Clé de Peau Beauté The Foundation SPF 22 ($270)
For the woman who has everything, this foundation is utter luxury, and now it’s been reformulated—it took three years and 255 iterations—with even more skin-perfecting power. One newly added key ingredient is Precious Lakesis Complex, which is an extract from the sap of the mastiha tree sourced exclusively from the Greek island of Chios. Clé de Peau isolates the extract using a carbon dioxide method that preserves its potent antioxidant and elasticity-boosting properties.
Available in 15 shades the pore-blurring, medium-coverage foundation doubles as an anti-aging cream (if you’ve tried the brand’s La Crème, you know what I’m talking about) thanks to Japanese prickly ash, thyme and chestnut rose extract that help promote moisture retention and a firmer appearance over time. It’s meant to be applied in circular motions with your fingers (you don’t want a brush or sponge to soak up any of this precious product), and on top of concealer, rather than underneath, for a dewy finish.
“Most foundations use powder pigment to cover the skin,” says Ms. Saito Makiko, manager of the brand’s makeup development group. “Instead of covering imperfections, The Foundation utilizes Blur Perfection Technology to diffuse them, while enhancing natural beauty. The Foundation takes much longer to produce than usual—everything must be done on a smaller scale to keep the composition perfect.”
In clinical testing, 72 percent of women felt that their fine lines had become less visible after four weeks of using the buildable foundation, and 84 percent felt that their skin had become more beautiful.
