Innisfree Long Wear Cushion

Hey all,

Since i touched alittle on Cushion Foundations and bb creams last post, i thought it would only be logical if my next few posts will be on sharing what my most favourite and least favourite Cushions ( too long to say Cushion Foundations and bb creams) on the market are.

I have always had the habit of saving the best for last, so today, i would share the Cushion that i liked the least.

Innisfree is a Korean brand whose pricing is very decent for the quality that they give. They belong to a huge company called Amore Pacific that owns Etude house, Laneige, Sulwhasoo and many more. Amongst all the brand they have in Korea, i can say very proudly that Innisfree is my favourite. They claim to use natural ingredients and overall seems to be a very eco friendly brand. The reason why i love them so much though is due to the fact that i have hardly been disappointed by their products, and they have NEVER broken me out, not even once! So although i cannot guarantee that they do only use pure natural ingredients, i personally do think that amongst all the drugstore korean brands you can get out there, this is probably the one most friendly for sensitive skin.

Innisfree Long Wear Cushion has garnered a bunch of hard core followers, sadly, i happen not to be part of that. The Long Wear Cushion was popular due to a few reasons.

1) It was the first few cushion products that offered a matte finish instead of a dewy finish

2) It was extremely long wearing. It sticks really well to your skin, even after perspiring or playing with some water

This product was specifically targeted not only for the summer seasons, but also for people with oily skin.

Packaging wise, besides the fact that it is alittle thinner ( not as thick as etude house, laneige), everything else is the same. The sponge that holds the foundation also felt alittle tougher in comparision to the other brands. Which at first i though will not make any difference, but when nearing the end ( when the foundation starts to dry alittle or after a few months), i found that the foundation tends to hide right at the bottom, thus making it really hard to get any products out. In fact, i had to flip the sponge over to get the product.

And also the thing that annoyed alot of people regarding this product was how their refills could not fit into other cases, like the laneige ones or the etude house ones. Because this meant that you had to buy the case and refill specifically from innisfree if you liked their product. Where else for most other brands, like laneige and etude house, their cases and refills are interchange-able.

In terms of coverage, i would say this is pretty amazing. Maybe it is due to it’s matte finish, but the foundation was able to cover most of my dark eye bags and hyper-pigmentations rather well. I did not feel as though i needed an additional concealer over it. But then again, i like a pretty light and natural coverage. I would say this is buildable to a good medium, but those looking for a full overage foundation might need some extra help from a concealer.

The finish is as claimed. REALLY MATTE. I have combination skin, and if i do not exfoliate and use a heavy duty moisturiser, i will not be able to use this product at all. In fact, even after i prepare my skin and use a moisturiser, the most my skin can handle is 1 light layer. Anything more than that, i will see patching, weird fine lines that emphasised all my lines. After a few more layers, it will also look extremely caked up.

However, lasting power was no joke, i went a whole day (really hot and humid day), and it looks perfectly untouched at the end of the day. However it did look as if my skin was really dry. It also was not easy to remove simply with water and soap, you will need a make up remover to get rid if this.

All in all, i think for those with really oily skin, you are going to LOVE this. As do many others. However, my combination skin was hating it, so all those with dry skin definitely stay away, and those with combination skin, this is a 50-50 chance. You might really LOVE IT, or HATE IT.

Either ways, i do think it is a good product, i just was not the correct target consumer.

Till then!

D

Cushion BB and Foundation

Hey all,

So if you have not heard. Korea’s recent trend is called ‘Cushion’.

What in the world does that mean?

Basically, it means sponge on sponge application. Where your foundations/ bb creams are placed in a sponge, and you use another sponge to pick up the product and apply to your face.

Above is what they call an air puff. It is supposed to be a non absorbing sponge, so when you apply with this sponge, the foundation or bb cream does not get absorbed and wasted during application.

this is how it looks like when we ‘press’ it unto the foundation/ bb cream filled sponge. Though it is not very clear in photos, you will see that the foundation is not absorbed at all, in fact it simply sits on the blue layer.

I have been going crazy over this trend right now, so i bought over 10 cushions. But these are my favourite cases. As you can see, the cushions, just like any foundation or bb cream comes in different sizes, shapes and thickness. ( Though most is round, but i have seen a square one before)

However, though in terms of exterior, each has their differences, the insides are mostly all exactly the same.

They all have the bb cream/ foundation soaked sponge inside. The will all have a little compartment where we can place our air puff (the blue sponge/ the sponge you use to apply the bb cream/ foundation). And lastly, they will all come with an air puff sponge.

As you can see, although in my above photos, all the air puffs were blue. I do know of a few brands that actually have different colored air puffs. Eg, Etude house has a pink puff in some of their cushions, and Sulhwhasoo uses a skin colors/ beige kind of puff. Function wise, i think they are all similar though.

Personally i feel that this is a rising trend cause of a few reasons

1) It gives an extremely thin and natural layer of application

2) It is convenient to reapply and bring around

3) Application is fast and pretty much idiot friendly

All in all, this is really an amazing ‘new’ invention. But i do have only 1 complaint though.

Hygiene.

You know how we were always taught never to double dip? Well, this is 100x dipping. You press the blue sponge to the foundation sponge and unto your face. And repeat day after day, layer after layer. If you do not have the habit of cleaning your face before make up, or you are too lazy to wash your sponges often, i would say that it might be best you avoid this. Because i cannot imagine how much dust, dirt, germs and bacteria you are reapplying to your face daily.

As for me, i make sure to ALWAYS wash my face clean RIGHT BEFORE i apply this bb cream/cushion. I never had the habit of touching up so the bacteria build up wasnt too big a problem for me. I also make sure i wash my air puff (blue) sponge almost every week, especially if i used it often that week.

Right now, more and more brands are coming out with their own version of a cushion, and the formulations seem to get better and better. It really seems to be the next big korean’ bb cream like’ hype.

Give it a try! Always fun to experiment at least once right?

Till then!

D

Dior Nude BB Creme

Hey all!

My sister in law gave me alittle present last year, and i FINALLY got the chance to try it out the last few days! My sister in law is a big fan of Dior, so when Dior came up with a BB cream, and when reviews were raving how great this is, She bought 2 and gave 1 to me.

After trying it out for a few days, here is what i feel about the Dior Nude BB creme

1) Packaging

This being Dior, and $45USD, The packaging is not only classy, it is really pretty! It is slim, has a pump, and just screams expensive. I love the silver cap and silver pump.

2) Texture and Coverage

The texture is really runny. If i were to compare, it feels alot more like a foundation then it does a bb cream. For starters, it is not at all moisturising. In fact, it feels pretty drying. The minute you apply it, it dries down almost right away. I like that though, cause it means my short hair wont be sticking to my face. However, on top of being slightly drying, it has ZERO oil controlling properties. By the 3rd hour, i was busy blotting, not exactly the prettiest of looks.

The coverage though was sheer to light. I tried to build it up to cover my dark eye circles and hyper pigmentations but failed badly. No matter how much i build it up, the coverage was just…. light. I would say the best you can go up to is a medium. But you definitely need a concealer for all your scars, hyper pigmentations and dark eye circles.

Application was a breeze though, the product blended easily into my skin without any effort. The finish also looks amazingly natural. This is one of those,’no make up make up’ look friendly type of product.

There was no significant scent that was noticeable, and it did not break me out. Knowing how sensitive my skin is, as long as the product does NOT break me out, everything else i can close an eye to.

However in all fairness for $45 USD, i definitely extremely disappointed in the Dior Nude BB creme. The normal bb creams that i buy form Korea range from $5USD to $30USD, and the ones i get from Korea not only has

1)A higher SPF

2) Better Coverage

3) Better oil controlling properties

4) More more moisturising

5) Has more benefits like anti-aging or Whitening or acne medication

So will i repurchase the Dior Nude BB creme again?

Nope. I really do not think so, for that amount of money, i can get so much more value buying a Korean BB cream

But do not get me wrong, i think this is a decent product, and i will enjoy using this bottle while it lasts, however, knowing that i have so much more other choices, i really do not see myself reaching for this on a daily basis.

Till then!

D

CLEAR PORE NORMALIZING CLEANSER

Hey all,

As you already know, i am a huge fan of almost all Paula’s Choice Products. However, i tried a few of their cleansers and toners, and i honestly do no think that they are any more special or better than the regular drugstore kind. Until i tried Paul’s Choice Clear Pore Normalizing Cleanser!!!

When i was still in my teenage years, there were times where i would get random outbreaks and had to use an acne clearing cleaner. I would always have to steal my brother’s one then, cause i felt it was such a waste of money to buy my own.

Why?

acne clearing cleansers are SUPER DRYING. If i use it daily, my skin will dry out completely in less than a week! So since i did not have breakouts daily, so i never saw the need of using a acne cleaning cleanser daily!

So what makes Paul’s Choice Clear Pore Normalizing Cleanser stand out from the rest?

1) It actually delivers the promise of clearing your acne

2) It is not drying to the skin!!

I cannot ask for more from a Cleanser. Although i still do not use it daily, i reach for it anytime i feel a zit coming along, and i have tried using it consecutively for 2 weeks! No dried out skin, no feeling of tightness. Just plain goodness!!

If you can get your hands on it, i would definitely say give this baby a go

Till then!

D

BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream

Hey all!

BareMinerals just came out with the BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream not too long ago, and i am excited to share what i think about it! I first got it as a sample, and fell in love with it, so i decided to get 2 full sized bottles in the previous BareMinerals sale!

That was how the samples they sent me looked like. It had 4 shades, and i was a number 3. However, after 2 uses i ran out, so i mixed the 2 and 4 together and it gave me an additional 4 uses! As you can tell, i really did love it alot. So much so that despite my ridiculous amount of bb creams, cc creams and foundations, i decided that this is the must buy.

So, Why did i love it so much?

Urgh. Too good to be true!

The texture of BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream is really something else. It feels neither like a cream nor a gel…. i should say it felt like a foam. Very light weight and bendable.

The amazing thing though is even though it feels light, the coverage is crazy. as you can see in the photo below, all my veins were covered.

At first it may seem alittle ‘dewy’ on the skin, but after some time, it dies to be a nice natural satin finish. The best part is that it has an SPF of 30, and it is really quite moisturising on the skin. PERFECT, for those lazy days where you do not want to put on much on your face, or simply do not have the time to put on layers of layers of product.

The packaging was also very convenient to bring around, i did not have to worry about spills or leakage, and it felt pretty hygienic, though personally i would still prefer a pump over a squeeze tube.

There is the thing that totally pissed me off though. Remember how i mentioned that with the samples, i used it 6 times, that is 6 days consecutively, and i LOVED IT! Totally loved it! The samples were a gift from the make up gods, but when i actually ordered the actual bottles. I am not sure if they had a different formulation or whatever, it broke me out. EACH. AND. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

URGH! i felt so cheated. To be honest, i have given BareMinerals too many chances. I think with this, i can officially say that we are over. It is not you, it is me. My skin just hates you

Goodbye BareMinerals

Till better days

D

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