Cushion Make-up – Korean Trend

Cushion Make-up – Korean Trend

Cushion make-up is the biggest 2015 beauty trend in cosmetic industry, indeed. There was a big buzz when Lancome launched its Miracle Cushion, followed by Kiko Cosmetics. Howevere, there is still a lot of confusion about these cushions’ purpose. A BB cream? A tinted moisturizer? A foundation with SPF? As for BB creams I’m always really skeptical about these Western launches. It doesn’t mean they’re all bad products but I always prefer testing the original before in order to have a more objective opinion. Cushion make-up is an Eastern beauty trend from Korea, the most avant-garde country when it comes to beauty industry and innovation.

So, after loving their BB creams, I absolutely have to try these Korean cushion make-up compacts. Fortunately, some Korean beauty brands are sold in U.S. and you can find them on Amazon and on some European reseller. However, there are tons of Korean beauty e-shops which ship internationally. My favourite are Cosmetic Love, Testerkorea and Jolse. I love Korean skincare products so I hoped to fall in love with cushion make-up as well.

First, let me say what cushion make-up is. Cushion refers to packaging, aka a compact with a sponge infused of product. Some products are also called cushion because of their spongey texture. What the product is, it’s bit difficult to explain. Cushion make-up could be a BB cream, a primer, an eyeshadow. The canonical cushion make-up compacts I’ve tried are not exactly a BB cream (aka beauty balm cream, supposed to conceal and correct blemishes and imperfections), nor a CC cream (colour correction cream, supposed to correct and even out skintone). I’d say that they’re the exact product in-between a BB and a CC cream. More like a super lightweight foundation with some skincare properties and a very high SPF. Then, I also own a cushion primer with colour correction properties. Let me say more about these products.

 

 

I spent a long time reading various reviews, consulting brands’ sites, reading ingredients in order to find out which cushion make-up compact could suit my needs well. I chose those ones from Innisfree (ships worldwide). Innisfree offers three kinds of cushion make-up compacts. Each one has its refill. There is:

• Long wear cushion SPF50+/PA+++/15g
• Ampoule intense cushion SPF34/PA++ /15G
• Water glow cushion SPF50+/PA+++/15g

I read excellent reviews about all of them. I chose Long wear cushion and then I bought Water glow cushion.

Long wear cushion provides a matte finish and it’s best suited for oily and combination skin. The cushion itself is soaked with product which is not really liquid: you can really feel the sebum-control properties, thanks to Jeju volcanic powder. However you only need a teeny tiny amount of product picked up by its special puff. Cushion puffs has anti-bacterial properties and a special texture which I’ve never seen before. Long wear cushion is supposed to reduce the appearance of pores, discolorations, and imperfections and to ensure a perfectly flawless complexion all day long. In order to apply cushion make-up properly you have to gently pat the puff until you get an even complexion. First let me say that this is really long lasting. It doesn’t fade even in the hottest heat. The downside is that it is very oil-absorbing, just too much for my combination skin and dry areas. If I don’t moisturize very, very well my skin it enhance all my pores. On the other side it prevents my skin to drip sweat. The compact is sold at €22.48 but you can find some offers. It is available in three colours: 13 Light Beige, 21 Natural Beige, 23 True Beige. I got 13 Light Beige which could suit MAC N10-15 skintones.

Ingredients: Water, Zinc Oxide (CI 77947), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Peg-10 Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Trisiloxane, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Niacinamide, Lauryl Peg-8 Dimethicone, Cyclohexasiloxane, Polypropylsilsesquioxane, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Glycerin, Orchid Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Camellia Japonica Leaf Extract, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Disodium Edta, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Lecithin, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Mannitol, Mineral Salts, Opuntia Coccinellifera Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantiam Bergamia Fruit Extract, Boron Nitride, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Sodium Chloride, Stearic Acid, Silica, Oryza Sativa Powder, Adenosine, Acrylates/Ethylhexyl Acrylate/Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer, Aluminium Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Zea Mays Starch, Isostearic Acid, Isopropyl Palmitate, Citrus Paradisi Fruit Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Citrus Tangerina Extract, Triethoxycaprylsilane, Phenyl Trimethicone, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Polyvinyl Alchohol, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Propanediol, Volcanic Ash, Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Iron Oxides (CI 77492), Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Fragrance.

 

Since I wanted a less drying, more radiant and that infamous glowing Korean effect, I opted for Water glow cushion. This one is really better for my skin. It could suit all not too oily, combination, normal and dry skin. The product is more liquid and it gives an extremely natural, healthy, dewy look to your complexion. I personally don’t like matte finishes anymore, I like luminous skin more even during summer. It has a light coverage but it evens out and brighten my entire complexion, I only need a bit of concealer on troubled areas. Packaging and details are the same as Long wear cushion but the Water glow cushion colour is a tad lighter (I got 13 Light Beige as well). Also, the cushion’s grain is larger. I like to think about them as tinted SPF with a cooling (I swear!) effect, I’ve been using them almost every day during spring especially when I don’t want to wear a full make-up face or for quick touch-ups. It keeps your skin moisturized and smooth all day. Sold at €21.54.

Ingredients: The green Tea Extract, Cyclopentasiloxane, Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Phenyl Trimethicone, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Propylene Glycol, Propanediol, Arbutin, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Acrylate/Ethyl Acrylate/Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer, Sodium Chloride, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Aluminum Hydroxide, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Stearic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Mineral Salt, Rice Powder, Glycerin, Tangerine Peel Extract, Prickly Pear Extract, Orchid Extract, Camellia Leaf Extract, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Extract, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Orange Extract, Tangerine Extract, Yellow Iron Oxides, Red Iron Oxides, Black Iron Oxides, Fragrance.

 

 

I also wanted to try another cushion make-up product and I was really intrigued by Etude House Precious Mineral Magic Any Cushion. First, the packaging. It resembles a delicious macaron! It is a colour correcting product which can be used alone or as a colour correcting primer under foundation or another cushion. It gives a fresh, radiant moisty glow to your complexion thanks to whitening and anti-aging properties. As other cushions it has a cooling effect. There are three colour options:

1. Pink: For pale skin tone users to make vivid and lovely skin tone
2. Mint: For ruddy skin tone users to make natural and bright skin tone
3. Peach: For dark and dull skin tone users to make clear and bright skin tone

Ingredients: Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Ethyhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Cyclohexasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Cetyl Peg/Ppg-10/1 Dimethicone, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Arbutin, Zinc Oxide (CI 77947), Disteardimonium Hectorite, Trisiloxane, Sodium Chloride, Peg-10 Dimethicone, Acrylates/Ethylhexyl Acrylate/Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Aluminum Hydroxide, Caprylyl Glycol, Stearic Acid, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Disodium Edta, Adenosine, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Citrus Grandis Peel Extract, Glycerin, Mother of Pearl, Alchohol, Polysorbate 80, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Fragrance.

 

So, what are pros and cons:

+ very high SPF

+ cooling effect

+ lighweight texture

+ evened out skintone

+ natural looking skin

+ travel friendly

+ refills

 

– small quantity

– poor colour choices

– not so hygienical

– light coverage