Sidmool - first impressions

Sometimes a review basically writes itself.
And sometimes you birth it in such pains and for such a long time that the very thought of it makes you physically shudder.

This is one of those times.

Sidmool. I wanted to love Sidmool.
Sidmool skincare is ingredient p0rn for ingredient snobs.

I'm not a snob. I just wanted something that would be affordable and effective.
Sidmool was definitely affordable. But effective? Hmmm... It was a mixed bag of effects, from dazzling and awesome to "is this thing doing anything at all?".

But first things first.
What is Sidmool, I hear you say?

Sidmool is a South Korean cosmetic brand that focuses on natural, high impact ingredients and simple and unadorned formulations. Their products contain only what's absolutely necessary.
Sidmool was founded in 2006 and currently offers a full range of skincare and makeup products.

The company claims that it listens to and values its customers feedback. As long as said customers are Korean. When it comes to foreign customers, Sidmool doesn't give a flying f*ck through a rolling donut. In fact, the company goes out of its way to avoid selling to international consumers. It went as far as requesting that Jolse, one of the popular on-line stores selling Korean cosmetics, stopped offering Sidmool products.

I used to get my Sidmool from Jolse.
Now you have to look for Sidmool on G-Market (a Korean version of Rakuten, or Amazon), ebay, or brave Sidmool's own convoluted internet store, which is, no surprise here, completely English-language unfriendly.

I mean, it takes a special kind of company to basically tell its foreign customers off. Well done, Sidmool! You're such a speshul snowflake.

Why is Sidmool so foreign customers unfriendly? Hmmm... Does it have anything to do with how Korean cosmetic companies list the ingredients of their products? We all know the ingredient labeling order is different in Korea than in other parts of the world - link.
Thanks to those differences Korean products very often look vastly superior to non-Korean cosmetics. Of course this superiority is only superficial, and when the ingredient lists are re-shuffled to conform to American or Japanese regulations, the magic is no more.

Is Sidmool playing that game? That's anybody's guess.

So, let's talk about the products, shall we?

There were four of them, but one I gave away (and that friend later chucked it saying it was awful), so only three are pictured here.

I have a couple more, but I'm just not itching to try them. Not at all.

We'll start with the hits, and then talk about the misses.

• Sidmool Snail Brightening Liposome Essence (60ml)
  

Sidmool Snail Brightening Liposome Essence turned out to be my very unexpected number one hit.

Sidmool Snail Brightening Liposome Essence ingredients:

Snail Secretion Filtrate 30%, Chamaecyparis Obtusa Water, Aqua, Butylene Glycol, Arbutin, Polyglutamic Acid, Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark Extract, Origanum Vulgare Leaf Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, sh-Octapeptide-4, sh-Decapeptide-7, sh-Oligopeptide-9, Sodium Hyaluronate, Algin, Salicylic Acid, Hydrolyzed Algin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Chlorella (Chlorella Minutissima, Chlorella Vulgaris, Chlorella Pyrenoidosa) Extract, Sea Water (Maris Aqua), Alpha-Arbutin, Adenosine, Carbomer, Arginine, Hydroxyethylcellulose

I don't use snail products. That this ended up in my cart was a case of clicking too fast.
I don't use snail products, because one, my skin disagrees with them. And two, I disagree with them. But that's a story for another post that is not going to happen.

Having said that, when I realized that a snail product was in the shipment, my "waste not" philosophy kicked in and forced me to try it.

To my huge surprise, my skin actually liked Sidmool Snail Brightening Liposome Essence. Which leads to me believe that there is very little of actual snail secretion filtrate in the product. Oh wait, the ingredient list confirms that, only 30%.

Here you can read what this essence claims to do. Your skin will be brighter than bright. Yo people! The fairest of them all!

 
Did it work?
Yes and no.

I used it in the mornings only. I liked how it dried matte and could be followed with whatever else I needed it to follow. My skin definitely seemed brighter, however the results were only temporary. A few days after stopping the essence my skin returned to its normal pinkish, eternally flushed state.

You see, just recently I got officially diagnosed with rosacea. I have been suspecting rosacea for years. I have no lesions, no papules, no pustules and no swelling. My occasional breakouts are due to other triggers.
My rosacea manifests itself in facial redness only. And it's usually limited to my cheeks and nose.
It was only when rosacea started to affect my eyes that the official diagnosis was finally made.

So what did Sidmool Snail Brightening Liposome Essence do for my skin?
It worked to control the flushing. My cheeks were less pink. To the point that on good days I could get away without using any CC or BB creams. I only slapped on some sunblock and was ready to go.

However, as I have mentioned before, the results were only temporary.

Note:
This is not a moisturizing essence. If you have dry skin, you may find your skin getting dryer if you do not amp up the moisture.
If you have oily skin, this just may work to control your oil production.

Sidmool Snail Brightening Liposome Essence swatches:

As you can see, it's a gooey, watery slime that dries completely matte. It plays nicely with whatever else you need to put on top of it.

And it really does a great job of controlling the redness and making the skintone appear more even and clear.
It has no scent, none whatsoever, which made my nose very happy.

Having said that, it has snails. It might be too depressing for some people.
Am I going to repurchase?
Despite it having snails, and I am anti-snail in general for ethical reasons, I am very much on the fence.
I like what this Sidmool Snail Brightening Liposome Essence does for me. But the snails... But the results... But the snails...
I might get it again.

Chances are I will go back to using Hanyul White Chrysanthemum Radiance Serum first, because despite the strong scent, it doesn't have any snails. And its ingredients are legit confirmed to combat rosacea.
However, I am not ruling out having a second go at Sidmool's snails.



Hit number 2:

• Sidmool Alpha Whitening Power Ampoule (12ml) 

I didn't expect Sidmool Alpha Whitening Power Ampoule to be a hit at all. I usually don't have much luck with products promising "whitening" or "brightening".

Sidmool Alpha Whitening Power Ampoule ingredients:

Physalis Alkekengi Fruit Extract 71%, Sodium Hyaluronate, Butylene Glycol, Polyglutamic Acid, Niacinamide 3%, Morus Alba Bark Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Krameria Triandra Root Extract, Alpha-Arbutin 2%, Phellinus Linteus Extract, Rhododendron Chrysanthum Leaf Extract, Propolis Extract, Betaine, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata Extract, Alpha Bisabolol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Panthenol, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate 

All I can say about Sidmool Alpha Whitening Power Ampoule is that it works. I don't know how, what or why, but it does.

I used it only at night, plus the already mentioned Sidmool snail essence in the morning, and the results were very visible, and what's even better - longer lasting than when using the snail essence alone. Or when using the Power Ampoule alone.

I have tried it in three combinations:

1. - Sidmool Alpha Whitening Power Ampoule at night only
2. - Sidmool Alpha Whitening Power Ampoule at night and in the morning
3. - Sidmool Alpha Whitening Power Ampoule at night and Sidmool Snail Brightening Liposome Essence in the morning

Number 3 brought the most dramatic results. And even though I am really hesitant to repurchase the snails, I will be most definitely buying Sidmool Alpha Whitening Power Ampoule again.

I want to bathe in this stuff. Sadly, as the bottles are teeny tiny it's not really a feasible option.

Sidmool Alpha Whitening Power Ampoule swatches:

The liquid is slightly oily and it does leave a somewhat shiny sheen when fully absorbed. It took its sweet time to get fully absorbed, too. Hence my choice to use it only at night.
There was no detectable scent.
I didn't experience any adverse reactions when using Sidmool Alpha Whitening Power Ampoule. There were no breakouts, no irritation, no nothing.

Sidmool Alpha Whitening Power Ampoule worked to control the redness in my cheeks, and in addition, helped with fading some other discolorations.

All in all, a lovely product with awesome results.

I have used products with niacinamide before and they did absolutely nothing for my skin. I strongly suspect that this time the results are due to arbutin rather than niacinamide, as arbutin is present in both of the Sidmool products that made my skin visibly brighter, more even and less flushed.

So those were the hits.



Now time to introduce the misses.

• Sidmool Min Jung Gi Volufiline Ampoule (11ml)

A bit of a background story.

A few years ago, when Sidmool still produced Pueraria Anemarrhena Elastic Essence, which contained pueraria mirifica extract, the hype was so great that I, the good lemming that I am, of course joined the masses and started using it as well.

It did absolutely nothing.

Then came the reformulated Sidmool Anemarrhena Elasticity Essence without pueraria mirifica, which I also used. And which also did absolutely nothing.

And that's how I ended up with today's contestant - Sidmool Min Jung Gi Volufiline Ampoule.


Sidmool Min Jung Gi Volufiline Ampoule ingredients:

Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Anemarrhena Asphodeloides Root Extract

And these two ingredients are nothing other than Volufiline™, in other words, this ampoule contains 100% Volufiline.

What is Volufiline? It's an ingredient developed by Sederma and normally used as a bust enhancer. Yep, breast creams and that sort of stuff.

This is what Sederma has to say about it:

Volufiline™ is a non-hormonal treatment that reportedly stimulates adipocyte differentiation, proliferation and volume with a plant-derived molecule in order to bring volume where it is needed. The plant-derived molecule formulated into the ingredient is an extract of Anemarrhena asphodeloides, a perennial evergreen that grows in Eastern Asia.

The mechanisms of action were studied in vitro with a genetic analysis based on DNA array experiments. According to the company, a two-month clinical study, using the FOITS (fringe projection) technique to measure volume, curvature and body lines, revealed that the cleavage is rounded off by up to 8.4% with use of the product.

source


A two month clinical study, they say? I'm rolling my eyes so hard I can see my brain.
Notice the word "reportedly" in the text above?

So what do breast enhancement creams and general skincare have in common?
Because Volufiline "reportedly" stimulates fat production, the idea is that it can be put to work as a natural wrinkle filler.

That's the premise. Sounds great, right?

I am like Fox Mulder, I want to believe. But when all the supporting studies are either exclusive to the company that produces this stuff, or sponsored by the company that produces this stuff, or in collaboration with the company that produces this stuff, color me skeptical.

People on them innernets, including various beauty bloggers, claim Volufiline is a miracle worker, that it fills out wrinkles, tear troughs, sunken cheeks and stubborn frownies or smile lines. All of that in addition to making your bust and butt bigger at the same time.

They provide more or less blurry and out of focus before and after photos.
They conveniently ignore the fact that even minimal weight gain, caffeine consumption, or hormonal problems are going to influence facial fat distribution. All of that in addition to the power of autosuggestion and (scientifically proven and peer-reviewed) placebo effects.

So, how did all this Sidmool natural wrinkle filler work for me?
After nearly 3 years of use I can say that not at all. It didn't work at all.

In fact, it made my undereye areas look worse. The wrinkles became MORE prominent and more visible. At first I thought I was hallucinating, that my skin was dry, that it was winter, or that it was stress, or that it was summer, or that it was whatever.
But those times when I stopped using the filler, after a few days (not weeks, DAYS!), the overall condition would improve.
Oh hit me with a wooden stick, for crying out loud! This shit was supposed to work the OTHER way round.

Over the years I have broached the subject of Volufiline and natural fillers with three different doctors specializing in cosmetic medicine. Their reactions?

1. If you think it's going to work, then why not?
2. Do you really think that a topical treatment is going to influence cellular changes significant enough to show a visible difference?
3. Eye roll (but a very subtle one, and not in my direction but to the nurse in the room).

The general consensus was similar in tone to topical collagen - we know it doesn't work, but we still use it, right?
And Volufiline? If you think it's working, then be my guest and knock yourself out. But don't be surprised if it doesn't.

I guess I was surprised it didn't. I mean, it worked, seemingly, for everyone else on the internet, right? Then why not for me?

In frustration I went ahead and got Restylane fillers under my eyes and couldn't be happier. Took 20 minutes and the cost was less than what I have spent on Sidmool's magical wrinkle fillers over the years.
That'll teach me.

And the final dud of the evening?

• Sidmool Secret Of Red Astaxanthin Concentrate 

This one doesn't even have a proper photo. Because, seriously, why bother?

I live in Japan. Japan practically invented astaxanthin skincare. We have asta hand creams over here. What was I thinking when I ordered Sidmool? Not much, apparently.
It was a sticky, nasty, primitive mess.
I gave it away.
And my friend threw it out.

End of story.

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.