It comes in a really sleek innovative packaging. It comes in a pocket-sized mirrored compact with the liquid foundation soaked/saturated in the cushion.
The compact is convenient but not too chunky. It comes in a purple mirrored round compact with two layers. When you open the first lid, you’ll see a mirror and a small puff on the secondary lid that is located on top of the cushion foundation. Tightly tucked underneath is the second layer where the foundation cushion lies. You will find the cushion heavily saturated with foundation. The cushion has a wet squishy texture that bounces back to shape when you press onto it. I did not notice any scent at all, which is great for those who have sensitive skin.
I got the shade 07 Golden Beige. It is the perfect shade for my yellow based skin tone. I find all the colours may look a little bit dark in the cushion, but they go on much lighter on the skin. It applies beautifully with a dewy glow which is great for those who like a little luminosity in their base. The applicator puff (which apparently is antimicrobial) feels very gentle on my skin, it does really help to achieve that even soft finish. However, I find the puff a bit thin and uncomfortable to handle. I prefer using my beauty blender to apply this foundation.
It contains SPF 29 and 14.6g worth of product. The foundation has such a thin formula, but creamy and blend flawlessly. It feels very light pretty weightless on my skin which is not what I was expecting, not that heavy feeling you get when you wear foundation. It provides a light to medium coverage even with only one layer. I was really impressed at how fresh and healthy the dewy finish makes my skin look, that’s what really standout for me. I noticed it stayed fresh on my skin to up to about 6 hours (I have combination skin). The cushion does not seem to dry out over time even being used every day in the past week.
I have never used a cushion foundation before and I did not know what to expect. I was surprised by how much how I like it. For an everyday makeup look, this is perfect! You simply just apply it on your face with the puff, check the result in the compact mirror and done, you are ready to go. I especially love that I can touch-up any time or getting my makeup done in a hurry. It is a brilliant compact, great to keep in your handbag for touch-ups throughout the day. I would definitely recommend this cushion foundation to those who prefer dewy finish foundation.
I really like this foundation but unfortunately I won't be repurchasing. The 14.6 ml product is only available in 6 shades which don't cater to my skin tone or much of the chocolate club. I have the "darkest" shade #11 Golden Amber and it's still too light. For reference I'm in MAC NC42-44 and I believe #11 is more suited to NC40 or lighter.
But don't think I let the BR trial go to waste! I found that I could wear the pink toned foundation with careful placement of bronzer during the day and just on its own at night. It's lightweight with SPF 29 and has sheer to medium coverage which makes this an ideal foundation for me.
I love the pinky lilac packaging, it's such a refreshing change to black compacts and glass bottles. Under the lid there's a decent size mirror, a small puff and another secure plastic lid which separates the saturated cushion from the main lid and stops the cushion from drying out.
The only issue I have with the packaging is the shade number is not on the compact! I don't understand this oversight. The shade number is found on the security seal which you rip off - was it too hard to add this somewhere on the compact itself?
I prefer to apply the product using a brush and reserve the puff for touch ups. The product says to glide the puff for coverage and tap to add a dewy glow. Personally I'm not convinced that this cheap feeling puff is any good. By gliding or swiping you're only just wasting product by saturating the puff. Also dabbing the puff doesn't make a difference in the glow department - are we activating glow properties here or just saturating our puff even more?
In comparison to a brush I feel that the puff "cakes" on the product and it takes longer to apply because you're using a dabbing motion that covers very little area. I didn't bother using a beauty blender because with the little product we get I didn't want it to drink it up.
I love the natural finish I was left with and for oily skin I was pleasantly surprised that the foundation held out well with more than 7 hours wear before I noticed the product breaking up. There wasn't much glow, in fact I actually spritz my face (MAC Fix + or Tatcha) for the glow which doesn't bother me. I would repurchase this if they had my shade.