BEST & WORST FOUNDATIONS FOR ASIAN WOMEN
(Updated to reflect the 100 most recent valid responses.)

What is the worst foundation error committed by Asian women?
Too white | 31%
Too pink | 34%
Too orange | 29%
Too dark | 6%

Which brand of foundation works best on Asian women?
Estee Lauder | 10%
Lancome | 9%
Prescriptives | 8%
Awake | 2%
Other | 71%
e-girl,

Best thing about the expensive lines? The little samples. They're great fun. Actually, that's probably the best part of it all. I think it all starts when you see those little gifts like Clinique or Estee Lauder. Then if you get on w/ the sales ass't, she'll start giving you lots of samples.

I'll have to try Wet n' Wild nail polish. So far, I've only tried their lip and eyeliners, and frankly, I can't tell the difference between those and the pricier ones. I've not tried NY Colors, but I'll give it a shot.

Speaking of cheapies, Caboodles looks very tempting, as does the Bonne Belle kid stuff. (Quite embarrassing for someone's who's practically faculty, huh?) As I might have said earlier, anything iridescent is a hook for me.

The only 'cheap' foundation I've tried is L'Oreal. It's OK, but doesn't have great staying power. The Cover Girl looks pretty evil, I must say. As does the Maybelline. There's something scary about the bottled stuff that also comes encased in plastic: you wonder how long it's been there on the shelves!

Asian Dominatrix somalicat@meowmail.com    Tuesday, December 04, 2001 at 17:56:58 (PST)
Shisedo's the best quality & color match, prescriptives second best
tiger    Tuesday, December 04, 2001 at 12:58:54 (PST)
Two Words:

ZHEN COSMETICS

Made especially for Asian facial tones and skin
Julie Zhou Lewis    Monday, December 03, 2001 at 08:17:10 (PST)
Does anyone have a favourite blue mask? I used to love Hydra Bleue from Lancome because it was moisturizing and brightening and it smelled and felt great, but they discontinued that a few years ago. I don't like the moisturizing masks when they are pink because they leave a trace of pink that seems to leave faint sallow tint, whereas the blue seems to leave a very (almost not noticeable) blue tint that cancels out any sallowness, and makes your skin look a little more creamy. I just purchased Elizabeth Arden's moisturising mask, and it smells nice and moisturizes well, but it's pink.


chinese cdn girl    Saturday, December 01, 2001 at 03:55:32 (PST)
asian domina:
dude, we gotta chat on AIM sometime. You're really cool and we have a lot of similar views on makeup. I bet wrt life, we'd be interesting to each other. (you're a grad student, right? and I'm a undergrad at... just think of the dorkiest school on the east coast hehe) If you aren't security conscious, put ur email down on this board, otherwise we'll figure something out. (I'm kind of a freak wrt to privacy because stalkers SUCK.) Plus, we should x-change pics or something.

Anyway, so yes, I think as long as it works for you, go for it. I've gotten skincare samples of lots of hi-end goodies and they haven't really impressed me as much as burts bees did... and the nailpolish thing-- BEEN THERE! I went through this phase where I was obsessed with keeping my nails nice and neat (as a DJ/computer-dependent student/violin player for 15 years, I've never ever had nails longer than very short)-- buffed, filed and clear-nail-polish-coated. I tried $1 brands like NYColors, Wet-n-Wild, some other random ones, and clear nailpolish from Chanel at $15 a bottle, and the Chanel chipped faster than some of the $1 brands...! So after then I've been extremely skeptical about expensive brands. Sure, the packaging is nice, but often, while I'm travelling around, I don't want to deal with beautiful and heavy luxury packaging-- I'd rather have compact, lucite or plastic packaging. You know what's really cool? NYColors eyeshadows, the single ones. They come in this nifty clear cube that flips out to open and they stack too!! It's really fantastically cute.
Hey, I totally agree with the foundation thing too. After seeing too many bred-in-a-trailer-park chicks touching up with their Cover Girl cream foundations, I think I'm forever ruined in the sense that I need the best foundation formula I can find. After all, I think the priceyness of the foundations are patrially due to the fact that they have a lot more pigment in comparison to fillers like talc and titanium dioxide.
Hope to hear from you soon.
egirl    Friday, November 30, 2001 at 12:35:08 (PST)
If you want good makeup in Toronto,
go to Holt Renfrew
CBC girl    Thursday, November 29, 2001 at 18:33:01 (PST)
Chinese cdn girl,

Isn't it funny how we never really explore our own countries? I have to admit that despite being born and raised in the US, I've only visited a handful of states. In recent years, it's 99% because of conferences.

I've probably seen more of (Western) Europe and (East) Asia than North America--but it still doesn't say a whole lot!

But wherever I go, I like to check out the make-up. When I was in Italy, I noticed that the foundation shades were more suitable for me on the whole than what I see in the US or UK, perhaps because the Mediterrean complexion (rather than the pink Anglo one) is closer to my own.
Asian Dominatrix    Tuesday, November 27, 2001 at 15:32:53 (PST)
e-girl,

I really wonder about the expensive lines myself: things like Cle de Peau, where the lipsticks, if I've been quoted correctly, cost $55. I can kind of understand foundation costing that much, but not lipstick! I mean what kind of sucker would dish out that much money for something that's not going to last that long?? Commercial ploy, if you ask me!

Believe me, I've been the self-imposed guinea pig of the cosmetics world. Sometimes I can't tell the difference between, say, a L'Oreal toner and a Lancome one (BTW, they're manufactured by the same company.) As long as I'm not allergic to it, it doesn't matter. I tried Olay and liked it too.

I think the one place where you can't skimp is foundation. But even there, I would seriously question the need to spend more than $40.

As far as the drugstore brands go, what's really interesting is that when some of the stars were interviewed about their favourite choices, a few mentioned things like Vaseline being the best moisturiser. One of my friends swears by Pear's glycerin soap.

Right now, I've recently discovered Sally Hansen nail polish: there's a sale going on at Walgreen's so I had to try it. So far, 3 days w/out chipping...(one word of advice--expensive nail polish chips as easily as cheap polish. So no need to break the bank for it.)

P.S. I like Burt's Bees!!
Asian Dominatrix    Tuesday, November 27, 2001 at 11:21:12 (PST)
asian domina: dude, doesn't that make you wary of consumer-sucking ploys? I HATE it when you find something with a definite name and formula, get used to it for YEARS and then... out of nowhere, the company flakes out on you?? Sometimes I'm glad I like trying new products... but as of now, if Burts Bees dissappeared or changed their formulas, I'll be pretty upset. Their products are really really good for my skin, I haven't found anything better in the low-end price ranges. Neutrogena can go to hell now. There's something I don't like about Neutrogena's skin care line-- they have this reputation that it's really gentle, and maybe that's true for the original glycerin soap. But their other formulas are not any less irritating than other drugstore brands. Actually, I haven't tried the more expensive skin care, but maybe you know whether there's ACTUALLY a difference between oil of olay cream and creme de la mer...?
e-girl    Tuesday, November 27, 2001 at 04:23:59 (PST)
hey Asian Dom,

you know what? most Canadians haven't seen much of Canada either! haha!
chinese cdn girl    Sunday, November 25, 2001 at 05:31:41 (PST)
Hi July,

You can get the T.LeClerc line at Shoppers Drug Mart in Eaton Centre now! They renovated Shoppers a few months ago, and they now carry a lot of expensive lines(it's about $60 for the powder)
chinese canadian girl    Friday, November 23, 2001 at 19:23:10 (PST)

NEWEST COMMENTS | EARLIER COMMENTS