Emboldened by my DIY cushion compact experience, I decided to try making a cushion blush (a la IOPE Air Cushion Blusher). Unfortunately, as far as I know, there aren’t any premade mini-cushion compacts designed for DIY-ing. (Missha, A’Pieu, Memebox, you listening?)

So I improvised and used a regular cleaned-out cushion compact. Luckily, my AmorePacific cushion just ran dry, so I tossed the cushion sponge and washed and dried the empty plastic holder.

You’ll need:

Empty, clean, and dry cushion holder

Refill cushion sponge (I used Missha’s, which come in a two-pack)

Liquid blush

Small spoon or spatula (like the ones that come with skincare products)

I used Kiss Me Heavy Rotation Creamy Cheeks in 02 Cutie Pink, a creamy liquid blush in a tiny squeeze tube. Renee passed this on to me because it didn’t work for her. The shade is a matte candy pastel pink and is CRAZY PIGMENTED, making it quite annoying to use. I only use a pinhead’s worth at a time to avoid looking like a baby clown. (The instructions say to use a 3mm-diameter circle for both cheeks.) This was the perfect candidate for a cushion because it requires a thin application and maximum blendability.

It gives a sweet babydoll look; with its white base, it’s definitely not a natural-looking blush. On my fair, warm-toned skin, it initially looks like a cool-toned baby pink but eventually settles/oxidizes into a warm-leaning baby pink. By the end of the day, it has faded but is still visible.

Directions:



Apply liquid blush onto the top of the sponge. Keep applying until there’s enough to saturate the top. I squeezed out pretty much the whole tube. (Ignore the useless toothpick.) Use the back of the spoon or spatula to smooth the blush over the surface (like icing a cake), pressing it in until it’s absorbed by the sponge. Finished! Admire your new blusher.

So purrty! ::Drools:: The cushion will look darker than the blush really is.

If you’re familiar with DIY cushion compacts, you’ll notice that my directions deviate from the normal method of adding the liquid first and then pressing the sponge into the liquid. The reason for the deviation: the amount of blush is far less than what the sponge can hold.

Regular-size cushions hold 15g of product; the Heavy Rotation blush is only 7g. My concern was that if I used the normal method, there wouldn’t be enough blush to saturate the sponge to the top. If you have close to 15g of blush, then follow the normal method. FYI, the Etude House Lock’n Summer cushion blush is 5g and the IOPE one is 9g.

Above, I swatched the cushion on my arm. (Done in direct sunlight, so it looks a little different than the original swatch done in indirect sunlight.)

It is still soooo pigmented. The amount on the puff above was enough for both cheeks, the swatch, and then some. I’ll stick with applying the lightest pat of blush with the top half of the puff and using the clean bottom half to blend.

I also ordered a cushion sample so that I could use its mini Rubycell puff for the blush. (On eBay, look for the AmorePacific samples in a blue tub. The Etude House set of 3 Magic Any Cushion samples also looks like it comes with mini puffs, but I can’t tell whether they’re Rubycell.) Of course, a Rubycell puff isn’t required, just preferred.

Update: Ten months later, this cushion is still going strong with no signs of going bad. It dried a little bit in that it’s not as liquidy as originally, but by no means is it dried out. I use it quite frequently. The mini Rubycell puff is tricky to hold because there’s no finger loop, but it’s still better than using the regular-size puff.

Here’s the cushion blush in action:

Other makeup: Laneige BB Cushion in Light; Urban Decay Naked Palette; Chacott Quick Eyeliner; Nature Republic By Flower Triple Volume Tint in 03 Lilac.

Other makeup: Innisfree Water Glow Cushion in No. 23; NYX Suede Collection Palette (provided for consideration by NYX); Laneige Serum Intense Lipstick in Love Me Pink.

Update: Check out Renee’s DIY cushion experience.

Update: This is my submission to the AB See Asian beauty link party for the theme KISS & MAKEUP.

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