The Face Shop x Disney – Mike CC Long Lasting Cushion (V201)

It’s been a tidal wave of non-stop Korean beauty collaborations this summer which is such a genius marketing tactic for Korean companies because it makes you crave and  want things that you probably didn’t before.

I’ve been able to exercise good self control so far on all the special collaborations/limited edition cushions and other beauty items that I’ve wanted because I’m heading off to Korea soon so I can pick most of it up from there. So there I was, proud of myself for my self imposed no-buy-until-Korea rule for 4 months – until this happened. The Face Shop x Disney collaboration was released! I saw the Monsters Inc. Mike Wazowski CC Long-Lasting Cushion and squealed at how cute it was. I love Monsters Inc and it’s one of my favourite Pixar movies.

Amongst the rest of the Disney collaboration lineup (which includes lip products, eyeshadow palettes and mascara), The Face Shop have released 3 different types of cushions to target different skin needs:

1. Winnie the Pooh CC Cooling Cushion – most moisturising and dewy, for dry skin, and has a cooling effect upon application
2. Mike Wazowski CC Long Lasting Cushion – long lasting, sebum control for oily skin and smooths over pores and uneven skin
3. Mickey Mouse Power Perfect Cushion – higher coverage, and moisturising, for all skin types

[For those wondering what CC means, it is very similar to BB creams but stands for colour-correcting; is generally a lighter, more sheer coverage than BB creams and is more focused on skincare benefits and addressing skin issues like redness or dull uneven skin. In reality though, most BB and CC products work the same way and some CC creams have even higher coverage than the former.]

The Mike cushion claims the following:

• Reduces wrinkles, brightens,and protects against UV rays with SPF50+ PA+++
• Long-lasting to keep makeup fresh looking for hours. Formulated to sit close to the skin without caking or feeling sticky.
• Sweat and oil-resistant formula helps minimize shine.
• Skin-smoothing; made with powder particles of various sizes to smooth pores, bumps and other imperfections.
• Contains a natural moisturising factor (Biosaccharide Gum-1) obtained through fermentation to help skin look healthy by creating a moisture barrier without settling into lines.

I’m very glad that the Mike cushion was the type that suited my needs the most in terms of base makeup because I really wanted it just for the packaging and probably wouldn’t have got much use out of it had it been the CC cooling cushion – fyi, I have normal skin with an oily t-zone and prefer a natural glow/satin finish as opposed to full matte or overly dewy.

This comes in 3 shades, and I got mine in V201 apricot beige. This is the closest equivalent to shade no.21 in most other Korean brands, and with a few exceptions, I’m usually a no.21. Ideally, I’m somewhere between a no.21 or 23 right now, especially since I get a bit darker in summer, but unless I’m familiar with the brand I don’t typically go for no.23 for fear of the shade running too dark/yellow based for my neutral skin tone. V201 is a pretty good match actually, its neither too pink or yellow.

Now the packaging for this cushion – too cute for words. I’m a sucker for special edition packaging but this is definitely my favourite up there with the Isa Knox cushion. It’s also the only cushion I’ve seen on the market that has a 3D case – which just happens to work so well for Mike’s big eyeball haha. xD

The case comes in a recycled material box with a shiny embossed Mike on the front and Korean/English information on the back/side. It doesn’t come with a refill but will fit all other cushion refills from The Face Shop and from Amore Pacific Brands. This retails at KRW20,000 (approx. £14/$18).

This cushion actually blew away my low expectations. I’ve never tried TFC cushions before (they seem to release so many different types and prior reviews never convinced me I’d like any of them) and I admit I’m always skeptical of the roadshop/low-end brand cushions because they just never compare to the likes of Laneige, Hera, IOPE or Sulwhasoo. Although pricier, they are worth the value for me because you really notice a difference with the formula, how it adheres to the skin, longevity and finish. I have a good mix of low and high end and always seem to reach for the latter for their reliability.

This however, performs much like the high end cushions in a lot of ways.The air puff is very soft, bouncy and flexible so it applies easily and doesn’t create streaks when you’re patting and blending away unlike the TonyMoly BCDation+ cushion. I love how fine the formula is and how close it adheres to the skin; it gives you a smooth, flawless look after the first few hours of application, yet still looks very natural and skin-like. I’d say this is a solid medium coverage and I can get away with not using concealer on red areas if I apply 2 layers to those areas.

The cushion does have a nice fresh scent but it isn’t detectable once it’s on your skin. Many cushions apply very wet and tacky, taking a bit of time to dry down if they do, but this sets very quickly and doesn’t make me feel the need to powder. It has a natural finish that leans more on the matte side but by no means does it look or feel dry as it gives your face a bit of a glow in all the right places. (I feel it’s quite moisturising until it hits about the 9-10 hour mark and then my skin does feel a little dry and tight.)

What I also really love about this cushion is that it’s true to its claim of being long-lasting. It is one of the best longevity cushions around. I’ve been using this a lot for the hot, humid weather recently and after 12 hours wear it still looks great; even when I’ve been sweating. My nose area usually gets oily quite quickly due to the combination of oils in base makeup and my skin’s natural oil. With this CC cushion, after 5 hours my t-zone doesn’t even feel or look oily and it doesn’t bunch up around the sides of my nose as bad as some others do). The oil-resistant formula becomes more of a powdered texture on the skin which really helps keep the shine at bay for longer than most. (This even performs better than the Mamonde Real Powder Cushion which is more matte and powdery on initial application.) If you use a primer with this Mike cushion it holds up even better and I can go at least 7/8 hours with no obvious greasy shine. I love it. Perfect for those days you can’t be bothered to touch up or when you’re out all day.

Left: no makeup       Right: cushion with blusher, highlighter and contour

The only thing I dislike is that if you don’t set this cushion with powder, it transfers easily to the touch. Although even when I touch my face a lot it never seems to make the CC cream fade or get patchy so I don’t get too worried of wiping it all away.

All in all, I’m super impressed with this CC long lasting cushion. It really reminds me a lot of the Isa Knox cushion (which I love), except that this has the added bonus of not needing powder to cover the shine. I feel like a lot of products make a lot of claims that don’t necessarily hold up to the test and when I read what this cushion claimed, I thought wow this is everything I could want a cushion to do. It seemed to acknowledge all the common issues you encounter with using cushion foundations and promised to not do the same. (Overly dewy, tacky finish, caking up, too oily etc). Yet I feel like this is one of the only cushions that lived up to most of its job description and for that this cushion gets a big thumbs up. For the affordable price and performance, I definitely recommend this especially to people who have more oily skin and have been too afraid to try out cushions for their dewy finish.

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