Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion : A Korean BB product I actually really like!

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…

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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.

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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).

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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! 😛

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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.

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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.

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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 🙂

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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