Korean Skincare In A Compact: AMOREPACIFIC Cushion Compact Review

AMOREPACIFIC Color Control Cushion Compact | AMOREPACIFIC Age Correcting Foundation Cushion

The end of the week and I’m excited for week 2 of my Friday “Beauty Talk” series!  I have so many beauty ideas that I want to share with you all that it was actually hard deciding what to post for this week.  But, I figured since the Sephora VIB sale is happening right now, I’d share something I’m loving that you can buy there right now and save 15% if you’re a VIB or ROUGE member (use code VIBSPRING or ROUGELOVE).

If you guys remember my post on Laniege skincare, you’ll know that I love Korean skincare beauty products.  They seem to work well on my Asian skin and I appreciate that products are designed with an emphasis on enhancing / improving the natural skin.  Cushion compacts have been a rising trend for the past year or so and after my initial trial with the Laneige cushion compact, I instantly understood their appeal.  Cushion compacts are essentially BB cream in compact form, combining Korean skincare and makeup into one product so that skin is actually treated instead of just covered with product.  Even better, there’s no need for additional sunscreen as they all include a moderately high dosage of SPF as well!  The compact also makes it so convenient for traveling and applying makeup on the go — I actually keep this compact handy in my purse as oftentimes I’ll do a quick application in the car once I get to the office!

When my Laneige BB cushion compact started getting low and I realized Target no longer carried Laneige (update: Laneige PR emailed to inform me that they are available exclusively at LANEIGE.com/us now), I decided to venture out and try the AMOREPACIFIC as they have long been known as the top cosmetic line in Korea.  AMOREPACIFIC has 3 varieties of cushion compacts: the Resort Collection Sun Protection Cushion, the Color Control Cushion Compact, and lastly the Age Correcting Foundation Cushion.  I didn’t purchase the Resort Collection as the coverage was too sheer for my taste (it’s ideally suited as just a sun protection layer), but do have the Color Control Cushion Compact and Age Correcting Cushion Compact that I wanted to review and compare.  You can see a quick before / after from the no-makeup selfie with that of the color control foundation as well as the age correcting foundation.  Although the difference on camera between the color control foundation and age correcting foundation are subtle, they are much more noticeably different in person so be sure to read on for the deets (as well as which I prefer!).

First off, let’s briefly talk application!  If you haven’t used cushion compacts before, the main difference is that you don’t ever want to be smearing the product on your skin.  Press the sponge into cushion and then bounce it over the skin (similar to how you would bounce a BeautyBlender sponge!).  Although the provided sponge is very thin, the product blends in seamlessly!  The sponge is also anti-microbial, a huge plus when you may not have time to clean your sponge everyday.  Another important tip, when the cushion runs low on product, use a tweezer and pull the cushion out of the compact and simply flip it around — it will almost double it’s usage!

AMOREPACIFIC Color Control Cushion Compact

Let’s start with the AMOREPACIFIC Color Control Cushion Compact first.  This is a light-to-medium coverage foundation and definitely very buildable without looking cakey.  The foundation has a luminous finish and does oxidize to a slightly darker shade about 20-30 minutes afterwards.  It’s packed with antioxidants so it’s good for your skin plus you can’t beat the spf 50 when it comes to sun protection too!  Bamboo sap is used instead of water in the formulation and it provides for deep continuous moisturization for the skin.

You can see from the no-makeup image above that I have significant hyperpigmentation / freckles around my eyes and cheekbones.  The foundation doesn’t cover them completely (I didn’t apply any sort of concealer on them here) but definitely did make them significantly lighter!  The foundation feels weightless on my skin (doesn’t feel like I’m wearing anything on my skin!) and I absolutely love this foundation for everyday wear.  Personally, I don’t mind too much if my freckles peek through a little bit as I feel like it’s a more real representation of my actual skin.  The foundation is so super quick and easy to apply.  I love that I don’t have to worry about blending or using primer or sunblock — this little compact does it all!  If you prefer a more lightweight foundation and don’t need full coverage, I would highly recommend the AMOREPACIFIC Color Control Cushion!  Take advantage of the Sephora VIB sale right now and pick it up for 15% off through 4/24!

AMOREPACIFIC Age Correcting Foundation Cushion

Next onto the AMOREPACIFIC Age Correcting Foundation Cushion!  While it isn’t apparent on camera, this foundation is full-coverage foundation.  The finish is slightly luminous but it is definitely more on the matte side.  I didn’t find it as moisturizing as the Color Control Cushion Compact but this formula is designed with anti-aging technology in mind!  Green Miracle T and green tea polysaccharides combine to restore skin and boost natural suppleness while protecting from environmental aggressors.  The sun protection in this one is slightly less but still great at spf 25.

For me, I found this foundation to be more drying.  I have naturally dry skin so this is something I’m always aware of, but if your skin is more oily, this foundation might be great for you!  I was impressed that the foundation covered my hyperpigmentation and freckles almost completely without looking cakey.  For those times when I have an event or have photoshoots, this foundation is my choice (I just make sure to layer on a heavy moisturizer beforehand!).  The built-in anti-aging technology is also incredible, making this foundation a great option too if you have more mature skin or are wanting to target aging skin issues!

In a nutshell, the differences:

Did I mention that each compact comes with a refill and additional puff sponge?  While the foundation is a bit pricey (the color-control compact retails for $60 while the age-correcting compact retails for $80), consider the fact that you’re getting double the product and it’s definitely worth it!  And don’t forget that you can save 15% on the color-control compact right now at Sephora!  Unfortunately it doesn’t look like the age-correcting compact is sold at Sephora, but you can still purchase it directly from Amorepacific with free shipping!

When it comes to colors, each compact comes in 5 different shades.  I found shade 104 Light/Medium (Pink) to be a great match for me.  For reference, in other foundations my shade is MAC NC25, Giorgio Armani 4.5, MAKE UP FOR EVER 117 = Y225.  If you’re looking to get color-matched in store, I would recommend stopping by a local AmorePacific counter (both Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus should have counters) or Sephora where they will have the color-control compact available!

Let me know if you give this foundation a try!  What are your K-Beauty favorites?

 

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