How to adjust your ghostly white cushion compact to your skin tone

I recently went through ALL my makeup and skincare so I can properly organize and dispose of items accordingly. It took me half a day and about ten extra bags of product, all of which I gave away to my family! Now my place feels cleaner and I get *less* stressed out about where my stuff are. I also unearthed some products that I really, really like, but can't use nor bear to throw away.

I found so many cushion compacts that I just kinda forgot about because they are ridiculously too light against my skin tone. I keep acquiring them, hoping against hope that this brand's N21 or N23 will finally work for my skin tone. Nothing ever did (as I really must be N25 or darker), until my lazy ass finally did something about it!

I actually already wrote about how I mixed two foundations in an empty cushion compact, and even advised to adjust the shade of existing compacts by adding a darker pigment. It's super simple! 

  • Choosing the right formula to add to your cushion compact is key. If your cushion liquid is water-based, add a water-based foundation. If it's oil-based, same! Ideally, the darker shade would be more pigmented so that you don't ~usurp~ the existing cushion liquid formula by putting too much. You don't want original formulation to change drastically; the goal is to adjust the shade.
  • Add the darker shade little by little. I like to put 5-6 drops at first, diffuse the pigment around with a cotton bud, then swatch the resulting color with the rubicel puff on my jaw. It's best to take it slow, because you don't want your cushion to be too dark naman! I stop when I get a match, then proceed to apply the base all over my face.
  • Using a cotton bud is hygienic but it does take a while to mix the two foundations this way. It's best to sanitize your finger and, with it, massage the cushion to distribute the dark pigment.

Voila! I finally got a good match with my Iope Air Cushion (shade N23), plus it was able to retain its lightweight texture. I added about 12 drops of the MAC Mineralize Moisture Foundation (NC37) which is roughly only 20% of the existing liquid on the compact. Not a bad ratio!

I also did this with my Estee Lauder Double Wear Cushion BB (the shade Warm Vanilla was def too light), also adding the MAC Mineralize. I'm pretty happy with the results and will be adjusting the rest of my ill-fitting cushion compacts.

What do you think? Have you found a good shade match in Korean bases? Have you tried adjusting them as well?

Liz Lanuzo

Founder & Editor-in-Chief

I eat makeup for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert.

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