Review: Kanebo Sensai Fluid Finish Lasting Velvet Foundation

This was an impulse buy on my trip to Germany -- I've heard great things about Kanebo before, and I was really excited to try this.  I justified the purchase by telling myself it would be cheaper in an airport than anywhere else.

The foundation comes housed in a glass bottle, so it has that touch of luxury.  Foundation also tends to keep better in glass, and I feel like this one will age especially well, since it has a pump.  The SPF 15 will probably expire in about a year, but I'm comfortable keeping pump-bottle foundation as long as it doesn't look or smell odd.

The colour is called Amber Beige -- it's extremely warm and golden, but it has just enough neutral beige in it that it doesn't go orange.  While I wouldn't call my skin neutral, it does need a less warm shade to accommodate the olive in my skin.

As for the texture...oh, the texture.  It's magical.  It feels better on the skin than even my beloved MUFE HD.  I'm pretty sure there's no added benefit to this foundation, but it has a buildable medium coverage, which usually means that it doesn't feel like naked skin, even with the most expensive foundation.  This doesn't feel like nothing, but it feels like a treatment for your skin.  I rub it in with my fingers and it absorbs like a serum.  And not to make any sweeping declarations, but my skin feels even better with it on than without.  Even Tod thinks so and she's patently against foundation.

I still need to use a dab of concealer after this, but the finish is so natural -- not a cakey or fake matte at all.  It's classed a semi-matte, and I couldn't agree more.  This really is one of those "your skin but better" textures.  I picked the Velvet version because with such a dark colour, I knew I would only wear it in the summer.

I paid 40E at the Vienna airport, but I've seen it at other airports for 35E.  Definitely not a cheap foundation, but for that texture, it's well worth it.