildable, as the oil-based texture keeps the product pliable and layerable for quite a while.
It covers pores nicely, too. What's amazing is that for such a full coverage foundation, it does indeed have this perpetual glow. I happened to pass by a mirror in my house during a dimly lit evening, and I was taken aback by how much radiance my skin managed to bounce back. Despite this, it doesn't look shiny in the daylight, and it photographs beautifully.

One thing to keep in mind is that the very ingredients that create that glow and pliability, also keep it moist and movable. This is by no means a transfer-resistant foundation, and it can collect in lines created by movement (such as crows feet). Setting with powder was a must for me. (For what it's worth, the Nars Light Reflecting Powder is my favourite, because it doesn't interfere with the luminous finish. The Hourglass Ambient powders might be a good pairing as well.)

To give you an idea of the finish and coverage, this is a before and after of me wearing just the Lightbulb foundation, no powder or concealer. I used a mix of both the Medium Light Beige (which has a neutral undertone) and Light Beige (which is marginally lighter, with a yellow undertone). Both of them look quite yellow when compared to my skin in the swatches above, but as you can see they blend out perfectly with my skin tone.

I'm really impressed by how alive it makes my skin look, considering a) the coverage level and b) the fact that I was just getting over the flu, and looked like a wet rag.

Have you guys tried this foundation yet?

Availability: Can be purchased from www.shuuemura.ca and www.shuuemura-usa.com, as well as from select Holt Renfrew and Sephora locations in Canada. The Lightbulb foundation comes with the sponge, and retails for 66$ CAD , and the sponge by itself is 26$ CAD.

(These items were provided by the brand/PR to be considered for review. This post is not sponsored or compensated, all opinions are my own.)