Review| HERA Ultra Moisture Cushion Compact #23

I haven't used a cushion foundation in ages, mostly because it's very rare to find a formula to my liking that's also a color match for anyone who's deeper than an NC15 skintone. Most cushions in the universal #23 shade tend to fall between a neutral NC20 to NC23. 

I decided to wait a few (years?) for cushion foundations to gain traction and expand into deeper shades for a more global customer base. Luckily, I've seen this expansion in U.S. markets, and now (mostly) everyone can enjoy a portable base product. 

I purchased the HERA UV Mist Cushion Ultra Moisture (SPF 34/PA++) (~$45) on Ebay in shade #23 Beige, and it's the very first cushion that is solidly NC30. Amazing! I had some reservations about the formula being too moisturizing for the summer heat, but it's the best one I've tried thus far. 

Haul| MISSHA Holiday Sale

The U.S. MISSHA website had a very long sale of 40% (read it and weep!) off for Black Friday and Christmas. I've always been curious to try the other BB products in their line apart from the Perfect Cover BB, which used to be a favorite of mine when I had very oily skin. 

Their M Magic Cushion SPF 50+/PA+++ ($16.00) comes in the standard two shades as most Korean brands: No.21 and No. 23. This usually translates to: very fair (NC10-15) and fair (NC15-20). I'm usually NC25 for most of the year but get very light in the dead of winter. 

It would be nice to see a few darker shades (or even a spectrum of skin color) but I've noticed that the goal of Korean base makeup is to lighten (their words: "brighten") the skin, regardless of whether you're actually NC15 or in all honesty an NC35! I am currently NC25 and can barely pull this off. In actuality I look like an ashen vampire especially when I pair this with red eyeshadows or red based brown lipsticks. Scary. 

It does not come with a refill but is a reasonably priced cushion product. Higher end varieties can run you $45 and up for the compact and refill! You can also buy refills online at sites like Amazon or EBay. Inside of the mirrored compact is standard blue sponge...one that helps you pat the product into your skin but gets incredibly filthy with a single use. 

Overall, it lasts for around 6-7 hours on my skin by itself with minimal fading or splotchiness. Like most BB cushions, here are the pros:

• ULTRA light weight feel on the skin for sheer to light coverage. 
• Dewy finish.
• High SPF. If you're around the ballpark range you can use this as your sun protection underneath another foundation or base product. 
• Caters to fair-light skintones that have a neutral undertone. 
• Compact and refillable delivery method.
• Easy to touch up your base product without it caking up. Very natural finish on the skin. 

As for con...:

• WHERE are the shades that match humans?!

Luckily, MISSHA has a wider range of colors beyond No.23 that are suitable for NC30-35 and even NC35-40. I purchased their Signature Real Complete BB Cream ($29) in shade #27 hoping that it would be a tad lighter than their Perfect Cover in #27, which matches me at NC30-35. 

This is a solid product but I wouldn't pay full price. It's very fitting for normal skin that leans just a tad dry or oily but not for very dry spots (hello flakes!) or oily skin (goodbye perfect complexion...) Not to mention the SPF is paltry for a Korean skincare product. I appreciate the pump but it can get very messy inside of the clear cap. A side note: the bottle is a hard plastic that's harder to store! 

I found that it held up well during the day with a thin coat of powder but the satin finish didn't completely knock me out of my chair. As for the color match, #27 is a slightly peach leaning NC30. It's not SO peachy that it's not a perfect match, but I feel like I could pull it off only on the tanner side of NC30. 

Overall I appreciate how quick and easy to blend this product can be for lazy mornings but I wouldn't repurchase since it didn't wow me away.

xo Be

Review| Laneige Water Tints

After seeing the Laneige Water Drop Tints on a favorite MakeupAlley board member, the lems were strong and hard to resist. They looked like an opaque jelly finish on her that wasn't too thick or high maintenance. 

When I scoured the interwebz for this product, I found it on EBay for approximately $22 each from AmorePacific, the official vendor. Expensive for a lip product? You bet. 

Still, the swatches and online raves were too strong and I picked out two: Peach Coral and Scarlet Red. 

I can't say I'm very impressed and wish I had only bought one to try out before spending so much money on lip products. In fact, Revlon's Moisture Stain lip glosses are way better than these!

1. They are not very opaque on my lips. I need to apply two or three coats to get a true color payoff on the lips. Peach Coral goes on very light in pigmentation on my lips and is a little white based, which means it can accentuate dry peeling skin and general texture. Scarlet Red is great for an every day hint of color or for red noobies. 

2. They are neither drying or moisturizing, but are definitely not comfortable to wear alone for an entire day without lip balm underneath. It's not as if they peel my lips but I constantly feel an urge to press my lips together. 

3. The texture is hard to get along with...it's not exactly sticky or binding like your typical gloss. It's exactly as the name suggests: a watery tint. It glides on the lips well but never seems to really *set* and irks me. They can bleed outside of lip lines if you're not precise, so you need to recruit a mirror. 

4. The one positive note: These things do stain the lips and anything you wipe them on. My arms were stained for a while after removing the swatches with a makeup remover wipe. I also enjoy the doe foot applicator that's small enough to  deposit color on the lips with a straight wipe across. 

This is one pass each. Looks impressive, right? Not so on your lips especially if you have pigmented ones. The best bet for these? Buy colors that you know will show up, unless you like just a hint of color on the lips as a fresh stain. I'm not going to repurchase another color.

xo Be