Etude House Precious Mineral Magic Any Cushion Review and Swatches

Etude House's latest product, the Precious Mineral Magic Any Cushion, is already out in Korea, and is coming to Singapore in May (so that's just a few days away!). If you saw my post on the Etude House Magic Any Cushion launch event, then you'll already know what these are, but if not, let me just do a brief recap for you. Unlike previous BB cushions, which are BB creams in cushion form, the Magic Any Cushion is really more of a colour-corrector, a primer, if you will, that can be worn alone, or under whatever other base makeup you want (e.g. foundation, BB cream, etc).

Etude House Precious Mineral Magic Any Cushion

The Magic Any Cushion comes with great expectations - apparently 200,000 Magic Any Cushions were sold within the first few days of its launch in Korea, and I expect that it will do just as well in Singapore, too.

Below, you can see how the Precious Mineral Magic Cushion looks when it is opened. There are three shades for various colour-correcting purposes: Magic Mint, which corrects redness, Magic Peach, which adds brightness to dull skin, and Magic Pink, which adds a vibrancy to the skin. Like previous cushion and BB cushion products, there is a sponge that holds a reservoir of product (in this case, 15ml), and you apply the product using a polyurethane puff. Etude House has managed to dye their polyurethane puffs pink, which really adds to the marketing value. Most cushion products have a polyurethane puff that is blue in colour. Apparently this is because the polyurethane material is quite hard to dye, so most brands use the "default" blue colour that the puffs come in. But it looks like Etude House has made is own puff pink, which is quite unique.


Etude House Precious Mineral Magic Any Cushion: Magic Peach, Magic Pink, Magic Mint
Below, you can see swatches of all three colours, both heavily, and sheered out. While I know that the three colours are for different skin concerns, when sheered out (which is how you would wear the product if you apply with the polyurethane puff), they just look various types of off-white pastel shades, so the colour correcting effect is very subtle. Because the shades are quite pastel in nature, heavy layering will give you a look that is slightly fairer than your natural skin. Depending on your colour preferences, this is probably something you will like or dislike - in Asia this whitening effect is popular, but elsewhere, a consumer might not have such a preference.


Etude House Precious Mineral Magic Any Cushion Swatches: Magic Peach, Magic Mint, Magic Pink
Magic Peach is the most skin-colour-like shade, and also the least white. To me, it's the most universal out of all the Magic Any Cushion shades. It's probably the best choice for girls who are not that fair, or for anyone who wants to try one but can't decide on a colour. Chances are, this will work for you, as the peach shade is a close-to-skin shade that brightens quite generally.

Magic Mint is the palest out of all the three shades, and although it looks like a pastel, mint green in the sponge, when you actually wear it and blend it out, it becomes more like a white with a tinge of green. This is the palest shade, so I'd advise testing out before buying if possible, if you have a deeper skintone, just in case you find it looks too ashy on you.

Magic Pink is a pale pink. I imagine this will be a popular shade in Asia (pink-tinged bases are always popular here), but to be honest, I think this shade is probably best for those who are more cool-toned, since the pink tinge might look a tad "off" on very warm-toned or yellow skin.

All the shades have fine shimmer in them. So yes, the finish is the shimmery Korean-style "glow" that is very popular here in Asia. Again, this is a matter of preference. I personally didn't mind it, as long as it's not huge discoball pieces of glitter that are very visible. The shimmer here is there, but it's not as obvious when applied sheerly. Below, I've zoomed in on my swatches of the Precious Mineral Magic Any Cushion so you can see the level of shimmer in the product.


Etude House Precious Mineral Magic Any Cushion Swatches: Magic Peach, Magic Mint, Magic Pink
The Precious Mineral Magic Any Cushion has a very light texture. Like most Korean BB cushion and BB cream products, it is silicone-based, so it has a watery texture and feels comfortable and light on the skin. Below, you can see a FOTD (Face of the Day) with the Magic Any Cushion in Magic Peach all over my face, and no other base products. Lips are Etude House's Rosy Lip Tint in 08 After Blossom (swatched here), while the blush I'm wearing is Becca Creme Blush in Amaryllis. I'm also wearing Ulta's Eye Shadow in Naked for a nude eye.


FOTD with Etude House Precious Mineral Magic Any Cushion in Magic Peach
As you can see, the look is quite glowy, and sheer. While it has a brightening effect, due to the pale product colour and the shine, the Magic Any Cushion doesn't cover blemishes or any discolourations, because it's more of a colour corrector to even out the skin. So if you are looking for something with higher coverage, I suggest you layer this under your base makeup for best effect. On me, this decently by itself, although over the course of the day my skin did start looking a bit oily unless I powdered it. It also can settle into any deep lines or wrinkles, so just ensure you're not over-applying to prevent this from happening.

I was also asked by some blog readers in my previous Magic Any Cushion launch event post to share on what are some of the foundations or BB creams that work best with the Magic Any Cushion. For this, it might be best to take a look at the ingredients of the Magic Any Cushion. The samples I received didn't include the ingredients, but googling around I was able to fine the ingredients list:

Etude House Magic Any Cushion Ingredients (Source)

As I've mentioned before, the Magic Any Cushion is silicone-based, with the main ingredients being water, silicones (Cyclopentasiloxane, Phenyl Trimethicone, Cyclohexasiloxane, Dimethicone), UV filters for the sunscreen (Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide), as well as emulsifiers and emollients (Butylene Glycol, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, PEG-10 Dimethicone). There is also arbutin in there for skin whitening (so the brand can substantiate its claims of offering skin whitening benefits). I'd say that, from this list, the Magic Any Cushion is quite similar in formulation to other BB creams and silicone-based foundations out on the market. So this means that most other BB creams (including Etude House's own BB creams), CC creams, foundations, etc. base products should work fairly well with the Magic Any Cushion - there isn't anything particularly unique about its formulation that dictates what you can and can't use it with. I'd say what products work better with the Magic any cushion will probably be a matter of personal preference more than anything else - whether its liquid, watery texture works better with creams, other liquids, or powders and so on.

So that said, would I recommend this product? Yes, if you are looking for a sheer, colour-correcting product. This isn't a full-coverage foundation or BB cream, so if that's what you are looking for, then this isn't it. But as a subtle brightener and colour-correcting product that can be worn alone, or under another makeup, this is worth checking out.

Recommended?	Pigmentation	Texture	Application	Colour	Lasting Power
Yes	3/10	8/10	8/10	7/10	7/10
The Bottom Line: This sheer, lightweight line of colour correctors work best to even out skintone, either alone or under another base product.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)