Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control No 13 (True Beige) and No 14 (Pink Beige)

After using Iope Air Cushion Matte (in color M13), I decided to dig out my Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control and ponder the differences. And finally post something about Pore Control, because I need to work through the backlog of cushion entries that are sitting saved as drafts.

So, let's get started, shall we?

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Today's contestants:

Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control SPF 50+ PA+++ in these two colors:

• No 13 - True Beige

and

• No 14 - Pink Beige.

I have written before about the standard Laneige BB Cushion, also in No 14 - Pink Beige. In the meantime I also got a refill of the new shade No 11 - Light Beige.
So, right now, my Laneige cushions shades are as follows:

• No 11 - Light Beige Laneige BB Cushion
• No 14 - Pink Beige Laneige BB Cushion
• No 13 - True Beige Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control
• No 14 - Pink Beige Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control

You can jump for joy that I don't own any Whitening or Anti-Aging Laneige Cushion versions.
(But if any store wants to send me a refill for review purposes, I'll happily accept it, hahahaha!)

I know this cushion is not for everyone. There are some less than flattering opinions on it out in the cyberspace.

Even for me, it took the heat and humidity of Japanese summer to fully appreciate this cushion's potential.

But first things first.

What's a cushion foundation?

For the benefit of those readers, who are new to cushion foundations - it's a type of base makeup, where the liquid is housed in a foundation-saturated sponge, a.k.a. cushion.
The cushion sits in a specially designed compact and features a special applicator.
You press on the cushion with this applicator and then in a stamping motion apply the foundation to your face.

And that's it, in a nutshell.
Click on the tab "cushion foundations" to read about other cushions in my ever expanding collection.

Laneige is a well known Korean skincare and makeup brand hailing from Amore Pacific. Amore Pacific, despite its silly name, is a number 1 cosmetic company in Korea.

Think of it as the L'Oreal of Korea. Just like L'Oreal, Amore Pacific also holds a varied portfolio of brands - from inexpensive drugstore ones like Etude House, to high end fancy schmancy ones like Sulwhasoo.

Laneige is somewhere in the middle. Not high-end, and not bargain bin. Just a solid mid-range brand featuring a full assortment of skincare and makeup.

If you live in the US, you can buy certain Laneige products at Target. If you live in Europe, you can buy them online from Korea.

As with nearly all other cushions currently on the market (nearly, because there are always exceptions), Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control comes to us in a simple box.
My versions came to me from Korea, so they have Korean writing on them. I am only assuming that Singaporean and American versions have English text on them instead of hangul.

In the box (as you can see in one of the photos above), we get a cushion compact with a refill (15 gram) already loaded, a sealed refill packet (15 gram) and a leaflet.

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Let's see what the leaflet for Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control has to say:

Wow! It promises quite a lot.

• Semi-matte finish? 

YES! I loved this finish. It reminded me of Kate Powderless Liquid for Cover (Kanebo, Tokyo Kate), but with an even nicer end result.

• Long-lasting?

Check. But you have to be careful what you put it on. On me it didn't want to work with any of my usual sunblocks.
Eventually, through trial and error, I noticed that it worked like magic when paired with Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV sunblock/base. When applied on top of Canmake, the cushion would last and last and last.

• SPF50+PA+++?

Yes, but if you think that a cushion alone will give you an adequate level of UV protection, you are very naive. It won't, because it can't. It's physically impossible to apply enough foundation to be properly protected from the sun. Always use a separate sunblock, unless wrinkles, photoaging and skin cancer is the look you're going for.

• Cooling sensation?

Yes, but that's pretty typical of all cushions out there.

• Pore coverage?

Yes. Though to be honest, I think this cushion does cheat a little. Or a lot, depending on how you look at it.
It's the semi-matte, non-dewy finish that is responsible for the illusion of perfect pore coverage.

• Pore Control?

No idea. Didn't notice any.

Yes, it is non-greasy. That is definitely true.
It gives a beautiful powdery finish that I liked so much that I didn't bother to set with a powder. There was no need. My face wasn't shiny or dewy. But at the same time, it was still pretty glowing.

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The cushion compact itself is pretty standard:

You can't tell what type of Laneige cushion it is from looking on the cover.
To check the details, you need to flip it over and look at the bottom:

And there you also can see the date of manufacture.
As you can see, this compact is loaded with a Pore Control No 14 Pink Beige refill.

Right side up and opened, there is the eponymous white and blue Rubycell applicator puff.

The puff picks up just enough of the product and ensures even application. Its special porous material (Rubycell technology) has antimicrobial properties that inhibit growth of mold and bacteria. So it's supposedly safe to dunk it in the cushion time and again, even after touching your face. Unfortunately, cleaning it an arduous task that I'd rather avoid, so I just buy multi pack replacements. Makes life a lot easier.

As you can see, this poor puff got a bit mangled by the lid of the compact.

And speaking of the puff and the lid.
Cushion compacts are equipped with an inner cover to protect the surface of the cushion. And the applicator puff fits nicely on top of that cover.

Yes, I know, stuffing a damp puff in there and closing the compact gives me nightmares, too. Yet oddly enough, despite being too lazy to wash the puff after each application, my face hasn't rotted off yet.

When you lift the inner cover, you can see that when the cushion is brand new, its surface is protected by a security sticker.
Some people save these stickers and reuse them to keep their cushions fresher longer. I don't bother.
I just peel it off and toss it in the garbage.

Pretty, pretty, hey, hey!
And this is what a cushion foundation it.
A chunk of sponge saturated with foundation. Of course, for this type of foundation to work, the liquid must be pretty, well... liquid.
That characteristic and the stamping application technique are responsible for the "second skin", flawless finish that cushions are famous for.

The cushion itself looks pretty dark, but when you dunk your finger in it, you realize that the actual foundation color is a lot lighter.

The cushion has a scent, but mercifully, it goes away pretty quickly (unlike other Laneige products, cough, sleeping pack, cough, white renew essence, cough).

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Swatches of Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control No 14 and No 13 (for comparison):

Recently, Amore Pacific has been adding new cushion shades to its many different brands.
Iope got a new shade number 13.
Laneige also got a couple of new colors, one supposedly lighter (No 11) and a darker one too?

I can't speak for the darker shades, though I understand that finding a cushion suitable for a darker skin color is a challenge.

Here's how the story goes for the pale and pasty folk:

It's frustrating. Very frustrating.

All swatch photos are unfiltered and were taken in natural light, just in different conditions, and with different cameras.

I decided to try No 13 True Beige on my face (unedited photo in natural light):

I didn't use a primer that day, this is how it looks on bare skin without any corrector or concealer.
As you can see, it didn't fully cover the melasma splotches on my forehead. The dark circles under my eyes are still there.
And you can clearly see that my face is not dewy wet but powdery and glowy at the same time.
The color is still a tiny bit too dark for the rest of me. My neck and collarbone area looks lighter than my face.

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Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control SPF50+ PA+++ ingredients:

According to the Korean list on the leaflet, colors No 13 - True Beige, No 14 - Pink Beige, and No 21 - Natural Beige, have the same ingredient lists.

Color No 23 - Sand Beige has a slightly different list. Nothing important, all the basic ingredients are the same.

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Where to buy:

All reputable online stores selling Korean cosmetics should have a full assortment of Laneige cushions.
I got my cushions from TGI Wholesale (yes, you can buy retail from them) and from W2Beauty.
If you register on W2Beauty using this code: 182991708, you'll get $5.00 off your first order. You need to use this code 182991708 to receive the discount. Free worldwide shipping directly from Korea. Enjoy!

I honestly don't remember how much I paid. Check the websites to see current prices.

No 13 came through a trade with another blogger.

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Conclusion:

I like it.

Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control SPF50+ PA+++ is PERFECT for the summer. It survives crazy heat and humidity. It doesn't clog my pores (maybe the magical pore care is really working?). It doesn't make me break out. 

What more would a girl want?

(from a mid-range foundation anyway).

The end.

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Disclaimer:
This post contains an affiliate link. Shopping through the affiliate link helps support this blog.
All products featured in today's post were purchased or traded by me.