As I've become more and more fascinated with the world of K-beauty, one thing that stood out and immediately piqued my interest was cushion compacts. I've always had a huge problem with cake face; if I apply enough foundation to cover the redness in my cheeks, it almost always sinks into the fine lines of my skin and looks thick and patchy. Very few western foundations seem to give me decent coverage that doesn't dry out my skin or feel heavy/cake-y, so when I read about the many benefits and lightweight, moisturizing coverage that cushion compacts provide, I of course had to step into the world of team cushion.
For those who are new to cushion compacts, they are gaining incredible popularity in both the Eastern and Western beauty world. Instead of a solid block of foundation, cushion compacts instead contain a foundation soaked sponge, and a cushy antibacterial applicator to apply and pat foundation into the skin. K-beauty company Cupidrop reached out to me to review a new cushion, the Tosowoong Pink Essence Tone Up cushion, which is a shimmery highlighter cushion.
The cushion comes with 15g or 0.52 fl oz of product, and arrived in a sturdy, very cute pastel pink casing. It can be applied either before or after foundation, and is supposed to provide brightening and anti-wrinkle benefits while protecting skin from the sun's harmful rays and providing intense, soothing moisture.
This cushion contains 55% damask rose-based essence for moisture and hydration. It also contains niacinamide for brightening and ceramides for moisture. There are some other pretty notable ingredients in here, such as caviar extract, silkworm cocoon extract, aloe barbidensis leaf juice, shea butter, beeswax, royal jelly, natto...the list goes on. I love it when my makeup also works to better my skin, (or at least doesn't actively harm it) instead of just momentarily enhancing its appearance or acting as a cover up.
Ingredients:
Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Zinc Oxide (CI 77947), Cyclopentasiloxane, Propanediol, Cyclohexasiloxane, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Isoamyl p-Methoxycinnamate, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Niacinamide, Caprylyl Methicone, Denatured Alcohol 40-B, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Poly Methyl Methacrylate, Sodium Chloride, Silica, Isoamyl Laurate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Sorbitan Olivate, Beeswax, 1,2-Hexandiol, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Caprylyl Glycol, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Parfum, Squalane, Tocopheryl Acetate, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Propylene Carbonate, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Red Iron Oxide (CI 77491), Illicium Verum (Anise) Fruit Extract, Water, Natto Gum, Royal Jelly Extract, Butyl Avocadate, Shea Butter, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Silkworm Cocoon Extract, Ceramide NP, Glycine, Saccharide Isomerate, Tocopherol, Glutamic Acid, Lysine, Leucine, Methionine, Valine, Serine, Cysteine, Aspartic Acid, Alanine, Arginine, Isoleucine, Caviar Extract, Tyrosine, Threonine, Phenylalanine, Proline, Histidine, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Tremella Fuciformis (Mushroom) Extract
The cushion comes itself comes sealed for sanitary reasons. Packaging wise, the cushion case is very sturdy; I feel like this would survive the daily abuse of being thrown in and out of my bag easily. Plus, it's cute!
The swirls are adorable as well! Even though the swirls are pink and white, they transfer no pinkness to my skin, which I'm very grateful for (I already deal with enough redness in my cheeks).
I hated sticking my fingers in this, but I did it. For you. sobs quietly
I tried so frickin' hard to get a good picture of how this cushion highlighted my face beautifully, but it just didn't show up well on camera (my front-facing camera is horrible, and I suppose I just couldn't find the right lighting), so we'll have to make do with a hand swatch! The formula is very sheer, and provides just the right amount of glow without looking too shimmery or over the top. Unlike a lot of highlighters, this one doesn't just sit on top of the skin, but sinks in a bit, making it look very natural. It also smells just like strawberry candy! I absolutely adore the scent, and wish all my compacts smelled like this one. It's also very blendable; I apply it with the sponge applicator, and then if I need to, blend out a bit with my fingers, but the sponge generally does a pretty good job on its own.
The cushion seems to stay in place throughout the day; even in the hot summer heat, I don't notice it looking greasy or melting down my cheeks, which is usually a big issue for me. It actually is quite moisturizing, and helps with the dry patches that I tend to get on my cheeks/chin. I use this as you would a normal highlight; a few pats on my cheekbones, forehead, nose, and chin works wonders to give me that sought after, dewy glow without weighing down my skin.
I've never really thought that I needed a highlighter cushion in my makeup routine before, but I'm really liking the light, dewy moisture and subtle sheen that this cushion provides. I would definitely recommend this to a wide variety of skin types, especially those with drier skin; if your makeup often settles into your skin and makes it look lackluster and dull, or if you suffer from streaks/flakes from drying foundations/BB creams, this might be your savior! I love that it also can be used without makeup, for those days when I want pretty, glowing skin without having to slap on a ton of makeup. You can find this cushion for about US $24 on YesStyle and I've spotted a few on Amazon (US $21) and eBay ($18) in the same price range.
A big thanks to Cupidrop for allowing me to test this out! What do you think about the cushion highlighter concept? Is it something you would incorporate into your routine?
Disclaimer: This product was sent to me courtesy of Cupidrop for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
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