This product was sent to me for review purposes. Please note that there is an affiliate code advertised.

I honestly think that oversized foundation cushions is going to be a trend this year and, to be honest, I don’t hate it! Generally, they’re the same as your regular cushion but, because of the larger size, give you a faster application, a bigger mirror and – obviously – more product. They are more difficult to carry around though, so they’re larger than any of my compacts, so I keep it in my handbag rather than my make up bag.

Recently, I collaborated with BB Cosmetics again and, when I was looking through their website, came across the MiBA Ion Calcium Foundation Double Cushion. I had actually seen this product on Instagram previously (shout out to my babe @mabub.sonyeo) and it caught my eye mostly because of the pretty packaging. I’m a total sucker for illustrations and I loved this more traditional manga style! I had never heard of the brand before but I really wanted to try this out – and I don’t regret it. In fact, this cushion actually impressed me a lot more than I thought it would!

If you want to get this, check out BB Cosmetic. This cushion is selling for USD$28.98) – and they also offer free shipping worldwide with no minimum purchase. You can also use my affiliate code for 5% off: QAL3F6ZA8YZ

But, before you skitter off for that, let’s get into this review!

About the Brand/Product

MiBA is also a brand that highly pushes the use of important minerals in make up – to help improve skin, as well as cover it. Their products seem to mostly use calcium for anti-aging and brightening properties.

The face of the MiBA brand is Hong Jin Young, a very famous Korean trot singer who recently caused a big stir online for her ‘drunk make up’ – i.e. she was drinking on a variety show and her entire body flushed red, save for her face that was still perfectly even. She claims to use a BB cream from MiBA (not this cushion but still) mixed in with her foundation for a long wearing and high coverage look. Since then, the brand has been selling out!

The Ion Calcium Foundation Double Cushion is an oversized cushion compact (24g of product) that claims to have a long wearing formula, to contain mineral essence to keep skin hydrated all day, as well as sun protection, wrinkle improvement and whitening benefits.

It also contains Ionic calcium, Balaustine, Apricot Flower and Pearl extract. Out of all four, I am actually only familiar with Pearl extracts which are often used in skin brightening formulas, giving the skin an instant cosmetic radiance as well as claiming to reduce pigmentation and overall brighten the complexion.

And finally, this product has no artificial scent, no parabens and contains natural essential oils (which they also say is suitable for sensitive skin but I think that you should be careful with this product if you have any sensitivities to them).

This cushion comes in two shades: 21 (Light skin) and 23 (Natural skin), so the shade range is very limited. I personally use a shade 21 and I feel like the 23 might suit someone with light-medium skin tone.

Packaging – Unit Carton

I love the packaging of this, which is no surprise since that’s what caught my attention in the first place. The product comes in a matte finish cardboard box – this has a nice feel to it and doesn’t feel at all cheap. I love the illustration on the front of it, which also reflects the design of the cushion compact. There is a lot of text and information on the box, but it’s all in Korean so I only half understand it. Surprisingly, the design of the packaging isn’t compromised by all of this text, which is nice.

The quality of the box is nice and I like the appearance of it. Although it is very simple, this is something that would still look very nice as a gift. The only thing that I dislike about the box (and this is very minor) is the top flap – as seen below – as I feel like it ruins the simplicity and seamlessness of the unit carton.

Packaging – Case

The cushion case is absolutely massive and also looks really pretty. It has a pearl finish purple cover with the print of the illustration and a frame of roses. I feel like the design of the case has the potential to look very over the top, but I feel like they’ve balanced it well – the elegance of the illustration keeps the overall feel quite tasteful.

In addition to the cushion, this set also comes with a spare cushion puff (for when you’re washing the other one). This is especially great for people that use cushions a lot as I find that I often forget to wash and replace the puff. I also feel like they included a spare one because the capacity of this cushion is a lot bigger than the standard product and so you would get more usage out of it.

Opening up the cushion case, you will find that it has a nice full sized mirror (9cm) which makes retouching on the go really easy. This, and the equally as massive cushion puff, is probably what I like the best about these oversized cushions. It makes usage and application so much faster.

The plastic cover for the cushion (the one that the puff sits on) also clicks into place to be almost air tight. This is partly for hygiene but also to ensure that the cushion doesn’t dry out.

Product Type & Application

So as you can see in the above photo, this type of sponge is different to what you would usually get – though this is no longer that out of the ordinary now. This is called a mochi cushion sponge, which means that the product is housed inside of the sponge in between the top and bottom layer. Personally, I prefer mochi sponges to the standard. It makes it easier to pick up the product, since it doesn’t need to soak as far, and also makes it easier to use up everything.

This cushion as a semi-matte finish. For people with dry or dry leaning skin types, you would be able to use this product without setting it with power as it gives a natural dewiness to the skin. For myself though, I find that I prefer to mattify the finish of this product. Either way, it adheres well to the skin and surprisingly doesn’t slip at all. It also fills in my pores seamlessly – I have enlarged pores around my nose so I just swipe the puff a bit before I pat it is, which is enough to smooth everything out.

I would say that this has a medium coverage – enough to even out skin tone and give you a well covered base, but you will still need to use a concealer on problem spots. It blends out easily and feels light on the skin. It also has a very light floral scent (naturally derived), which is hardly noticable and I don’t feel like this would bother even people who are sensitive to scents.

I personally really enjoyed this cushion – more than I actually thought I would considering the slightly dewy finish! I usually keep it in my handbag for touch ups too, irregardless of what foundation I use in the morning, as I find it works well on top of other formulas (most likely due to the light formula). I feel like the coverage of this could be a bit higher but it isn’t too bad either way, it just struggles to cover up my (intense) dark circles.

I get a good 5-6 hours of wear out of this foundation cushion before it starts breaking up around my nose and mouth. However, rather than applying more on top of it, I find that the product blends back out easily – just use a clean puff or a puff with what ever is left on it and pat it back out. By doing this, I get a good few more hours of wear and it generally looks fine on me until late afternoon.

The dewiness of the product does peek through the powder relatively quickly, but I like that it doesn’t make the skin feel tacky at all. I’m actually pretty comfortable having to touch my face (not that I should).

So, here’s the verdict!

SO WHAT IS IT?

A oversized mochi cushion compact with claimed anti-aging and brightening benefits

THE GOOD

  • Cute packaging (both compact and exterior)
  • Massive mirror and puff
  • Contains an extra puff (and a greater sponge capacity to a standard cushion)
  • Light natural scent
  • Semi-matte, natural finish
  • Medium coverage that is lightweight on skin
  • Adheres well and doesn’t slip/slide
  • Is easy to blend and fills in pores seamlessly
  • Wears well through the day – super easy to touch up without cakiness

THE BAD

  • Contains essential oils
  • Coverage doesn’t build up much
  • Limited shade range

RATINGS

  • PRICE POINT | 4/5
  • PACKAGING | 5/5
  • SHADE RANGE | 2/5
  • COVERAGE | 4/5
  • SCENT | 5/5
  • EASE OF APPLICATION | 5/5
  • FINISH | 5/5
  • LONGEVITY | 4/5

OVERALL RATING? 8.75/10

WOULD I RECOMMEND?

I really enjoyed this cushion and I would be recommending it to people! It is a shame about the shade range and the use of essential oils though because I feel like that alienates a large portion of their market – but this is actually pretty common. Overall, I just think that this product is very easy to use, it as a pretty finish and the coverage is decent too. I would recommend this for people with dry to combination skin, as it does have some dewiness to it.

STELLA’S TIP

If you love dewy finishes and you want it to be even dewier, try applying it with a dampened beauty blender – this will give you some intense radiance and would be a good technique for people with dry skin. I do not recommend wetting your puff if you are planning on putting it back into the compact though, as this can cause bacteria build up.

WHERE TO GET IT FROM

The Ion Calcium Foundation Double Cushion was sent to me for review by BB Cosmetic so check out their page where you can buy this for USD$28.98. You can also get an additional 5% off by using my affiliate code, so don’t forget that: QAL3F6ZA8YZ

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