REVIEW: IOPE Air Cushion XP

As a beauty blogger, here is the obligatory post on the famous IOPE cushion, not that I mind reviewing this product since this is something I truly adore using! If you haven't heard of IOPE or cushion foundations before then I hope you're excited because this product is SO easy to use, glides on flawlessly, provides SPF 50+ PA+++ sun protection, and a long list of other benefits.

So what are cushion foundations? For the cushion newbie, they are basically a compact with a foundation-soaked "cushion" and a separate anti-bacterial sponge used to apply the foundation to your skin. The cushion comes with a refill in the box so for around $45 you get two 15g cushions, including the single compact case with mirror. 

I've tried a few different cushion foundations and IOPE is a strong contender.  It provides the following functions:

+ medium, but buildable coverage

+ hydration

+ UVA/UVB protection

+ Brightening

+ Anti-wrinkle

+ Smooths out the appearance pores

 The ingredients are:

active:

ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate 7%, titanium dioxide 4.15%, zinc oxide 9.8% 

inactive:

water (mineral water), cyclopentasiloxane, cyclohexasiloxane, phenyl trimethicone, peg-10 dimethicone, propylene glycol, butylene glycol dicaprylate/dicaprate, lauryl peg-9 polydimethysiloxyethyl dimethicone, arbutin, propanediol, dimethicone, arcylates/ethylhexyl acrylate/dimethicone methacrylate copolymer, polyhydroxystearic acid, sodium chloride, disteardimonium hectorite, aluminum hydroxide, stearic acid, phenoxyethanol, polysilicone-11, triethoxycaprylylsilane, ispropyl palmitate, isostearic acid, lecithin, ethylhexyl palmitate, glycerin, polygylceryl-3 polyricinoleate, dimethicone/vinyl dimethicone crosspolymer, ethylhexylglycerin, acrylates/stearyl acrylate/dimethicone methacrylate copolymer, HDI/trimethylolhexyllactone crosspolymer, disodium edta, trimethyxiloxysilicate, methyl methacrlate crosspolymer, adenosine, nelumbo nucifera flower extract, hesperidin, tocopheryl acetate, panthenol, prunus mume fruit extract, silica, citric acid, lactic acid, glycoproteins, lipase, chitosan, fragrance, titanium dioxide (CI 77891), iron oxides (CI 77492,77491,77499)

As for the claim that it is "sweat proof" I can't provide too much commentary here since I haven't worked out while wearing this foundation, but since there are silicones packed into the formula I can see how this would wear a little bit better against perspiration. 

As you can see from above, this product has a pretty long ingredient list with quite a lot silicone derivatives that can feel a bit heavy on the face. I also noticed arbutin, which is commonly used in products to "lighten" dark spots.  The active ingredients include two physical and one chemical sunscreen, providing a broad spectrum of UVA and UVB protection.  Additionally, all three sunscreens are photostable - a huge plus! 

The major drawback for this cushion is that it separates on my face within 4-5 hours, leaving like a polka dot pattern across my skin.  It's a very strange effect that I've only ever had with cushion foundations.  The separation tends to get worse on very humid days in the summer when my combination skin can go a little into overdrive around the oily t-zone.  In order to make this foundation last longer throughout the day, I tried a gazillion different makeup primers with very little success. It might be the humidity of summers here in Southern Ontario or it could just be my skin type, I don't really know, but most cushions do not last long on me unfortunately.

UPDATE: After incorporating the OST Vitamin C20 serum into my morning routine, this cushion foundation actually lasts a full 8 hours on my skin before I notice separation.  I've also tested on the Natural or N23 cushion and experienced similar staying powers with the OST serum.  My theory is that the serum has reduced oil and sebum production throughout the day, helping my make up to last longer. 

The foundation shades are limited in variety which is very common in Korean makeup.  Usually there are no more than a few colours in either a pink or beige tone: 

I chose C21 or "Cover 21" which is the lighter shade of the two available choices for their full coverage cushion.  I have some hyperpigmentation and acne scars that I need to cover up and the IOPE did a good job of that.  For slighly darker and larger marks on my face, I had to add a concealer underneath to truly get that flawless, blemish-free look.  

The product didn't cause me to break out and neither did it clog my pores or lead to pesky closed, comedones.  In fact, I found that my skin was healthier after I started using it, which I attribute to the formulation of some really nice ingredients in the foundation. 

As for the feel of this on my skin, I did notice it was quite sticky after application and that irritated me a lot - like A LOT - especially when strands of my hair would get stuck to my face!!! URGH! It's like the sticky lip gloss problem and long hair! So now I always set the cushion foundation with either Makeup Forever's HD powder or Chanel's universal powder.  It helps to give my skin the nice matte feel that I prefer while still maintaining that dewy look cushion foundations are so well-known for. 

	Efficacy	Price	Formulation	Design	Total
IOPE Air Cushion XP	4/5	4/5	4/5	4/5	16/20

You can purchase this product at the following, trusted e-shops:

W2Beauty  - ($40.99 USD) 

If you are a first-time buyer at W2Beauty, you can enter in my sponsor code 25809502 and receive a $5 discount to your order. :)