REVIEW: Missha M Radiance Foundation No. 23 Chic Beige

This is quite a nice foundation by Missha, called the M Radiance Foundation with SPF 20/PA++.   From what I can tell, this is the same foundation as the Missha M Signature Radiance Foundation, but has a different package design, one without the "Signature" word added on.  The one I have was manufactured on 2014.07.29, so pretty recently.  At first I was worried I got a fake one so I googled online and found several sellers with this version of the foundation, including many high power sellers on gmarket.  I'm guessing this may be a newer package design that Missha is moving towards. 

The foundation is encased in a glass bottle with gold accents, giving it more of a luxury cosmetic feel.  The foundation is dispensed through a pump nozzle which easily controls the amount I want to use. No messy spills or messes! As for colour, I purchased shade No. 23 Chic Beige, the darkest one available.  In total, there are three shades available: 

Like most Korean foundations, the shades are extremely light coloured with strong beige/yellow undertones.  The No. 23 Chic Beige is not suitable for dark skin tones in my opinion, and if your skin is darker than a NC20 this will not match your skin.  Truthfully, my skin tone is in between shade No. 21 and No. 23, so I  have to colour correct with a setting powder on top of the foundation.  With my setting powder, this foundation becomes a pretty decent match for my skin - not perfect, but acceptable.  

I've swatched the foundation below on my arm (keep in mind my arm is still quite tanned from the summer since I don't always apply sunscreen on them while out, and my tans take forever to faaade).  I've also swatched Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua in 20 Beige for comparison.  As you can see, Missha's M Radiance No. 23 Chic Beige is a shade lighter than Chanel's Beige 20.  

The foundation lasts a good 5-6 hours on my skin before I need to worry about any touch ups.  Upon application, it fills in fine lines and pores that I have and provides medium, but buildable coverage. It also provides quite a nice dewy finish! 

Despite having an oily t-zone but dry cheeks, this product works well on my skin and doesn't cause any dry patches to stand out.  I also have acne and comedones, but after using this foundation for 5-6 weeks, I haven't experienced any breakouts - a huge win for me!

I don't have an English version of the ingredients, but I'll do my best to translate the Korean list some time next month and update this post accordingly.  For the time being, I'll provide my assessment of some of the key ingredients in this foundation as they are promoted by Missha.

According to Missha, the foundation contains mineral powder, botanical collagen, fullerene, astazanthin, and polylift (known as a "Super Vitamin" supposedly...).  Fullerene and astazanthin caught my eye since I've never heard of either of those before purchasing this foundation. 

According to WebMD, astazanthin is a red pigment that belongs to a group of chemicals called carotenoids.  It is a naturally occurring substance found in certain types of algae and has several uses, including the treatment of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.  For skin, it can be used to protect it from sunburns and works as an antioxidant.  In short, astazanthin protects skin cells from oxidative stress and UVA/UVB damage.  

As for fullerene, it's a Nobel prize winning ingredient that has the ability to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and lighten pigmentation.  After some research into the ingredient, I've become quite nervous about this foundation.  According to several studies and articles, fullerene is a controversial ingredient that can become toxic when exposed to sunlight and other environmental factors. I'm not a chemist myself, but the use of fullerenes in cosmetics is something many doctors and scientists are divided on.  According to Dr. Samuel Esptein of the Cancer Prevention Coalition, fullerenes should not be used in skincare at all since - as a carbon based nanoparticle - it cannot be degraded by the body and therefore, can accumulate to toxic levels that pose a carcinogenic and damaging risk to our organs. 

I'm not 100% sure I want to keep using this foundation since the scientific community is so divided over the use of fullerenes in cosmetics.  I've already used this for about 5-6 weeks, and I haven't noticed anything wrong with my skin nor do I feel ill.  I doubt that using it for even several weeks at a time would lead to any of the side effects reported in some articles and studies.  I think you'd probably have to use fullerenes in very high doses for an extended period of time for any issues to occur.  Personally, I don't believe there can be serious consequences to using this product, especially as a foundation if you switch between brands depending on the weather or season.  But, of course, I haven't conducted any studies on this and I'm not a doctor or chemist, so you'll have to take my word with a grain of salt.  

That being said, it's still unfortunate that Missha had to include this controversial ingredient in this foundation since I've been quite happy with how wearable and compatible it is with my skin.  Oh well, I guess the search is on again for another foundation. 

	Efficacy	Price	Formulation	Design	Total
Missha M Radiance Foundation	4.5/5	4.5/5	2/5	5/5	16/20

You can purchase this product at the following, trusted e-shops:

Koreadepart - $15.88 USD (shipping extra)

W2Beauty** - $27.24 USD (shipping included)

Gmarket Seller - $16.32 CAD (shipping extra)

**If you are a first-time buyer at W2Beauty, you can enter in my sponsor code 25809502 when you register an account, and you'll receive a $5 discount towards your first order!