Review: Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Good afternoon!

I was recently able to try Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation (thanks to Xiao!) and figured I'd blog about it before it became one of those things that I intend to do but never actually post about. You know, the reviews that stay in my draft folder for years and never see the light of day. Now, I have the stock image of this foundation because I have the older bottle with a different numbering system (back before they went with the whole bright red styling of the current packaging).

I have shade OC-1 and honestly, I have NO idea what this translates into with the current shades. My best guess would be 013 or 123. The Aqua Foundation range of shades is not exactly broad; it is sadly rather inclusive. It covers light to medium, and that's about it. OC-1 is roughly NC20. It's a great match to my neck so overall a good fit (my face is like four different colors).

The coverage of this foundation is sheer/light. In the picture below, I've applied concealer to bare skin and that's it.

Now the following picture has a layer of KGD Aqua Foundation, stippled with my favorite Shiseido Perfect Foundation Brush.

I know what you're thinking. Whoa, those are the DRIEST lips I have ever seen. My humidifier broke and man, has it been taking a toll on my nails and skin.

The finish is hard to describe. It is very natural looking, like the perfect finish that healthy skin would actually have. What I really like about this foundation is that it retains moisture beautifully, so it would be an excellent choice for someone with dry skin. Perhaps this seems counter-intuitive, but I find it to control oil very well. It seems that by keeping the skin supple and moist, oil reabsorbs into the makeup very well instead of sitting on it like an oil slick.

I'm gonna let you know right now that I'll probably recycle this picture for my next post.

Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation photographs pretty well with natural lighting. However, it does have titanium dioxide and zinc oxide as sunblock (SPF 15/PA++) and is not flash photography friendly. It is also free of scent, parabens and sulfates. Despite the high amount of silicone in the foundation, I didn't feel like it was too slippery or heavy.

Ingredients:

Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Diphenysiloxy Phenyltrimethicone, Titanium Dioxide, Zincoxide, Mica, Hdi, Trimethyol Hexyl-Lactone Crosspolymer, Isononylisononanoate, Peg-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Pentylene Glycol, Peg-10 Dimethicone, Diglycerin, Sorbitan Sesqullsostarate, Phytosteryl ,Octyldodecyllauroyl Glutamate, Glycerin, Squalane, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Sea Salt, Acrylate, Polytrimethul Siloxymethacrylate Copolymer, Sodium Chloride, Silica, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Aluminum Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba Oil) Seed Oil, Nylon-12, Talc, Zirconium Dioxide, Tocopherol, Lauroyl Lysine, Polymethysilsesquioxane, Isostearyl Sevacate, Zinc Myristate, Aluminum Dimyristate, Alumina, Butyrospermum Parkll (Shea Butter), Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Disodium Stearoyl, Glutamate, Flucosyl Herperidin, Magnesium Ascorbyl Hesperidin, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Glycrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Betula Alba Bark Extract, Kjellmaniella Gyrate Extract, Alpha-Glucan, Algae Extract, Alpinia Speciosa Leaf Extract, Glucosyl Ceramide, Hydrolyzed Conchiolin Protein, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8.

If you're in the market for a foundation with light coverage and truly the most natural finish that I've ever tried, I'd definitely give Koh Gen Do Aqua a go. It is truly unfortunate that it does not come in very many shades. It is $62 for 1.01 fl. oz. and available at Sephora (most of the shades are sold out) and Nordstrom.

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