The average Korean woman has easily more than ten products in her daily skincare routine — and beauty is a pretty big deal. The country’s philosophy of good skin dates back to the Dongui Bogam, a Korean medical text from the 1600s. In recent years, most of the beauty world’s most cutting edge products have been inspired by South Korean trends. The list is endless but a few favourites include the BB cream craze, sheet masks and airless pumps. Yes, it’s thanks to them a number of our favourite moisturisers now come in airless dispensing pumps which keep the product from being contaminated and oxidised.
The latest hot beauty trend from Korea’s flourishing beauty counters is cushion make-up. This technology uses cotton cushions to evenly distribute colour and give you that sought-after lightweight, uniform application.
When we first put out our feelers last year about when these products would be available in South Africa, the lack of response was deafening. So we’re happy to report some are finally available.
Pillow-soft coverage
This genius product may change the way you think about foundation forever!
Driven by Asian beauty trends, Lancôme created its own version of the miracle cushion paired together with their award-winning foundation, Teint Miracle in 2015. It was the first Western beauty brand to offer this at the time. The updated version, Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Longwear Cushion Foundation SPF 50, R499, was introduced in March 2017, and is available in South Africa.
We love the nifty looking compact and all it took was one simple press on the cocoon puff of the cushion. The softness is a pleasure in itself, and the formula rose to the surface. Neither too much nor too little – by perfectly filtering the formula, the Cushion Polar technology releases just the right dose to magically cover your whole face.
Before use, the formula is dense and thick, which allows it to adhere better to the sponge cushion. One press on the mesh covering the sponge reduces the viscosity of the JEL-LIQUID technology and fluidises the formula, making it easy to apply and smooth onto the skin. For optimal coverage, but an improved application and a very even skin result.
When the foundation comes into contact with the skin, part of the formula’s ingredients evaporate, causing the temperature of the skin surface to immediately drop by 1.7°C! Apparently, this also helps set make-up on the skin.
There was some transfer, but no sliding and we were very happy with how long it lasted.
Teint Idole Ultra Cushion comes in a variation of seven shades to allow all women to effortlessly find their natural skin tone.
The case is also refillable (refills retail at R350) – the product unpacks in two parts; the case and the cushion – you simply click in the cushion. The nifty thing about this is that you can switch shades, simply by clicking in a new refill allowing you to adapt them to changing skin tones or seasons.
Also on the shelf, well sort of…
Physicians Formula debuted their Mineral Wear Cushion Corrector Primer Duo and Mineral Wear Cushion Foundation (R249 per product) during the Dis-Chem Beauty Fair. Sadly it was a limited edition product, but they were a huge hit with local beauties. Let’s hold thumbs that they’ll decide to make them part of their permanent collection in future. If you’re lucky enough to have a huge beauty budget you can’t go wrong with Dior’s Dreamskin Perfect Skin Cushion, R1315, it’s available from Edgars Sandton and V&A stores.
The only thing about this trend that bothered us (as always) is the little matter of hygiene. Surely dabbing the same sponge from face to cushion on a daily basis isn’t ideal? The internet is full of DIY tips on how to clean them yourself with warm water and some oil cleanser, along with many beauties that say that it doesn’t work. You can however clean your Lancôme cushion applicator says Andrew James, National Make-Up Artist and Training Manager for Lancôme: “Clean it with shampoo, but for best results use dishwashing liquid. Allow it to dry completely before placing it back in the compact.”
Other good news is that because cushion compacts are designed to live in a moist environment, a lot of testing goes into ensuring their safety and special preservative ingredients that are added to keep them fresh for longer. Just make sure to close the inner lid tightly after each use to preserve freshness and not allow bacteria in.
Are there any other cushion make-up products on your radar? Let us know in the comments section below.
Other articles you may be interested in:
2 Responses
Sounds like another great product from Lancome. Love the fact that the product contains an SPF 50.
The cushion makeup application technique is fantastic. With this technique you are guaranteed a soft, even, youthful result.