Lancôme | Miracle Cushion

 

Lancome Miracle Cushion opener

You wouldn’t be wrong in thinking that lately most beauty breakthroughs have been hailing from Korea; the latest innovation to find its way to the North American market, is Miracle Cushion (CAN $48.00, refill $38.00) compact liquid foundation from the venerable house of Lancôme. I confess that the name initially confused me, did “cushion” refer to the application method or the look upon the skin? As it turns out, it’s a little of both and cutesy moniker aside, I’m now completely and unabashedly OBSESSED with this little piece of beauty/skincare heaven.

Basically, Miracle Cushion is a hybrid-like product comprised of a foundation-saturated sponge in a compact case, with said sponge also performing double-duty as an effective barrier to any contents spilling out, while also offering up excellent control over product usage. The accompanying velvety soft pad applicator is then pressed upon the sponge’s surface to pick up the foundation: the harder you press, the more liquid/product emerges. The foundation is lightly scented: a fresh & pleasant floral-ish fragrance (which I like, but worth noting for those with sensitivities) and there is an instant cooling sensation felt at first contact upon the skin (although that quickly dissipates). Bonus: the compacts are refillable; you can even switch the colour up or down depending on the season.

There are three ways that Miracle Cushion can be used; as a primer (using light pressure upon the cushion for a scant yield), as a BB/CC crème (slightly more pressure on the cushion for more product), or as a foundation with a higher level of coverage (applying an even stronger pressure on the cushion). This foundation is buildable and offers completely weightless coverage along with a natural-looking flawless & softly luminous finish; my pores are minimized, my fine lines seem to disappear into the ether, and my skin tone looks smooth and even. A miracle, indeed.

Enriched with pine needle extract (known for its ‘depigmentation’ properties) to provide a radiant-looking complexion, Miracle Cushion also has ester oil and glycerine for a ultra-hydrated skin feel, Adenosine for its known anti-wrinkle benefits, and a unique polymer gel texture that provides skin with an instant ‘blurring effect’ for a poreless and even-looking complexion. In a Thermographic test, skin’s surface temperature was shown to drop by -2.3ºC upon application of the product, for a instant refreshing feel. As to staying power, I find that my skin continues to look good throughout the wearing without any noticeable creasing, fading, oxidation or even pooling in key areas (around the nose, between the brows, and all other pesky areas), and while Miracle Cushion doesn’t offer up any mattifying properties, neither does it make my combination/oily skin grease up by day’s end either.

Note that Miracle Cushion is available in 6 shades (without SPF) in Canada, compared to 11 shades (that presumable also have an SPF 23 rating) elsewhere.

Lancome Miracle Cushion compacts

Lancôme | Miracle Cushion

Lancome Miracle Cushion trio 1

 

Lancôme | Miracle Cushion

 

Lancome Miracle Cushion trio 2

 

Lancôme | Miracle Cushion

 

Lancome Miracle Cushion trio macro

Lancôme | Miracle Cushion

 

Lancome Miracle Cushion macro

Lancôme | Miracle Cushion

 

Lancome Miracle Cushion trio swatches

Lancôme | Miracle Cushion swatches: 01 Pure Porcelaine, 03 Beige Pêche, 04 Beige Miel

Lancome Miracle Cushion trio swatches 2

Lancôme | Miracle Cushion swatches: 01 Pure Porcelaine, 03 Beige Pêche, 04 Beige Miel (blended out)

Ingredients:Water, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Methyl Trimethicone, Dimethicone, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, Glycerin, Lauryl Peg-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Pentylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Trisiloxane, Peg-10 Dimethicone, Magnesium Sulfate, Acrylates/Stearyl Acrylate/Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Lauroyl Lysine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Stearic Acid, Alumina, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Lecithin, Isopropyl Myristate, Isostearic Acid, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Adenosine, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Disodium Edta, Phenylethyl Resorcinol, Benzyl Salicylate, Linalool, Benzyl Alcohol, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Fragrance, [+/- May Contain Ci 77891 / Titanium Dioxide, Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499 / Iron Oxides, Mica

Lancome 01 Pure Porcelaine Miracle Cushion

 

01 Pure Porcelaine | The lightest of the 3 shades I was kindly sent to try, this is a peachy based hue that is more suitable for lighter complexions. It should be noted that initial viewing of each Miracle Cushion is deceptive and the colour you see on the cushion, is not exactly indicative of what you get – a good thing, in this case as my first reaction to 01 Pure Porcelaine was to completely rule it out for my skin tone. Upon swatching this shade, however, I believe that it should be a good match for me, once cooler weather hits and my light tan has faded into memory.

 

Lancome 01 Pure Porcelaine Miracle Cushion macro

Lancôme | Miracle Cushion 01 Pure Porcelaine

 

Lancome 01 Pure Porcelaine Miracle Cushion swatches

Lancôme | Miracle Cushion 01 Pure Porcelaine swatches

Lancome 03 Beige Peche Miracle Cushion

03 Beige Pêche | Based on the names of all three, I was sure that 03 Beige Pêche was my best match, but it turns out to be slightly too peach-based for my skin tone, most notably if I try wearing it as a foundation. My preference for this shade, is to use it as a light all-over base (which provides an effect such as a BB/CC cream would give) and then buffed into the skin with a dense brush to diffuse it further — a light dusting of bronzer effectively pulls the entire look together. Ideal for light-medium skin tones with pink undertones.

 

Lancome 03 Beige Peche Miracle Cushion macro

Lancôme | Miracle Cushion 03 Beige Pêche

 

Lancome 03 Beige Peche Miracle Cushion swatches

Lancôme | Miracle Cushion 03 Beige Pêche swatches

Lancome 04 Beige Miel Miracle Cushion

04 Beige Miel | To quote Golidlocks, “this is one is just right!”, although my initial thinking was that 04 Beige Miel would be much too dark on my skin, even with the light Summer tan I presently have going on. Turns out that I was totally wrong; this neutral beige hue is EVERYTHING and I absolutely love how it blurs out any unevenness on my skin without any of the traditional heavy masking required to do so. Absolutely ideal for light-medium complexions with more yellowish undertones.

 

Lancome 04 Beige Miel Miracle Cushion macro

Lancôme | Miracle Cushion 04 Beige Miel

 

Lancome 04 Beige Miel Miracle Cushion swatches

Lancôme | Miracle Cushion 04 Beige Miel swatches

Lancome vs Laneige Miracle Cushion

Lancôme Miracle Cushion 04 Beige Miel vs Laneige BB Cushion Medium Dark

 

Lancome vs Laneige Miracle Cushion macro

When I was recently Stateside, I picked up the Laneige BB Cushion in Medium Dark that I had heard so much about, and of the 3 Lancôme Miracle Cushion shades I was sent, 04 Beige Miel appeared the closest. How they compare:

  • Lancôme 04 Beige Miel: beige hued, adjustable coverage
  • Laneige Medium Dark: tan hued, sheer coverage, stronger fragrance

The compacts are very similar in both shape and function, each with an inner lid and a flat applicator pad (the Laneige pad is a dark blue compared to the white Lancôme version) with each refillable as well. The price points are quite another story, with the Lancôme weighing in at CAN $48.00 for 14g/0.51 oz compared to the Laneige that retails for US $34.00 for 30g/1.05 oz and which also includes a refill. Even though the Laneige is the better value, it does not offer the same coverage options as does Lancôme’s Miracle Cushion, and the colour options are more limiting (I believe there are 3 shades available, but don’t quote me on that), with the biggest drawback being that this product is only available in the US, now that Target has pulled out of Canada.

 

Lancome vs Laneige Miracle Cushion swatches

Lancôme Miracle Cushion 04 Beige Miel & Laneige BB Cushion Medium Dark swatches

 

Rarely does the hype for a product live up to its name, but this is once case where every rave is so well deserved. Lancôme’s Miracle Cushion is incredibly lightweight feeling, yet still manages to provide coverage where you want it to, leaving skin radiant-looking and almost magically poreless. I’m a little ambivalent about the applicator; on the one hand, it does provide the most velvety, flawless-looking finish to the skin, but it also absorbs product (which can be wasteful) and will never clean up to its original pristine condition. Still, a small price to pay for a face product that’s THIS good. Bottom line: you need to check these out.

Lancôme Miracle Cushion is available now through The Bay & thebay.com, as well as Sephora & sephora.com. Find more information via www.lancome.ca

Lancome Miracle Cushion closer

 

Press samples kindly provided for my unbiased consideration/Post may contain affiliate links

4 Responses to Lancôme | Miracle Cushion

What are your thoughts, beautiful?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.