Koh Gen DO! – In CUSHION form 

Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation SPF 15 Cushion is my new magic makeup. What’s that you say? They don’t make cushions? Well, I DO, beeches! Behold the KGD Magic Cushion. Inside a Laneige case. I will explain:

I blew $30 on the Laneige BB Cushion while ignoring the fact that it contains Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate (octinoxate) in abundance for that lovely SPF 50+. Of course I broke out like it was the zombie apocalypse.

Inspired by Angela’s Missha DIY Magic Cushion case, I vigorously scrubbed and emptied the Laneige case (used copious amounts of dish soap, laundry detergent, and castile soap) to get rid of the thick oil based BB cream. It was a total PITA to clean. I threw out the Laneige core and took an empty new sponge from the Missha kit to use as the innards. It’s slightly smaller than the Laneige case but it serves the purpose. I kept the Laneige Rubycell applicator sponge and cleaned it thoroughly and let it dry.

After that I poured my expensive Koh Gen Do Aqua foundation into the case. The foundation has been sitting untouched because I’m lazy about applying liquid foundation. Now that it’s summer, it’s a good time for a sheer lightweight everyday foundation that contains sunscreen. And I’d hated myself for buying that $62 foundation so it can sit there expiring!

For your reference, this is the Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation in OC2 (and my review from awhile back).

Once the foundation is poured in, I replaced the sponge top:

The cleansed Laneige applicator puff applies the KGD foundation like a dream. I just ordered replacement Mist Air Cushion Puffs since the Laneige ones are hard to come by and I am afraid of getting fakes from eBay. These Mist Air Cushion Puffs have “Memebox” stamped on the ribbon, so I assume they’re part of that website’s offering. They smell a little plastic-y and are thicker than the Laneige one, but I don’t see a huge difference in the application.

I like smearing foundation instead of using the Korean patting technique. I feel that patting does NOT create even coverage but you end up with blotchy patches, unless of course you’re a blending expert.  Here’s the foundation in action below. Built to a medium 2-layer coverage. No retouch or filter on the photo, no other face product. This is in unflattering florescent office lighting too. Not bad eh?

So happy to have found a use for two expensive items that have been sitting sadly on the bench for awhile. Yay for DIY cushions; thanks for the idea, A! Xoxo

Pros: self satisfaction from making an awesome nonexistent beauty product. You can make ANY foundation into a cushion wheeeeee
Cons: takes lots of work, empty cushion cases are hard to come by. You can order Missha ones online. Between the empty case and liquid foundation you’re gonna run up the $$$