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Product Description
Physicians Formula Cushion Foundation is talc-free, has SPF 50 broad spectrum sunscreen in the form of 8.4% titanium dioxide, and 3.95% zinc oxide. It doesn’t smell like anything to me. It comes in 3 shades, contains 0.47 fl oz / 14 mL, which is about half of what you get in a typical bottle of foundation and retails for about $16.
Available at: Physicians Formula, Target, Walmart, Fred Meyer, Ulta, Walgreens, and Amazon.com.
Performance
This is my first cushion foundation so I don’t have any others to compare it to but the experience has been interesting. I have had this product for close to 3 months now. I haven’t worn it on a daily basis but I’ve gotten enough use out of it that I am noticing I’ve used it up about half way. Over the course of that time, my combination skin has gone through periods of being more oily and more dry so I feel ready to describe how it performs in both situations.
First I want to talk about the application process. I’ve found it takes me more time to use the included applicator than using a brush (the Sigma F82 Round Kabuki is my go-to brush) and I don’t feel I get much different of a result by doing so. When I first opened it, the sponge was much more saturated and I only needed to press lightly into it to pick up enough product to work on half of my face. Now, I need to press quite firmly and more toward the edges which has been a messy experience. At this point, it is easier (and cleaner) for me to go in with a brush to avoid getting the product all over the inside of the compact, under my fingernails, on the top side of the applicator, etc. I like the actual product inside but find the cushion idea itself to be unnecessary. I would prefer this in a bottle with a full range of shades to accommodate many skintones.
The actual foundation itself is fantastic on days when my skin is normal-to-dry. I was able to wear this all day with maybe one blot to tone down the dewiness. It felt super lightweight and comfortable. On oilier days, I was a greaseball by noon and as the day went on, I become more and more aware of it on my face. By about mid afternoon, I was longing to take a makeup remover wipe to my face. In both situations, I found the product did a great job of blurring the look of pores and toning down the look of redness. For having such a thin, lightweight consistency, it has surprisingly good coverage as you can see in the before and after photos below. The coverage is definitely buildable in that you can apply a couple of layers without it looking “cakey” or like you are obviously wearing makeup.
My favorite thing about this is the way it photographs. It looks very natural but at the same time it hides what I want it to hide very well.
Worth Buying?
This is a tricky one. I like it enough that I will likely repurchase it when I’m out to use on days when my skin is more dry and also to use for photography. I can’t say I’d recommend it 100% to someone with combination skin unless you are okay with having a few different foundations for different purposes. I personally don’t mind having a few different products to work with depending on my skin’s “mood”.
Pros:
- Beautiful, skin-like finish
- Blurs pores well
- Tones down redness well
- Good, medium coverage
- SPF 50 physical sunscreen
- Doesn’t smell like anything
- Photographs well when freshly applied
Cons:
- It doesn’t last all day on me
- Not good for oily skin
- Very small shade range
- Pricy considering how often I’d have to repurchase if using daily
