Yves Saint Laurent Le Cushion Encre De Peau - Fusion Ink Cushion Foundation

Yes, this is indeed my review of the long awaited and much praised Yves Saint Laurent cushion foundation.

If you are new to cushion foundations, please start by clicking on the "cushion foundations" tab in the top menu, though I'm assuming that by now most beauty fans around the world are already familiar with the concept.

Please, don't ask. I don't know how it happened. I guess I secretly must enjoy the feelings of pain and disappointment, because despite my previous experiences with cushions from the house of L'Oreal, I keep buying the damn things.

You know, it's like when people slow down to watch car wrecks, they are both drawn and repelled by the gory mayhem. I'm like that with cushion foundations from the many L'Oreal brands.

• First was the Lancome Miracle wreck of a cushion.
• Then came the Asian version, which was the same, but under a different name.
• Maybelline and L'Oreal cushions were so unspeakably awful that I decided to simply not speak about them.
• Shu Uemura's cushion compact filled with wall insulation fiberglass was just that. 
• As was the new Lancome Miracle cushion cover version. 
• Biotherm's cushion, famous mainly for its ability to leak from the case, is, mercifully, not available in Japan.
• Bobbi Brown's skanky attempt was too skanky, even for my own incredibly low standards.

Yet, of course, all these cushions (I mean high end, let's pretend that L'Oreal and Maybelline never happened) got glowing reviews by sponsored and pro bloggers, who were literally bending over backwards to please the brands' PR overlords.

And then there was Yves Saint Laurent and its magical Fusion Ink Cushion Foundation.
Like a good lemming that I am, I obediently marched to the nearest YSL counter (which just happened to be at Tobu department store) on March 18th (the release date in Japan) and got me one.

The L'Oreal Inc beancounters in Paris must be laughing all the way to the bank. They know they have me by the balls. Or cushion puffs. Or both.

I had a chance to play with this cushion a couple of weeks before the launch day and I was very cautiously optimistic. The color seemed all right. The staying power was fine, too. The finish was acceptable. Only the price wasn't.
Holymotherofbatman, that thing was bloody expensive! Breathtakingly expensive. Stroke-inducingly expensive. 7500 yen plus tax.

Yet in the end the pros outweighed the cons, and even though initially I was saying I'd rather chew my leg off and bleed to death than buy another L'Oreal branded cushion, it turns out that I am glad I did. (Yes, in case you've been living under a rock in cyberspace - Yves Saint Laurent is a L'Oreal brand).

And here I should just collapse and self-combust, or something, because it seems that I just said that I actually like a western, L'Oreal branded cushion foundation.

Shocked?

Don't worry! No one is shocked more than me.

Basically, you could just stop reading right here, right now and go and buy yourself your own Yves Saint Laurent Fusion Ink Cushion (you still here? what are you waiting for? go on and buy one already! and no, this is not a sponsored review), but if you want to stick around for the details, here they come!

So, let's get this YSL cushion party started, shall we?

The goods come packaged in a shiny, gold box. I suppose it meant to evoke the feelings of luxury, but instead made me think of old ladies who try too hard. Real luxury doesn't need to show off.

As you can see, I bought color number 10, or rather B10, as they call it in Asia.
Yves Saint Laurent Fusion Ink Cushion Foundation comes in 6 shades in most Asian countries, though only 5 are available for purchase in Japan.

The compact is black and gold. Again, I guess Yves Saint Laurent was going for rich and fancy, but instead ended up with high-end hooker esthetics.

On the back of the box it tells us that:

Yep, this cushion is supposed to perform all kinds of makeup sorcery:

• long lasting
• all-day wear
• shine-free (calling all nearly-matte finish lovers!!!)
• flawless coverage
• ultra-smooth texture
• weightless feel
• protection, hydration, blah blah blah...

In other words, pretty standard claims of just about any base makeup product out there.

The cushion is made in Korea:

There are 14 grams of product packed inside.
The YSL cushion compact is interchangeable with other L'Oreal branded cushions and with some Korean cushions (most those manufactured by Cosmax).

Oh yes, the compact.
It's black. Nearly all black. Which makes me want to get a silver fern decal on the case and force my guy to do the haka every time I apply makeup.

The puff is average. Rubycell it ain't, that's for sure.
And pity that the application side is nearly white. Buuu... So much for my All Blacks fantasy.

In Japan the bottom of the case has a Japanese-language sticker. I was too lazy to try to peel it off.

And speaking of cushion cases, Yves Saint Laurent Fusion Ink Cushion came fully assembled. The refill was pre-loaded in the case. When I asked to purchase just the refill, I was told that wasn't possible. There was no option to buy the case separately, either. How very unjapanese, YSL!!! What were you thinking???

So let's open this baby, ok?

White sticker? How anti-climactic.
But yeah, if your cushion is brand new, the surface of the sponge should be protected by a sticker with the YSL logo. Any other generic sticker means that your cushion is no longer a virgin.


And under the sticker?

The cushion in all its glory.

Yes, this is why a cushion foundation is called that. It's basically a chunk of sponge saturated in foundation and placed in a compact. It combines the benefits of liquid foundation with the ease of powder application. And that's it, in a nutshell.

Ah yes, the same type of low-grade, extremely porous sponge that L'Oreal wants to be famous for.

I'll be the first to complain that it's really pathetic that a cushion with such a high price tag has something resembling a kitchen sponge inside. I b*tched and moaned about it last year when writing about the Lancome cushions, so I am not going to repeat myself this time around.

However, it was interesting to read the sponsored apologists explanations as to why L'Oreal brands use such crappy sponges in their products.

One of my favorite bloggers, normally a very level-headed and to-the-point reviewer - Musical Houses, while talking about Biotherm Evermoist CC Cushion (Biotherm is also a L'Oreal brand) totally drank the PR kool-aid and said that the porous sponge was one of the "features" of the Biotherm cushion.

As we can see, that is patently not true, regardless of what Biotherm PR spin machine claims. All L'Oreal cushions are stuffed with the same kind of porous pseudo-features.

In her review, she goes on to quote Biotherm that the bigger pores "are able to trap more air, moisture and formula for a light, breathable texture". Her guess was that "because the sponge is more porous, you pick up less (foundation) during application".

Unfortunately, the laws of physics don't quite work like that, no matter what them crafty PR folks tell us.

This is what bigger pores mean for your cushion foundation:

• Bigger pores mean more foundation is picked up during the application process. 
• That means you waste too much foundation with each application.
• That means you end up overapplying the product.
• Bigger pores mean more air gets trapped inside the cushion causing the product to dry out much faster.
• Bigger pores are more suitable for thicker, heavier textures (but then so are metal plate cushions).
• Sponges with bigger pores are also cheaper. 

This actually explains the infamous bit when the Lancome makeup guru, Lisa Eldridge, was seen applying the Lancome Miracle cushion while bending the applicator puff in half.
It took me nearly a year and a YSL cushion to finally understand why.

The puff picks up waaaay too much foundation and stamping it onto your face is an exercise in futility. To not waste all this already-picked up product, you gotta smear it the traditional way, which is damn hard to do with a cushion puff. So you gently bend it in half and start smearing. I actually caught myself doing that.

Anyway, where was I?


Ah, yes... The YSL Fusion Ink cushion surface.

I pressed it with my finger ever so gently. This is what happened:

See what I mean?
This is too much product for a gentle press. This is what big pores will do.

The color looks light enough, right?
It's B10, let's see how it stacks up next to MAC NC15 and MAC NW10.

Taken in natural light, no filters.

The foundation inside YSL Le Cushion Encre De Peau sets awfully fast, you gotta spread it out ASAP, otherwise you're gonna end up with a mask.
Here is a more blended shot:

I see pink undertones in there, but then again, that's me.

And because I am awesome like that, I also swatched for you shades B10, B20, B30, B40 and B50. B60 in not available in Japan.

(click on the image for larger view)


I also did an oxidation test.
Here are the results after one hour:

Right - freshly applied (artificial light, no filters)

Center - after setting (natural light, no filters)

Left - after one hour (natural light, no filters)

So, what do you think?
Not so bad, I'd say!

Now let's talk about the very misleading name - Yves Saint Laurent Le Cushion Encre De Peau, or YSL Fusion Ink Cushion Foundation.

You might be excused for believing that the cushion contains the iconic Fusion Ink product. In fact YSL makes us believe it actually does.
But does it?

Well... A quick look at the ingredients tells us otherwise.
Despite the Fusion Ink name, the product inside is something else.

Don't believe me?

Here's a screenshot of what's inside the Fusion Ink Foundation:

From YSL's official page.


And here is what's inside the cushion:

Yves Saint Laurent Le Cushion Encre De Peau ingredients:
Yves Saint Laurent Fusion Ink Cushion Foundation ingredients:

Quite different, wouldn't you say?
Here, I even entered it into CosDNA for you - link.

So yeah, whatever it is, it sure as heck ain't the original Fusion Ink. Nice try YSL! Next time try harder.

What else?

Just like Lancome Miracle Cushion and Biotherm Evermoist CC Cushion, YSL Fusion Ink Cushion also has SPF 23/PA++.

Of course, as with most SPF equipped base makeup, this is just a vanity selling point.
Do NOT, and let me repeat it once again, DO NOT rely on makeup as your sole source of sun protection. Unless, of course, you want to age in a hurry and entertain the possibility of skin cancer in the future. Then, by all means, feel free to listen to idiots, who tell you that SPF 23/PA++ rating provides "an ample dose of sun protection".

What else else?

YSL is touting the "rolling ink gel system" that this foundation supposedly has, and which provides superior spreadability and color delivery, as well as a soft focus effect cover.
Whatever that means...

What else else else?

• It's a liquid-to-powder formula.
• The "innovative structure" of the liquid forms an ultra-thin veil on the skin.
• .... zonk.

Oh, what the heck... I'm too lazy to translate the official blurbs from the webpage.
Here.
This is what the very multi-lingual leaflet in the box says:

Yada yada yada...


My thoughts on YSL Fusion Ink Cushion Foundation.

Guess what???
Their promises are TRUE!!! Well, nearly all true.

• - natural looking effect? YES.
• - long lasting? - YES.
• - lightweight? -Yeah.
• - matte finish? - Kinda.
• - coverage? - Sufficient.
• - moisturizing? - NO!!! Absolutely no!!!
• - comfortable to wear? - Yes.
• - light-diffusing? - How the hell am I supposed to know?
• - shine-free? - Absofreakinlutely.

And some additional thoughts:

• Did it break me out? - Too soon to judge, but so far so good.
• Accentuates fine lines? - At my age anything accentuates fine lines and wrinkles. But this foundation did not make me look 10 years older, so I'm quite pleased.
• Emphasizes pores? - Well, not in my case.
• Scent? - Minimal and non-offensive.

And now, excuse me while I collapse to the floor and self-combust.
I've gone and done it.
I'm liking this cushion. A lot.

Final verdict?

Yves Saint Laurent Le Cushion Encre De Peau (a.k.a. YSL Fusion Ink Cushion Foundation) is a great cushion, western or otherwise. Few Korean cushions come even close.

The next sound you hear is me fainting and hitting the floor...

Bang!

Shu Uemura blanc:chroma brightening UV cushion foundation

And yet another L'Oreal brand releases a cushion foundation compact that should have never seen the light of day.

And basically, that could be the end of this review, because you already know everything you need to know about the brand new Shu Uemura Blanc:Chroma Brightening UV SPF50+ PA+++ cushion foundation. Or perhaps blanc:chroma, as it says on the package.

 The oil was a freebie.

Paid and sponsored shills will tell you how great this Blanc:Chroma (a.k.a. blanc:chroma) is.
Luckily for you, I'm neither paid nor sponsored.
And luckily for you, I am actually a huge Shu Uemura fan girl (and an Utowa fan girl, too, if any Shu folks are reading this). Because I have this giant soft spot in my heart for all things Shu, I'll go as easy in this review as humanely possible.

So, let's be gentle now and say it as kindly as possible - this cushion is absolute shit. Rubbish. Garbage.
And trust me, that's a huge, fat understatement. Actually, I didn't think it was even possible, but it's a step down from the Lancome Miracle Cushion ver 1.0 (a.k.a. Lancome Blanc Expert, as it was called in Asia, ver 1.0).
At least those cushions were, you know... cushions.


But let's start at the beginning...

Rumors about a Shu Uemura cushion foundation had been going on for over a year. And despite Shu being, just like Lancome, a L'Oreal brand (and we all know how those cushions ended up), I was excited like a chihuahua high on Red Bull and acid when the actual release date was announced.

On Friday, February 26th, I got in the car and drove through the woods on winding mountain roads to the only Shu counter on the outer reaches of northern Kanto. I even managed to find a parking space close to the entrance to the mall. I took it as a good omen.

The Shu Uemura counter was moderately crowded, which gave me time to saunter over to Dior to play with their new cushion foundation, incidentally, released on the same day (more about it later). It's raining cushions, you people! A few years too late, but losers can't be choosers.

Back over at the Shu place, a friendly SA didn't even bat an eye when I asked to swatch ALL the available blanc:chroma cushion foundation shades. The closest, though still far from ideal, match for me turned out to be number 584 (fair sand).

And so with my Shu Uemura members' card in hand, I asked for a set. Because you see, as always in Japan, this kind of shit is sold here piecemeal. You buy everything separately - a case, a refill, and because Shu Uemura brought it to a new low - an applicator puff. A heartfelt f*ck you to whoever thought of this idea. The SA wanted to assemble my new cushion, but once I showed her the cushions in my purse (had an Iope and an AP cushion with me that day), she decided that I was suitably experienced to take my new Shu Uemura cushion home still all wrapped up, shiny and new.

If this is the first time you are hearing about cushion foundations, please click on the "cushion foundation" tab in the top menu and start there.
Basically, it's a sponge saturated in foundation and housed in a special compact. You press on the sponge with an applicator and pat it gently onto your face. This method of application is what makes cushion foundations so popular and trendy, because it creates a flawless, photoshopped look.

OK, back to Shu Uemura blanc:chroma brightening UV cushion foundation.

So, what do we have here?

Purple (lilac? violet?) boxes.
Inside there is an ever so slightly off-white purplish cushion compact.

The foundation is labeled as SPF 50+/PA+++, but please for the love of everything that is dear, do not rely on makeup as your sole source of UV protection. Don't listen to people who tell you that makeup with SPF is enough, that you don't need a separate sunblock/ sunscreen. They are blabbering idiots.


Shu says that it's a high cover foundation (think a crappy version of Estee Lauder Double Wear - I say that, not Shu, of course) that is supposed to brighten, have superior staying power, feel invisible on the skin and offer a flawless finish. Basically, your standard base makeup promises.

I can't be arsed to retype the PR bullshit, so here it is from the website verbatim:

And some more:

Screenshots taken from Shu Uemura's Malaysian website (because it's in English).
You can read all the PR spin here - click.


The compact case is identical to the Lancome cushion case, and they are mutually interchangeable. That means that a Shu refill will also fit into a Banila Co and A-True cushion cases.

Now, the question is whether or not you'd want to fit that refill anywhere other than a trash can... We shall see...

There is no leaflet in the box. That actually made me happy. Because it's eco-friendly. But that actually made me unhappy. Because if I am going to pay that much money for something, it better have all the bells and whistles, or paper leaflets, of a high-end brand.
Here, all relevant information is printed on the box.

The shade number is printed on the box only, but not on the foil packaging. Very confusing. And very cheap. And not nice at all. Imagine you have two different refills out of their boxes. You're shit out of luck.

You gotta open the refill packet to make sure you got the right color.
Refills are pretty standard 13 grams. Nothing special here.

And finally here you have the color number. It matches what's printed on the box. Hallelujah!
As you can see, this cushion is made in Korea.

The refill was a ridiculously tight fit into the compact. I don't know if all of them are like that, but mine was. Oddly enough, it fit into the Lancome compact quite easily. That leads me to believe that Shu compacts might run a bit tight indeed. Or are simply shoddily made. Somehow it wouldn't surprise me.

And here it gets all funky.

First, the puff.

Holymotherofbatman! What is it?
It's a normal pressed powder puff. A fuzzy little thing.

It's not a cushion puff!!!
I tried using this... this... thing to apply the foundation, and with absolutely zero surprise to no one, it didn't really work. The SA must have known it as well, because they didn't even bother with this abomination and used good ole triangle sponges.

The ironic thing is that one of the expert Shu people (Yuji Asano, international chief make-up artist / product designer) says this:

“I wanted to create an application puff which delivers visible coverage and beautiful natural radiance that are achievable for every woman effortlessly and without special technique.”

Yuji darling, you say you created a powder puff? Really? You mean, you got the brilliant idea to make it light purple perhaps?
Sweetcheeks, if fuzzy powder puffs were so awesome for cushions and natural radiance, then the good folks over at Amore Pacific (who invented the damn cushion thing in the first place) would be falling over each other to stick fuzzy powder puffs into their award winning cushion pacts.

Dear Yuji, you can spin it any way you want, but it's still a turd. Using this puff you will not achieve a "cushion" effect on your face.
I tossed it into my makeup drawer (briefly considered giving it to my cat to play with) and replaced it with a Rubycell puff (bought a bunch of those way back).

So, with the puff out of the way, we can finally open the refill lid.

Holymotherofbatman! What is this thing?

There is no sticker protecting the "cushion" surface. The "cushion" surface is white. The foundation sits deep in the bowels of the refill pot. Reminded me of a brand new A-True cushion. They also used to come out white. But, but... A-True was an actual cushion.

This thing here? Not so much.

The surface of the whatever-it-is is protected by a net.

You can see it better once you press on it to dispense some foundation.
The new Lancome cover type cushion, the one with SPF 50+ is also a net-type cushion.

What's under that net? Hmmm... Inquiring minds want to know.

With a box cutter I gently pried the net from under the refill's rim. I had to know what was in there. As a kid I used to saw AA batteries in half to see what was inside. I guess I never quite grew out of that phase of my life.

So, there it is. The innards of Shu Uemura blanc:chroma brightening UV cushion.

There is no sponge inside. Just this glass wool-like material that made me think of wall insulation.

Image: wikipedia

As a cost-cutting measure it was a brilliant move. Why invest in a high quality sponge (I guess I wasn't the only one who complained about the too porous Lancome cushion sponges, better fit for moistening stamps at the post office than for use in a cushion compact), if you can get rid of the sponge altogether? Winning!!!

I was able to push the netting back under the edge of the refill, so the cushion remained usable.

I dug around the net a bit and saw that Shu claims that this "new innovative cushion mechanism" (a.k.a. this wall filler thingy) is called "non-woven fiber matrix".
Non-woven fiber matrix is a fancy name for fiberglass. Fiberglass is a fancy name for... yep, you guessed it, glass wool!
I'm a f*cking genius! I know my wall insulation like a proper architect's daughter that I am.

Interested in the ingredients? Here they are (printed on the box).

Shu Uemura blanc:chroma brightening UV cushion foundation ingredients:

Denatured alcohol as the fourth ingredient. Wow! I'm impressed. It takes a special talent to release a product so mediocre and charge this kind of money for it.
And yes, I know, it takes a special kind of dumb to actually buy it. Guilty as charged.

Shu Uemura blanc:chroma brightening UV cushion comes in 6 shades.
Colors starting with "7" are yellow-toned. Colors starting with "5" are pink-toned.


Here, I swatched all of them for you, because I'm awesome like that.

Artificial light, no filters applied.
Number 764 is listed as "standard shade" on Shu's website.

I bought number 584 (a.k.a. fair sand). It looks very light next to other Shu Uemura blanc:chroma cushion shades. But, but...

Here is how it swatched next to Iope N21 cushion and MAC NW10 and NC15.

Natural light, no filters applied.

And here they are all blended:

Despite the less than ideal color, I decided to give this cushion a chance.
I wore it for 9 days. I was planning 2 weeks, but my skin needs a break. So I am going to stop now.

First impressions:

• - pretty heavy cover
• - this stuff is virtually waterproof! The SA tried to remove the store swatches using one of Shu oils and a makeup remover. That night I took a bath. The next morning I took a shower. There were STILL remnants of the swatches on my arm. 
• - the formula is very drying. Let me repeat it - very drying. 
• - because the formula is very drying, it is not suitable for dry skin.
• - it doesn't visibly oxidize, the color stays true through the day.
• - it lasts, and lasts, and lasts.
• - it emphasized fine lines, pores and dry patches.
• - it needed to be used with a primer.
• - it kills the thin and sensitive skin under the eyes. 
• - ugh
• - it breaks me out. Not huge big zits, but rather closed comedones everywhere. An explosion of closed comedones. My skin was smooth and fine in the morning and covered in small white bumps in the evening. 
• - no dewy effect
• - no glow
• - just a normal nearly matte finish. 
• - the applicator that came with the cushion is a joke.

Unedited photo, natural light.

Products used:
- KohGenDo base (pearl)
- Shu Uemura blanc:chroma brightening UV cushion in 584
- KohGenDo Illuminator (white)
- Anna Sui highlighter
- Majolica Majorca cream de cheek blush (coral cream)
- Shu Uemura drawing crayons (orange and lilac)
- Shu Uemura drawing pencils (gold and brown)
- Dior It-Lash mascara
- Shu Uemura Lip Lacquer in BG02 and CR01

I can only get away with this cushion while wearing a turtleneck.
Because of the cover you can't really see the comedones on my forehead, but they are there, trust me.


Who would be happy with this cushion?
Hmmm... someone who needs more cover than what Korean cushions can provide. Someone who doesn't like dewy. Someone who doesn't have dry skin and a lot of wrinkles. Someone who is not sensitive to alcohol.

In other words - this is a very western foundation packed into a quasi-cushion form.
I should have sat this one out. That'll teach me.

How much:

• refill - 4200 yen plus tax
• case - 1300 yen plus tax
• puff (yes, they charge you extra for this piece of shit puff) - 500 yen plus tax

From now on, I'll stick to Shu Uemura point makeup. Now, that stuff is definitely worth buying.

AMOREPACIFIC Treatment Color Control Cushion SPF50+/PA+++ in 100C

Yes, we will talk about the flagship Amore Pacific Treatment Color Control Cushion today. It's about time.

Dzis w koncu bedzie o podkladzie w poduszce marki Amore Pacific - Amore Pacific Treatment Color Control Cushion. 

I'm a huge fan of Caroline Hirons and I tend to hang out on her blog and YouTube channel quite a bit. Why do I like her? Because, unlike most beauty blogebrities these days, she's not 25 years old and she's not perfect.
And judging by the numbers of followers, many people feel about her in exactly the same way I do.

So yeah, a couple of months ago I was reading the comments on her blog and realized that there was one question that her fans keep asking her over and over, and which she very conveniently ignores.

And the question being:

Why don't you write something about Asian skincare products? Do you use Asian skincare? Please tell us more about Asian skincare!

Actually, that's two questions and one random comment, but I'm sure you know what I mean.

And whenever I see such questions directed at Caroline Hirons, I laugh so hard that Coke Zero squirts out of my nose. Why?
Because Ms Hirons, bless her heart, is a business. And any idiot who thinks that her posts are unbiased and non-sponsored, is indeed that - an idiot.

So the reason why Ms Hirons doesn't write about Asian products is very simple. No Asian companies have reached out to her PR people yet (and no, Tatcha is not an Asian brand).
Plus, she really likes those overpriced western "niche" brands, you know, those with "cutting edge" and "revolutionary" ingredients that are virtually identical to Hada Labo, but which cost 70 pounds per bottle.

UPDATE: 

Caroline Hirons actually responded on her blog that she doesn't specifically seek out Asian products, but if she comes across something, she will review it.  
I like her answer. It sounds honest. And it shows that Ms Hirons recognizes that Asian beauty is not something she is familiar with.

Przyznaje sie, ze jestem fanka Caroline Hirons (link do jej strony powyzej w wersji angielskiej). Czytam jej bloga i zagladam na jej kanal na YouTube. Dlaczego ja lubie? Ano dlatego, poniewaz w przeciwienstwie do innych blogebrytek, Caroline Hirons ma juz swoje lata, wyglada na swoje lata i nie udaje perfekcyjnie wypacykowanej lalki. I po komentarzach na jej blogu, widze, ze wiele jej fanek ma podobne odczucia.

Fanki owe pytaja sie jej o rozne marki pielegnacyjne i coraz czesciej widze tez pytania o to co pani Hirons sadzi o azjatyckich kosmetykach. I zawsze kiedy widze to pytanie, to az krztusze sie na mojej Coke Zero ze smiechu.
Dlaczego? Bo pani Hirons jest biznesem. Azjatyckie marki nie wpadly jeszcze na pomysl, aby sie do niej podlizac. A szkoda, bo jesli Caroline Hirons mowi, ze produkt jest dobry, to rzesze fanek poslusznie, jak dobrze wytrenowane lemmingi, od razu leca i kupuja. Nawet jesli ow produkt, oczywiscie marki niszowej i drogiej, bo w takich lubuje sie pani Hirons, pelen "rewolucyjnych" skladnikow i innych cudow na patyku, ma sklad niemal identyczny jak drogeryjne Hada Labo. A kosztuje 70 funtow za butelke.

I'm not sure whether Amore Pacific ever got in touch with Ms Hirons PR folks, but seriously, they should. She does endorse big name luxury brands, providing they are sufficiently expensive.
And Amore Pacific, with its flagship namesake brand, fancy ingredients, and equally fancy price tags fits nicely into that category.

Imagine what she could do for Amore Pacific Treatment Color Control Cushion, if she mentioned it on her blog! Literally thousands of good, little lemmings would run out to buy one.

Amore Pacific zamiast tracic czas na obijanie sie na instagramie, powinien skontaktowac sie z PRowcami pani Hirons. Bo Amore Pacific wpasowuje sie idealnie w jej upodobania. Marka jest droga, ekskluzywna, pelna fikusnych skladnikow, w ladnych opakowaniach. I na dodatek, zazwyczaj robi to co obiecuje.

Mozna sobie tylko wyobrazic jakie cuda marketingowe pani Hirons moglaby zadzialac dla Amore Pacific Treatment Color Control Cushion, jesli opisalaby ja na swoim blogu. Tysiace grzecznych lemmingow natychmiast wyciagnelo by karty kredytowe.

And unlike those natural niche nonsense brands that Ms Hirons is so fond of, but which copy their ingredients wholesale from Asian products and think that an average woman is too dumb to notice, Amore Pacific is actually worth buying.


Why is it worth buying?
Because it's good. It might be overpriced, yeah, I agree with that, it might spout inflated claims here and there, but overall, it's a solid higher end brand with solid higher end products.

And this cushion - Amore Pacific Treatment Color Control Cushion SPF50+/PA+++ is no exception. It's not a coincidence that it gets rave reviews in the US (where you can buy it at Sephora). Because it's good. It's really good. And if you've read more than two posts on this blog of mine, then you know this is not something that I say lightly.

I w przeciwienstwie do tych srutututu niszowych marek, ktore pani Hirons tak bardzo kocha, a ktore kopiuja swoje formuly od azjatyckich produktow i mysla, ze przecietna konsumentka nie zauwazy, Amore Pacific jest calkowicie wart polecenia. I kupienia.

Dlaczego?
Bo jest dobry. Tak. Jest drogi. Za bardzo drogi. Ale poza nielicznymi wpadkami, jest to solidna marka wysokopolkowa z solidnymi wysokopolkowymi produktami.

Dzisiejsza poduszka - Amore Pacific Treatment Color Control Cushion SPF50+/PA+++ potwierdza ta regule. To nie przypadek, ze ta poduszka zbiera wspaniale recenzje w USA. Jest naprawde dobra. I stali czytelnicy tego bloga wiedza, ze ja nie rzucam takich slow przypadkowo.

~~~

So, yes, let's get this party started.

Even though in the US there is only one Amore Pacific cushion available (correction - it seems that Neiman Marcus started to carry the anti-aging version with SPF25 as well), there are two in Hong Kong, and three in Korea.

Wiec, do dziela!

W USA dostepne sa dwie wersje poduszki Amore Pacific: Treatment Color Control z SPF 50+, oraz Anti-Aging z SPF 25.
W Hong Kongu dostepne sa dwie wersje - na obrazku ponizej.
A w Korei - trzy: jedna Treatment Color Control i dwie wersje Anti-Aging, ktore roznia sie SPF.

image source: AmorePacific Hong Kong


As far as I could see, in the US you only get the Treatment Color Control Cushion (and exclusively at Neiman Marcus the anti-aging version with SPF 25). Hong Kong gets both types - Anti-Aging Color Control Cushion and Treatment Color Control Cushion. And Korea gets 2 types of Anti-Aging, where the main difference seems to be the level of SPF protection.

As it is normally the case in such situations, different shades are available in different countries.
Here's a handy compilation that I put together just for you:

I jak to zazwyczaj w takich sytuacjach bywa, rozne kraje oferuja rozne odcienie:

My Amore Pacific Treatment Color Control Cushion is labeled as 100C. I got it on G-Market (a Korean e-commerce site similar to Amazon). And even by G-Market standards, it was pretty expensive (comparable to the prices in the US).

Moja Amore Pacific Treatment Color Control Cushion jest oznaczona jako 100C. Kupilam ja na G-Markecie (koreanska strona cos pomiedzy e-bayem a Amazonem). Cena mojej poduszki byla porownywalna do cen w USA.

So what is this Amore Pacific, I hear you say?

It's the largest beauty company in South Korea. In 2014 its total revenue equaled 2.877 billion euro (by comparison, L'Oreal had total revenues of 22.532 billion euro).

Other differences - L'Oreal was founded in 1909, Amore Pacific in 1945; L'Oreal employs around 78 thousand people, Amore Pacific less than 12 thousand; L'Oreal and its many brands are very well known worldwide (including South Korea) while Amore Pacific is strongest on its home turf. When you consider the revenue of 2.877 billion euro in that context, then suddenly it turns out that Amore Pacific packs quite a punch.

And while we are at it, I am never sure how to spell "Amore Pacific" properly. Is it AMOREPACIFIC? Or AmorePacific? Or Amore Pacific?
Because I am lazy by nature, and to please the search engine gods, I am going to use all three spellings interchangeably.

Amore Pacific to najwiekszy koncern kosmetyczny w Korei Poludniowej. Powyzej zrobilam male porownanie pomiedzy L'Oreal a Amore Pacific (po angielsku).

Anyway, back to the cushion at hand.

If this is the first time you are seeing a cushion foundation compact, please click on the Cushion Foundation tab in the top menu and work your way backwards.

So, basically, a cushion foundation is a chunk of sponge that is saturated with foundation and housed in a special compact. You dab on the sponge with an applicator puff and then pat pat with the applicator on your face. Can't get any easier. No need for makeup brushes, beauty blenders, or getting your fingers dirty.

Amore Pacific is famous for its cushions. Iope, Laneige, Hera, Sulwhasoo are all Amore Pacific brands famous for their cushions. And yes, I think I have nearly all of them. (Nope, I don't have a problem, I simply like my cushions).

Confusingly, Amore Pacific is also the name of the flagship brand of AmorePacific corporation. And that Amore Pacific brand also has its own cushion, or two.

As you could see in the photos above, the box is simple and stylish.
The compact is also simple and stylish. (See Lancome, this is how it's done!)

Ale wracamy do tematu poduszek.
Czym jest podklad w poduszce?
To kawalek gabki nasaczony podkladem i umieszczony w specjalnym kompakcie. Naciskamy aplikatorem na ta gabke, aplikator nabiera dokladnie tyle podkladu ile potrzeba i packamy sie na twarzy. Nie smarujemy, nie myziamy, ale wlasnie lekko przyciskamy aplikator do skory. Nie sa potrzebne pedzle, blendery, a paluchy pozostaja czyste.

Amore Pacific slynie z poduszek. Iope, Laneige, Hera, Sulwhasoo - to marki ze stajni Amore Pacific, ktore slyna ze swoich poduszek. 
Zeby narobic zamieszania, Amore Pacific to rowniez marka ze stajni Amore Pacific. I ktora rowniez ma swoja poduszke, lub dwie, lub trzy.

Jak widac ze zdjecia, pudelko jest proste i ladne. Kompakt jest rowniez prosty i ladny (Lancome moglby sie kilku rzeczy nauczyc od Amore Pacific).

Cushion refills from other higher end Amore Pacific should fit into it as well, so if you want, you can get away with filling it up with Iope or Laneige if you need a replacement refill.
Dior Blooming Cushion refill also fits into the Amore Pacific compact.

Wkladki wymienne od innych wyzszo-polkowych marek ze stajni Amore Pacific powinny sie w ten kompakt rowniez zmiescic. Jak i wklad do poduszki Dior!

That's the underside. As you can see, this refill was manufactured in September of 2014. Don't worry, I'm already done with it.

It's really easy to replace the refill, just pop it out of the compact. The trilingual leaflet in the box provides handy instructions in Korean, Chinese and English:

Ulotka w trzech jezykach (angielski, koreanski i chinski) pokazuje nam jak wymienic wklad:

The leaflet also mentions that the puff is anti-microbial (RubyCell technology), which means it inhibits the growth of bacteria, which means you don't have to wash it after every single use.

Ulotka rowniez wyjasnia, ze aplikator ma wlasciwosci antybakteryjne (technologia RubyCell), wiec nie trzeba panikowac jesli nie mamy szans go wyprac po jednym, czy dwoch, czy trzech uzyciach.

Do not bend or fold the puff in two when you are applying makeup. You will break it. The idea is to tap gently to achieve that flawless, photoshopped finish.

What else was in the box? Apart from the compact (already preloaded with a refill) and a leaflet, a replacement refill is also provided for your convenience. So, while the whole box may seem very pricey, you are actually getting 30 grams of foundation in all.

Nie zginaj tego puffa w pol kiedy nakladasz podklad. Zniszczy sie. 

Co jeszcze jest w pudelku? Kompakt juz z zaladowanym wkladem, oraz dodatkowy wklad wymienny. Wiec w sumie dostajemy 30 gramow produktu.

Despite the much touted SPF 50+/PA+++, you'd be pretty stupid to rely on this cushion (or any other cushion for that matter) as your sole sunscreen. It's simply physically impossible to apply enough product to be adequately protected from the sun. Please be smart and always use a separate sunblock. Unless, of course, sunspots and skin cancer are your thing.

Inside the compact, it's pretty much all standard stuff:

Choc poduszka ta jest oznaczona jako SPF 50+/PA+++, tylko totalne bezmozdze uzywaloby jej jako jedynej formy ochrony przeciwslonecznej. Dlaczego? Po prostu jest to fizycznie niemozliwe, aby nalozyc tyle podkladu aby uzyskac ochrone SPF 50. To znaczy sie, z pewnoscia mozna na upartego tyle tego podkladu nalozyc, ale wtedy ludzie naokolo nas zaczna sie dziwnie na nas patrzyc.
Wiec warto zainwestowac w osobny filtr. No chyba ze ktos marzy o wczesnym starzeniu, plamach poslonecznych i raku skory, wtedy jak najbardziej, sama poduszka w zupelnosci wystarczy.

W kompakcie, wszystko jak byc powinno:

As always, the cushion surface is protected by a sticker. Some people actually replace this sticker after each and every use, for as long as the sticky part will hold. I don't bother and chuck it in the garbage.

Gabka z podkladem zabezpieczona jest naklejka. Wiem, ze niektorzy uzywaja tej naklejki wielokrotnie, aby dodatkowo zabezpieczyc poduszke przed przedwczesnym wysychaniem. Ja nie. Naklejka laduje w koszu.

This is what the cushion surface should look like. The pores should be quite fine to help dispense the proper amount every time you press it with the applicator puff. Finer pores also keep the sponge from drying out too quickly.

Tak powinna wygladac powierzchnia poduszki. Male pory w gabce sprawiaja, ze aplikator nabiera tyle podkladu ile potrzeba. Male pory pomagaja rowniez chronic gabke przed przedwczesnym wysychaniem.

My Amore Pacific Treatment Color Control Cushion is labeled as 100C, which is, as you can see, quite light beige.

Here's the swatch bonanza taken using different light sources.
AmorePacific Treatment Color Control Cushion SPF50+/PA+++ in shade 100C:

Swatche AmorePacific Treatment Color Control Cushion SPF50+/PA+++ w odcieniu 100C:

It's quite yellow on my hand, and it looks just as yellow on my face. And despite being labeled as 100C, it's still too dark.

So, can I get away with using it at all? You betcha!
I loved the gorgeous finish it gives me so much that I've been working around the less than perfect color match.
Because, let me tell you, everything else about this cushion is perfect. For once the advertising blurbs were not lying.

Jak widac, odcien 100C to jasny bezowy zoltek. Za ciemny dla mnie, ale i tak go uzywam. 
Dlaczego? Bo efekt koncowy wynagradza fakt, ze musze nosic golfik, kiedy mam ochote na ta poduszke.
Bo, chyba po raz pierwszy mi sie zdarzylo, ze marketingowe obietnice producenta zostaly spelnione.

The finish is light, airy, healthy, it glows without being wet and dewy.  There is no rolling, no pilling, no emphasizing of large pores or wrinkles.
It moisturizes just enough during warmer months (not enough for winter with the heaters going on full blast), it doesn't cause any breakouts (and I break out from thinking about chocolate and looking at BB creams), it leaves the skin looking somehow better at the end of the day when you remove your makeup.
And oh yeah, it stays in place during our horrid, humid summers.

Seriously, everything that's on that leaflet, I've confirmed through my diligent field testing.

Wykonczenie jest lekkie, przejrzyste, dajace efekt zdrowej wypoczetej cery, bez mokrego efektu "dewy". Nic sie nie roluje i nie walkuje. Nie podkresla porow i zmarszczek.
Nawilza wystarczajaco na lato, ale nie wystarczajaca na zime. Nie powoduje wysypu nieprzyjaciol. Po usunieciu makijazu cera jakims cudem wyglada lepiej niz rano. 
A, i jeszcze jedno - trzyma sie na twarzy podczas wysokiej wilgotnosci powietrza i upalow.
Dokladnie wszystko to, co obiecuje ulotka. 

Bamboo sap instead of water doesn't excite me one bit, but it's there and I suppose it provides some skincare benefits.
Though honestly, I don't really care. I'm not an ingredient nazi.

Sok roslinny z bambusa zamiast wody w skladzie nie podnieca mnie. Ale podejrzewam, ze ma jakies wlasciwosci pielegnacyjne.

And speaking of ingredients, here they are:

AMOREPACIFIC Treatment Color Control Cushion SPF50+/PA+++ ingredients (shade 100C):
Sklad poduszki AMOREPACIFIC Treatment Color Control Cushion SPF50+/PA+++ odcieniu 100C:

Phyllostachys Bambusoides Juice, Zinc Oxide, Cyclopentasiloxane, Titanium Dioxide, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Cyclohexasiloxane, Phenyl Trimethicone, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Ethanol, Arbutin, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Acrylates/Ethylhexyl Acrylate/Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Sodium Chloride, Aluminum Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Lecithin, Isostearic Acid, Isopropyl Palmitate, Phenoxyethanol, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Acrylates/Stearyl Acrylate/Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer, Dimethicone, Disodium EDTA, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Water, Silica, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, Fragrance

In short, would I recommend buying AmorePacific Treatment Color Control Cushion SPF50+/PA+++?
If you can afford it, absolutely, go for it! You won't regret it.

This is the Porsche of the cushion world. It's priced accordingly, but just like a luxury car, it makes good on its price tag.

Wiec, czy moge polecic AmorePacific Treatment Color Control Cushion SPF50+/PA+++?
Absolutnie. Jesli ktos moze sobie na nia pozwolic, to jestem pewna, ze nie pozaluje.

To jest odpowiednik Porsche w swiecie podkladow poduszkowych. Drogi, ale wart swojej ceny.

Incidentally, a few months back, a certain Polish beauty blogger living in Singapore expressed her displeasure at the mediocre performance of several cushions that she had tried. As it turned out, they were all rock bottom Amore Pacific brands, the cheapest of the cheap heap.

Based on that she proceeded to tell her thousands of followers that cushions are all hype and no substance. When it was suggested to her to try a quality cushion foundation from one of the higher end Amore Pacific brands, she responded that she didn't see why she should. After all, her cheap cushions were also "Amore Pacific" and, according to her, there couldn't be that much difference between different Amore Pacific brands.

While I normally don't endorse the "price equals quality" mentality, her reasoning made my scratch my head in disbelief so hard my coworkers thought I had lice.

That blogger was like someone who only ever test drove a Škoda, and thought it was a disappointing experience. Yet at the same time didn't want to try driving a Porsche, an Audi, or a Bentley, a Bugatti and a Lamborghini, because all of those cars are made by the same company - Volkswagen Group.

So yeah, don't make the same mistake. Fortunately this AmorePacific Treatment Color Control Cushion is a lot cheaper than a Porsche.