Albion Gel Mask Foundation Review

This Albion Gel Mask Foundation was recently featured in Lisa Eldridge's Japanese makeup video. Naturally, she made it look heavenly, offering full flawless coverage. I purchased this in Singapore back in March, where it retails for S$92 (for 30ml), a significant markup compared to the retail price of 6000yen (about S$67) in Japan. It is currently available on Adambeauty.com for US$66 but with only one shade (030) in stock, as well as Ebay where it is going at close to US$100.

The premise of this foundation is that it supposedly envelops the skin snugly in a translucent makeup coat like a deeply hydrating gel mask, making the skin soft, bouncy and clear. The texture is fresh and hydrating with no hint of powderiness, with a beautiful and longlasting finish. Available in five shades, it also has SPF25 PA++. This came in second in the liquid foundation category in Voce magazine's 2014 Autumn/Winter Best Cosmetics awards.

The air-tight pump packaging is well-designed and feels luxurious, despite not being made of heavy glass. I actually prefer the plastic packaging as it is much more travel friendly, albeit being twice the size of Shiseido's Perfect Refining Foundation. The texture is a creamy gel. I purchased this in 030 Pink Beige, which on hindsight is a tad too pink-toned for me. It looked more neutral than pink-based when I swatched it in the store. It was only after reading the box did I see that the shade name in Japanese was 'Pink Beige'.

As you can see from the pic below, I have a lot of redness and brown pigmentation on my cheeks. After having tried this foundation several times over a variety of bases and with different application methods (e.g. fingers, beauty blender sponge, brush), each time the experience was frankly disappointing, particularly in view of the high price tag.

The main issue was that this did not glide well over skin with enlarged pores and acne scars. Quite a bit of effort was required to get this looking evenly applied. As the day wore on, the foundation was also prone to some patchiness and caking. There was oil breakthrough on my T-zone and cheeks within two hours. After I blotted the shine off, my enlarged pores looked rather obvious. This probably works much better for someone with a more flawless complexion but it just did not play well with my skin issues. It has an average rating of 4.7 stars (out of 7) on Cosme.net with reviews being quite polarised, but that is typical for most foundation.


For this look, I'm wearing the purple and pink shades from the Urban Decay Vice Limited palette over MAC Prep + Prime 24-Hour Extend Eye Base and Etude House Color In Liquid Lips RD302. The Color In Liquid Lips has a nicely slick and superbly well-pigmented texture but requires a super steady hand for precise application given the vivid hue. It also stains off on everything that it comes into contact with, so it's rather high maintenance. I purchased this directly from EtudeHouse.com, with shipping from Korea to Illinois taking just over two weeks.

The list of ingredients includes mineral oil, alcohol, silicones and parabens, in case you are concerned about any of these elements. Parabens do not bother me but it is surprising to see mineral oil in a prestige brand formulation and alcohol given that this foundation is designed to be hydrating.

Below are comparison swatches with some of the other foundations that I own. From left to right:

Armani Luminessence Color Control Bright Moisturiser #2
Suqqu Frame Fix Liquid Foundation 101 (discontinued old formula)
Guerlain Blanc de Perle Essence Infused Brightening Foundation 01 Pale Beige (released Feb 2015)
Guerlain Parure Pearly White Fluid Foundation 01 (released more than 3 years ago)
Albion Gel Mask Foundation 030 Pink Beige
Rouge Bunny Rouge Liquid Foundation 025 Almond Milk Parfait
YSL Fusion Ink B20
Burberry Luminous Liquid Foundation 04 Trench (seems to also be discontinued)
It Cosmetics CC+ Light
Maybelline Dream Wonder Fluid Touch Foundation 15 Ivory.