This foundation comes in 4 shades, a rarity in Korean makeup world (they usually comes in 2 shades only, no. 1 and no. 2. The no. 1 is perfect if you’re a Yeti or Casper the Ghost while no. 2 is for general, warm-blooded humans although Indonesian skin tones are still rarely belongs to this category). Their shades are :
- No. 13 : Light Pink (great for brightening dull pale skin)
- No. 21 : Medium Pink (great for brightening darker pale skin)
- No. 23 : Medium Beige (very pale Indonesian skin)
- No. 25 : Deep Beige (light Indonesian skin)
At first, I was excited to see the colours. Finally, a Korean base makeup product with yellow as base colour! I got the No. 23 (Medium Beige) which look quite yellow & dark in the pan. But then as it first touched my face, it’s quite obvious: it is once again beige with gray as a base! *Aaaaaarrggghhh!*
Left:bare face, right: after using Perfecting Cushion
And as I spread it across the face, another realization: it’s very sheer. Like, almost transparent. Naturally I added more and more layer, in the hopes to gain more coverage. Without success. Frustrated, I gave up and proceeded to applying body lotion on my arms & legs. And then I choose which lipstick to put on and get shocked.
Apparently this foundation behaves like several BB/CC Cream which you have to let sink for a few minutes instead of keep building layers for coverage. If you keep layering, the end result may get too cakey & heavy. The finished coverage is sheer, natural, but enough coverage to make your skin looks flawlessly radiant. It also gives this nice dewy effect (if you prefer matte finish, you need to apply setting powder, I personally favour the dewy look).
Surprised by this revelation, I continued to applying blush on & lipstick. Here’s how my complete face look :
As you can see, it didn’t cover my spots, under eye veins & acne scars, but a dab of concealer is more than enough to do the trick. For the purpose of this trial, I didn’t apply any, so you can see the actual coverage.
Now, let’s see how this will endure my oil-production, hyperactive sweat glands & blazing Bali sun. Please keep in mind, I always forget to blot my face during the day and this was no exception.
Okay, now this is amazing. It becomes even more natural as if the foundation sinks and become one with the skin’s surface. Another observation is that it keeps my pores from being openly visible. The past few months I discovered that the pores on my cheeks are highly visible and very enlarged (compared to when I’m not wearing any makeup). I thought I was just lacking hydration and piled up serums, even day creams before applying my usual BB Cream. But the pores are still highly visible, nothing works to rectify the situation. This Perfecting Cushion, however, keeps the pores the same size, even when I was too busy to slather serum/moisturizer before applying it. Apparently the apricot kernel oil really delivers what it promises!
Intrigued, I took another picture at around 5pm, which means its after over 6 hours of application
Too good to believe but it’s true. Finally there’s a base makeup product that defeats my sebum factory. Woohooo!
On that note, there are several factors worth pointing out :
- This Perfecting Cushion in No. 23 Medium Beige is definitely too light for my complexion. Despite the yellow coloration in the pan, it actually comes out beige with strong grey cast. Therefore, unless you’ve extremely fair complexion, always choose the darkest shade. Although coverage is sheer (so even if it’s way too light for your complexion, it can be easily corrected by some clever use of blush on or bronzing powder.), remember to keep a light hand on applying the foundation. Otherwise you’ll look too made up, cakey even mask-like. Another trick is to apply a darker setting powder, will work if you prefer more matte finish.
- The mantra is: LESS IS MORE. The finish is sheer, so don’t build it up too much. If you need extra coverage or to cover some flaws, reach for concealer. That’s what their purpose really is: to conceal imperfections. Foundation is there as a base.
- Always give some time before you decide to build up coverage, especially on the first few times. Several minutes are enough, put on body lotion, deodorant, hang your towel etc. Let it sink and adapt to your skin tone. You’ll be rewarded with healthy radiant glow.
Watch this video to find out more about Sulwhasoo Evenfair Perfecting Cushion:
