Sponsored: Shiseido Synchro Skin Lasting Liquid Foundation Launches + Swatches
Shiseido Synchro Skin Lasting Liquid Foundation
Shiseido Synchro Skin Lasting Liquid Foundation ($45.00 for 1.0 fl. oz.) is the brand’s newest foundation. It’s supposed to be a “smart, oil-free, long-lasting” formula with “medium, buildable coverage” and a “modern matte, natural finish” that is “undetectable” on the skin. Check out swatches below or use the Foundation Matrix to find your equivalent shade in Synchro Skin Lasting Liquid.
Shiseido also updated their shade names to be more intuitive than their B/I/O names. When we partnered with Shiseido to swatch and photograph their newest range, we also went through other, current existing foundations to cross-reference and match everything up. The Rose shades correspond with the B shades (pinker undertones); the Neutral shades to the I shades (more neutral undertones); the Golden shades to the O shades (yellower undertones). Neutral 5 will be available in July.
I am all about sponsored posts if they mean actual swatches of new foundations! Every brand should be doing this! I’m so sick of guessing by reading the color descriptions.
Yay! Glad you found it useful, Katie 🙂
Enthusiastically agree!
I also agree!!
I like the sound of this formula! Do you plan on doing a review? Or do you avoid reviewing sponsored products?
Also, I was curious about whether I had a shade match, so I used Sephora Color IQ backwards to see…if the results are to be trusted, and I usually find them to be reasonably accurate, but not perfect, then these run very cool-toned, at least on the lighter end of the spectrum. Neutral 1 would be similar to NARS Mont Blanc/MAC NW10, and Golden 1 would be about NW13–1 shade lighter than NARS Sheer Glow in Deauville. These are my perfect winter/summer matches, but probably not good for anyone fair & warm.
I don’t review them as part of the campaign/parntership, and if I do, I usually wait a few months until it’s been completed as a separate endeavor 🙂
Hello, I’m not sure if you ended up checking these out since your comment was from may. But I’ve tried this foundation in n1 and I would say it’s more neutrol to a cool yellow 🙂 I don’t detect any rosy tones at all
Christine, are you going to be reviewing this? Your swatches make it look like second skin! Thanks for posting 🙂
Not any time soon if I do, since I don’t do reviews as part of the campaign so not until the campaign has concluded and some time has passed 🙂
It’s nice this one has SPF!
It is!
Funny! I ordered this just this morning using one of my gift cards 🙂 I’m still looking for a foundation I like in between my 2 go-tos. I’m hoping this one is good!
Which shade did you get, Michele?
I ordered Neutral 2. I had been looking at this for a little while and had thought it was the right shade. Then I used the Sephora foundation finder (which is usually close but not always perfect) and it matched my Dior Ivory to the Shiseido Neutral 2 – so I went ahead and ordered it. I’ve bought and been happy with other Shiseido products in the past. Then a bit later I saw your post and swatches and adjusting for our skin tone difference, I think it should be the right shade. Sine I ordered after 12, I won’t have it until Wednesday at around 5 – will most likely test it on Saturday.
That’s great! 🙂 Fingers crossed it’s a perfect shade match for you, Michele!
Here’s your answer: http://goo.gl/mSD73E
(Oh, and a hint – good choice of sponsorship!)
Awesome to hear that you had great results with it, Michele!
I am completely supportive of you doing sponsorships, as well as other methods, to support yourself to continue to do the great work you do on this blog. I never want you to stop reviewing products for us, and I certainly don’t expect you to not make a living while doing so!
However, I hope in future you’ll lend your sponsorship support to brands whose foundation/base lines don’t stop at mildly tan. Many (probably most) women of color would be completely excluded from this line, which is far too prevalent a problem in the beauty industry which will only change when people stop lending their support to brands that continue the practice and instead support the ones that welcome women of all skin tones.
Hi Kristin,
Shiseido has some foundations that extend into deeper shade offerings, though this particular one stops around Medium-Tan/Tan at this time. I am sure Shiseido is certainly listening to customer feedback on whether it makes sense to expand the shade range of Synchro Skin in the future. They have larger shade ranges in their other foundations, like Radiant Lifting Foundation and Advanced Hydro-Liquid, such as B100, O80, D10, D20, and D30 — which are newer shades (in the last few years) so they seem to be trying to increase their shade offerings in some lines, which is something I personally support. I fully agree that it is important for brands to create more extensive, rather than minimal, shade ranges.
The lack of darker options that brands continue to put out is crazy! I’m light with neutral undertones so I don’t have an issue finding a shade 90% of the time but started paying attention after I heard my African American friend complaining. It’s really bad. Not a single shade here would work for anyone darker than a medium skin tone. Cmon beauty industry, get it together!
I totally understand, Kim! I think Neutral 5, which won’t be out until July, will work on darker-than-medium skin tones, but I hope Shiseido will expand their darker shade offerings going forward since it could definitely use more than one shade. If you need something darker, try their Radiant Finish or Advanced Hydro ranges, which have much deeper shade ranges.
Kim,
This is a major drawback of Asian cosmetics brands especially the Japanese and Korean. In Shiseido’s flagship store in Tokyo, you will find even fewer color options in their foundation lines. Never mind that there are a lot of Japanese women with darker skin tones, and many southeast Asian tourists (from the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand) who make a pilgrimage to this Ginza flagship store, ready to spend hundreds of dollars on cosmetics, only to discover that they can’t find the right foundation shade. It drives me crazy because I am Filipina and I go to Japan often. I managed to find a shade – Neutral 4 – in the Synchro line that suits my skin tone but I’ll have to switch to my Bobbi Brown foundation in the summer when I get darker. Shiseido in America carries the greatest selection of darker shades.
That heavens for the American cosmetics companies like Bobbi Brown and MAC! By the way, the Korean brand, Laneige, is just as terrible when it comes to foundation shades. I was in Singapore when I bought their cushion compact and none of the Singaporean women at the counter trying it on, could find a good dark shade to suit them.
Would you be able to tell me does this foundation have the same consistency and the same finish on the face as Chanel Velvet or Dior Nude Air or MAC Studio Waterweight? I mean I hate that kind of powdery finish, so I’m just wondering is it worth to try Synchro Skin, because if it’s gonna be similar then I’ll pass.
It does dry-down to a natural matte finish – but it doesn’t feel or look powdery to me, though there’s no tackiness/dewiness either! The consistency is lightweight but not super thin or watery. I know I don’t have the Chanel or Dior foundation, and I could have sworn I had Studio Waterweight, but I can’t seem to locate it to reference it against.
Thank you very much for your quick answer.
I think I just gonna have to go to my Shiseido counter and try it, then I’ll know if it’s the same type of foundation as those I’ve mentioned.
Good luck! 🙂
Feels a bit like the Chanel Velvet, but it’s much better. I have both and the Shiseido Synchro is far superior. It’s not powdery. It dries down to a very subtle glowy finish. If your skin gets oilier, you should use a bit of powder to make it last longer.
I think Shiseido used the “Time Match Powder” from their more expensive Future Solution foundation in the Synchro, but the Synchro does not have the high level of moisturizers since it is geared towards people with normal to combo to oily skin. I also have the Future Solution foundation and I noticed a lot of similarities, except the Future Solution is thicker and provides greater coverage.
Thank you very much for your answer Esme 🙂 I had Chanel Velvet but it was love-hate relationship, cause one day it was looking nice on my face, and the other day just horrible. I didn’t like the consistency and that it was changing from liquid to a powder while I was applying it, that’s why I’m so curious about Synchro. I’ll go to my Shiseido counter tomorrow anyway to check out the shades and ask for a sample. Thanks for your help 🙂
I purchased this foundation during the recent Sephora VIBR sale. For my skin tone, my only complaint is that Golden range runs orange. Formula-wise, it’s a nice lightweight, medium but buildable coverage. It lasts well during my work day on my combo-oily skin and has a nice natural finish (but I do use a primer and I do set my t-zone with powder).
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the formula, F!
I found that my slightly yellow based skin looked better with the Neutral shade than the Golden shade.
Good to know Esme. Thanks for this comment.
So the yellow in your skin is more of a light yellow, NOT golden, correct? I have issues with needing yellow, but foundations with golden yellow do not work at all; turn sallow or orange.
Yes my skin is more of light yellow, not golden. I have a suggestion: go to a Bobbi Brown counter. Bobbi Brown has stick foundation in so many shades. I got myself matched in the Bobbi stick foundation and found THE perfect shade (Natural). That is how I figured out that I am “light yellow” and not golden. You don’t have to buy the foundation stick — but it’s useful getting color matched so you can get a good idea of what your “yellow” tone is. From there you can work out which foundation shades in Shiseido or MAC or even MUFE are best for you.
It’s nice to see a variety of undertones.
It is nice that they considered multiple undertones!
Best foundation in years! It is a silky, lightweight fluid that dries down to a matte finish that isn’t flat or dull. This is very good for normal to combination to oily skin. I have combination skin and I have been wearing this for 2 months. I barely need powder and it lasts for at least 5 hours without fading or oxidizing, I have large pores on my nose and cheeks, and this foundation covers them well. It does not sink into fine lines. It covers most imperfections too! Shiseido finally changed their confusing color nomenclature for their foundation. So the former Ivory (I) is neutral; Ochre (O) is Golden; and Beige (B) is Rose.
Awesome to hear, Esme! What do you like to apply it with?
Best applied with fingers because it’s a thin fluid and it spreads easily.
Am I the only one who thinks that so many of those shades look so unnatural in their undertone? The rose shades are SO pink and the golden shades SO orange… I think I would have trouble getting a good match… that isn’t unusual for me, even in ranges with more natural looking bases… I wish more brands would make shades for girls with olive undertones who fall into the light-medium range… sure I can tan easily, but I chose not to and I’m soooooo tired of struggling to get a good shade match.
I actually had the opposite reaction when swatching, because the neutral ones felt a little more neutral than my skin tone, while the golden (warmer) shades didn’t feel overly yellow for me (they often are for me). I am actually right between Neutral 2 and Golden 3 as a result (which is about right – I am light-medium with yellow but maybe strength 3-4 out of 10 for yellow undertones). It is very true that it is hard to find true olive undertone-based shades – they seem to get categorized as neutral or yellow, depending on the brand.
Michelle,
I find it difficult to get a perfect foundation match. My skin has yellow/warm undertones, but it leans a bit cool, too. I found the Neutral shades in the Synchro foundation to be between the Rose and Golden tones. It’s exactly for people who find the Golden shades too yellow and the Rose shades too pink.
Why is there no Golden 1 shade? I am super pale with yellow undertones and run into this problem often:(
Not sure! 🙁 Hopefully they will add more shades in the future!
Shiseido carries Golden 1 — in Japan! If you go to the Shiseido.co.jp website (use Chrome with Google auto-translate), you will see that they carry it there.
I can never fathom the reasoning behind this brand’s color strategy. In Japan they carry only 6 shades, yet they have Golden 1, the fairest in the yellow-based category. In the US, they carry 16 shades, except Golden 1. WHY???
Do you know how this compares to the Perfect Refining Foundation? I loved that one but it seems to be somewhat discontinued, as I can only find a few shades on their official site and Sephora no longer carries it.
I don’t 🙁 Based on the description Shiseido has on their site, it seems like it may be a higher coverage formulation compared to the Synchro Skin (“medium, buildable coverage”).
I have used the Perfect Refining Foundation. This Synchro foundation has a much more beautiful finish. It is silky and light and covers imperfections and large pores very well. In my opinion, the biggest difference is the ability of the Synchro foundation to make skin look like real skin only better – matte but glowing. It works just as well with combination and oily skin. It is just amazing how well this covers imperfections without the heaviness.
That wonky shaped bottle would drive me crazy – always looking like it’s going to fall over! I love the one Shiseido foundation I have so I’m eager to give this one a try but I have to say, a lot of the shades look really dark. The lightest Rose shade looks like it would be too dark for me and while I’m fair (NW15/20), there are lots of people with paler pink toned skin than mine.
Haha! Getting them to try and sit evenly was interesting 😉
The Rose range could use both lighter and darker skin tones.
The main drawback of the bottle is that it is heavy. It doesn’t tip over. That’s an optical illusion.
No – I realize that. It’s like the serum I use from them (Ultimune?) – but it LOOKS like it’s going to tip and I can just imagine myself going to grab it in a panic when I replace it on my bathroom shelf….it LOOKS like it’s going to fall over.
Sponsored or not, I’ve tried many things from Shiseido and love them. live their sheer and perfect foundation, especially for the summer
That is awesome to hear 🙂
The Shiseido Sheer and Perfect concealer is also quite amazing. Very lightweight, yet covers dark circles. It is easy to apply (brush pen) and great for travel.
Lara, that’s the one I use too and it is amazing – so lightweight and yet it provides good coverage. I love it.
Thank you so much for swatching these foundations – it is great to see them. They look pretty good to me.
No problem, Genevieve!
I bought this foundation the week after it launched and I CAN’T say enough good things about it. It is one of the very best I have ever tried and I currently have 18 foundations in my rotation, so I am a foundation junkie all the way! I posted a review of this on my YouTube channel and a ton of my followers have since fallen in love. If you are on the fence….GET THIS! I am so glad it is being talked about more.
Awesome to hear, Mandy! What is your shade?
I started with golden 2 and it works but I also got golden 4 and it’s a better match. It really is a foundation that melds with your own skin tone and just works; so I can get away with both. ?
Mandy,
This is exactly my experience. I have used a lot of foundations and the Synchro is the best for medium coverage. it feels so weightless!
Whoa…. There is so much disparity in neutral 4 and neutral 5; and so also ( but a bit less) in gilden 4 and golden 5. I would really like to know the ingredients( since alcohol is always amongst the top ones with Shiseido); and would like to know ur take on it.
There is! I was surprised at how similar / how dissimilar going up by 1 could be. Proof that swatching was a good move!
Is this formula up on your foundation finder feature? How’s that for alliteration? The discussion has been very informative, and I actually want to explore this option. Don’t have any true/liquid/cream foundations, just CFX CCD. That’s how I know I’m actually still ‘pink’ or cool undertones…trying on so many that scream Wrong! ! Yellow! The CFX Ps were the only even passable match in all Sephora. My mum, who would be 105, swore by Shisedo.
Yes, it is 🙂 We should have all of Shiseido’s current formulations (and some of their discontinued ones, probably), and this along with Future Solution have full swatches/photos as well.
I really love the idea of sponsored foundation posts! The swatches are soooo helpful!
Sponsored swatch-fests are really win-win for everyone, I think 🙂
What color(s) match your skin tone christine? I’m trying to get a feeling what color I’d be!
Neutral 2 is a smidgen too light, Neutral 3 is closer but could be warmer. Golden 3 is too warm for me, so Neutral 3 is the best match for me – I would set with my regular setting powder (Guerlain), so that would help add back a bit of warmth!
I must check these, and possibly other Shisedo foundations. I relly like that they have neutrals as a lot of foundations pull too warm for me, though I used to be sure I had a warm skintone and always wondered why I was never really satisfied with the foundations I bought.
Same, Helene! I am warm-toned, but I am not very warm-toned, so I have learned that sometimes neutral is better than true warm.
I love seeing the swatches and the explanation of other colors in the line as that has been hard to find. I recently tried a sample of Neutral 1 and Rose 2; for reference, I’m very fair and neutral with a slight golden undertone that everyone wants to put in a “pink” shade. I was matched to MAC NW15 though I would prefer NC15. Neutral 1 can wash you out a bit if you apply too much too quickly but if you start with a thin layer and move up from there, it’s really beautiful and wears really comfortable. Rose 2 was too dark/beige/pink for me and looks really similar to the sample I have of Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua B20. I’ll be getting the full bottle this week and if I remember, I’ll try and update with whether it oxidizes, etc. It’s always hard when you can’t really shake a sample 😉