Thursday 23 July 2015

Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion Pearl Aura

The latest addition to my stash of cushion foundations is Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion Pearl Aura. This latest incarnation of their popular Any Cushion is infused with Pearl Brightener (those five white spots that you see in the compact) to help create glowy, pearly aura skin. It has already won a coveted spot on the Allure Editors' Pick list in May 2015, yet another sign of the K-beauty fever currently gripping the US market.

I purchased this a few weeks ago at the Vivocity store in the shade Natural Pearl Aura, which is slightly darker than the other Light Pearl Aura shade. The refill was only S$16 for 15g. I picked one of the cute limited edition Dreaming Swan cases (S$18) to house it. It is also available with the 'normal' case for S$32, while on the Etude House official website (which ships internationally and lists the ingredients), it is retailing at US$21.60 (refills are US$12). The refill comes with the standard white and blue cushion sponge. The pic below was taken after at least 8 uses, so it is in less than pristine condition and the white pearl spots have faded slightly in the areas that my sponge usually touches.

Since purchasing this, I've been wearing it pretty much every time I go out as it's just so easy and convenient to use. In Singapore's hot and humid weather, I usually just freshen up my face with toner before applying the Any Cushion Pearl Aura. For most cushion foundations, it is advised that you pat it on with the sponge but for this cushion foundation, some light blending motion is required to mix the white pearl brightener with the beige foundation on the skin. As this has SPF50 PA+++, I usually skip applying a separate sunblock as my skin can't take layering of too many products in this weather, plus I don't spend that much time under the sun. While many cushion foundations boast a high sun protection level, these should be taken with a heavy pinch of salt as it is unlikely that one would apply enough foundation to achieve that stated level of protection. If you are going to be outdoors for a prolonged period, it is best to use a proper sunscreen.

What I like about the Any Cushion Pearl Aura is that it gives my skin a healthy glow while providing a light level of coverage to even out my skintone. Although it promises full coverage, this definitely did not completely cover up skin pigmentation spots and red blemishes although it did conceal the usual redness around the nose. If you have oily skin and dread any hint of shine on your face, this is NOT for you. One really should not expect a foundation marketed as having a glowy finish to provide significant oil control. However if you have normal to dry skin, this is worthwhile checking out if you are looking for something that is lightweight with a slightly dewy finish.

My skintype now is more combination with dry areas on the cheeks. I still need to blot my T-zone after a few hours of wearing this, but it really depends on the type of environment that I'm in. In an air-conditioned environment, I can go 4-5 hours without significant oil breakthrough on my T-zone but outdoors in the normal heat of Singapore, my T-zone gets oily within a couple of hours and the dreaded enlarged pores become more visible. I think this will work well for the autumn and harsh winter months when we are back in Illinois.

On 27-28 and 30-31 July, Etude House is offering this Decoden kit with purchase of a Any Cushion Pearl Aura, or with any S$50 nett purchase at their Vivocity store. The Pearl Aura cushions are not yet available at the Etude House store at Changi Airport, which sells the normal Any Cushion refills for only S$12.61. Etude House as a brand is very hit-and-miss for me, but I have found several products that I love from them. For the Dreaming Swan collection, I highly recommend the Veiling Pact powder brush and cushion cases but the lipsticks are a total miss for me as they were drying and did not apply evenly. The Dear My Blooming Lips formula is much better than the Dear My Wish Lips.


9 comments:

beautyintranslation said...

Wow, your skin looks flawless and really bright with this cushion! I haven't caught the cushion fever yet (although everyone including my mom is hooked) but I love seeing all the new releases and technologies. This one is a winner on you! By the way, do you have a favourite?

Tammy said...

Love your reviews... Really hope you can post more, although I understand you're busy with a toddler hehe :)

Haru said...

hi,
Thank you! Aside from this one, I also like the Laneige BB Cushion but not sure if either can be properly termed my favourite yet as I've only tried about 5 cushion foundations so far (including 2 from Innisfree). Need to experiment with more brands! I recently purchased Hera, which is supposed to be really good. I also have an Innisfree Water Glow cushion waiting to be tried. Problem is that I don't want to open too many of these at the same time as I've read that they can get moldy if opened for too many months. I'll try to post reviews as I try more of these!

Haru said...

hi Tammy,
Thanks for the kind comment and your support! I will do my best to try to post more reviews. I need to be more productive and spend less time playing Farm Heroes!

Christina said...

Wow, your skin looks gorgeous, and I love your hair!

I've yet to try a cushion foundation, but I've heard Sulwhasoo's is excellent as well. I might give this one a try, as it literally makes you glow. I don't have perfect skin, but that doesn't mean I want to be flat and matte either.

Also, I think how lucky that you get to travel so much. I always thought you lived in Europe, but then noticed you were in Illinois, and now Singapore! You get the best of global beauty!

Haru said...

Hi Christina,
Thank you! The Sulwhasoo cushions look promising too but they are quite overpriced in Singapore so I passed on them. I was living in Geneva, Switzerland for the past 3 years and we recently moved to Illinois. We are just back in Singapore for the summer.

Unknown said...

Great I have only tried one cushion so far the laneige Bb pore control , I ordered the hera cushion so we will see. The packaging of this is so cute I sure intend to try it in the future, étude house is really a nice brand. Is there a refill with the cushion?

Beautish byMaya

Haru said...

hi Maya,
Nope, Etude House does not include refills with their cushion foundations. The refills have to be purchased separately.

So Lonely in Gorgeous said...

The foundation looks great on you, and I love the dewy finish. Btw, I LOVE your hair!!! Love the length (or lack there of), and the color! You look gorgeous Iris <3