Y’know, in this infernal heat (no letting up for now, guys! Summer is well and truly upon us) anything with “snow” in the name catches my eye. Snow ice desserts, snow capped mountains, Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion…
Yep! You see, the Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion promises that you will feel a cooling sensation on your skin when you pat it on and it promises to cool your skin down by up to 3°C as cooler skin means makeup stays on better. Now, you tell me you didn’t find that intriguing! 😀
Ok, to be perfectly honest, all I was really really intrigued by was the sponge cushion that holds the BB liquid. We’ve seen BB creams, BB powder pacts, BB mousse even. But how often have we seen BB cream/liquid in a sponge? Its my first time too. I was highly sceptical when I first held it. “Gimmick!” my brain screamed. And then, I looked at the sponge and “Oh drat! It looks so dark! How am I ever going to be able to use it?!”
You know what they say. Never judge a BB Cream by its colour… or something like that 😉
First, let me make a couple of notes about the packaging. This is the true innovation as far as this specific BB product is concerned, for me.
You see, the BB liquid is infused into the sponge that holds it rather like a reservoir. The liquid itself is very thin and light but I find its coverage quite good. I’d put it at medium coverage. Its quite surprising. In fact, this product held a lot of surprises for me, some good and some not so good.
Each pact holds 15g of product, and each set comes with 2 refills. There is a cap included that you can click shut to ensure the sponge does not dry out too quickly (which is pretty much my gripe as we’ll see).
This has SPF50+ and PA+++ so that’s pretty much the sunscreen part of things covered. If you put enough of it, I would say that if you are the sort who is sunscreen averse, then this one might do the trick for you. Its light on the skin and it has a high threshold of UVA and UVB blockers.
The compact comes in a rather thick case with snap on refills. This seems to be the trend these days. Many brands are now selling cases that have a hole in them, where you can snap in the refill pan, instead of having to dig it out and replace like in days of yore. Good because its so much easier to replace. Bad because you can’t use it for a different brand’s pans. Smart! 😛
So when you dismantle it, here’s what you get. Once you snap the refill pack into the case, it looks pretty much whole and each refill will come with its own sponge puff so that’s the hygiene bit taken care of.
And since we’re talking about the sponge puff, I have to make mention of it. Its a very very strange product! Unlike most sponge puffs, this one has a blue underside that you use, and it has a bit of a strange rubbery texture.
However, I will advise that you use this puff when using this BB pact, because it really is the best applicator for this. I tried using fingers (no go!) and a brush (takes too long) so go with the included puff.
You will notice that the puff doesn’t pick up too much product. That’s what makes it interesting and effective really. I find the surface of the sponge actually rather dry to the touch, and you don’t pick up much product by just touching the surface.
So to apply, I recommend that you take the puff and lightly press down on the sponge that holds the BB liquid. When you look at the sponge, it doesn’t look like very much but it is really quite sufficient because the liquid does not soak into the sponge, due to its slight rubbery texture.
Then what I do, is lightly swipe on my face. I say swipe instead of pat, because I found that patting took far too long and resulted in it being rather patchy going on my skin. So I swipe it in long strokes, and it applies more quickly, smoothly and evenly this way. What about the cooling feeling that Laneige promises? I will attest to some cooling feeling on my skin. I seriously doubt that the temperature drops by 3°C but it is perceptibly cool. Just for a little while though.
The colour I have is Natural Beige 21 which is the lightest of 3 shades available but which looks really dark in the sponge as you can see above. I was understandably a little put off by it. But to my surprise, if you look at the sponge above, it does not look that dark and when I swatched it on my hand, I have trouble finding the spot I swatched.
I enhanced this slightly so you can see the patch. It looks a bit orange there but it actually isn’t. I found myself liking the tone in this Laneige BB Soothing Cushion. It has a nice brightening effect on the skin so even though the coverage is about medium with just 1 pass on the skin, the brightening effect meant that it helped conceal blemishes and marks quite well.
The texture on skin is also super light, it does not turn oily at all, does not oxidise and lasts me all day even if I don’t touch up with powder. I actually don’t have to because it turns to a matte powdery finish that is really nice. I don’t normally gush on about a BB product, but I seriously like this one and I’m already planning to pick up a refill 😀 I personally feel that its excellent for our weather because it holds on the skin (even if you sweat – I’ve tried) and gives a lovely skin brightening effect that I like. On lazy days, this is what I use sans concealer.
The reason why I would refill (and why I have to) is because I find that although I close the compact tightly each time after use, the sponge picks up less and less product each time. After just about a month using it quite regularly, I find that its already starting to dry out. That makes this quite a pricey investment if you ask me. Its a right pity, because I really liked it and I don’t “really like” many things 😉
In a nutshell
The Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion SPF50+ PA+++ is a BB (blemish balm) product in innovative packaging. The sponge is infused with the BB liquid which comes in 3 shades. I find that it is best applied with the sponge provided as the slight rubbery texture of the sponge means that you do not pick up too much product, and it is easy to smooth on the skin. My shade is Natural Beige 21 which is much lighter than it actually looks in the sponge. The coverage is good, the texture is light with a lovely matte powdery finish and I like the skin brightening effect too. Only very little is needed and it stays on even if you sweat which is great for our tropical weather. However, the sponge refill does dry up quite quickly although I shut the cap tightly after each use so that’s a bit of a downer. Its no wonder that each purchase of a refill gives you 2 tubs.
Pros: Good even coverage, Light texture, Long lasting on skin, Not drying, Non oily, Skin brightening effect, Matte powdery finish, Sponge provided is perfect to use with this product, High UVA and UVB protection
Cons: The BB cushion dries up quite quickly so that can make it a little pricey
Who will like this: Anyone who wants a light textured product with good coverage, Anyone who is sunscreen averse, Anyone who wants a good base that will not turn oily and slip off in our tropical heat and humidity
For that unretouched photo showing coverage and colour, here we go 🙂
There is a slight lighting difference but even then, you will note the nice coverage with slight skin brightening effect. I will not say its full coverage. The spot on my cheek and the pigmentation marks are still visible. However, they are lightly concealed and skintone is evened out. If I had to pack a product to carry on holiday, or to the beach, this pact goes with me, because its easy, quick and I know for a fact, it will not turn me oily or slip off in the heat.
I think sometimes the Korean brands do get their BB done right 🙂
Have you tried the Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion? I’ve always been a little anti-Korean brand BB because of various reasons (primarily because few of them ever work for me) but the fact I’m planning to pick up the refill for this one tells me I can always change my mind! 😉
Tip from Reader Jesz: If the top part of the sponge is drying out, try flipping the cushion upside down. The bottom part of the cushion would still have generous amount left, then can flip another time before it really run out of the BB Cream inside. Reason being the the liquid flow downwards…I tried this way & one refill pack could last me 2 months with daily use. I did the same complaint as yours (it dried up) to the counter 3 weeks after use & this is the method they taught so that we could use up every drop of the BB cream inside. This at least make the purchase more worthwhile…
Paris B
Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion comes in 3 shades 21 Natural Beige 23 Sand Beige 31 Brown Beige Price: RM145 (2 refills) Availability: Laneige counters
Wow the coverage is really quite stunning for a bbcream! When u say 2refills for 145 does t mean u get 30g or 45g of products? It is quite at the expensive side if it is 30g and dries that fast.. since I don’t makeup everyday, it will be qute a waste for me to get this.
Hi Gin, you get 30g split into 2 15g tubs. I’d say its quite pricey since it does seem to dry out quite quickly, but if uses it everyday then the pain is less to bear 🙂 I like it for hot weather or if I know I’m going to be out walking and sweating because at least I know it stays on 🙂
i really like it too! too bad mine is in the process of drying out already. but this is something that i don’t mind to pick up a refill for 😉
Right?! Glad you agree 😀 I keep thinking mine is drying out but when I press the sponge in, there’s still colour so maybe I’m mistaken 😛
Sounds good..but it dries out so fast…
For a person like me who don make up so often, it will be expensive =(
Anyway, have you tried their other products?
Yes if you don’t wear makeup often then it would not make sense to get this 🙂 Which other products do you mean? I have tried some of their moisturizing skincare products but makeup wise, I’m not quite wowed by the selection. I am sort of curious about their foundations though so I might give that a go in the future. Have you tried anything from Laneige yet?
ehh sorry to butt into this convo :p saw your question about their foundations – i have the laneige snow crystal dual foundation and it is nothing to shout about at that price bracket – colour is a little too orange/warm, quite sheer and doesn’t really even out skintone. find it a little oily too!
Butt in all you want 😀 I was quite concerned about the tone as well. I find that Laneige foundations tend to be a bit warm and since I’m cool *ahem* I was afraid it’d look too yellow. Will try to snag a sample and see how I like it 🙂
Well, I have walked past Laniege counters many times and saw this on their display rack. Knowing that its a BB kinda makes me skeptical about the coverage as well as the shade. All BBs I have used before (ok not that many but enough to put me off lol) turn out grey or white or ‘weird’ colour on me. So this is a good review and MAYBE it might change my mind about BBs. Not that I need another base makeup but no harm swatching hehe 😉
I know exactly what you mean by turning grey. It was what put me off many BB creams at the beginning, until the Westerners started putting out BB creams with a bit of a pink tint and suddenly, I could wear BB Cream without looking like a zombie! 😀 This one has yellow tint but its got a brightening effect so I don’t get a zombie tint. Always worth swatching and seeing if it works 😉
Sounds lovely! Too bad it dries out so fast. I have a few bottles of foundation to go through and sounds like you have to use this daily to get the most out of your buck. Otherwise, I’d probably jump at picking it up. Its been so hot lately, I’ve been using powder foundation.
Yep, its definitely one for daily use else it’d just be too expensive! For occasional base users, I think the regular liquids and powders work best 🙂 I was wearing powder lately too, but there was a day when I had to be out and it was hot, and I was sweating, and that was pretty much the end of my foundation LOL! 😀
Sounds very tempting-I want to try! This’ll be my next foundation purchase then :-))
Hopefully you’ll like it! 😀 Its quick and easy 😉
Well it does not look too dark at all! Having said that, I’ve just got myself a bottle of foundation heh heh heh. Will have to go through some amount before I get another one ^.^
Haha I don’t think I”ve ever really made much in road into liquid foundation. It never seems to ever finish! I’ve finished up quite a few powder foundations though so maybe it evens out 😛 Which new one did you get? 🙂
The MAC Pro Longwear. I still can’t commit myself to the MUFE HD. Well, now I’m praying that it will still be there when I can really afford it heh heh.
I’m sure it’ll still be there or if not, a new incarnation that may be better, hopefully! I’ve never tried the MUFE HD myself. Or any MUFE foundations for that matter!
Wow…that looks interesting! And the coverage is actually pretty good. I just bought the Dior Snow BB Creme tho (after reading your review about it hehe!), so guess this will have to wait…>_<
Haha are you liking the Dior BB Creme? Did you get the original or the light one? I find the light one fits me better colour wise but their texture is quite similar 🙂
I bought the light one. Even then, the color still looked pretty dark, but it blended well on the back of my hand. However, when I applied it on my face, it looked a tad bit too dark which is strange coz I think both our skin color is pretty similar (ie. leaning on the fair side).
So what I’ve been doing is to use less and blend it with the Clarins UV Plus Day Screen before applying and it looks much better. I find it does help to control oiliness, my skin is more matte even towards the evening…=)
Ooh that IS strange! I found that the Light version gave a much more brightening effect than the original one. But I hope it works for you nonetheless 🙂
I’ve been reading a lots of reviews and raves on this BB cream. Too bad it dries within a month. That’s expensive for a product that last for a month. My usuall BB cream lasted me for god-knows-how-long. ;p
Yup, most liquid ones last pretty much forever. But I think its the composition in this so its great stuff but pricey in the long run 😛
huh, looks quite interesting but yes, a little gimmicky too. Looks like it holds so little product! I feel like I’ve seen something similar to this before, but for the life of me I can’t remember where….a very old drugstore foundation perhaps? Who knows, it looks really natural on you though!
An Almay foundation I bought in the US circa 2006 or so had sponge packaging as well. Maybe that’s what’s you’re thinking of?
I *think* it’s this one, don’t think I’ve actually seen it in stores since. At the time I bought it it was on clearance for a $1.
http://www.amazon.com/Nearly-Touch-pad-Liquid-Makeup-Normal/dp/B000Q4QDL0
It holds 15g in each tub and you get 2 tubs which isn’t too bad, considering a normal bottle of foundation is 30ml 🙂 But it does dry out more quickly mostly due to the wider area of exposure. I think its a fun thing to have, but definitely not a must have.
quite a unique product PB but the look on photo gives me a tiny bit of goosebumps! LOL
LOL!!! I know what you mean! I can’t look at it too long either 😛
wow…liked the before and after ones!!! it really works. but, you can’t skip sunscreen coz one can’t really apply a lot of the product, right??? I have never seen any product with cooling claims…didn’t know they even exist 😀 but, then, the cooling doesn’t stay for long so exactly not a great one…may be they put some menthol or something in it which feels cool initially!! it does feel nice when one is burning, though 🙂
Nope I never recommend skipping sunscreen but there are people who don’t like using sunscreen for whatever reason so maybe… just maybe this might be what they’re looking for LOL! 😀 Its actually surprisingly good. I wasn’t expecting it to function very well 😛
oh, it’s nice to hear that this is good! I am also skeptical about this. haha. But I am so glad it works.
I know! When I saw this, I thought I wouldn’t bother using it. I”m glad I did 🙂
Interesting! From the before and after photo I think the coverage is very good! and if you mentioned bout not oily and matte finishing, that’s what I looking for! guess it can be one of my favorite too.. =p
if one tube can only last for on month, RM145 is kinda expensive right? normally bb cream is something that I can never finish up, but this one seems different.. hmmm..
Yup! Its pricey if you don’t plan on using it daily. RM145 gets you 2 tubs 🙂 The finish and texture is really good and I think its the texture that is quite different from the BB creams that come in a tube. Those feel a bit heavier. But coverage wise its really nice and has a nice brightening effect 🙂 Maybe you can wait till there’s a counter promo? I know Laneige gives very good GWPs and one doesnt’ have to spend a lot. On the bright side, here’s a makeup product I’d actually finish! 😀
ohhh, the texture of that blue puff looks very similar to beauty blender sponge! perhaps they’re the same?
you should definitely check out this other brand – innisfree. their melting foundation is quite similar to this bb. and i kept on thinking of maybe these two are very similar product since they’re under the same parent company? hmmm
I haven’t tried the beauty blender sponge, but the blue sponge is a thin rubbery material so if the beauty blender is the same then it might be the same technology 🙂 I’ll bear Innisfree in mind. I’m not too good with Korean brands – can never keep up!
Interesting! I’ll have to check Laneige out when I’m in Taipei, though I don’t really need anything with an SPF50 living here (I think 30 is generous enough for the amount of “sun” that I get… or don’t get)!
LOL!! You barely see any sun right? I remember when I visited Brussels. It was fine for a couple of hours and then it was just raining away. So I don’t recall much of it except the food because we enjoyed staying out of the rain so much! Haha!
Oh trust me you have seen about the best part of it :p
We see SOME sun sometimes, but honestly it’s been very gray and cold this year. SPF30 is really generous enough!
LOL!! I believe you 😛 What a summer eh?
Ooo…I saw this quite same time ago, but thought it was a bit gimmicky. And I don’t like using the same sponge over and over again. So, those 2 reasons have prevented me from giving this a try. Plus, as you already know, I’m yet to jump on the BB-bandwagon. 😛
Haha I was a latecomer to the BB bandwagon. Was all dead set against it till Dior and Garnier (surprise surprise!) came on the scene. Since then, I’ve worked out what works and what doesn’t and generally, Korean ones don’t work… well until this one 😉 The sponge is washable, and I think its about the same as using it with a powder foundation but then, I’m a wee bit grubby I guess hehe… 😉
Oh, do you like it? It is also Best item in KOREA. also it is my mom’s favorite. kkk… but i feel some oily when i using this.
Hi Anita, seriously? Its a top seller in Korea? I can see why because the coverage is really good and natural. I don’t get the oily feel, but then again, I don’t have oily skin so maybe that’s why. I probably have similar skin with your Mom! LOL!! 😀
OMG, I been dying to try this but couldnt decide whether should I get it or not. I think the whole cushion thing sound really cool and there are lots of other brands pushing the same kind of product out too :/ so I cant decide which one to pick up!
Good thing that you made a review on this 😀 help loads!
I’m glad you found this useful Helz! I didn’t know there were other brands using similar packaging but if they are Korean brands then I’m not surprised because their products are all so similar! LOL! I do like this one though so I hope you will too if you get to try it 🙂
I love this one!
If the top part of the sponge is drying out, try flipping the cushion upside down. The bottom part of the cushion would still have generous amount left, then can flip another time before it really run out of the BB Cream inside. Reason being the the liquid flow downwards…I tried this way & one refil pack could last me 2 months with daily use. I did the same complaint as yours (it dried up) to the counter 3 weeks after use & this is the method they taught so that we could use up every drop of the BB cream inside. This at least make the purchase more worthwile…
Ahhhh Jesz this is brilliant! I’ve included your comment and tip into the post so everyone can benefit from it 😀 Thanks so much (saves me from running out to get a refill now hehe… 😉 )