Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation

Coming from someone with combination skin, this product is incredible. The coverage is perfect for a sheer, natural look and is very natural on the skin. It's absolutely beautiful.

However, I am also acne-prone and I am pretty sure this stuff broke me out slightly. I loved the coverage and the feel of this foundation so I was so disappointed when I realized one of the ingredients didn't work with my skin!

I would still recommend to anyone who asks because it's just THAT good.

This foundation looks great applied with a foundation brush or beauty sponge. My primary tool is a Beauty Blender and it worked beautifully. I don't have lots of acne, but have small breakouts here and there and was pleased with the coverage. I always apply concealer over trouble areas and under my eyes so I appreciate the light consistency of this foundation. It didn't make the concealed areas look cakey. It covered the flaws on my face making it look more like my skin instead of makeup. However, it did not completely hide acne without some type of concealer or color correction. It is just not "heavy" enough for that. If you need that kind of coverage, I would not suggest this foundation. I always have trouble with the pores around my nose because they are big and noticeable with makeup and this foundation doesn't accentuate them much if at all. I found it doesn't stay on my face long unless I use some sort of setting powder or spray, but that is a habit for me with any foundation I use, so no complaints there.

I have MAC NC20 skin with matches NARS Deauville, Too Faced Born This Way Vanilla, Bourjois 52 Vanille, and MUFE Ultra HD Y245. My match in this foundation is 213. I also own 012 which I got in a swap, but it's the wrong undertone and shade. 012 would be great for those with NW 10-15 skin.

Oh my god, this foundation is like God's gift to those of us who have dry skin. Needless to say, I love it! When you first apply this foundation, you will first notice just how lovely and refreshing it feels on the skin. It is incredibly hydrating but in a very light manner, and it's one of those products where you can actually feel your skin drinking the moisture up! It provides sheer coverage that is buildable to medium. It has a skin-like, natural finish with just a touch of dewiness that makes your face radiate health and vitality. I also find that this foundation stays intact for the whole day, and it does not break up in little patches like other foundations in this category do. It never emphasizes any skin texture or dry patches, and truly looks like skin. Highly recommended! :)

Wanted to love this so bad, I thought it would naturally give me a sheer glow but also make my dry skin look presentable and cover slight red spots, my skin is pretty clear and it stuck to dry patches and sat on top of my skin, didn't give me any sort of glow and honestly had better foundations from the drug store, sad this is so raved about :( I saved for so long for this and waited for it to come in the mail :\ disappointed for sure especially for the hype and price point.

This foundation is very nice and I get lots of lovely comments on my skin when I wear it. I'm a neutral undertone, an NW20 in MAC and the shade 002 suits me very well.
The best way to apply the foundation I've found is to use a buffing brush. The only reason I haven't given it 5 stars is because I find that depending on how my skin is feeling, sometimes this looks like a second skin and sometimes you can see it sitting on the skin and clings to dry patches a bit. I do feel that you need a good skincare routine to go with this foundation.
Still, a very lovely foundation

This is the best foundation I have ever used!
And believe me I've tried 100's !!
The shade 123 matches me perfectly. This is for you if you want luminous dewy natural looking skin. At first it goes on quite sheer but it can build to a medium coverage. It makes your skin feel moisturised all day. The downside is it's very pricey but I'm afraid I'm now hooked and will be purchasing this again.

This is a beautiful foundation! Skin like satin, blurs imperfections..flawless! The coverage is very natural, Light-medium, I find it lasts a good 6hours. Its very fluid and not thick or creamy, it feels so lightweight and lovely on skin, i barely notice it. The colour match is perfection! I am a very pale olive skin tone, spot on NC15, and shade 213 is perfect, undetectable on my skin, it is the best colour match foundation I have found, joy!! I have been using this for years, I was OC-1 in the original formula and in the current formula #213 is the equivelent. I highly recommend this formula if you can find a colour match.

Firstly let's get the negatives out of the way.
Ordered from Sephora to the UK hence the 2 lippies deducted for the price. Even without the taxes etc I do believe that this is highly priced (worked out to be about £52 as opposed to say giorgio armani foundations which are £40). In terms of the quality and feel on the skin it reminds me a lot of luminous silk which is one of my tried and true however with less coverage which is ideal for my skin as it fortunately is blemish free. It should therefore be noted that if you prefer even a medium coverage this is not for you as it is not very buildable.

It leaves a beautiful satin finish on my normal to combination skin and lasts all day without primer or settling into my laugh lines which is something i struggle with when wearing foundation. It also doesnt get to the point of disgusting oiliness- there is that point before this when the oils on your face leave a nice natural glow and this is what happens with this foundation towards the end of an 8ish hour day.

In terms of the colour I am about an NC 25 in mac [studio sculpt- havent tried any others that have this shading system but I believe an NC 20 in studio fix would be better suited to me ] (C2 in face and body, 4 in luminous silk) and the colour 213 has a PERFECT balance of olive and yellow that I have yet been unable to find. It is a tad bit too light for me on its own but it isnt very noticeable unless you are very close to me so i do think if you are on the paler side of NC 25 down to NC 20 this shade will work very well for you.

Overall it is an excellent everyday foundation- the pump is easy to control and dispense product and the brilliance of the undertone to the shade 213 completely sold it to me. I highly recommend this foundation to people with good skin that simply requires an even tone as so far it is the best foundation i have found for this use against other similar formulas such as MACS face and body which leaves me an oily mess.

I am currently on my 3rd bottle of this foundation which says a great deal! As I am a bit of a foundational junkie and like to try new ones when I finish a bottle. But I have to go back to this foundation because it seriously is the best foundation for looking like you're not wearing any.

The coverage is very light but I love that for daytime wear and I can build to medium for night time wear. It will never be full coverage but that's ok because I rarely use full coverage foundation. The lasting power is very good and doesn't get oily throughout the day.

The finish is more dewy than matte which I also love and it is very good at evening out skin tone and redness. A concealer is required for freckles and pimples. It doesn't crease into lines or show up on dry areas.

The shade range is minimal but I can use 213 in winter for my pale olive face and then I also use 143 on its own in summer when I have a darker olive complexion. I also find mixing the two together makes a lovely inbetween shade.

The glass bottle is gorgeous and I'm stoked it comes with a pump.

In conclusion, I love love love it and I will continue to purchase despite the cost because it is so worth it to me.

This is so expensive, I think this is the most expensive thing in my makeup collection, and the only foundation I have (which is not that much). I have dry skin and don't like heavy foundation. This one is quite lightweight and glides on smoothly on moisturizer and primer water. I like using dampened makeup sponge to apply this. I don't have much to cover, so this does the job of evening the skin tone, and matches my neck very very well. I cannot say enough good things about this foundation. Good thing I was able to save $10 when I bought this. The bottle is sleek and feels expensive. As expected from a Japanese makeup brand.