Sulwhasoo Lumitouch Skin Cover SPF25/PA++ (#21) Review

I am in love with the brand Sulwhasoo, which focuses on using hanbang, traditional Korean medicine, ingredients that are indigenous to Korea as well. The founder, Suh Sung-whan, took an interest in hanbang herbs and used these medicinal botanicals with science backed research found at Kyunghee University of Oriental Medicine. In 1966, Sulwhasoo was founded in the AmorePacific family and use their herb farms to harvest ingredients such as ginseng, lily, lotus, green tea and camellia. Jolse, a premier online KBeauty shop, carries selected Sulwhasoo products and I was eager to try out Lumitouch Skin Cover product, which they sent me for review purposes.

Skin Type/Concerns: oily, blemish prone, aging concerns, pores, fine lines/wrinkles, hyper-pigmentation

I received these products complementary to review and was not paid. All reviews are my own honest opinion and I never have been asked to write copy for a brand. This blog post might contain promo codes, affiliate and referral links, which using my links will help generate a small commission that helps support my blog at no extra cost to you.

I wanted to try the Sulwhasoo Lumitouch Skin Cover SPF25/PA++ because it reminded me of MAC Studio Tech Foundation Compact, a product that is a “tri-system blend of water, emollients and powder“. I have been using this for decades and I like the coverage with Studio Tech, mainly using it in the winter time, when my skin can handle a cream-cake foundation product. Alas, like many Korean brands, Sulwhasoo only makes this compact in two shades ~ #21 Natural Beige and #23 True Beige. I have used #21 in the past with Sulwhasoo’s BB Cushions with great success so I chose number 21 again for this product.

So, one of the main differences that I learned between MAC Studio Tech and Sulwhasoo Lumitouch Cover is that MAC lists water as its first ingredient but Sulwhasoo doesn’t contain any water. MAC Studio Tech also doesn’t have all of the botanical ingredients that Sulwhasoo has as well.

The first ingredient in Lumitouch is titanium dioxide which explains the SPF rating. However please do not rely on your makeup to provide decent UV protection as you need to apply a LOT of foundation to get adequate coverage. Rule of thumb for sunscreen, use between 1/3 to 1/2 teaspoon for your face. Or use Jude at @fiddysnails tip: squeeze out the sunscreen on 3 of your fingers. This also has lots of iron oxides for pigment and anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and healing botanical extracts: sesame, pine nut, Japanese elm, salicornia herbacea, mulberry, angelica keiskei, Japanese plum, wild yam, raspberry, rose hips and Chinese quince. There are a lot of oils near the end of the ingredient list ~ sesame, camellia, apricot and lotus oils along with squalane to really moisture the skin.

The compact is beautiful ~ it has a raised dome with a peach-nude shiny top and Sulwhasoo’s name in Korean. Open it up and there is a well for a flat sponge applicator and a plastic flip top. The flip top reveals the Lumitouch Skin Cover product, which is a firm cream foundation cake. It is very similar to MAC Studio Tech except I would say that this is much more firmer and dense. This has a lovely fragrance of ginseng to it, which is a HUGE selling point for me. The shade is a fairly decent match and it is a bit more warmer than the BB Cushion in 21 from Sulwhasoo. I found that once I applied this, it does dry down to a semi-matte finish, which I really like and it has really great coverage.

I am not going to lie, I struggled like crazy with this foundation. I was cursing the gods on what skin type could USE this??? This is an oil formula so I thought it was going to be dewy, but it isn’t ~ it is quite creamy and leaves my skin feeling hydrated without being greasy. BUT… this product accentuated every pore, every fine line and every flaw I had on my skin. The more I patted on, the more my poor (haha see what I did there?) imperfections appeared. I sat back and decided that there were several things I was going to have to do

Get rid of that ganky sponge applicator that came with the product. It was leaving sponge bits on my face and was not providing even coverage
Use my Beauty Blender instead
Before applying the Lumitouch, use a REALLY good silicone based primer. Don’t use a tinted one, just a good ol’ fashioned, “I am gonna fill in your pores and fine lines” primer. My primer of choice this summer ~ Touch In Sol No Poreblem Primer.
Apply with Lumitouch with my Beauty Blender. Gently pat all over.
Spritz a really nice mist on the Beauty Blender ~ I like Laneige Cream Skin Mist ~ and then gently press into my problem areas to fill it in completely with the product.

This method, which sounds like a lot of steps, is quite quick and easy. It does smooth out my skin and the Beauty Blender is so much superior to applying this product. Lumitouch is quite creamy when I use the Beauty Blender and my BB doesn’t leave bits of sponge behind.

This is a sensitive product to use and is nothing like Sulwhasoo’s Perfecting Cushion which applies easily on my skin and the color is a bit better for me. However, I really love the finish on this and it is very similar in how MAC Studio Tech finish looks ~ although I will admit MAC Studio Tech is simple dimple to use and apply. MAC Studio Tech glides on as soft, creamy product and has a matte to powder finish. However, I liked the Sulwhasoo Lumitouch Skin Cover well enough that I purchased another one to use in the winter time. I want to see how this performs during the cooler months as that is when I normally would use Studio Tech.

No.21 Ingredients: titanium dioxide (CI 77891), phenyl trimethicone, mica (CI 77019), dicaprylyl carbonate, polymethyl methacrylate, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, dimethicone, tridecyl trimellitate, polyethylene, pentaerythrityl tetraethylhexanoate, iron oxides (CI 77492), VP/hexadecene copolymer, silica, ozokerite, sorbitan sesquioleate, lauryl PEG/PPG-18/18 methicone, polybutene, iron oxides (CI 77491), methicone, phenoxyethanol, fragrance, iron oxides (CI 77499), limonene, barium sulfate, ethylhexylglycerin, linalool, geraniol, benzyl benzoate, citronellol, butylphenyl methylpropional, dioscorea japonica root extract, alpha-isomethyl ionone, citral, rubus idaeus (raspberry) fruit extract, ulmus davidiana root extract, salicornia herbacea extract, morus alba leaf extract, angelica keiskei extract, hexyl cinnamal, prunus mume fruit extract, sesamum indicum (sesame) seed extract, pinus koraiensis seed extract, chaenomeles sinensis fruit extract, rosa multiflora fruit extract, butylene glycol, methoxy PEG-114/polyepsilon caprolactone, squalane, magnesium myristate, pinus koraiensis seed oil, sesamum indicum (sesame) seed oil, camellia japonica seed oil, prunus armeniaca (apricot) kernel oil, nelumbo nucifera germ extract

Where To Purchase

Alas, Jolse is currently out of stock with this product (click here). However, when they do have it in stock, it retails for $49.98 USD . Jolse offers free shipping plus gives a lot of samples out ~ the more you purchase, the more samples you get! Please note that the prices do fluctuate a little bit due to the WON to USD exchange rates. Jolse does have an eBay store IamLove Shop and it is there, retailing for $40.40 (click here) and with free shipping.

[ products received for review purposes. blog post contains affiliate links ]