Shiseido Synchro Skin Glow Cushion & Ibuki Smart Filtering Smoother

I’ve been raving about this cushion to my friends for months now, but in the whole holiday madness, I had neglected to post a formal review about it… and it is high time I rectified it!  Shiseido Synchro Skin Glow Cushion is the latest cushion that had come my way, and it has been permanently in my makeup pouch since I received it.  And while we are on the topic of base makeup, I’d also like to introduce you to the nifty new Ibuki Smart Filtering Smoother that will keep your makeup game strong throughout the day!

Shiseido released the Synchro Skin Foundation last spring [see here], and for a time it was my daily staple.  The formula featured an intelligent responsive technology that was able to adapt to changing skin conditions, adjusting for oil control as well as hydration levels to keep makeup looking fresh throughout the day.  More importantly, the Synchro Skin Foundation had an advanced colour polymer that ensured the perfect shade match regardless of skin tone.

The new Shiseido Synchro Skin Glow Cushion utilizes the same technology as its liquid counterpart, packaged in a convenient cushion compact form.  The cushion comes in a sleek black rounded plastic case with the Shiseido camellia printed in white on the top.  The enclosed puff applicator is typical of most cushions although it feels somewhat softer and less “rubbery” than some of the others in the market.

The cushion resides underneath the usual swing lid and comes with a pretty white camellia sticker to keep the contents fresh.  Just a small touch as opposed to plain white stickers, but these are the things that make me go woo and ahh….

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Sometime before Christmas, my son accidentally scratched the corner just below my lip and left a horrible scar as you can see in the picture above.  Since then, the scar has lightened considerably thanks to 2 Q-Switch laser treatments at The Clifford Clinic [read about that here]; but it offered a good before an after comparison opportunity for the Shiseido Synchro Skin Glow Cushion.  I had started out with my usual half-faced comparison shot, which regular readers may have noticed usually featured the product in question on the right side of my face, which I had also done here out of habit which explains the brighter and more even tone as well as the vast difference to my dark circles.

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In this 2nd shot, I had applied Shiseido Synchro Skin Glow Cushion all over my face, and now you can see how it had almost completely covered my scar!  There is some greyness left, which could have been avoided with a colour corrector before the cushion, but is hardly noticeable unless you scrutinized my face closely.  But do go ahead and scrutinize though, because the finish is flawless… it still looks like my natural skin despite the amazing coverage.  For all that coverage, the Shiseido Synchro Skin Glow Cushion is virtually weightless, and the texture is so easy to apply, no blending needed!  I love that it wears well throughout the day, balancing out my skin’s natural tendency to dry out on the cheeks and oil up on my t-zone.

You don’t really need an additional primer with the Shiseido Synchro Skin Glow Cushion, but since we are on the topic of base makeup I really want to introduce you to the latest pocket-sized magical selfie tool – Shiseido Ibuki Smart Filtering Smoother!  This lightweight fluid goes on the skin like an invisible veil, blurring the appearance of pores to allow the perfect selfie shot.  It also contains an oil-targeting micro powder to control shine; and a PhytoTarget Complex to enhance skin’s natural moisture factors and help build resistance to external stressors.  I found this Ibuki Smart Filtering Smoother to be really easy to smooth over the entire face, or even applied over makeup on select areas of the face to mattify (e.g. t-zone).  It dries down almost immediately and does not leave any oiliness nor stickiness behind.  As expected, it keeps my makeup intact and extends the wear time by hours.  Marketed under the Ibuki skincare range [see some others from the family here], this Smart Filtering Smoother also contains Bergenia Ciliata Root Extract and  Marjoram to help fight acne and balance skin tone.

Both the Shiseido Synchro Skin Glow Cushion and Ibuki Smart Filtering Smoother are out in counters now, so do check them out!

_{This post featured products that were kindly provided for my consideration.  Regardless, all opinions expressed here are my own honest, unbiased views.}