Shu Uemura Pore Eraser Under Base is a mousse formula skin primer that is the sheerest beige ever- almost invisible on skin but it does give enough of a glow to make it better than bare skin. It also works as a primer which means it makes a nice surface for other make up like powder, blush and bronzer. Plus, it has SPF35, which is perfect. Unlike many primers on the market, it does not contain silicone. This is not an issue for everyone, but if your skin is silicone sensitive, this is key, as breakouts are not an issue for me with this beauty.

I imagine you could layer foundation over it if you were so inclined but I find adding a bit of powder and concealer is all the coverage I need. Under Base has witch hazel for minimizing pores and some kind of magic potion that makes skin glow without shining. Sort of what I wanted MAC Strobe cream to be without making me look like I was going to a rave or had at least been sweating at one all night. Yikes.

I like to keep as few layers of stuff on my face as possible. As I say ad nauseum, my skin is oily, sensitive and prone to breakouts, and certain sunscreens can be problematic. When one first applies Under Base there is a bit of a white cast on the skin, which initially terrified me – but, of course that is the sunscreen. Not to worry, it blends and dissipates leaving only a dewy yet matte surface. As far as colour or tint goes, Under Base has a pretty perfect and light “presence” on the skin and stays matte for hours. It has a neat semi- sticky consistency when first applied, which I swear just grabs the make up you apply and holds onto it for dear life, making it last even longer. Love it. I apply only this to my face before heading out to spend a day in the sunshine and have yet to get a sunburn.

Shu Uemura has gone into very limited distribution in North America but we are lucky that Holt Renfrew in Canada carries the line and indeed this product – I paid around $45 CAN. I don’t know if Shu Uemura is even sold in the USA anymore….It sells out quickly in Canada and I usually buy 2 cans at a time. But they do last me 6 mos+, keeping in mind I am an “under applier” and go easy on my make up application, and I also don’t wear it in cold, dry weather. There is a reason this stuff is a cult fave. Have you tried it? Thoughts?

(Ingredient list: OCTINOXATE 4.9% , TITANIUM DIOXIDE 1.9% , , COSMETIC INGREDIENTS , WATER , SYNTHETIC FLUORPHLOGOPITE , SEA WATER , CALCIUM CARBONATE , BUTANE , BUTYLENE GLYCOL , PROPANE , ISOBUTANE , DIPOTASSIUM GLYCYRRHIZATE , HAMAMELIS VIRGINIANA (WITCH HAZEL) EXTRACT , HDI/TRIMETHYLOL HEXYLLACTONE CROSSPOLYMER , PEG-10 DIMETHICONE , STEARETH-10 , CETEARYL ALCOHOL , CAPRYLYL GLYCOL , POLYSORBATE 60 , POLYSORBATE 20 , CETYL ALCOHOL , METHICONE , HYDROGENATED EGG OIL , PROPYLENE GLYCOL , TOCOPHERYL ACETATE , PENTANE , C9-15 FLUOROALCOHOL PHOSPHATES , ETHANE , HEXYLENE GLYCOL , SILICA , ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE , CHLORPHENESIN , PHENOXYETHANOL , METHYLPARABEN , HYDROXYISOHEXYL 3-CYCLOHEXENE CARBOXALDEHYDE , BUTYLPHENYL METHYLPROPIONAL , CITRONELLOL , FRAGRANCE)