I know, I'm a sucker for cute packaging. Who isn't though?! I saw Etude House's promos of this cushion and I was smitten. Call it love at first sight? Yes, I think so. This is the new Etude House Any Cushion Cream Filter so...

Let's get to the breakdown.... 

Wanna pick one up too?! Here's where I got mine! 

Packaging
I REALLY like the packaging of this cushion. Personally, I'm really liking what Etude House has been doing lately. I've noticed they're really slimming down their cushion packaging. Not only does this make it more compact, but it just looks so sleek. And can we talk about the holographic cover?! I'm obsessed. It's so beautiful and eye-catching!

The back of the box and compact

Coverage
The coverage of this is low. This does not cover a lot of imperfections and you would definitely need to use a concealer with this cushion. If you have great skin already, you could probably get away with using this alone. For me, I like my pimples, dark circles, etc. to be perfectly concealed so I would've liked this cushion more if the coverage was higher.

I have a dark, little freckle on my wrist. I use that to demonstrate the coverage :) 

Blend-ability
The formula of this cushion is extremely blend-able. It's very effortless and in no time, you're perfectly blended. The formula of this is also a bit sticky upon first applying this. This helps with the adherence to the skin, therefore, making it very easy to work with. Also, this cushion has a "net" aka, the filter. This helps the foundation smooth over the puff more evenly. In turn, making it easier to work with as well.

Shades
Shades. Shades. Shades. This is something that, for most, is an immediate "yes!" or "deal-breaker!". Fortunately, Etude House came out with 5 shades for this cushion foundation! Thank goodness. I personally feel like more Korean Beauty brands need to come out with a higher range of shades. There's vanilla, petal, beige, sand (the one I got!), and tan. I included the promo swatches in my video, but if you're still unsure, I would definitely recommend checking out other live/blog swatches online. Always super helpful, right?!

Lasting-ability
This lasting-ability of this is.. meh. I felt like a lot of it wore off by the 4-5 hour mark. Although, this isn't necessarily marketed as a long-wearing cushion. I feel like a little primer and powder would make it last a lot longer. However, on it's own, it doesn't last spectacularly long.

Finish
This finish of this is another win for me. I love how natural this looks. Now, when I heard this was a "moisturizing" cushion, I was torn. I loved the packaging, but I know myself... I usually don't like moisturizing or dewy cushions. I just don't like the look personally! Although, this is always a battle because I do have dry skin. To me, this cushion was the perfect balance. I LOVED the glow, didn't find it overly sticky or wet, and loved that it kept my skin hydrated.

Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars
This is not going to make your skin look perfect... unless your skin is already really nice. I do find this is a nice, light cushion but I love me some coverage (like most people I think!). I just wish the coverage was a little higher and that it lasted for a bit longer. Do I think this is a bad cushion? Absolutely not. Is this a must-buy? Absolutely not. Worth a shot if you're curious but keep in mind the notes I made above :) For more information, swatches, and a demo, don't forget to check out the video review I did of this! Also, check out my youtube channel, The Beauty Breakdown, for more Korean beauty, travel, etc!

xoxo,
Morgan

[Review] Maybelline Pure BB Mineral Cushion BB Fresh Review

I have been dying to get my hands on this. Luckily, I just happened to have a friend going to China so I made sure she picked the up for me. Sorry to review something that's a little hard to find at the moment, but I'm thinking maybe we can encourage Maybelline to release their Pure BB Mineral Cushion BB Fresh globally :)

Let's get to the breakdown...

Packaging...

The packaging is very simple looking. I actually really like that is a very clean design. The cushion bb cream can be popped out of the packaging so I assume you can get refills for this :) Unfortunately, I can't read the box itself because as you can see in the pictures it's in Chinese and Japanese... which I can't understand. haha.

 Shade...

I got mine in shade 02. For reference sake, I'm about an NC 20-25 in MAC foundations. This shade is a PERFECT match for my skin. It has a nice yellow undertone, which makes it looks super natural. Since this is from Asia, I was worried it was going to have the typical white, ghostly cast that a lot of Asian foundations have but this doesn't :) Unfortunately, there are only two shades available which is a definite letdown. 

 Coverage...

This has a fairly high coverage for a bb cushion. I would say this is one of the highest coverage bb cushions I've tried! I love it. You can see my freckle in the pictures below to see the coverage!

Finish...

The finish of the Maybelline Pure BB Mineral Cushion BB Fresh is very natural looking. I like that it's not too dewy so you don't look like an oil slick but it's also not too matte, which can make you look lifeless. 

Lasting-Ability...

Without a primer, concealer and powder, this bb cushion lasts a good 6-7 hours on my skin. Keep in mind my skin is dry so I don't have to retouch with powder throughout the day too often. I tried it with a primer, concealer and powder and it lasted pretty nicely the whole day. I'm pretty happy with how this looks at the end of the day. Check out my video review to see exactly what it looked like! 

Overall...

Packaging: ****

Shade: ***

Coverage: *****

Finish: *****

Lasting-Ability: ****

Overall: ****

xoxo, 

Morgan 

[Review] Holika Holika Aqua Petit Jelly BB Cream

This is one of the most famous BB creams on the internet and in Korea. It's gotten rave reviews from many popular beauty bloggers, including Michelle Phan, who mentioned it in one of her videos. So naturally, I had to buy it and review it myself :) 

So let's breakdown the...

Packaging

The BB cream comes in a glass jar shaped like upside down jell-o. The cap is super cute, and it also comes with a nice sponge for application (I actually just use my fingers!) 

Benefits...

The jelly-like texture is supposed to provide your skin comfortable and moist without feeling too heavy. It's also supposed to be nice, dewy and radiant, which makes it a very natural looking foundation. It also has an SPF of 20, which is awesome because I like anything that protects my skin from the sun. I feel like nowadays, every foundation should have SPF in it! 

Shade...

The shade I got was 02. Like many Korean foundations, BB creams and CC creams, there are only two shades and they come in light colors. Most likely if you're any darker than a medium tone in American foundation colors, this will be too light for you. Luckily, I'm able to blend this in my skin more with a little bronzer and powder. 

Coverage...

Like I mentioned, the texture is jelly-like (hence the name) and very light. Because of this, it doesn't offer the heaviest coverage. I would say the coverage of this is light to medium. Although it's not heavy coverage though, it is build-able. You can apply a layer, let it dry, and then apply another one. That way, you can customize the coverage, which is nice! 

Consistency...

Like the name implies, this BB cream is jiggly like jello-! The cap has a spatula built in it, which makes applying it even easier. I like to just rub it into my skin, after I've applied my daily moisturizer and primer :)

Finish...

I LOVE the finish of this! As I mentioned, it is a little light for my skin, but that's easily correct with powder and bronzer :) It has a nice, natural finish which looks soooo good! It blends in with my skin, doesn't look cake-y, and doesn't feel heavy at all. Really, it doesn't even feel like I'm wearing makeup!

Lasting-Ability...

Unfortunately, this is not the longest lasting foundation. After about 8 hours of wear, it feels like it wears off a little. Of course, this is something that can be fixed with some powder, but don't expect it to stay put through a 12-15 hour day! 

This is what is looks like with natural sun light! As you can see, it looks very natural and blends in with my skin very nicely. 

Overall...

Packaging: ****

Benefits: ****

Shade Selection: **

Coverage: ***

Build-ability: ****

Consistency: ****

Finish: *****

Lasting Ability: **

Overall: ****

[Review] Missha Misa Geum Sul Vitalizing BB Cake PA ++ 40 SPF No. 23

Today I'll be reviewing one of Missha's newer BB creams. This will be a first impression on the Missha Misa Geum Sul Vitalizing BB Cake. It has an SPF of 40, comes in two colors (No. 21 and 23), and comes in a compact form.

As soon as I saw the packaging for this BB cream, I was immediately drawn to it because it is so beautiful! Missha is also known for having nice BB creams so I figured this one had to be good. I paid around $40 USD when I bought this in Korea. This BB cream claims to be:

• Wrinkle-care + Whitening + UV Protection (3-in-1)
• Long-lasting for up to 12 hours
• Makeup + Skincare (contains oriental herbal ingredients)
• No stickiness
• Sebum Control 

I absolutely love the packaging of this product. It is soo pretty and eye-catching. I also love it when BB creams come in pan-form because they are great for carrying with you and touching up while you're on-the-go!  

Like most tradition compact BB creams, this Missha one comes with a puff. This puff is supposed to anti-microbial, but you can buy replacements ones if using the same puff over and over bothers you. Personally, I only use the puff while I'm on-the-go. When applying makeup at home, I prefer brushes.

I chose the second shade obviously. I put shade #2 on the picture, but the actual shade in the store is #23. You can choose from two shades (shade #21 and #23) but since I'm naturally tan, I opted for the second shade of couse! In the pan, it actually looks like it will be my shade! I was excited because as you may or may not know, Korean cosmetic companies make their foundations very light. It's very difficult to find a Korean foundation that matches your skin if you're even slightly tan.

 When I placed the puff into the foundation, it seems nice and creamy. The texture seems smooth and it is not very dry at all. With these type of compact foundations, be sure to keep the cap nice and tight when you're not using it! Otherwise, it'll dry out very quickly!

This is what the foundation looks like on the puff. Again, it looks like it will match my skintone! YAY :) 

I started applying foundation so my skin. With these type of foundations, you want to pat the product on. Patting gives it a more opaque coverage. 

Here's a side-by-side comparison of the Missha Geum Sul Vitalizing BB Cake on one side of my face. You can definitely see a difference in color! Although it's light on my skin, usually I can blend out light foundations enough to wear they look nice on my skin. This, however, it a little too light even though this is the second shade. The definitely has a high coverage, almost too high of a coverage. This foundation on my skin is borderline cakey :( I was dissappointed because I really wanted to like this foundation. 

Conclusion:

As you can see in the picture above, there is a stark difference between the foundation color and my skin. You can basically see the makeup line along my hairline and jawline. This picture was taken in direct sunlight, and I felt like in the sun, this foundation emphasized any flaw. It stuck to any dry spots and just sat on my skin instead of absorbing in and looking natural. I could also feel it on my skin throughout the day and it didn't really feel like it "set". For how expensive this foundation was, I felt that more money was spent on the packaging, not really the quality of the product.

Packaging: *****

Coverage: ***

Consistency: ***

Color Match: *

Lasting Ability: **

If you're interested in buying it, you can buy it here! 

Missha Signature BB Cake Spf 40/pa++