[Review] Shiseido – SpotsCover Foundation (Concealer) in S100

Japan’s all-time award-winning #1 concealer, everyone! I lived in Japan for 3 years and as far as I know, this concealer has topped the ranking every year! Concealer is the most important makeup item in my routine – if I was made to choose only one item to use, it will 100% be concealer!

I have tried a zillion concealers… and finally I found my holy grail concealer – the Shiseido SpotsCover Foundation.  I don’t know why it is called “foundation” as it functions more like a concealer.  Here goes!

Brand:    Shiseido
Product:  SpotsCover Foundation (Concealer)
Shade:    S100 
Price:    JPY 1296
Type:     Concealer
Size:     20g
Origin:   Made in Japan
Website:  Shiseido website (sorry only in Japanese)

THE PACKAGING

Small little clean-cut tub, containing 20g of product.

Descriptions all in Japanese~ but mainly just imprinting the product name (Shiseido SpotsCover Foundation) and the shade number (S100).

THE PRODUCT

Here are 2 tubs side by side – brand new one on the left, and used one on the right.  I have used the right tub daily religiously for over a year now and still alot of product left!  Seriously good value for money.

You can see the texture is pretty thick and creamy – translating to excellent coverage 🙂

THE SHADES

So far there are 6 shades according to Shiseido website.  The most universal shade is S100 and it fits my skintone (MAC NC/NW20) perfectly.  Not too bright, not too dark.  Picking a concealer shade that matches your skin tone can be so difficult.  Putting a shade too bright or dark will only accentuate your imperfections!

SWATCHES

Excellent coverage!  Can cover even dark brown gel liner completely.

Finish is semi-matte and perfect for blemishes, scars and acne on the face.  I find it could be a bit too “thick” for undereye, but it also depends on application method and amount used.  Pony’s Beauty Diary (on youtube) has used this many times as undereye using a small brush with light hand and it looks perfect 🙂

I applied a thin layer using fingers and it can mask all redness or acne scars completely.  What a saviour!

For my daily routine, I use Hakuhodo’s B539 concealer brush and finish will be absolutely flawless.  I had severe cystic acne (getting better now), but I get questions from friends on what I use to cover the acne because I did such a good job XD This is the trick!

MY VERDICT

Pros

• Excellent coverage (the very purpose of concealer)
• Thick and creamy texture best for facial acne, blemishes, scars
• Semi-matte finish
• Super long-lasting (I use it under my BB cushion)
• 20g can be used for a long long time (a little goes a long way)
• Super cheap (JPY 1296 is like USD10 bucks)

Cons

• Not readily available.  I bought it in Japan and don’t see it around in other countries.
• Could be a bit too thick/dry for undereye
• Could turn cakey if too many layers applied (only 1 layer is required)

Overall

This is my holy grail concealer!  It took me a while to find this gem and now I wouldn’t know what to do without it!  Not sure if you’ll be able to get this in other countries, but I always stock up when I go Japan… hope they release globally soon!