{"id":18531,"date":"2018-04-01T08:30:16","date_gmt":"2018-04-01T00:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mywomenstuff.com\/?p=18531"},"modified":"2018-08-04T12:30:08","modified_gmt":"2018-08-04T04:30:08","slug":"cushion-foundation-week-3-round-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mywomenstuff.com\/2018\/04\/cushion-foundation-week-3-round-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Cushion Foundation Week 3 : Round-up and overall thoughts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thus ends the Cushion Foundation Week 3<\/strong> – a series I never really intended to produce, but arose out of opportunity. After my last foray into cushion foundations in Week 1<\/a> and Week 2<\/a>, I was quite set in my decision. Cushion compact foundations are for me a non-essential makeup item. I still prefer my liquid foundations, or BB Creams, and I stick by my preference.<\/p>\n

I was quite pleased in my journey, to have discovered the Sulwhasoo Perfecting Cushion<\/strong> because it quickly became a firm favourite of mine. It is still the only cushion foundation I voluntarily use. The others I have, I use them as and when I remember, but they aren’t items I reach out for.<\/p>\n

\"cushion<\/p>\n

Cushion Foundation Week 3<\/strong> arose not due to my desire to own more of these cushion things, but due to the enduring nature of this form of base makeup, that I predict will be around for quite a while to come. You will notice that all of them were generously provided by the respective brands, for which I am grateful. Barring Sulwhasoo, I don’t think I’d actually buy any of them. Yet, I was glad of the opportunity to try them, because I discovered the Shiseido cushions, that I would have otherwise overlooked.<\/p>\n

To answer the many questions and requests from many of you, who have requested for reviews of cushions from other brands e.g. Shu Uemura, YSL and Lancome, just to name a few, my apologies. My desire to accumulate more of these is really low. But if I ever come by them in the near future, who knows. Perhaps I’d do a Week 4 (God forbid! LOL! \ud83d\ude00 ) I think you’re sick of this as much as I am \ud83d\ude1b<\/p>\n

But I did notice something interesting after doing this week’s comparison, that I thought I’d share with you \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I was quite intrigued by the fact that the cushion foundations I’ve featured this week, are for the most part, quite high in coverage. When these things first came out, the common lament was the lack of coverage offered. While the Koreans intended for these cushion compacts to give skin a dewy, moist, glowy appearance, barring the higher-end brands, they never quite focused on coverage. My observation of new releases from other brands not featured, bears this out (Dior, for example, quickly released 2-3 different cushions after their first<\/a>, with significantly better coverage). There is definitely a shift towards a cushion foundation that is more like foundation in coverage.<\/p>\n

When I investigated Korean cushion foundations last round, I found that it was the more expensive brands – Hera and Sulwhasoo – that offered better coverage, texture and formula overall. It led me to believe that there is no real parallel between the affordable and the higher-end brands in the realm of cushion foundations. To get something of better quality, you had to pay for it.<\/p>\n

You get what you pay for<\/h2>\n

The same observation is holding true in this week’s comparison. The Japanese have entered the foray, with Shiseido leading the charge, and more Western makeup brands are also adopting this form of foundation, and even improvising on it. This tells me that we aren’t going to see this cushion thing go away soon, and that you still have to pay to get a good quality product.<\/p>\n

Granted, you may not agree with me, and I’m fine with that. But if the opportunity arises for you to try one of the more premium-brand cushion foundations, try it and then tell me that it doesn’t blow your mind, simply because they are just a step up from your regular cushion.<\/p>\n

Just taking Mamonde (RM90) and Sulwhasoo (RM230) by way of comparison, you’d have noticed that the Mamonde cushions this time offer high coverage, but that their texture was heavy, and the shade was off. By comparison, Sulwhasoo offered very good coverage, yet was lightweight on skin and showed off your skin better. I’ll show you the side-by-side before\/after from the previous posts.<\/p>\n

Mamonde Brightening Cover Powder Cushion – Shade #21N<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"mamonde<\/p>\n

Sulwhasoo Perfecting Cushion EX – #21<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"sulwhasoo<\/p>\n

Discounting the slight lighting discrepancies in both photos, I think you will agree that the Sulwhasoo Perfecting Cushion EX looks far more natural on me, looking almost as if I did not have makeup on. By comparison, the Mamonde Brightening Cover Powder Cushion looks almost like a mask.<\/p>\n

I was careful to not overdo the application, so I apply as much as is comfortable for me – a thin layer. Yet, the difference is quite stark.<\/p>\n

I’ll include the Shiseido Synchro Skin Glow Cushion Compact<\/strong> here for comparison as well.<\/p>\n

\"shiseido<\/p>\n

Similarly, despite the higher coverage, it is still transparent enough to allow my skin to look like my skin. Not like it is covered with makeup. That said, Shiseido makes some of the best foundations in the market (I swear by Japanese brands for base makeup) so I’m really not surprised by this.<\/p>\n

It is for this reason that I say you get what you pay for. Coverage is easy to achieve – brands just need to increase the amount of pigment colour. But to balance out a good coverage with a good TEXTURE and FORMULA is where I find the higher end brands making a little more effort.<\/p>\n

Cushion Compact packaging isn’t going to change<\/h2>\n

While some brands have tried to be innovative with their version of the cushion foundation, for the most part, we are still seeing the same construction – a refill that contains a saturated sponge, a cover to keep the sponge from drying out, and a sponge applicator. I doubt this will change because it is the most logical type of packaging. It is this packaging also that makes it perfect for travel and for touch-ups. Most, if not all cases I’ve come across come with a large serviceable mirror in the cover, that is perfect for touching up on the go.<\/p>\n

\"cushion<\/p>\n

The down-side to a cushion compact is always that it will dry out quite quickly. This is purely due to the exposure to the air each time you open your compact. You can prolong the life of your cushion by using a pair of tweezers and flipping the cushion over in the case.<\/p>\n

I came across some complaints online by users of the Clarins Everlasting Cushion Compact<\/a> that said their cushion had dried out after a few weeks. That told me that they were not familiar with using cushion foundations. If you use it enough, you will know that although the surface feels dry, there is still a lot of product contained within the sponge. You just have to depress it a little harder. When it seems like there’s no foundation left to pick up, flip the sponge over and you will be surprised at how much there is left.<\/p>\n

One other observation I made was the reduction of refill-sharing between brands. When I compared some Korean cushion foundations<\/a>, I noticed that the ones under the same mother company would be able to share their refills across cases. So, you could buy an affordable cushion like Mamonde, and then buy just the refill from Sulwhasoo to fit. But that’s changing, and I think it’s changing in response to this cleverness of the consumer. Sulwhasoo, in upgrading their formula, has changed their refill as well so it is no longer compatible with its old cases, and similarly with cases from other brands.<\/p>\n

I tried to test if the Clarins refill would fit into Mamonde cases, as they looked similar visually, but they didn’t. There was just one tiny little millimetre off at the hinge, but that was enough. I think we will be seeing more of this “upgrading” going on.<\/p>\n

Extra refills don’t come standard<\/h2>\n

I was quite surprised that the only brand that came with an extra refill pack in this week’s round up was Sulwhasoo. Granted, it has always been a Korean brand thing. I believe it is to give the same perceived value of product, for each refill contains 15ml of product, so 2 refills will give you 30ml, the equivalent of a bottle of liquid foundation.<\/p>\n

However, I was not too surprised that most brands are taking the liberty to ignore this perceived value to the consumer. Here’s a little comparison of the price per ml broken down by product.<\/p>\n