Bright & Glowy with Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion Pearl Aura

I have not been the biggest proponent for cushion foundations for the past few years, but I feel the industry has improved the formulation to a point where I find myself embracing them with open arms.  And my latest obsession is Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion Pearl Aura, probably the first base product that have me determined to use up asap!

Etude House is a popular beauty brand in Korea known for its whimsical and girlie packaging.  As with most Korean beauty brands, the products are trendy with a wide range of color options at very accessible prices.  The brand offers several cushion foundations under the Precious Mineral Any Cushion line, and the latest is the Pearl Aura which offers a brightening effect and higher coverage.

The packaging is similar to most other cushions in the market with the standard round plastic casing, inner swing lid to keep the inner chamber air tight, and a foundation-soaked cushion that is refillable.  What is interesting about the Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion Pearl Aura is the cushion is ringed by 6 white “pearls” in the center.  These contain the Precious Mineral Brightener, which is made from Black Pearl Extract and has excellent light reflecting properties.  When mixed with the foundation, it gives off a very nice glowy finish to the skin.  To use, simply dab the sponge puff or your choice of brush or beauty blender over the entire cushion, encompassing both the pearl and foundation, and apply to the skin.

As you can see from the comparison picture above, Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion Pearl Aura provides a very natural and glowy finish to the skin.  Although touted as providing higher coverage, it is still relatively light, buildable to light-medium at best.  The best way to get more out of this, is to gently apply it all over the face using quick strokes as it dries fairly quickly.  Thereafter, dab more over the areas where you require more coverage.  I found the brightening effect most noticeable on my dark circles, lightening them without emphasising lines.

By now, brightening and giving a glowy finish are no longer unique as many other cushions and foundations give the same effect.  What propelled this Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion Pearl Aura to my daily staple is the color match.  There are 3 shades available, and the one I have – Natural – is a good match for my roughly NC15-20 skin tone.  Most other Korean cushions are available in either 1 or 2 shades, and many tend to be too light for me.  It also works well dabbed over another layer of tinted sunscreen or BB cream, to generate more coverage when needed.  I love that it lasts me all day without oxidation, creasing, sliding nor greasing up.  And the SPF50 / PA+++ sun protection is also a nice touch for maintaining my skin’s natural fairness.

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