Mascaras and foundations – release something new, novel and even a tad gimmicky in the form of a mascara or a foundation and I will buy it the second it lands, which is pretty much what happened with the Lancome Miracle Cushion Foundation. As is often the case, cushion foundations have been well-received on the Asian beauty market, but we’re only just starting to see them arrive over here on the UK shores.
There’s a lot of hoo-ha about what the benefits of a cushion foundation are, so I’ll say it from my perspective; it’s a liquid foundation in a compact format, giving you – too a certain extent – the best of both worlds. A cushion foundation is compact with a sponge inserted inside that’s soaked with foundation. This means that the foundation sits happily within the sponge and doesn’t leak, yet when pressed its’ released on to whatever applicator you’re using to press the sponge, be that the enclosed face sponge, a brush or even your fingers.
The Lancome Miracle Cushion Foundation is beautifully presented in the brand-typical chrome mirrored compact that’s a little thicker than a traditional compact to make room for the foundation-soaked sponge. Inside the compact is a shelf where the sponge applicator sits, then underneath that you’ll find the foundation. It’s very well packaged making it ideal for travel or carrying around in your handbag. The foundation itself provides a light but buildable coverage, although I’d say at max it’d go to medium coverage. For me, I’m reaching for this on lazy days when I want to tone down redness and blemishes as it’s very easy to use and comfortable on the skin.
I like the fact that you can buy refills for this as otherwise it’d prove to be quite expensive to keep repurchasing. As is usually the case, I’m the palest shade – Porcelaine – which is a relatively good match for me, although I’d say it’s a tad too yellow if I’m going to be fussy. All-in-all this is a very interesting, innovative and effective product that’s definitely piqued my interest in cushion foundations generally – I’ll be hunting down some of the more Asian brands that provide higher coverage to see how they fare, but this one from Lancome is great if you don’t need heavy coverage and enjoy a natural, semi-dewy finish. It can be found here – link – for £29.50 with the refills costing £19.50.
*Purchased by me
I definitely want to try this foundation although I think it would be a little too dark for me x
Heather | Of Beauty & Nothingness x
I’m always the palest in everything and I constantly struggle to find foundations pale enough for my skin tone, so you should be okay I think as this one is a pretty good match – if in doubt, get swatchy at a Lancome counter xx
I love the idea of this.. But not sure that it will give my Roseacea the coverage it needs. will look forward to your review of the fuller coverage brands- could see this being an amazing handbag product. My skin eats foundation in the warm weather so always looking for good on the run products xx
I’d say it’s actually quite good on redness and the coverage is buildable, but it definitely isn’t high coverage. I’m just looking into higher coverage brands now so hopefully I’ll have something to share soon. Also if your skin absorbs foundations, how does it respond to silicone-based primers? They’re quite handy to create a barrier and stop skin absorbing product, but I know a lot of skins tend to react to them xx
Maybe I’ll pop to a Lancome counter & try it out. I am very aware of the pinkness on my skin but my friends say it is hardly visible. Funny how we are always our own worst critics.
Funnily enough I have been looking at silicon based primers- I have used in the past and they do seem to give me a better finish & I kind of like the silicon slip. Have a laura Mercier one on the go at present. Xx
Definitely worth trying to see if it’s any good.
There’s a primer from Olay that’s a bit like a hybrid between a silicone primer and a moisturiser; it’s early days of reviewing so I can’t recommend it yet, but if it turns out to be as good as it initially seems then it’ll be a great choice if your skin is prone to sensitivity or redness xx