REVIEW: Laneige Cushion Highlighter SPF30 PA++

I initially fell down the cushion foundation rabbit hole last year and this has now extended to whatever cushion makeup product I can get my hands on – from concealer,blushers, highlighters. Not only is it more fun to apply makeup with cushions (for me at least), its so much quicker and convenient. Today I’ll be reviewing the Laneige Cushion highlighter.

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Product Info

This claims to be a highlighter base containing 35% moisture and colour-coated pearl pigments to give skin a natural, healthy glow. The glitter pigments subtly reflect light for a luminous effect and also adheres closely to the skin to provide natural radiance so it looks like you’re glowing from within.

This highlighter comes in 1 shade only and includes broad spectrum UV protection with SPF 30 PA++. It retails for KRW22,000 (approx £14/$19) and contains 9g and 0.3 oz of product. A friend picked this up for me in Korea but you can also find it online at Jolse or IBBI.

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Packaging

This is basically a smaller version of a typical cushion compact and about the same size as the IOPE Air Cushion blusher – it opens up with a mirror on the inside lid and a tray that holds the puff and opens out to reveal the cushion underneath. This doesn’t come with a refill but it is compatible with the IOPE cushion blusher refills. As far as I know, Laneige don’t sell the highlighter refills, which is a bit strange considering they have made the case refill-friendly. Hopefully they will sell them separately in future otherwise it could get costly having to repurchase the whole product.

I like how small and cute the compact is, but it is generally quite bulky for a highlighter and has a lot of unnecessary  packaging. The lid especially needn’t be so thick and the base of the cushion is quite deep which makes it difficult to pick up product evenly with the puff and not making a mess of the puff. It would have been better if they had designed the cushion to be wider and flatter instead, for easier application.

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Thoughts

Appears a cream beige on the cushion but blends out shimmery on the skin.

This cushion initially surprised me because when I first swatched it; it had a beige colour which looked very similar to a regular cushion foundation shade. When you blend it out however, you can’t detect any beige and it blends out to a beautiful pearly-champagne shimmer/sheen. It leans sliightly more pink than golden, but it isn’t too cool to the point of being icy pink so it can work with a lot of skin tones.

This has a light scent similar to the Laneige BB cushion which I really like, but it is not obvious at all unless you sniff at it and I can’t detect a smell at all when applied. It has a thin, watery consistency which is easy to blend on the skin, adheres well and doesn’t feel heavy or cake up during the day. It applies wonderfully over every cushion foundation I’ve tried it with and creates a lovely, light dewy glow.

Gorgeous pearly shimmer – does contain fine glitter

I love that this highlighter is quite pigmented and a little bit of it goes a long way. You only need one light press of the puff to get enough product for one side of the cheek area. Many Korean highlighters tend to be too sheer for my liking, but this one is quite visible but still looks natural. If I have to mention a downside, it’s that it’s not like a finely milled powder highlighter and does contain glitter that may be too chunky for people that prefer a very subtle look. If I look up close I can definitely see the glitter bits but from a distance it does look very natural, the glitter isn’t visible and I just love how it catches the light and really highlights my cheekbone area.

Since it can appear quite glittery, I only apply this on my cheekbone area where it looks most natural and avoid my forehead and nose bridge. This has great lasting power though and by the end of a long day I can still clearly see it. If I touch or swipe it, it does transfer onto my fingers but amazingly it still looks very visible on my skin despite multiple swipes.

Highlighter with the Laneige BB Pore Control Cushion

I’m a big fan of highlighters and this is probably one of my favourites in my collection that I reach for a lot on a daily basis. This is definitely one I will purchase again but it is disappointing that there are no refills for this and it is quite pricey, especially one that won’t last as long as a powder or cream highlighter. There aren’t many cushion highlighters currently available on the market however, or with such great quality so for me personally, it is worth the splurge now and again.