I've been a major fan of Kicho's skincare line for quite some time now, but their makeup counterpart has always been very small with just one CC cream available and a handful of makeup brushes here and there. However, Kicho recently made a new addition to their makeup line by releasing the Aroha Glow CC Cushion, their very first cushion compact!
KICHO AROHA GLOW CC CUSHION
PRODUCT WEIGHT: 18ml / 0.6 fl. oz.
RETAIL PRICE: Not yet released!
Usually, I would skip over the product box and jump right into the actual product itself, but the Kicho Aroha Glow CC Cushion arrived in a white box donning such a beautiful floral design that I just had to mention it! Sadly, the elegant floral design from the box did not translate onto the cushion compact as the outer case only had a basic all-white design that was clean and simple nonetheless.
Housed inside the cushion compact is a clear mirror and a lone cushion puff that sits perfectly into the inner cover. The size of the compact is a bit bulkier than I'm used to, but it's sturdy and feels very secure.
Underneath the airtight inner cover of the cushion foundation is a seal. Though the cushion foundation is able to be removed, it does not come with an extra refill nor an additional applicator puff.
The cushion puff applicator is a pale peach hue, so I'm not exactly sure if it's composed of a rubycell material (since they're usually blue), but it's very soft, spongey, and makes applying the foundation a breeze - it helps push the foundation into the skin and blends it out with no harsh lines or streakiness!
The Aroha Glow CC Cushion is available in 2 shades: 21 Bright Beige and 23 Natural Beige. Unfortunately, I received shade 21, which is way too light! I might've had better luck with 23, but generally I'm a 25, sometimes darker, in most cushion compacts (if it even exists in the shade range). Shade 21 looks really pasty on me and it has a greyish undertone, which just didn't work with my warm light-medium complexion. Since I was sent a shade that's not compatible with my skin tone, I'll just have to comment on the performance of it rather than the shade selection.
I usually prefer cushion foundations over anything else because they tend to give me comfortable second-skin coverage that looks and feels natural on the skin, but this cushion formula was lacking. It has a buildable medium to full coverage formula with a demi-matte finish that easily concealed the majority of my blemishes, redness, and discoloration. However, the formula felt way too thick on my skin and it just sat on the surface making it look cakey and dry. Even with plenty of moisturizer beforehand, I just could not get this cushion to look good on my skin. It was difficult to blend and it ended up emphasizing my pores, fine lines, and all the texture on my skin. Despite it having great coverage, it just didn't work for me.
After a few hours of wear, the foundation actually looks nicer on the skin, at least for me! The sweat and oils produced from my skin mixed well with the foundation helping it look more natural and not as "dry" or cakey. It wore for about 5-6 hours before I noticed some fading and wearing off.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Cushion foundations are still my #1 favorite type of base makeup, however, the Kicho Aroha Glow CC Cushion fell short for me. I loved how it had a buildable medium to full coverage formula, which covered up the majority of my flaws, BUT the overall finish looked too thick, cakey, and dry on my skin no matter how much moisturizer I used beforehand. It wore better throughout the day, but I wasn't a fan of this foundation. Plus, I really wish Korean companies would expand their shade range, especially now that Korean products are becoming more popular and mainstream!
WHERE TO BUY?
The Kicho Aroha Glow CC Cushion has not yet released, but I'll be sure to link it when it becomes available. :)
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