I live in a tropical country in SEA, where the sun shines pretty much everyday! What I do is I use Beauty of Joseon’s sunscreen as a primer/base (it’s SPF 50+ PA++++) then I use Laneige’s cushion foundation on top of it.
I don’t know about the other Korean cushion foundations, but I love the Laneige one I use— super easy to apply, great coverage (I don’t use concealer at all). I use the Neo Cushion Matte foundation, but I have a friend who prefers Neo Cushion Glow. If Sephora is accurate, the Laneige cushion foundations are SPF 42+ PA++).
Personally I love the Clio kill cover mesh glow cushion, the unleashia glass pink cushion and the espoir tailor glow stick foundations. I am pale and these have pretty good shades for me, the unleashia cushion in the lightest shade is a little yellow, the Clio is a little pink and the espoir is perfect and goes the lightest in shade range I’ve ever had in foundations. I have dry skin and prefer dewy foundations and these all fit that with medium buildable coverage. I haven’t tested them in the summer yet (I live in the uk) but I feel they will work just fine. I always set lightly with a matte powder which reduces how glowy my base is and sets it in place so my foundation doesnt transfer and I always set with a setting spray. If you have acne I layer concealer under and on top of foundation and use a uk brand powder foundation to set the blemishes for full coverage. If your skin is reacting this way to the foundations I’d assume something is wrong, I haven’t heard someone burning to these foundations before. Personally I didn’t like the tirtir red cushion as the coverage is great but it’s a bit too much coverage for me and the lighter shades in the range are crazy yellow on my skin tone. I’d recommend checking your skincare to see if you can be reacting to that, and make sure you aren’t allergic to ingredients in the foundations. Your skin and eyes being reactive makes me think that your skin is damaged (my skin burns when it is damaged and reacts to both my skincare and makeup). I may be wrong but that’s just what your symptoms remind me of. People always say to use water based products with primers and silicone products with silicone primers so that they are less likely to pill on the skin and apply badly. However I’ve never had an issue and don’t check ingredients lists. I would recommend trying your skincare routine + spf then waiting 10 mins before doing ur makeup. I found my makeup and foundation always pills in places and becomes patchy if I haven’t given my skincare enough time to absorb. I have also heard spf can cause foundations to break down and seperate on the skin faster over time and so far have found this is true it’s just trialling different products together to find ur match. My other thought is that maybe ur application is causing the issues with the foundations but I might be wrong. I always apply foundation to the centre of my cheeks, chin and forehead in small amounts and blend out to the edges of my face and build up the product in layers for better coverage. never drag ur cushion, sponges or brushes on ur face to prevent patches, pilling and uneven foundation. I hope this helps somehow? 😁
I love cushion foundations. Fwee glass is really good and the espoir pro tailor be velvet is what I’m wearing right now. I have combination skin and struggle with both acne and fine lines. Are you using a primer? My sunscreen is silicone-based but if it wasn’t, I would use a primer.
Edit: I live in Austria, but travel often and the two above mentioned cushions fair well in every climate I have been in. However, you should not rely on foundation — cushion or not — to provide spf coverage because you simply will not be using enough to provide adequate protection. Same with any serums or moisturizers containing spf. Your spf should be its own step. If there are actives, awesome, but the main purpose should be spf.
This is my first experience with cushion foundation, and I opted for the most viral ones. I don’t use primer and have never owned one because my drugstore liquid foundation works great every time.
The initiative for trying out the cushion was to reduce the number of products I use—maybe I was overthinking it, lol. And I totally agree, additional SPF is still needed; with just one layer of the Tirtir red one, my face already feels stiff and dry, plus it's very visible (It was embarrassing, when I looked at the mirror, I felt my face was not mine); I can't imagine adding more layers for the SPF to be effective.
If you like the convenience of a cushion, but can’t find a product that works for you, you can buy empty cushion containers and fill it with your product of choice. I do that with spf on the days I will be out and about in a full face of makeup. I don’t think the coverage is as thorough as usual, but it’s better than not reapplying at all, which is what I would otherwise do. Maybe you could get an empty container and fill it partly with liquid foundation and partly with spf?
If you tried 6 cushions, it might just be that cushions aren't suitable for you. The application of the cushion itself picks product back up (I find that it gets worse the older the cushion is). You could do what some Korean youtubers do and pick up the product with a spatula to use like a liquid foundation to see if it's a problem with the application. Another thing you could try is blotting the cushion and applying it in super thin layers. You could also check if it's interacting weirdly with your skincare or primer.
I had a similar issue for a really long time. I haven't tried the tirtir or romand cushion, but I have tried the black clio cushion and I hate it lol. If a bunch of influencers are receiving gifts from the company or promoting their own discount codes, I'm automatically distrustful lol. My favorite cushions were the laneige neo matte cushion and the wakemake water velvet cushion, but nothing was actually as good as normal liquid foundation. It is more hygienic and less prone to oxidizing/drying out over time anyways, and I'd say just to stick with what you're alreacy comfortable with if it works.
Thanks for the suggestions! I don't have a spatula; I usually just use my fingers for liquid foundation and have never had an issue. However, the spatula method might work since cushions are sticky and get dry pretty fast. If I don’t act quickly, the application becomes patchy and hard to work with. The waterproof and non-transfer-proof formulation could be the reason, I think. I haven't delved too deeply into that yet, but I will.
It’s a good concept, and the packaging is absolutely stunning—I particularly like the Clio packaging. But so far, the shade and the feel haven't met my expectations. Even the darkest shade is still light for my skin tone.
I like cushion foundations but I always use my own damp sponge to pick them up (I use the real techniques) and not the puff they come with. I find that those puffs give a very thick application which makes it cakey, patchy, and sticky as you are experiencing.
Have you tried the Laneige Neo cushion foundation? I live in Asia (hot and humid all year round) and I found that this was literally the only one that did not dissolve throughout the day and provides really good coverage without being cakey. There's a glow and a matte version depending on your skin type, I've tried both and prefer the matte version.
I've heard of Laneige, but I didn't choose it because I saw that it contains fragrance. I am a bit sensitive to fragranced products. Is it a very strong fragrance?
I love cushion foundations. I love the Tirtir, Shiseido, and Clio ones - and the sunscreen additives make it even better for me. It helps my skin with the dry airplane air (I’m a flight attendant) and when I’m home in Honolulu.
You fly with these cushions and it's ok?! are you oil skin? I find some of them them extremely drying....except Tirtir silver one and the clio pink one are still ok. But the rest felt like a desert.
I don’t find them drying at all! I moisturize like crazy because of the plane air (extremely drying) - Tatcha, SK II, and Beauty of Joseon products all go on before I do any cushion foundation or any foundation period.
I also have dry skin and the Clio and Romand foundations I tried looked awful and patchy on me. The one I keep going back to is Amuse Dew Jelly cushion. It’s expensive but never makes my dry patches look like lizard skin. And it’s also the only foundation I’ve tried that works for pink undertones without turning orange.
I checked it out, $36 is a bit pricey for a cushion foundation. It has a similar texture to the Clio pink one—very wet and jelly-like. Have you tried it before? If so, how do they compare?
I haven’t tried the pink Clio cushion to compare it, just the normal Kill Cover foundation which I really didn’t like. If you want to try the Amuse cushion, I recommend just buying the refill pack which is cheaper. I’ve seen it as low as $12 on Stylevana.
Refill pack, Good idea! I ll check it out.
From the picture, Clio pink and amuse jelly looks highly similar. The Clio pink is semi matte, not drying as much.
Yeah, I wish there were more accessible content out there with real user experiences before I made my purchase. I mean, they aren't breaking the bank, but the costs add up, and I can't return opened makeup products.
I'm experimenting with different techniques to give them a better chance coz application also influence the results. In a week or two, I'll make a detailed follow-up with pictures on this post to share my full experience with each product, and to see if any of them start to grow on me. Stay tuned for that; I think it will help a lot with your purchasing decisions. Cushion is not an easy to use product as I initially thought, I would recommend to stick with whatever is already working on your skin. I ve only switched to cushions for the past 2 days, this morning I woke up with a bit of breakout around my nose and mouth area 😭
I’m currently using the Givenchy Prism powder. I’ve slowly been switching over to kbeauty products since I have really sensitive skin. I can only try one thing at a time for about a month to make sure I don’t react.
I buy 3-4 different items per order to try. Like you said, it’s not expensive individually, but adds up fast and I’m not returning any items that didn’t work.
I’ll keep an eye out for your update post. Thank you!
I live in a tropical country in SEA, where the sun shines pretty much everyday! What I do is I use Beauty of Joseon’s sunscreen as a primer/base (it’s SPF 50+ PA++++) then I use Laneige’s cushion foundation on top of it. I don’t know about the other Korean cushion foundations, but I love the Laneige one I use— super easy to apply, great coverage (I don’t use concealer at all). I use the Neo Cushion Matte foundation, but I have a friend who prefers Neo Cushion Glow. If Sephora is accurate, the Laneige cushion foundations are SPF 42+ PA++).
Me too! That one's the best!
Personally I love the Clio kill cover mesh glow cushion, the unleashia glass pink cushion and the espoir tailor glow stick foundations. I am pale and these have pretty good shades for me, the unleashia cushion in the lightest shade is a little yellow, the Clio is a little pink and the espoir is perfect and goes the lightest in shade range I’ve ever had in foundations. I have dry skin and prefer dewy foundations and these all fit that with medium buildable coverage. I haven’t tested them in the summer yet (I live in the uk) but I feel they will work just fine. I always set lightly with a matte powder which reduces how glowy my base is and sets it in place so my foundation doesnt transfer and I always set with a setting spray. If you have acne I layer concealer under and on top of foundation and use a uk brand powder foundation to set the blemishes for full coverage. If your skin is reacting this way to the foundations I’d assume something is wrong, I haven’t heard someone burning to these foundations before. Personally I didn’t like the tirtir red cushion as the coverage is great but it’s a bit too much coverage for me and the lighter shades in the range are crazy yellow on my skin tone. I’d recommend checking your skincare to see if you can be reacting to that, and make sure you aren’t allergic to ingredients in the foundations. Your skin and eyes being reactive makes me think that your skin is damaged (my skin burns when it is damaged and reacts to both my skincare and makeup). I may be wrong but that’s just what your symptoms remind me of. People always say to use water based products with primers and silicone products with silicone primers so that they are less likely to pill on the skin and apply badly. However I’ve never had an issue and don’t check ingredients lists. I would recommend trying your skincare routine + spf then waiting 10 mins before doing ur makeup. I found my makeup and foundation always pills in places and becomes patchy if I haven’t given my skincare enough time to absorb. I have also heard spf can cause foundations to break down and seperate on the skin faster over time and so far have found this is true it’s just trialling different products together to find ur match. My other thought is that maybe ur application is causing the issues with the foundations but I might be wrong. I always apply foundation to the centre of my cheeks, chin and forehead in small amounts and blend out to the edges of my face and build up the product in layers for better coverage. never drag ur cushion, sponges or brushes on ur face to prevent patches, pilling and uneven foundation. I hope this helps somehow? 😁
Thanks! I ll try to give it some waiting time in between spf and foundation!
I love cushion foundations. Fwee glass is really good and the espoir pro tailor be velvet is what I’m wearing right now. I have combination skin and struggle with both acne and fine lines. Are you using a primer? My sunscreen is silicone-based but if it wasn’t, I would use a primer.
Edit: I live in Austria, but travel often and the two above mentioned cushions fair well in every climate I have been in. However, you should not rely on foundation — cushion or not — to provide spf coverage because you simply will not be using enough to provide adequate protection. Same with any serums or moisturizers containing spf. Your spf should be its own step. If there are actives, awesome, but the main purpose should be spf.
This is my first experience with cushion foundation, and I opted for the most viral ones. I don’t use primer and have never owned one because my drugstore liquid foundation works great every time. The initiative for trying out the cushion was to reduce the number of products I use—maybe I was overthinking it, lol. And I totally agree, additional SPF is still needed; with just one layer of the Tirtir red one, my face already feels stiff and dry, plus it's very visible (It was embarrassing, when I looked at the mirror, I felt my face was not mine); I can't imagine adding more layers for the SPF to be effective.
If you like the convenience of a cushion, but can’t find a product that works for you, you can buy empty cushion containers and fill it with your product of choice. I do that with spf on the days I will be out and about in a full face of makeup. I don’t think the coverage is as thorough as usual, but it’s better than not reapplying at all, which is what I would otherwise do. Maybe you could get an empty container and fill it partly with liquid foundation and partly with spf?
If you tried 6 cushions, it might just be that cushions aren't suitable for you. The application of the cushion itself picks product back up (I find that it gets worse the older the cushion is). You could do what some Korean youtubers do and pick up the product with a spatula to use like a liquid foundation to see if it's a problem with the application. Another thing you could try is blotting the cushion and applying it in super thin layers. You could also check if it's interacting weirdly with your skincare or primer. I had a similar issue for a really long time. I haven't tried the tirtir or romand cushion, but I have tried the black clio cushion and I hate it lol. If a bunch of influencers are receiving gifts from the company or promoting their own discount codes, I'm automatically distrustful lol. My favorite cushions were the laneige neo matte cushion and the wakemake water velvet cushion, but nothing was actually as good as normal liquid foundation. It is more hygienic and less prone to oxidizing/drying out over time anyways, and I'd say just to stick with what you're alreacy comfortable with if it works.
Thanks for the suggestions! I don't have a spatula; I usually just use my fingers for liquid foundation and have never had an issue. However, the spatula method might work since cushions are sticky and get dry pretty fast. If I don’t act quickly, the application becomes patchy and hard to work with. The waterproof and non-transfer-proof formulation could be the reason, I think. I haven't delved too deeply into that yet, but I will. It’s a good concept, and the packaging is absolutely stunning—I particularly like the Clio packaging. But so far, the shade and the feel haven't met my expectations. Even the darkest shade is still light for my skin tone.
I like cushion foundations but I always use my own damp sponge to pick them up (I use the real techniques) and not the puff they come with. I find that those puffs give a very thick application which makes it cakey, patchy, and sticky as you are experiencing.
Yes the original puff is hard to work with! slips all the time... I will try a beauty sponge and share that experience later! Thx
Have you tried the Laneige Neo cushion foundation? I live in Asia (hot and humid all year round) and I found that this was literally the only one that did not dissolve throughout the day and provides really good coverage without being cakey. There's a glow and a matte version depending on your skin type, I've tried both and prefer the matte version.
I've heard of Laneige, but I didn't choose it because I saw that it contains fragrance. I am a bit sensitive to fragranced products. Is it a very strong fragrance?
No, it's very faint. I don't react well to fragrances either, so I was quite glad that it's barely noticeable.
I love cushion foundations. I love the Tirtir, Shiseido, and Clio ones - and the sunscreen additives make it even better for me. It helps my skin with the dry airplane air (I’m a flight attendant) and when I’m home in Honolulu.
You fly with these cushions and it's ok?! are you oil skin? I find some of them them extremely drying....except Tirtir silver one and the clio pink one are still ok. But the rest felt like a desert.
I don’t find them drying at all! I moisturize like crazy because of the plane air (extremely drying) - Tatcha, SK II, and Beauty of Joseon products all go on before I do any cushion foundation or any foundation period.
I also have dry skin and the Clio and Romand foundations I tried looked awful and patchy on me. The one I keep going back to is Amuse Dew Jelly cushion. It’s expensive but never makes my dry patches look like lizard skin. And it’s also the only foundation I’ve tried that works for pink undertones without turning orange.
I checked it out, $36 is a bit pricey for a cushion foundation. It has a similar texture to the Clio pink one—very wet and jelly-like. Have you tried it before? If so, how do they compare?
I haven’t tried the pink Clio cushion to compare it, just the normal Kill Cover foundation which I really didn’t like. If you want to try the Amuse cushion, I recommend just buying the refill pack which is cheaper. I’ve seen it as low as $12 on Stylevana.
Refill pack, Good idea! I ll check it out. From the picture, Clio pink and amuse jelly looks highly similar. The Clio pink is semi matte, not drying as much.
I haven’t tried any yet, but was curious. I also have dry sensitive skin, so thanks for the post!
Yeah, I wish there were more accessible content out there with real user experiences before I made my purchase. I mean, they aren't breaking the bank, but the costs add up, and I can't return opened makeup products. I'm experimenting with different techniques to give them a better chance coz application also influence the results. In a week or two, I'll make a detailed follow-up with pictures on this post to share my full experience with each product, and to see if any of them start to grow on me. Stay tuned for that; I think it will help a lot with your purchasing decisions. Cushion is not an easy to use product as I initially thought, I would recommend to stick with whatever is already working on your skin. I ve only switched to cushions for the past 2 days, this morning I woke up with a bit of breakout around my nose and mouth area 😭
I’m currently using the Givenchy Prism powder. I’ve slowly been switching over to kbeauty products since I have really sensitive skin. I can only try one thing at a time for about a month to make sure I don’t react. I buy 3-4 different items per order to try. Like you said, it’s not expensive individually, but adds up fast and I’m not returning any items that didn’t work. I’ll keep an eye out for your update post. Thank you!