Review: Shiseido The Makeup Perfect Smoothing Compact Foundation

It seems that this item had been discontinued here in Canada in 2012. But it is still available on the US website. The US version has Spf 15 in it while Canadian version has none.

I feel the smoothing compact foundation is the mixture of Clinique almost powder makeup and Dior flawless compact. It has the glitter in the pan like Clinique and the same buttery and creamy texture as Dior.

Among all the shades, Shade O20 seems to be the best match to my skin tone while I20 looks a little bit darker and more pink than O20. Both shades look a little bit darker than my skin tone when first applied on. Nonetheless, this illusion does not last long. After an hour or so, the powder beautifully melts into my skin, and both shades look very natural on my face.

The smoothing compact has as high coverage as Cle de Peau’s powder foundation. It actually performs very similar to (maybe even better than) Cle de Peau. It does not dry my skin and the lasting power is superb. In my view, it’s a hydrating powder for normal to dry skin.

The finish is matte in the first few hours, after 4 hours of applying, my skin looks glowy (but not oily at all) as if I have highlighted my skin.

The refill cost around $38 CAD plus tax. The price is almost one-third cheaper than CdP. If you prefer the finish of CdP’s powder foundation and do not want to spend that much, the smoothing compact could be a dupe for it—they are born to the same mother Shiseido, after all.