Hi, everyone! I hope you all had a great Easter break whether you celebrate or not :). I went out with my man this weekend to get my nail art done at Y's Nail, so I was feeling a bit more festive than usual.
The weather was all sunny and Yoko gave me a green tea bag as a mini gift too, so I was in a great mood even though I was at peak on my monthly :P.
To be honest, I've never tried Diorskin Forever foundation before simply because I normally stick to the ones that I know work on my skin when it comes to make-up. On top of that, I've been using CC cushions over the past few years pretty much throughout the year so I don't find enough time to test and experiment other traditional foundations. Regardless, I'm here again with Dior's third CC cushion launch, which I was very excited to try out :3. And I've been loving it so far! :D
I started my very first make-up routine with Dior and Guerlain when I was 16, so I feel somewhat more attached when I use their products :). And if you checked my previous reviews on their CC cushions, Dior has been doing great so far and I have been very much in love with their cushion compacts along with Amore Pacific and Laneige ones.
Scent & Consistency
I was very surprised that there was no overpowering scent to Diorskin Cushion unlike the rest of their cushions O_O. This is certainly a very positive feature offered by Dior as there's only slight sweet hue to it. I almost didn't recognise it until I started patting near my nostril.
Texture-wise, Diorskin Forever Perfect Cushion feels pretty much the same as their two other cushions; lightweight and fresh. It goes on very light yet the difference is that the new one feels a lot more mattifying. And it's very cooling as expected from the nature of the CC Cushion :).
It does instantly perfect skin's texture, and the best part is that it doesn't feel overdrying. There's none of that cheap uncomfortable mattifying effect. It feels subtle, but effective.
Shades
Diorskin Forever Perfect Cushion comes in 7 different shades and I got shade 021 as it's Spring. It's the right shade for me, but I will need to get 030 for Summer. I have yellow undertone and I'm normally in between the shade 30 and 40 in Chanel foundations, Warm Beige for La Prairie Skin Caviar Foundation and shade 20 for their Transforming Cream. Perhaps because Dior CC cushions are made in Korea (the origin country of CC cushions), Dior colours don't seem to be that off for Asian skin unlike some of the major western beauty companies. This is very good news for Asians as we often have a hard time finding colours that are more workable to our skin :).
Coverage & Application
Frankly, Diorskin Forever Perfect Cushion covers pores well without accentuating them or making skin look too dry or dull unlike some of the mattifying foundations on the market. I must admit that the foundation formula that I hate to use are mattifying ones, but this cushion foundation is very easy to use. If they had this when I was a teen, I would have gotten it without going through all the hassles trying to look for a foundation that is easy to use. Because it's a cushion compact, there's no way that you will overdo your base. The puff makes skin an even very thin layered application, so I think that this will be a great gift even for beginners to make-up.
First application (No blusher/ bronzer/ highlighter/ concealer)
It can be built up to light to medium coverage, evening skin tone and giving a natural look. It's not a full coverage foundation, so you will still need a concealer for any dark spots that you have. I personally wouldn't use it under the eye area since it's a mattifying product unless you want premature skin aging around the eye area caused by dryness. Although the cushion is relatively not that uncomfortably mattifying, I can still feel on my skin that it does absorb and control the oil. As my skin is still quite dehydrated in Spring here in WA, I have only been using it during my monthly when my skin gets a bit more oily on the T-zone. It hasn't given me any breakouts or irritations, so I'm quite happy with it.
Longevity & Main Ingredient
The company claims that the cushion foundation offers 16 hour long lasting effect with a matte finish, which sounds very impressive. However, if we think about it more realistically, how many of us would actually leave a foundation on our skin for 16 hours without fixing up our make-up once or washing our face? Maybe it could matter if you are a flight attendant or a business person who needs to look great even on the plane when the lights are off.
Nevertheless, I must agree that Diorskin cushion does its job in terms of sebum control. It stays on for hours and my skin looked pretty much the same even after 7 hours without any touch up since the initial application. I don't normally reapply the cushion if I'm stay inside on rainy days, but if you stay outside for long, then I suggest you reapply the cushion foundation once every few hours for proper sun protection even in the plane. I wouldn't personally recommend leaving make-up on skin for many hours as it would clog pores and break your skin out regardless of the formula of the product that you choose to use.
Make-up + dirts + sweat + sebum + long hours = disaster for our skin
Second application (No blusher/ bronzer/ highlighter/ concealer)
Putting that aside, Diorskin Forever Perfect Cushion is based on zinc oxide as a first ingredient on the list. This is very nice as it gives not only sun protection but also a mattifying effect. However, it's nano zinc oxide, so some may feel uncomfortable using the product on their skin as it's still somewhat controversial. Nevertheless, it's true that it won't give that ghostly white cast on skin unlike non-nano mineral sunscreens. So if you look from a different angle, it's good that you will be more likely to use the cushion as part of your daily sun protection routine throughout the day as it won't make your skin whiter and whiter as you reapply. I personally think that finding a right SPF product that you would reapply during the day is more important and to me, it's okay to use it as long as you use a make-up primer underneath which shields skin. Meaning, the make-up will be sitting on top of skin.
Dry/Dehydrated Skin
Having zinc oxide as the first ingredient also means that those with dry skin might not like the new cushion as much, mainly due to the mattifying effect that it offers. However, if you are thinking of trying the Dior one as the weather's getting warmer, then I suggest you use a reliable hydrating moisturiser with a good longevity or a face oil before using the cushion. Most of the high-end hydrating moisturisers give a barrier on top of skin as they normally contain oils or skin protectants.
Alternatively you could try the Bobbi Brown one if you are looking for more hydration and generic foundation-like coverage. Amore Pacific and Laneige offer CC Cushions with more hydration, higher SPF and similar coverage.
Cleansing
The problem with longwear foundations is that our skin requires extra attention when removing make-up although it isn't as bad as waterproof ones. If you decide to reapply the Dior cushion foundation several times a day or even more like how I have been, then I highly recommend you to do thorough gentle cleansing as foundation residue can also clog pores. I have been using Garnier Micellar Water to take off most of my make-up, then I've been following with La Prairie Foam Cleanser as it's Spring. The routine has been working fine without even using my Clarisonic.
Sun Protection & Convenience
It's a shame that the marketing and the packaging doesn't seem to focus much on the fact that Diorskin Forever Perfect Cushion provides relatively high sun protection for a foundation. I only found it out after I purchased the cushion as I don't normally pay much attention on tiny little fonts on the package upon purchase XD. Nevertheless, it's great news that the foundation cushion compact also makes sunscreen reapplication easier throughout the day. Yes, this is a huge deal to me as my skincare regime is all about sun protection, and what's even better is that I can use the compact to fix my make-up throughout the day too.
Third application (No blusher/ bronzer/ highlighter/ concealer)
If you have been a little hesitant using most of the CC cushions simply because of the shade match, I think that Diorskin Forever Perfect Cushion will be a good fit. It also has great UVA protection (PA+++), which is great as high PA rating is quite rare for foundations on the market. If you are the one who tends to avoid putting on a sunscreen or even putting not enough of it before make-up application because you have oily/combination skin or you prefer lightness, the cushion is very convenient as it provides extra added both UVA and UVB sun protection.
Where to buy
- Nordstrom (Free shipping & samples)
- Saks Fifth Avenue (Free shipping & samples)
Recommendations
- Dior ONE ESSENTIAL City Defense SPF 50/ Mist-Lotion/ Booster Serum/ Eye Serum
- Dior CC Cushions (Capture Totale Dream Skin VS Forever Perfect VS Diorsnow Bloom Perfect)
- Chanel LES BEIGES Gel Touch Healthy Glow Foundation Cushion Compact (CC Cushion/ SPF 15)
- Chanel Hydra Beauty Micro Creme & Micro Serum
- La Prairie Cellular Swiss Ice Crystal Transforming Cream Sunscreen SPF 30
- La Mer Moisturisers / Crème de la Mer
