The best cushion I've ever tried? VDL x PANTONE Expert Tone Up Cushion (2019 Living Coral version)

Finding an ideal foundation or BB cream can be hard. I've been struggling with finding ideal shade since I was a teenager - I have very pale skin so usually if I take the lightest shade of foundation I end up with orange or yellow skin. Kbeauty saved me from this problem but still finding an ideal shade and formula was hard. There are brands that I know mostly thanks to their makeup collections like Clio, Espoir and VDL. This time I've decided to change my favourite cushion and try VDL collaboration with Pantone - Expert Tone Up Cushion. Is this the ideal cushion?

Couple words about VDL

VDL is a South Korean make-up brand. This brand was founded in 2012 and its mother company is LG Household & Health Care as a part of The Color Lab. VDL has a huge choice if it comes to makeup, the offer of foundations and lipsticks is really big but the price range is not as affordable as cheaper brands but I guess that's easy to understand since the quality of VDL products is high. I guess this brand is mostly known for the Pantone collaborations. This year's Colour of the year according to the Pantone is living coral and the whole 2019 collaboration is focused on this shade.

What's my skin tone?

My skin tone is very pale and more on a neutral/slightly colder side. I don't like pink tones in my foundation but yellow isn't also good. I've tried many different foundations before, I even made posts about it. I have makeup classes at school and if you follow my Instagram account you might know that I had to take my own foundation and concealer with me because we had no shades - I had a suggestion to use white concealer to lighten my face since we have no shade. I do not tan, I usually burn in the sun. The shade I've decided to go for is the lights test shade available - A02, there's also A03 available. The choice was small and I was scared that A02 might be too dark.

Pantone collaboration is all about design

What I love the most about VDL X Pantone collab is aesthetic. The whole collaboration might seem to be minimalistic but the box in which you can find cushion and refill has many details which make the product more attractive - it kinda looks like a coral reef. The packaging is in a shade called living coral, a colour of the year 2019 which I personally really like.

What's inside?

Inside the box, you can find a cushion and a refill. Refill it's a removable part of a cushion. When you're out of the formula you can buy a refill only instead of buying a refill and a cushion. It's cheaper and probably better for the environment. Obviously, you have to buy the refill from the same series since there are differences in refills and even if the refill is made by the same brand it might not fit each series. I told you a bit about it in a previous post. Each refill has an air puff that makes application easier and the cushion has a mirror.

How does the formula look like?

I have to admit that I don't like makeup ingredients because it's obvious that formulas like foundations have silicones and there are reasons why makeup has different formulas than skincare. Although both contain silicones, the main purpose of silicone in cosmetic is to make makeup look good on your skin and stay longer. Not every silicone acts the same but silicone in cosmetics helps with spreading the formula on the skin, also some silicones evaporate almost after the application.

Water, Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, HDI/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, Methyl Trimethicone, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Niacinamide, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Dimethicone/Polyglycerin-3 Crosspolymer, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenyl Trimethicone, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Sulfate, Panthenol, Zinc Stearate, Magnesium/Potassium/Silicon/Fluoride/Hydroxide/Oxide, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Stearic Acid, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Silica, Aluminum Hydroxide, Dipropylene Glycol, Adenosine, Sodium Citrate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Triethoxysilylethyl Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Hexyl Dimethicone, Tocopherol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Fragrance, CI 77492, CI 77491, CI 77499

Makeup formulas look a bit like dark magic. There are silicones which we consider to be positive to the skin because they are occlusive ingredients that can help a damaged skin barrier from TEWL (Transepidermal Water Loss) like Dimethicone and Cyclopentasiloxane. There are moisturizers like Glycerin, Panthenol, Aluminum Hydroxide and Vitamin E aka Tocopherol. Adenosine is one of the ingredients I like because it speeds up the healing process, also Niacinamide is an ingredient which later became very popular due to its brightening properties. There must be at least one protecting ingredient like Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, a chemical sunscreen that protects the skin from UVB. Remember that even if you use a cushion, BB cream or foundation with sunscreen - just like here but it's only SPF 20 and PA++ (SPF is a UVB protection, while PA stands for UVA protection) - still you need to use a sunscreen to protect the skin from UVB and UVA radiation. There's also Titanium Dioxide which is a sunscreen but it can be also used for colour in the formula. Last 3 ingredients - the suspicious numbers are pigments, these are safe for use. I'm aware that some people freak out after seeing PEGs in the formula - there are some Pegs that can be sensitizing but I try not to freak out since there are some toxicology reports saying that they aren't as bad as some people make them look like but remember it's your choice if you use them in your skincare and makeup or not.

How does it work?

The cushion itself is ideal! I'm not kidding, the colour match is almost the same as my skin and that's something unusual for me. The formula is creamy and the coverage is high, not ideal but that's one of the best coverage I've tried. I do not use a powder after using it. It gives a healthy glow to the skin without making it look oily. The scent might be bit annoying for some people and the cushion itself is a product which you can easily fit into your makeup bag or everyday bag. It's easy to reapply it during the day - that's also the reason why I always go for it. If you're scared of safety - I clean the air puff after every use with special formula aka 70% isopropyl alcohol and you can clean it with soap after a couple of days of using it. I really like the fact that I can buy a refill instead of a new case and refill once again, it saves lots of money. It stays for about 8 hours on my oily skin but I figure out one thing, it's not related to the cushion but the fault is on b.liv HA Ampoule and Krave Beauty Sunscreen. Some products don't go together and I thought that something went wrong with the cushion, be careful with your routine because no matter if I use VDL or April Skin cushion, if I add HA ampoule from b.liv under Krave Beauty suncream then my foundation is caking. Overall, I guess I found my new makeup obsession. I'm aware that some people are scared that they'll go out of the cushion quickly - usually, I use the cushion at least for 2-3 months before I change the refill.

Where to get it?

VDL X Pantone Expert Tone Up Cushion is available on Jolse for $27.58 (normally, the price is around $35 for a 15g cushion and 15g refill), the entire collection is interesting and I recommend you check not only the cushion but also primers - actually VDL is mostly known in Western countries for primers.

Do you know VDL? Have you ever tried cushion before?

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*** This post was made in collaboration with Jolse, even though it still shows my personal opinion on the topic and product**