Sofina Primavista Liquid Foundation UV CM

Here's the TV commercial for Sofina Primavista's new Liquid Foundation UV SPF25 PA++ (3200yen, 30ml), which promises longlasting wear and flawless coverage as well as making skin appear 5 years younger. This has been generating positive reviews on Cosme.net (click here for swatches), with an average rating of 5.5 stars out of 7.

Sofina Primavista Liquid Foundation UV

Sofina will launch a new Primavista Liquid Foundation UV SPF25 PA++ (30ml, 3200yen) on 21 April in Japan. Available in 7 shades, it has a long-lasting 'soft fit' formula to help conceal pores and other skin imperfections. For use in all seasons.

Sofina Primavista Powder Foundation Review

According to Primavista's (by Sofina) ads in Taiwan, it is the number one brand in Japan for base makeup. Thanks to the lovely So Lonely in Gorgeous, I was able to pick up the powder foundation released this year in February, together with the limited edition case. This was pretty expensive for a drugstore brand, at 3990yen for the foundation refill (9g) and 1050yen for the case. Both the refill and the case come with a sponge each. The actual name of the foundation in Japanese is extremely long and unwieldy: くずれにくい 化粧のり実感 パウダーファンデーションUV (Kuzurenikui Keishonorijikan Powder Foundation UV).

The case is gorgeous with a bejewelled crystal design and Primavista's signature ribbon motif on the clasp. The pink case reminds me of Revue, which used to be my favourite brand for Japanese foundations but was discontinued a few years ago and replaced by the super bland Coffret D'Or.

Adambeauty.com stocks the refill for US$34. You can also find it and the case on Ebay.

With SPF25 PA++, this offers more sun protection than Primavista's other Powder Foundation (Perfect Fit) which has only SPF15 PA++. Touted as making one appear five years younger, it is supposed to provide up to ten hours' wear and is resistant against sweat and sebum. It is designed to give a flawless appearance even on days when one's skin condition is bad due to lack of sleep or hormonal fluctuations.

After wearing it regularly for the past couple of months, I do like it for the seamless, natural finish with very minimal visible powderiness. It does a good job of evening out my skintone and providing medium coverage that reduces the redness in my cheeks and minimises the appearance of pores. The oil control is also pretty good. With the hot summer weather here, I usually have to blot my T-zone only every two to three hours. Even when I do not blot after more than three hours, there is just a slight sheen on my nose and cheeks, without the foundation getting cakey, splotchy or oxidising.

In these pics, I am wearing it over Paul & Joe Protecting Foundation Primer. I usually apply it either with the sponge or Shiseido Perfect Foundation Brush, although using the brush tends to cause more powdery kick-up. There is already a noticeable dip in the center of the pan. My guess is that with daily use, this can last about 3 to 4 months. I usually reach for this on days when I'm rushing and do not have the time for liquid foundation. The lightest shade, Beige Ochre 01 is a good fit for my skintone.

Overall, I like this enough to repurchase it in the future although I'm curious to try Primavista's more budget-friendly Ange line which is available in Taiwan and recommended on the Singapore edition of Nu Ren Wo Zui Da by Kevin. The Ange powder foundation refill costs only around S$17 while the case is S$8, but has slightly lower sun protection of SPF20 PA++ and lasts up to eight hours with only 4 shades available.

Addiction and Primavista haul

After two months on a no-buy, I decided to splurge on a couple of the new Addiction Ready To Wear palettes and Primavista's new powder foundation. These pretties arrived today courtesy of the amazing So Lonely in Gorgeous who was kind enough to hunt these down for me.

Of the six Ready To Wear palettes, I picked up Soda Lunch (in the dinosaur case) and Mudd Club which is part of the permanent range. Mudd Club is available in a limited edition case specially for this launch.

At 6510yen for just 3.4g of product (versus the eyeshadow singles which are 1.2g for 2100yen), these aren't exactly a bargain. The quads are designed to be a convenient solution for customers for whom Addiction's 65 eyeshadow singles are a mind-boggling challenge.

The sleek plastic case has four holes in the back but it does not look like the eyeshadow quad can be depotted as it did not budge at all when I inserted a needle through one of the holes.

The individual eyeshadow pans can be easily depotted though, as these are secured with just a glob of glue underneath and can be lifted out just by sliding a needle under the pan.

The shades in Mudd Club contain varying amounts of shimmer.


Soda Lunch is a quirky combination that should be fun to experiment with although I'm not quite sure how to pull off that yellow shade. The white shade looks very similar to the one in Mudd Club. All the shades have a subtle pearly micro shimmer. Check out this pic of a shopping bag with the dinosaur print.


You can see swatches of both quads on Wondegondigo, So Lonely in Gorgeous and Swatcharama. The black panties has swatches of Sugar Rusk and Tuxedo Moon.

I picked up the Primavista powder foundation mainly because of the gorgeous bejewelled case which is a limited edition release for this spring.

The case retails at 1050yen while the powder foundation is 3990yen for 9g. That's pretty hefty for a drugstore brand but the foundation has received good reviews on Cosme.net. Both the case and the foundation refill come with a sponge applicator.


The latch has Primavista's signature bow design.

The foundation pan clicks into place with a snap (no messy glue here) and there is a protective plastic sheet to help keep the mirror powder-free.

Sofina Primavista New Powder Foundation

Primavista will release a new Kuzurenikui Keshounori Jikkan Powder Foundation UV (くずれにくい 化粧のり実感パウダーファンデーションUV) SPF25 PA++ (9g) on 26 February in Japan. Available in 7 shades, the refill will retail for 2940yen, while the case is 1050yen. The foundation is designed to provide a smooth polished finish, even on days when one's skin condition is bad, e.g. due to lack of sleep or hormonal changes. The powder is more finely milled compared to Primavista's previous foundations, and gives a closer fit to skin, covering up skin unevenness. There are only a handful of reviews on Cosme.net so far, with some remarking that the foundation lasts well and helps to brighten up the skintone, but it does not offer high coverage.

Sofina Primavista Moisture Coat Base

Primavista, by Sofina, will release a new Moisture Coat Base (2940yen, 25g) and limited edition Foundation Case 2012 (1050yen) on 28 August in Japan. Moisture Coat Base is a hydrating primer with SPF15 PA++.

Prima Vista Creamy Compact Foundation

Prima Vista will debut a new foundation for fall on 14 October in Japan. The new Creamy Compact Foundation promises a radiant finish when viewed from all angles and the ability to hide skin discolorations. It has SPF33 PA++ and will retail for 2940yen for the refill and 1050yen for the case.



I'm still not feeling any love for Prima Vista, which looks a bit too safe and boring for my tastes.

Prima Vista & Majolica Majorca

A reader asked about the prices of Sofina Prima Vista's so here is the price list from Cosme.net.

Powder Foundation (Moist Touch): 2940yen for refill, 1050yen for case
Cream Foundation: 3675yen
Smooth Coat Base: 2940yen
Bright Up Base: 2940yen
Face Powder (Loose): 3675yen

You can also click here to view the list of Prima Vista products on Cosme.net and their average star rating by Cosme.net users.

In other news, Majolica Majorca is set to be launched in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Hong Kong in Watsons' drugstores at the end of September! This is incredibly exciting news and I can't wait to be able to see MM in my local Watsons :-) This is even though I haven't been a big fan of MM's recent releases but it was one of the first Japanese drugstore brands that I first got hooked on and I have great nostalgia for it.

Hopefully, the prices will not be marked up too much compared to Japan. Now, if only Watsons will also bring in Lavshuca, Excel, Kiss and Gransenbon, that would complete my dream!