Love it: Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Cushion

Okay so it’s been out for a couple of months now, but – shame on me! – I’ve only just gotten around to giving Lancôme’s Teint Idole Ultra Cushion a damn good go… what the heck was I waiting for? This is a revelation, and an effortless to use, beautiful to wear one at that.

Like many great things beauty, the basic idea for the unique miracle cushion delivery that it uses comes from Korea. Back when I was a wee one and they didn’t have self-adhesive stamps, post offices kept a little round sponge sitting in water in a little round dish so you could moisten your stamp without having to lick it. Sometime back in 2007, Korean beauty brand AmorePacific, were reportedly inspired by the idea of putting a "stamp of approval" on a new must-have concept, and developed the first cushion compact. They released the IOPE Air Cushion in 2008 and since then, the use of cushion compacts has become so popular that apparently 75 per cent of Korean women have used/are using a cushion compact. Pretty amazing, huh? 

Lancôme was actually the first Western beauty brand to create its own version of the cushion back in 2015, when it launched the Teint Miracle-inspired Miracle Cushion. Fast forward a year and they have released the aforementioned Teint Idole Ultra Cushion, once again inspired by one of their legendary foundations.

So, what makes it so great? Well for starters, I think I might have been waiting for the perfect time to break this beauty out, as where it really shines is when the weather gets warm and sticky – i.e. the upcoming New Zealand summer and beyond. With a Broad Spectrum SPF 50 sunscreen available in all six shades and a deliciously light matte finish, the oil-free, lightweight liquid foundation gives you the buildable coverage you need and a flawless result.

Three years of research in the making, Teint Idole Ultra Cushion boasts a patented Double Matrix Technology – an ultra-absorbent fibre network tailor-made for high coverage textures, and a touch-activated filter pad that dispenses the perfect amount of formula, with no leaks. Its patented Polar Cushion Technology is designed for comfortable longwear too, a factor which I have tested more than a few times with great results.
The packaging is an absolute winner, of course. Not that you can't carry a bottle or tube around, but the cushion format means a sponge impregnated with liquid foundation and set into a case that includes a mirror and convenient applicator pad, plus a hinged cap that creates an airtight seal over the sponge and provides a nice resting spot for the applicator. This makes it incredibly portable and travel-friendly, with no need for brushes or extra sponges making a hot mess in your handbag.

Application-wise, Teint Idole Ultra Cushion is best used with its custom velvet sponge applicator to achieve a high coverage result. It can also be used with your favourite foundation brush, sponge, or beauty blender. Like many cushion formulas it is pretty much foolproof, just give it the usual light tap the middle of the cushion to release the liquid foundation, then gently pat onto the skin in a tap-tap motion, beginning at the centre of the face and continuing out. Tap and repeat as desired for more coverage of any other areas of redness or imperfections that you want to erase and you’re good to go.

This baby is on counter now, RRP $85.00 and $55.00 for refills.