Acne, Air Pollution, Poor Diet, and Suggested Solution

Lately, I've been having serious acne flare ups on the face and I am not proud of it. It must be the air pollution or the poor diet I'm having. For some reasons, the vehicles passing by our neighborhood has increased, making dark smogs to be a frequent sighting whenever I go outside home. Ice cream and dairy products have also become more frequent in my diet.

So, after much scouring on the Internet, I decided to construct a list of skin care do's and don'ts. I will be putting these suggested

TIPS TO AVOID OBESITY

 
DANGER OBESITY
Obesity is always associated in the offspring. In fact, obesity is more often caused by poor eating habits and lack of exercise. Eight simple tips hopefully useful to overcome.According F.G. Winarno, senior scientist of IPB, maintaining a healthy beratbadan should have been started since the baby was born. Babies should be maintained so as not too fat.Infants and children whose growth is entrusted to the maid usually experience growth too fast, one of them is too fat. Tragically, many women are actually happy to see her son endut once. In fact, children who are too fat will have fat cells that doubled as a baby. The number of fat cells will be maintained until old age. When later adult and eat too much, the cells are easy to inflate. Easy weight become obese and may later develop into obesity.

Here Tips to Avoid Obesity:

1. Avoid  fried mealCook noodles in water, not fried. So also with rice. Serve rice boiled / steamed, not fried. Choosing meat also

Hanyul White Chrysanthemum Radiance Serum

When I bought this Hanyul White Chrysanthemum Radiance Serum (I think it was on RoseRoseShop, but it might have been W2Beauty, I don't remember), I made a mistake.

You see, I used to use Hanyul White Chrysanthemum something or the other in the past, and it was lovely. But that was before I got all serious about blogging about Asian skincare products.
So earlier this year, when my dear friend from France asked about skin tone evening serums, I naturally ran to the net and purchased the first White Chrysanthemum item that caught my eye.

It turned out

Lalavesi Akma Cushion F.W. version in Y2

I didn't want to review this cushion. I have successfully avoided writing about it for nearly a year. I had no plans to write about this cushion.

Why?

Because people complain that there are too many negative reviews on my blog already.
I can understand that sentiment, but as I am not paid to write positive reviews, it is my right to be brutally honest.

Until  a product comes along that is loved by seemingly everybody and their dog. A product that I'm. Just. Not. Getting. At. All.

So yes, there wasn't going to be a review of Lalavesi Akma Cushion, version fall/winter in shade Y2.

And yet there is.
Why?

DHC Kakonjuka Lotion, Essence and Cream

Life happens.
Bad, bad blogger!
And that's all you're going to get in lieu of apologies for my prolonged silence.

Today's review is long overdue.

Looong overdue.
Why? I always have a hard time writing exciting things about solid products. You know what products I'm talking about. Those... you know... solid... always dependable... boring... dependable... in simple packages... not earth shattering holy grails, but just... you know... good... dependable.

October Korean Glossybox - A-True and Innisfree

After the amazing September box, the Korean Glossybox that arrived in October is just bleh and meh.



I suppose I'd feel a bit more enthusiastic about it, if it had something else in it than A-True.
Why?
I know A-True very well. I like A-True very much. I have loads of A-True at home.
But the A-True that can be found in this month's Korean Glossybox is less than awesome.

first impressions by Tacha

Tatcha has finally started to make ripples in the Polish beauty blogosphere, so I guess it's high time for me to write a few words, too, and share my first impressions.

So make yourself a cup of tea (Earl Grey, hot!) and settle down for a read.
This is going to be rather long.
Consider yourself warned.

Tatcha had appeared on my radar for the first time around March 2014.

Koyuki Nadeshiko face wash and Gan Shiro lightening cream

A long, long time ago, in a far distant land, I lived in an awesome loft that during the day doubled as a busy photo studio. Two photographers ruled that kingdom. One was a product photographer, and the other shot fashion.
It was in the days before digital photography. We still used film back then. You, young ones, probably don't even remember those times.

September Korean Glossybox featuring Codilus

Update: 

Unfortunately as of October 5, 2015 Dowaja is no longer open for business.

My first ever subscription box unboxing.
Wow! Exciting! 

And it should be, because it took a bit of effort to get my hands on this subscription.
Why? Because it’s Glossybox from Korea.

The team behind Dowaja shopping service was responsible for getting the September edition of Korean Glossybox to me, and they did a stellar job. When I first heard about Dowaja, which is an English speaking buying and forwarding service based in Korea, I immediately saw it as an opportunity to get my hands on a Korean beauty subscription box.

After reading about other people’s experiences with Dowaja, I decided to go ahead and give it a try. To be honest, my first impressions were not exactly all that positive.
The popular kids on the block (or the blog) were getting replies to their emails and their deliveries in record time. And me? Well… Let’s just say I was a very unhappy camper at first. But I am very pleased to say that after my initial dissatisfaction, Dowaja fixed what needed fixing and my experience with them turned out to be as awesome as everyone said it would be. I can’t recommend them enough.

(And no, this is not an affiliate link, I just think they are doing a fabulous job).

They ordered the box for me, they checked the contents of the box when it arrived at their office, they notified me that one item was an aerosol can and therefore impossible to ship to me by air.
They suggested options on how to solve this problem. They offered deluxe samples as a replacement for the pressurized product. They read my mind and picked the best deluxe samples ever.

I've used the peeling gel before and it's da bomb! Dowaja clearly used their psychic powers to pick this set for me.

They offered me different shipping options, they securely packaged my Glossybox and mailed it out in record time. And it finally arrived yesterday.

And oh yeah, did I mention that Dowaja does it all in English?
Yes folks, in English.

Dowaja also provided me with a link to the contents of the box, but I chose not to look at it. I wanted to be surprised. However, I did stumble upon an unboxing somewhere deep in the bowels of them innertubes by total accident. But that only made me even more curious, because people, crocodile oil. 

This is what was in the box (minus that one pressurized item, which was a shampoo), a nicely curated mix of western and Korean products.
Clearly, some careful thought went into the selection. It wasn’t the slapdash, "stick any odd cheap crap in there" subscription box that I so often see on western blogs.

Because you can specify your skin type when you sign up for the box, it looks like what I got was the dry skin version. Of course the item that I was curious about the most was Codilus. Because, crocodile oil, folks, crocodile oil.

image source: Codilus website



Apparently, snails, donkey milk and sea horse farts based skincare is for amateurs. Crocodile is where it’s at now. And apparently crocodile oil skincare is a real thing, too. I vaguely remember something about croc oil way back when, when I was in South Africa. But it was firmly in the witchdoctor kind of remedies category.

And though unlike sea horses and starfish, croc oil skincare actually has a very fancy pedigree (all the way from the pharaohs apparently), the opinions on whether it works or not are divided.

In this Ph.D. thesis (by the way, so poorly written that it reads like a 5th grader's science homework assignment), the author claims that croc oil is indeed nothing else than ineffective folk medicine - scroll down to page 108 for the conclusions chapter.

These folks however, from University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, with fancy degrees already under their belts, claim otherwise - that crocodile oil is good for the skin.

Crocodile oil has been used by traditional practitioners world-wide to treat microbial infections and inflammatory conditions. However, the scientific rationale behind its use is not completely understood. This study provides an updated fatty acid profile and novel scientific evidence of the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties of crocodile oil, obtained from the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus), justifying its use by traditional healers. 

These guys from Xiamen University in China also say that their results show that croc oil does have skin healing properties. This is also the same study that Codilus references on their home page - link here.


Ugh, my head is about to explode.
And by the way, did you know that snake oil is also a real thing? Apparently.
I'm wondering when a brave Korean skincare company decides to release a snake oil cream. This should be interesting...

~~~~

Anyway, back to the September edition of Korea's Glossybox.

As it's customary with subscription boxes, we have a set of info cards:

Yes, you're seeing it right. That's Kamill hand cream in there, all the way from Germany.
Refinery 29 claims that Kamill hand cream is really popular in Korea. Hmmm... curious that the Refinery's story comes out that same month as this box containing Kamill.

By the way, Ziaja, a Polish brand that Poles are always so fond of claiming how popular and exclusive it is in Korea, didn't make the list. Let's see if it will show up in any of my upcoming boxes.

So, in all I got 4 products:

• Suiskin Enzyme Powder Wash (CMS Lab) 100ml
• Codilus Sun Gel SPF50+ PA+++ 60ml
• Dr.G Bio-RTx™ Mentor Cream 5 for dry skin 20ml
• Kamill Hand and Nagelcreme Q10 20ml

The cost was around US$15 (or $16, don't remember exactly, but it was very affordable) plus Dowaja's 10% service charge plus about 5 bucks air shipping (no tracking number).

All in all, I am quite satisfied with the contents.

I am familiar with Dr.G Bio-RTx™ Mentor Cream 5 and while it's a perfectly serviceable product, my dry skin prefers other options. It feels very plastic and at least for me, it did not provide my skin with enough moisture, even for day use. At night time I need industrial strength moisture, so this cream was strictly for day use. And despite its "for dry skin" tagline, it's definitely meant for skin that is less dry than mine.

Update: This cream broke me out.

Dr.G Bio-RTx™ Mentor Cream 5 ingredients along with the analysis are here - link.


Suiskin Enzyme Powder Wash is new to me, though I've heard of the brand.
Suiskin website is here and here is the intro to the brand as presented by Hope in a Blog.

The powder is actually very finely granulated:

It dissolves completely, but I wasn't able to get it to foam, no matter how hard I tried.

Getting an accurate pH reading was tough. I wasn't able to do it.
All I could determine was that the powder is indeed in a low-pH cleanser category.

Suiskin Enzyme Powder Wash ingredients:

As you can see, it contains Papain, so people sensitive to papaya extracts should not use it.
By the way, the ingredients for this wash on cosDNA website do not match up with the label. I'm going to trust the label.


And finally, the product I was really curious about it.

Codilus Sun Gel SPF50+ PA+++ Crocodile Oil and Water Drop

As a sunblock fanatic, I was excited to see a new (to me) sunblock in the box. As a very picky sunblock fanatic, I was disappointed to see a sunblock I knew nothing about.

All the info on the box and the brand's website is in Korean. I asked Joan from nonsonoquitter to help me decipher what was going on.

She determined that the croc used is of the Australian variety, and that this sunblock doesn't seem to be waterproof.

I'm really funny when it comes to animal ingredients in my skincare. I refuse to use snail slime, because I sympathize with the poor snails that are forced to produce to meet the global slime demands.

I am reluctant to use horse oil skincare, because c'mon, horses!
Emu oil? Hell no!!!

But crocodiles? No such reservations.
Crocodile oil? I'm all yours.
Heck, give me proper hunting gear and I'll go get me my croc oil myself.

And with that in mind I unsealed the tube and patch tested on my arm. Yeah, crocodile oil is similar in composition to human skin and shouldn't cause any allergic reactions, but better to be safe than sorry.

The first thing that hit me was the smell. Of alcohol. This was definitely Biore UV Aqua sunscreen level of ethanol.

Then, the texture.
They weren't kidding when they said oil and water drop.
This is exactly what it was.

Again, I see certain similarities to Biore sunscreens.

Codilus Sun Gel SPF50+ PA+++ seemed very oily at first. Seemed, because at the same time, it wasn't.
Just like Biore, it absorbed to lovely nothing leaving zero stickiness, zero white cast, and zero filmy residue.

But unlike Biore, it was deliciously moisturizing.
It was lighter than Anessa (Shiseido) and Allie (Kanebo) sunscreens. It reminded me of Astablanc (Kose) daily protector. It felt like a moisturizing cream masquerading as sunscreen.

Today it was sunny, so I bravely slathered it onto my face. Despite the high alcohol content, it gave me no adverse reaction. For research purposes, I topped it off with foundation and it worked great under makeup.

Honestly, this looks to be a very decent sunscreen suitable for dry skin (if you don't mind the fact that it contains ethanol).

Through brute force, and with the help of several different websites (including All of Cosmetics, HwaHae app, the amazing ingredient data with names in both Korean and English courtesy of Sidmool, and this list) I translated the ingredients and entered them into cosDNA.

Codilus Sun Gel SPF50+ PA+++ ingredients and analysis are here - link to CosDNA.
Because apparently CosDNA doesn't have crocodile oil in its database, despite it having a valid INCI name, the oil dropped to the bottom of the list.
On the package it's listed right after xanthan gum, for what it's worth.

I'm kinda curious about that Codilus Saleoleum Balm (which is already available on ebay and Gmarket) now. And the mysterious Codilus Magma Cream which won an award at the K-Beauty Expo last month - link here, but can't be found anywhere on line.



And that's it for my first Korean Glossybox.
Looking forward to the October edition!

Filler for Cheek

Lifting & Contouring With Fillers

Attractive cheekbones are an important element of facial beauty. Well-defined cheeks create balance, improve the facial profile, and are a symbol of youth. Some men and women are frustrated because their cheeks have never been well-contoured, while many others have lost facial volume with age and would like to restore fullness for a more youthful appearance. With dermal fillers no matter what the reason for cheek enhancement, improvement is possible.

YOUNGER SKIN WITH HORMONES

Relationship between Hormones and Pigmentation

One of the most important factors involved in the initiation of aging is the endocrine system. Particularly important for women, the endocrine system produces and regulates hormones, which decline, sometimes drastically, with age. Hormones are chemical messengers that are produced in organs. A decrease in those can cause deep wrinkling, intrinsic skin aging and etc. Dryness, fine wrinkling and paleness is all part of the natural process of skin aging. Many factors are involved in intrinsic skin aging: genetic mutations, increased inflammatory signals, decreased lipid production and decreased hormone levels. These hormone changes are now being more closely examined to reveal just how important they are to skin health, especially in women.

Chloasma describes skin discolorations caused by hormones.

Tosowoong Makeon Bronze Spectrum Waterproof Gel Pencil Liners

The problem with color eyeliners is this - when you have tried a high quality one, you are never going to be satisfied with a budget version.

And basically, this could be the end of my review today.

After the disastrous Etude House Play 101 pencils, instead of giving up on cheap Korean liners, like any other reasonable person would, I listened to the advice of web people and bought more.

This time, I chose Tosowoong Makeon Bronze Spectrum Waterproof Gel Pencil Liners.

Anna Sui Eye Brightener

Anna Sui.
Who, or what, that was, I had absolutely no idea. But the perfume smelled nice and fresh and energetic. And, best of all, there was a massive gift with purchase to go with it.
And though I don't recall what scent that was exactly, I do remember I quite liked it.
Suddenly I remember Anna Sui.

Sunplay, Sunkiller and MK Customer generic sunblocks

Miss K and I were at Matsumoto Kiyoshi. She was buying feminine protection, and I - contact lens cleaner. I had a coupon for 10% off, that was the only reason why we were there. Matsumoto Kiyoshi is one of the largest, if not THE largest, drugstore chains in Japan. If you live in the US, think Walgreens on steroids. As a point card carrying member, every so often I get a postcard coupon in the mail. And that is pretty much the only time I shop at Matsumoto Kiyoshi, or MatsuKiyo for short.

Anyway...
I was camping in the sunblock isle (yes, there was a whole isle of sunscreens) and sniffing and smearing and checking the ingredients. I was looking for ethanol-free sun protection products. Miss K saw me reaching for SunBears.

Laser Pixel

LASER PIXEL

Laser Pixel is one of the revolutionary skin treatments from that offers you the chance to look younger, healthier and let your inner radiance free. The laser treatment can clear years of sun damage such as age spots, fine lines and wrinkles. Pixel can also shrink the appearance of pores and smooth out acne scars, giving you the soft and flawless skin of years gone by. In other words, Pixel can help transform blotchy, spotted and pockmarked skin into the radiant glow of one’s youth. 

 How does it work?Pixel  skin fractional

Grinif Vitamin ACE Moisture line and Grinif O2 Bubble Mask Cleanser

I'll try to keep it short and sweet today, hence the combined review of:

• Grinif Vitamin ACE Moisture line (we'll take a look at the toner, lotion and cream) 

and

• Grinif O2 Bubble Mask Cleanser.

Grinif is a Korean skincare brand, you might call it a niche brand, that specializes in "natural" skincare.
Their website is entirely in Korean

Jill Stuart Jelly Lip Gloss N in 02, 04, 07, 09 and 10

Point makeup terrifies me. And baffles me. But mostly just terrifies, so for the most part I don't even bother.
While I can hold my own when it comes to base makeup (cushion foundations saved my life, or rather - cushion applicator puffs), the whole liquid eyeliner, eyeshadow, contouring, strobing, sculpting bullshit is not for me.
Trust me, I've tried. Multiple times. And I've failed. Multiple times. I just don't look good with a lot of war paint on. Why? My face is extremely asymmetric and it takes a lot of skill to make sure I don't end up looking like a drunken clown. So much skill that even some so-called "pro" makeup artists gave up on me after a few attempts.
So now, I just don't bother.

Yes, I do own a few eyeshadows, all in fairly neutral colors, that I hardly ever use. Instead I have a staggering collection of color eye pencils, because they're easy and don't require makeup brushes.
I have 2 very neutral liquid highlighters, both non-sparkly, because I realized that shiny balls, while pretty and all that, are not for me.
I have 3 undereye concealers, of which I only use 2 anyway.
I have a stack of blushers, because I'm as white as a freshly painted wall and look sick without a touch of color on my cheeks.
And I have a staggering collection of tinted lip balms and lip glosses. But not one lipstick*.
Why? See above - asymmetric face means crooked lips means lipstick emphasizes that means I look like shit.

I'm not going to tell you how many I have, because it's just embarrassing.

Today I'll show you five of them.

Jill Stuart Jelly Lip Gloss N

And I can only hope I'm not the only person who obsessively saves cosmetic outer packagings, unfolds them and then files them alphabetically in a special folder? Or am I? Help me out here, folks!


If you've ever wondered what a simple sheer lip gloss with a touch of color, in an awesome tube, looks like, now it's your chance.

Jill Stuart knows how to play this game.
Pretty colors? Princess packaging? Shut up and take my money already.

Jill Stuart is a Japanese cosmetic brand that is famous for its... well... packaging. It's over the top girly, it's over the top cute, and it makes your inner princess wet her pants with giddy excitement.

Swarovski elements (whatever they are), tiara shaped tube caps, encrusted blush and powder compacts, Jill Stuart has got you covered.


And the products themselves? They are good. Not outstanding. But solid, decent makeup. Is it worth the money? It all depends on how much you love your princess bling. (Hell yeah, just shut up and buy it already!)

When it comes to lip gloss, or tinted lip balm, with a very few exceptions (yes, Dior, I am looking at you), I prefer Japanese brands.
Why?
The formulas are lighter, the textures are less sticky, they spread easier, adhere better to your lips and last longer. Usually they don't have stupid flavors and annoying fragrances.

And in the case of Jill Stuart, they make your inner princess so very happy.

I mean, just look at this stuff:

"I want MOAR!!!" (shut up princess!)


On the company's website, this is what they say about Jill Stuart Jelly Lip Gloss N:

Colors like fresh fruit and delicious sweets. 

Lustrous gloss in a wide variety of hues.  

Pouch (Embroidery Flower)  

In stores from August 2, 2013  

New product JILL STUART Jelly Lip Gloss N  

11 colors, 1 limited edition color  

2,200 Yen each (not including tax)  

Product features:  

･Lip gloss that transforms your upper lip into a "Cupid’s Bow", bringing you the aspect of an innocent angel.  

･Spreads easily with the lightest touch, providing a full, rich luster and pure sparkle.  

･Provides highly uniform application, for lips that leave a full, plump impression.  

･A cherubic fresh oil formulation, thoroughly moisturizing by sealing in moisture while also placing no burden on your lips, for a lasting sensation with zero stickiness.  

･The diagonally cut tube allows for easy application on the lips, and perfect coverage.  

･A cap design with a sparkling Swarovski, as though topped with a tiara. The entire cap is also scalloped, giving a three-dimensional presence to the finish of the design.  

･Fragrance of Crystal Floral Bouquet.

You heard them. Now this is what I say about Jill Stuart Jelly Lip Gloss N:

• Innocent angel? Hahaha, nice try, Jill.
• Spreads easily, full luster, shine all that - all true.
• Uniform application, plump lip - yep, all true.
• Moisturizing and non-sticky - yes and yes (well, as non-sticky as you can imagine lip gloss to be).
• Slanted tube, easy to get the product out - yes.
• Cute, cute cute - yes, yes, yes.
• Fragrance - very slight, delicate smell which goes away super fast.

Let's look at them one by one, shall we?


Jill Stuart Jelly Lip Gloss N in 02 - Light Lavender:

My favorite of the bunch. Goes on nearly clear with just a hint of sparkle. Looks pink in the tube, looks clear on my lips. Perfect everyday all-purpose gloss. Reminds me of Lavshuca BB Lip Essence in pink.


Jill Stuart Jelly Lip Gloss N in 04 - Honey Lemon:

Looks yellow in the tube, goes clear on your lips. A nice all-purpose moisturizing gloss for everyday use.


Jill Stuart Jelly Lip Gloss N in 07 - Cherry Flame:

Looks very fierce in the tube, but goes nearly sheer on the lip with just a hint of color. Perfect for the summer. Reminds me of Lavshuca BB Lip Essence in red.


Jill Stuart Jelly Lip Gloss N in 09 - Apple Cinnamon:

Apple cinnamon? Seriously? It's a nice pinkish all-purpose gloss.


Jill Stuart Jelly Lip Gloss N in 10 - Treacle Pudding:

Beautiful pink beige, very subtle and dare I say, sophisticated?



On the company website the colors of Jill Stuart Jelly Lip Gloss N look like that:

source: http://www.jillstuart-beauty.com/


This is what my colors look like in real life:

In natural light, no filters applied.

As you can see, they are all very sheer and not as sparkly as they appear in the tube.

In natural light, when the sun hits them, they are very, very subtle, sweet and extremely delicate.
Light Lavender has the most shimmer. Honey Lemon appears completely clear.

Each tube hold 16ml (15g) of product:

If you buy your gloss outside of Japan, you won't have that ugly sticker on your tube.
Nothing exciting under it anyway:

And here's the applicator tip:

All very standard, nothing earth shattering. Just cute. Very cute.

I don't have full ingredients for you, but if you're not ok with Rosemary extract or Lavender oil, Jill Stuart Jelly Lip Gloss N is not for you:

And that's about it for these cute, little guys.

You like?
You want more Jill Stuart on the blog?

There's plenty more where these came from!



Disclosure: Products purchased by me from a local shopping mall.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

* The sole liquid lipstick I got from a fellow blogger turned out too drying for my lips, so I mixed it with a clear Verite lip shiner and voila - a new lip gloss, yay!

Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control No 13 (True Beige) and No 14 (Pink Beige)

After using Iope Air Cushion Matte (in color M13), I decided to dig out my Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control and ponder the differences. And finally post something about Pore Control, because I need to work through the backlog of cushion entries that are sitting saved as drafts.

So, let's get started, shall we?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today's contestants:

Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control SPF 50+ PA+++ in these two colors:

• No 13 - True Beige

and

• No 14 - Pink Beige.

I have written before about the standard Laneige BB Cushion, also in No 14 - Pink Beige. In the meantime I also got a refill of the new shade No 11 - Light Beige.
So, right now, my Laneige cushions shades are as follows:

• No 11 - Light Beige Laneige BB Cushion
• No 14 - Pink Beige Laneige BB Cushion
• No 13 - True Beige Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control
• No 14 - Pink Beige Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control

You can jump for joy that I don't own any Whitening or Anti-Aging Laneige Cushion versions.
(But if any store wants to send me a refill for review purposes, I'll happily accept it, hahahaha!)

I know this cushion is not for everyone. There are some less than flattering opinions on it out in the cyberspace.

Even for me, it took the heat and humidity of Japanese summer to fully appreciate this cushion's potential.

But first things first.

What's a cushion foundation?

For the benefit of those readers, who are new to cushion foundations - it's a type of base makeup, where the liquid is housed in a foundation-saturated sponge, a.k.a. cushion.
The cushion sits in a specially designed compact and features a special applicator.
You press on the cushion with this applicator and then in a stamping motion apply the foundation to your face.

And that's it, in a nutshell.
Click on the tab "cushion foundations" to read about other cushions in my ever expanding collection.

Laneige is a well known Korean skincare and makeup brand hailing from Amore Pacific. Amore Pacific, despite its silly name, is a number 1 cosmetic company in Korea.

Think of it as the L'Oreal of Korea. Just like L'Oreal, Amore Pacific also holds a varied portfolio of brands - from inexpensive drugstore ones like Etude House, to high end fancy schmancy ones like Sulwhasoo.

Laneige is somewhere in the middle. Not high-end, and not bargain bin. Just a solid mid-range brand featuring a full assortment of skincare and makeup.

If you live in the US, you can buy certain Laneige products at Target. If you live in Europe, you can buy them online from Korea.

As with nearly all other cushions currently on the market (nearly, because there are always exceptions), Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control comes to us in a simple box.
My versions came to me from Korea, so they have Korean writing on them. I am only assuming that Singaporean and American versions have English text on them instead of hangul.

In the box (as you can see in one of the photos above), we get a cushion compact with a refill (15 gram) already loaded, a sealed refill packet (15 gram) and a leaflet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Let's see what the leaflet for Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control has to say:

Wow! It promises quite a lot.

• Semi-matte finish? 

YES! I loved this finish. It reminded me of Kate Powderless Liquid for Cover (Kanebo, Tokyo Kate), but with an even nicer end result.

• Long-lasting?

Check. But you have to be careful what you put it on. On me it didn't want to work with any of my usual sunblocks.
Eventually, through trial and error, I noticed that it worked like magic when paired with Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV sunblock/base. When applied on top of Canmake, the cushion would last and last and last.

• SPF50+PA+++?

Yes, but if you think that a cushion alone will give you an adequate level of UV protection, you are very naive. It won't, because it can't. It's physically impossible to apply enough foundation to be properly protected from the sun. Always use a separate sunblock, unless wrinkles, photoaging and skin cancer is the look you're going for.

• Cooling sensation?

Yes, but that's pretty typical of all cushions out there.

• Pore coverage?

Yes. Though to be honest, I think this cushion does cheat a little. Or a lot, depending on how you look at it.
It's the semi-matte, non-dewy finish that is responsible for the illusion of perfect pore coverage.

• Pore Control?

No idea. Didn't notice any.

Yes, it is non-greasy. That is definitely true.
It gives a beautiful powdery finish that I liked so much that I didn't bother to set with a powder. There was no need. My face wasn't shiny or dewy. But at the same time, it was still pretty glowing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The cushion compact itself is pretty standard:

You can't tell what type of Laneige cushion it is from looking on the cover.
To check the details, you need to flip it over and look at the bottom:

And there you also can see the date of manufacture.
As you can see, this compact is loaded with a Pore Control No 14 Pink Beige refill.

Right side up and opened, there is the eponymous white and blue Rubycell applicator puff.

The puff picks up just enough of the product and ensures even application. Its special porous material (Rubycell technology) has antimicrobial properties that inhibit growth of mold and bacteria. So it's supposedly safe to dunk it in the cushion time and again, even after touching your face. Unfortunately, cleaning it an arduous task that I'd rather avoid, so I just buy multi pack replacements. Makes life a lot easier.

As you can see, this poor puff got a bit mangled by the lid of the compact.

And speaking of the puff and the lid.
Cushion compacts are equipped with an inner cover to protect the surface of the cushion. And the applicator puff fits nicely on top of that cover.

Yes, I know, stuffing a damp puff in there and closing the compact gives me nightmares, too. Yet oddly enough, despite being too lazy to wash the puff after each application, my face hasn't rotted off yet.

When you lift the inner cover, you can see that when the cushion is brand new, its surface is protected by a security sticker.
Some people save these stickers and reuse them to keep their cushions fresher longer. I don't bother.
I just peel it off and toss it in the garbage.

Pretty, pretty, hey, hey!
And this is what a cushion foundation it.
A chunk of sponge saturated with foundation. Of course, for this type of foundation to work, the liquid must be pretty, well... liquid.
That characteristic and the stamping application technique are responsible for the "second skin", flawless finish that cushions are famous for.

The cushion itself looks pretty dark, but when you dunk your finger in it, you realize that the actual foundation color is a lot lighter.

The cushion has a scent, but mercifully, it goes away pretty quickly (unlike other Laneige products, cough, sleeping pack, cough, white renew essence, cough).

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Swatches of Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control No 14 and No 13 (for comparison):

Recently, Amore Pacific has been adding new cushion shades to its many different brands.
Iope got a new shade number 13.
Laneige also got a couple of new colors, one supposedly lighter (No 11) and a darker one too?

I can't speak for the darker shades, though I understand that finding a cushion suitable for a darker skin color is a challenge.

Here's how the story goes for the pale and pasty folk:

It's frustrating. Very frustrating.

All swatch photos are unfiltered and were taken in natural light, just in different conditions, and with different cameras.

I decided to try No 13 True Beige on my face (unedited photo in natural light):

I didn't use a primer that day, this is how it looks on bare skin without any corrector or concealer.
As you can see, it didn't fully cover the melasma splotches on my forehead. The dark circles under my eyes are still there.
And you can clearly see that my face is not dewy wet but powdery and glowy at the same time.
The color is still a tiny bit too dark for the rest of me. My neck and collarbone area looks lighter than my face.

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Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control SPF50+ PA+++ ingredients:

According to the Korean list on the leaflet, colors No 13 - True Beige, No 14 - Pink Beige, and No 21 - Natural Beige, have the same ingredient lists.

Color No 23 - Sand Beige has a slightly different list. Nothing important, all the basic ingredients are the same.

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Where to buy:

All reputable online stores selling Korean cosmetics should have a full assortment of Laneige cushions.
I got my cushions from TGI Wholesale (yes, you can buy retail from them) and from W2Beauty.
If you register on W2Beauty using this code: 182991708, you'll get $5.00 off your first order. You need to use this code 182991708 to receive the discount. Free worldwide shipping directly from Korea. Enjoy!

I honestly don't remember how much I paid. Check the websites to see current prices.

No 13 came through a trade with another blogger.

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Conclusion:

I like it.

Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control SPF50+ PA+++ is PERFECT for the summer. It survives crazy heat and humidity. It doesn't clog my pores (maybe the magical pore care is really working?). It doesn't make me break out. 

What more would a girl want?

(from a mid-range foundation anyway).

The end.

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Disclaimer:
This post contains an affiliate link. Shopping through the affiliate link helps support this blog.
All products featured in today's post were purchased or traded by me.