Su:m37 Water-full CC Cushion Perfect Finish Swatches

Su:m37 has finally come to Singapore, with a new outlet in Tangs Orchard, much to the joy of all kbeauty fanatics here! For those who aren't aware, Su:m37 is a luxe Korean beauty brand, with prices that are comparable to other luxe brands, such as SK-II, and the brand's selling point is that their skincare includes lots of natural ingredients, in particular fermented ingredients. The brand has quite the cult following for its skincare items, but I also found that their makeup items also aren't bad.

Su:m37 Water-full CC Cushion Perfect Finish: The brand has finally launched at Tangs

One of the makeup products the brand has brought into Singapore is the Water-full CC Cushion Perfect Finish, which is supposed to be a hydrating cushion foundation that provides a finish that's more on the dewy side. They have 2 shades, both of which I've swatched, alongside my first thoughts.

Maybelline Super BB Cushion Fresh Matte SPF25 Review and Ingredients Analysis

Maybelline's Super BB Cushion Fresh Matte SPF25 has just launched this year - making it one of the earliest 2017 launches in the drugstore! I thought there was no better way to start off the year than looking at a new and shiny product, and the Fresh Matte BB Cushion caught my eye - after all, you can never have too many BB cushions, right?

Maybelline Super BB Cushion Fresh Matte SPF25: A matte cushion for hotter months

The Maybelline Fresh Matte BB Cushion is a matte cushion, and it claims to be a lightweight foundation with a "natural matte finish that keeps excess sebum under control & is up to 12H long lasting!" All of these properties are super useful in our hot, tropical weather, and for people with oily skins. It's also the matte counterpart to Maybelline's Super BB Cushion that was launched in May 2016 - so if you liked that cushion but wanted a matte version, it has now arrived.


Maybelline Super BB Cushion Fresh Matte SPF25: A matte counterpart to the dewier Super BB Cushion
So, let's check out the mattifying properties of the Maybelline Super BB Cushion Fresh Matte - starting with the ingredients list!

Etude House Real Powder Cushion Review, Swatches, FOTD and Ingredients Analysis

Etude House's Real Powder Cushion SPF50+ PA+++ was launched just a few weeks back, and this isn't your typical BB cushion - instead of being all liquid-y and dewy like most BB cushions, what's interesting about this is that it claims to dry down to a powder. So essentially, it is a cream-to-powder cushion, which is pretty unique. Certainly there are existing matte cushions out in the market, but as far as Etude House products go, I do believe this is the brand's first attempt at putting out a matte cushion. I'm happy about that - I always love more options.

Etude House Real Powder Cushion: The first matte finish cushion from Etude House

I've been getting quite a bit of interest in this product, so I thought I should hurry up and do a review on it. Here in Singapore, we have 2 shades, Light Beige, which is the lighter shade, and Natural Beige, which is the darker shade. Online though, I've seen a third shade, Honey Beige, which would be darker than Natural Beige.


Etude House Real Powder Cushion: Starts off liquid, dries to a power
So let's get started with the review. We'll do my favourite thing first and look at the ingredients in the product, and then move on to the swatches and review proper!

Estee Lauder Double Wear Cushion BB Review, Ingredients Analysis, and FOTD

Estee Lauder's cushion compact is finally here, in the form of its Double Wear Cushion BB SPF50 PA+++! Obviously BB cushions have been pretty popular this season, and more than one brand has come out with their own cushion foundation, but the Estee Lauder one seems to be pretty popular because of the Double Wear name.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Cushion BB: The latest addition to the famous Double Wear range

If you've been a beauty addict for awhile, then you'll probably know that the Double Wear Foundation is one of Estee Lauder's iconic products, so that's why the product comes with high hopes. Even when I was a newbie beauty addict many years back, it was already being recommended as one of THE foundations to try for super high coverage. I remember someone on some of the makeup sites I hung out online even went to ask one of those ladies who swims underwater with dolphins what foundation she was using (theory being that if it works for them it should work for anyone), and it turns out she was using Double Wear Foundation. So yes it is a pretty famous foundation!


Estee Lauder Double Wear Cushion BB: I've gotten a lot of interest in this, so it's really time for a review!
when I posted photos of the Double Wear Cushion BB on Instagram, I had quite a bit of interest in it, so I figured I should get around to reviewing it! Unfortunately, I've never actually tried the Double Wear Foundation, so I can't compare the two directly, and this will be a standalone review for the Cushion BB. And, as always, we'll start at the ingredients list!

Shu Uemura Blanc Chroma Brightening UV Cushion Review and Ingredients Analysis

Shu Uemura's Blanc Chroma Brightening UV Cushion was launched earlier in March, and I just had to review it - after all, cushion bases have been pretty much all the rage since a few years back, and I'm always happy to add to my cushion collection. And the Shu Uemura Blanc Chroma Cushion is pretty unique, too, as far as cushions are concerned! It's advertised as a "smart" cushion, with a new formula, new applicator puff, and new screen! So pretty much every important aspect of the cushion is new, and that's exciting.

Shu Uemura Blanc Chroma Brightening UV Cushion: A "smart" cushion with a new formula, appicator puff, and wiper membrane!

The combination of innovations is supposed to give you a very even application with just the right amount dispensed, with a radiant finish, thanks to the unique "auto-wiper membrane and auto dispenser" (we'll get into that later). Even the formula itself sounds impressive - it's supposed to be "jellified" (their words, not mine) at rest, but fluid during application, which means that the product is extremely portable, and you'll always get the perfect finish.


Shu Uemura Blanc Chroma Brightening UV Cushion: A bevy of innovations in the product make this quite different from a typical cushion
I'm obviously a little slow on this review (#bbloggerproblems, yes I haz them), but I figure better late than never! So without further ado, let's start at my favourite geeky place - the ingredients list!

Biotherm Evermoist CC Cushion Review and Ingredients Analysis

Biotherm's Aquasource Evermoist CC Cushion SPF 23 PA++ is the first cushion product to come from Biotherm, and it arrives hot on the heels of the cushion trend! Biotherm is better known for its skincare products, in particular its Life Plankton Essence, which I've reviewed before, so this was definitely a little of a surprise, but it's not at all unwelcome!

Biotherm Aquasource Evermoist CC Cushion: The first CC Cushion from the brand!

The Biotherm Aquasource Evermoist CC Cushion is meant to have a light, airy texture, and also meant to give you an "unbeatable moist glow" with full coverage. That definitely sounds like what every cushion base should be! And in true Biotherm fashion as a skincare brand, it also contains the brand's signature Life Plankton, as well as Adenosine, and a bunch of other skincare ingredients.


Biotherm Aquasource Evermoist CC Cushion: With Life Plankton as well
As with most of my reviews, you'll know we're going to go straight to the ingredients list to check out what's in the CC cushion. I have to thank the Biotherm people for being so kind as to send me the photograph of the ingredients list! The press kit I received had gorgeous special packaging, which unfortunately meant that I didn't have the ingredients list. But they were nice enough to send it to me, so I can get my nerd on, haha. So let's start the review!

Etude House Precious Mineral Moist Any Cushion Swatches and First Impressions

Etude House's Precious Mineral Any Cushion line of BB Cushions is one of their most popular products, and in November last year, the brand introduced the Etude House Precious Mineral Moist Any Cushion - yes, the word "Moist" indicates that this is a new line to the BB cushion range, and the line is new. The Moist Any Cushion is supposed to give you the dewy, moist-looking finish favoured by so many Kbeauty looks, and also, according to Etude House, contains some skincare ingredients too.

Etude House Moist Any Cushion: A new addition to the Precious Mineral line of BB Cushions

Just so you aren't confused, the "regular" line of Precious Mineral Any Cushion is just called "Precious Mineral Any Cushion", and is the original BB cushion launched by Etude House. To this range, Etude House added the Precious Mineral Magic Any Cushion in 2014 (the "Magic" word denoting the line), and these were basically colour-correcting primers/bases in BB cushion form, which I had swatched and reviewed before. And in 2015, Etude House added the Precious Mineral Pearl Aura Any Cushion, where the "Pearl Aura" is supposed to denote a nice, dewy "pearl-like" finish, reviewed before too. So as you can see, although the products are different, they do have similar names, and if you're new to the brand, it can get a tad confusing!


Etude House Precious Mineral Moist Any Cushion: The 3 shades in the Moist Any Cushion line
Given that Etude House already has a "Pearl Aura" BB cushion to help give skin a dewy finish, I was curious as to why they launched a "Moist" BB cushion. Wouldn't it be a bit of a duplication? So, the other day when I was in store, I got some swatches of the Precious Mineral Moist Any Cushion, and although it's a little overdue, I guess it's better late than never to share these swatches!

The Face Shop Oil Control Water Cushion Review and Ingredients Analysis

The Face Shop Oil Control Water Cushion SPF50+ PA+++ is the latest BB cushion to come from the brand, and it seems to have been advertised just for this hot weather we've been having - two of the key features being marketed are that it is waterproof, and has oil-control properties. That's gotta be good for hot weather, right?

The Face Shop Oil Control Water Cushion: Waterproof, and Long Lasting

The Face Shop Oil Control Water Cushion comes in two shades, V201 Apricot Beige, which is the lighter shade, and V203 Natural Beige, the darker shade. I have V203 Natural Beige with me, and although it isn't the best match for my skintone because it was too dark and orange, but it was the "default" shade that was sent to me. Which is a pity, because the Water Cushion does have a lot to recommend it! So if you see me looking kind of Oompa Loompa orange in my FOTD or swatches, don't worry, it's the result of a less-than-optimal shade match!


The Face Shop Oil Control Water Cushion: Perfect for hot weather and summer days
So, now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's start the review - by taking a look at the formula and ingredients list!

Etude House Any Cushion Pearl Aura Review and Ingredients Analysis

Etude House's Any Cushion Pearl Aura (full name Precious Mineral Any Cushion Pearl Aura) is the latest BB cushion to come from the brand. The Pearl Aura Cushion is, as the name suggests, infused with a brightening liquid for "pearl aura", or a highlighting effect. The idea is that the "pearl aura" will give you the glowy skin finish that is so popular in Asia, particularly Korea. As an additional benefit, the Pearl Aura Any Cushion also comes with SPF50+/PA+++ for sun protection, too!

Etude House Any Cushion Pearl Aura: The latest addition to Etude House's Precious Mineral Any Cushion line

I kind of have to admit, despite the popularity of glowy skin, I've found it to be something I have mixed feelings towards. While I love the idea of glowy skin - I mean, nothing says youth like radiant-looking skin, right? - when you live in a hot and humid climate, as I do, sometimes the "glowy" finish really verges more into "sweaty, and really gross looking" instead. It's rare to find a product that has enough glow to be noticeable, but still subtle enough to not look too glittery or overdone. So, I decided to put the Any Cushion Pearl Aura to the test, and see how it fares on me!


Etude House Any Cushion Pearl Aura: The idea is to give a "pearl aura" glowy finish to the skin
Etude House's Pearl Aura Any Cushion comes in only two shades, "Light Pearl Aura" and "Natural Pearl Aura". I have the shade Natural Pearl Aura for review today. There's so many questions we have to answer: What's the finish of this really like, glowy or gross? How does it fare on your skin? And what exactly is the "Pearl Aura" made of, anyway? So, let's get to the review!

Lancome Miracle Cushion Foundation Ingredients Review and Analysis: Is It Similar to Korean BB Cushions?

Lancome's Miracle Cushion Foundation Liquid Cushion Compact SPF 23/PA++ is the first cushion foundation from a Western brand (if not one of the first), and it seems to be launched to much aplomb and fanfare in the West, (it hasn't hit this part of the world yet, though!). I found this entire trend interesting - while Western makeup and beauty trends are still exported to Asia, it also seems like the cross-pollination of beauty trends definitely goes both ways now. From the advertising I've been seeing Lancome do in the Western market, I was slightly amused to see that it was launched in the West to such fanfare and noise, with collaborations with Lisa Eldridge, Penelope Cruz modeling the product, Instagram hashtags, a mini-movie, and a microsite proclaiming the "new technology inside".

Lancome Miracle Cushion Foundation: Launched with guns blazing! (Source)

I had a bit of a "Whoa, Nelly!" moment at all the fanfare, because BB cushions and cushion foundations have been popular in Asia for awhile. And like all beauty products, it is very much a trend-based phenomenon, and more marketing gimmick that actual substantial formulation change. I've written previously about BB creams (and CC creams) and whether they justified the hype behind them, and also BB and CC cushions and whether the product was worth the hype as well, so I thought it would be interesting to take a similar ingredients analysis-based approach to Lancome's Miracle Cushion. (On a totally unrelated side note, I find it interesting that Lisa Eldridge - I absolutely admire her, by the way - is holding the cushion applicator puff the way you would a normal foundation sponge when applying traditional liquid foundation, rolled up in her hand. I've never seen anyone in Asia apply their cushions holding the applicator this way, because you could tear the thin applicator puff over time. Most people I've seen just press the puff flat to their face with tapping motions to blend, rather than roll or rub the applicator across the face.)

Lancome Miracle Cushion Foundation: Collaboration with Lisa Eldridge (Source)

I thought an interesting question to explore would be: From a formulation perspective, is the Lancome Miracle Cushion actually any different from the myriad of Korean BB cushions and cushion foundations we have here already? In fact, since BB cushions and CC cushions are really just souped up versions of BB creams and CC creams, are they even any different from your run-of-the-mill BB cream? Or, for that matter, a more traditional tinted moisturizer or foundation?

I thought this question was worth exploring, although I've already written about BB/CC Cushions before, because there is often a perception that Western BB creams/CC creams are somehow "inferior" to Asian BB and CC creams, although, as I've blogged before, from a formulation perspective, they're not significantly different. In fact, when I first blogged about BB creams and how they weren't really worth the hype a few years back, I got a bunch of feedback from some diehard BB cream fans saying that I was doing the analysis wrong, and that I needed to look at Asian BB creams because those were so much better than Western BB creams (nevermind that 1. I'm an Asian girl born, bred, and living in Asia, and 2. I looked at primarily Asian brand BB creams for that post). I guess what I'm trying to find out here is whether this perception of a Western BB/CC Cream/Cushion/Foundation is really justified by the ingredients, and since Lancome has just launched its Miracle Cushion, it seemed like the perfect time to compare a Western Cushion to several Asian ones, and see if there was really any difference!

Etude House Precious Mineral Magic Any Cushion Review and Swatches

Etude House's latest product, the Precious Mineral Magic Any Cushion, is already out in Korea, and is coming to Singapore in May (so that's just a few days away!). If you saw my post on the Etude House Magic Any Cushion launch event, then you'll already know what these are, but if not, let me just do a brief recap for you. Unlike previous BB cushions, which are BB creams in cushion form, the Magic Any Cushion is really more of a colour-corrector, a primer, if you will, that can be worn alone, or under whatever other base makeup you want (e.g. foundation, BB cream, etc).

Etude House Precious Mineral Magic Any Cushion

The Magic Any Cushion comes with great expectations - apparently 200,000 Magic Any Cushions were sold within the first few days of its launch in Korea, and I expect that it will do just as well in Singapore, too.

Etude House Magic Any Cushion Launch: K-Beauty Travel Highlights

If you've seen the first post on my Etude House K-beauty trip, you'll have seen me blogging about the awesome flagship store in MyeongDong! Today, I wanted to show you another key highlight of my K-beauty (Korean beauty, for those not yet initiated into the abbreviation) trip: the launch of the Magic Any Cushion! For those who aren't familiar with the product, one of Etude House's recently popular products is the BB cushion (another product popular among Korean beauty brands right now), and Etude House already has one BB cushion on the market. The Magic Any Cushion follows the BB cushion trend, but it's not another BB cushion.

Etude House Magic Any Cushion Launch Event: Lovely decor at the place

The Magic Any Cushion, which comes in three shades, are more akin to primers or colour correctors than they are to BB creams or BB cushions. In this respect, Etude House is the first K-beauty brand to launch such a product. I was told that when it launched in Korea, there were 200,000 Magic Any Cushions sold within the first few days of its launch. So the product comes with a lot of expectations!


Etude House Magic Any Cushion: The three shades to be launched!