This product was sent to me by StyleKorean for review purposes. I was not paid for this post but please note that affiliate links are used on my blog. These go towards supporting Oh My Stellar and future content.
The promotional video for this Layering Cover Cushion sold me so quickly – I am a total Lee Sungkyung fangirl (though who doesn’t find that lady absolutely charming?) and I’m also a huge fan of Laniege products. In fact, their Whitening cushion is one of my HG products, along with IOPE, and I’ve lost count of how many of them I already have. I even developed a habit of collecting their limited edition holiday cases which is… perhaps a little detrimental to my wallet.
Either way, I was super keen to try out this cushion but, since it is a fairly new release, I hadn’t found many places online that sold it – and the new Sephora release in Australia only included the traditional cushion. When I was looking through the StyleKorean website though, I saw that they had it in stock and I jumped at the chance to review this!
Since I received this product close to the time I was going overseas, I actually brought this cushion with me on holidays and I used it while I was there (including cold New York weather, hot Floridian weather and even the freezing in Canada). I was really surprised at how well it had held up and, regardless of the mixed reviews that I’ve seen for this product, Laneige still remains at the top of my list!
This cushion is selling on StyleKorean for USD$25.12 (on sale from USD$35.89). At the moment, only two of the shades are available (#13 and #11, so the paler shades) but the full, internationally available range consists of 8 shades – which is incredible for a Korean cushion!
So, click onto their website if you’d like to get the product yourself or read on to see my review first!
Product Description
This is a pretty unique concept and I believe that Laniege (or Amore Pacific) is the first to come out with the duo cushion compact. According to the official website, it is described as: ‘Complete Match of Cushion and Concealer. The 2-in-1 Layering Cover Cushion, Provides Perfectly Brightened and Anti-darkening Long-lasting finish’.
Essentially, this product has two components – both of which has rather extreme claims: there is the standard bb cream/foundation cushion side and a matching concealer side. They have different finishes (semi-matte and dewy) so, according to how you apply it, you are supposed to get different results. The below information is from the Laneige website:
Core Concealing Base with high cover and long-lasting effect with SPF 50+ PA+++
Aqua Melting Technology
The texture, which softly melts by the pressure of the cushion support material of the high cover stick concealer and by the temperature of the skin, applies softly and closely on the skin. (This doesn’t make much sense to me but I think it means that the concealer formula has good adherence and melts to your skin according to temperature)
Special sponge support material for even application
The specially made fine pore support material expresses perfect cover base without clumps by discharging an appropriate amount consistently.
Rose-toned coloring with Vitality Cover, Layering Cover Cushion SPF 34 PA++Layering Cover Cushion
Illuminating Jewel Powder
The jewel powder with pink lighting effect upon application expresses a revitalized complexion even after high cover by accentuating the definition.
Water Capture System for makeup and skin protection
Ingredients such as French sparkling water, hydro ion mineral water, and lychee fruit extract keep the skin moisturized and soothed by providing a moisture-full cooling effect to the skin with each tap.
Packaging
The product comes in a box very similar to the other cushions with luxe foil effect and a subtle pattern on the side (which I adore), but with a clear difference – it is all rose gold! The design of it is very clean and simple, but also impressive – Laneige is good at packaging in that their products always look expensive but also modern and youthful. My only complaint is that it doesn’t come in a refill!
Onto the cushion compact then, it has a similar elegance to it that I expect from Laneige cushions but it is also very different to the others that they have released. This case has a smooth, rounded egg shape to accomodate for this unique puff design (more on that later) and comes in a really pretty rose gold colour. From my knowledge, they haven’t released a case in this colour before – except for the limited edition ones that came with the recent Whitening cushion release – so its good for separating this product from everything else.
Overall, I rather like the case. I think that their rounded cases do look more attractive, but this is also well designed, interesting and elegant. The quality is, as always, great and I have had no issue with carrying it around everywhere and chucking it into my bag. I think that a more generic colour might be better (or example, if this were a little more gold and less pink) but that’s a personal preference!
As is advertised for this product, there are two sides to this cushion – on the back of the lid (on the left) is the concealer which is thinner and more dense, and the other side (which has a standard sponge) houses the foundation/base product. This product comes with the refill already in and I’m unsure if they are selling seperate refills for this as of right now.
One of the most interesting things about this cushion is actually the puff – and I usually skip over talking about puffs because they’re generally very similar. This one is egg shaped like the case (see below) and actually has two sections. According to instructions, the larger bottom section is to be used on base foundation like a standard puff. The top triangular section of it, however, is made of a velvet material (much like a couch) and is to be used for concealer. Supposedly, the shape of this makes it so that you can tap in concealer with the tips of your fingers.
Personally, I think that the design of this is alright – but I’m not a fan. I often use puffs to blend in my concealer anyways, so I don’t understand why a different texture is needed. I don’t see any real difference between using the two sides. It is also a bit awkward to apply the base foundation without getting the product all over the ‘concealer’ section, so I started to flip the puff around instead for better control. That works best for me.
The website also warns that: “Due to the finer pore size compared to the general puff, it might be difficult to remove the contaminants, so do not wash the puff but replace it with a new puff instead.”
Formula & Claims
As I mentioned earlier, this product has two different finishes and, according to how you use them, it is possible to adjust it to what your skin needs. For a dewy finish use the cushion, for a semi-matte finish use the concealer side (which would also result is higher coverage) or if you’d like both then simply layer them – which ever formula to use on top will determine what type of finish your make up leans towards. You can also get clearer information about this on the Laneige page.
This formula also claims to be able to even out skin texture, be sweat proof (which I did test successfully in Florida weather) and to give up to 12 hour wear, along with the usual brightening effect. I definitely think that they deliver on most of these claims. However, I think that 12 hour of wear (without touch up) would be pushing it. I do have combination skin and most foundations break up later in the afternoon for me but this one, similar to the other Whitening cushion that I love so much, fades very evenly.
And here’s some quick points on the formula:
Concealer
- Semi-matte finish
- Medium coverage that can be easily built up
- Blends well into skin
- Not drying under the eyes
- Average lasting power – will need to be touched up during the day
Base/Foundation
- Very, very dewy and natural looking finish
- Light coverage that evens out skin tone but won’t cover blemishes – can be built up to a medium coverage
- Makes skin look smoother and radiant
- Needs to be set with a powder – as with all dewy foundations, this can transfer and slip if you touch your face
- Feels lightweight on your skin
- Fades naturally during the day with no caking, and is easy to touch up
I have swatches of it below on my hand and on my face – which uses both sides of the cushion. Because I photographed it under a light, it will seem like the colour is way too bright from my skin tone but 21 actually matches me fairly well. There is definitely flashback on this cushion because of the SPF. I don’t mind that as I will always be using high SPF products anyway, but it is something to keep in mind.
Using this cushion for nearly a month now, I definitely like it. I find that the formula works similarly on my skin as with their other cushions, but is much dewier than I usually use from them – the finish is closer to my moisture cushion from IOPE. I also think that the two sided concealer/base idea is really innovative and smart, so I have to applaud the brand for that.
However, with a new product will also come issues. After around a month of use, I feel like my cushion is starting to dry up already. I can still use it, but the concealer sponge is taking more effort to work with already. I wonder whether it is because there isn’t enough product in that smaller sponge or if the new velvet applicator isn’t working as well as it should? The base sponge is fine though. I do wish that they did the textured sponge like they have in their other cushions!
Colour-wise, 21 is a good match for me and I like that Laniege have been bringing out a wider colour range for their international audience. However, I had a feeling that only shades 11 – 23 would be available in Asia and I do wish that they push to stock more there.
The product description also mentions a lot about having a ‘rose gold’ tone to make the skin look more vibrant but I don’t think that I see what they mean with this. There is definitely a slight pink undertone to the shade that I’m using (as you can see above) but I don’t know if this is carried out in all colours. It seems a bit counter intuitive if it is.
Anyway, so here’s the verdict!
SO WHAT IS IT?
A dual cushion compact with both concealer and base make up
THE GOOD
- Interesting and pretty egg shaped case
- Innovative concept
- Minimal scent and no break outs or clogged pores
- Fades naturally during the day
- ‘Customizable’ finish between dewy and semi-matte
- Building coverage in both formulas
- Concealer isn’t drying under the eyes
- Handy during the day and easy to touch up
THE BAD
- No refill
- Concealer sponge seems to dry quickly
- Needs to be set (dewy finish can transfer)
- Puff concept (with the velvet tip) can take some getting used to
- Puff is also hard to clean
RATINGS
- PACKAGING | 5/5
- PRICE POINT | 4/5
- COVERAGE | 4/5
- HYDRATION | 5/5
- FINISH | 4/5
OVERALL RATING? 8.8/10
WOULD I RECOMMEND?
I love Laneige cushions and even when I saw the mixed reviews about this cushion, I had to get it and I knew that I would love it. Their products just work really well with my skin so this doesn’t surprise me at all. I think that there are areas where this product can be improved, but that this is very interesting and I hope that the dual compact idea really kicks off.
I would recommend this cushion primarily to people with combination or dry skin – people will oily skin will likely find the dewiness difficult to work with. If you also like the traditional Laneige cushions, then it is likely that you will also really like this. Definitely check it out, even if it is only for the novelty of it!
WHERE TO GET IT FROM
If you want to get your hands on the Layering Cover Cushion it is selling on StyleKorean for USD$25.12. You can also click the below banner to go to their homepage and check out everything else that they have on offer:
