Review: History of Whoo Gongjinhyang Mi Luxury Golden Cushion

Straight up: I only bought this cushion for the packaging. Literally. I knew nothing about History of Whoo cushions, had read no reviews, tested it on my hand in store to check the shade, then bought it. Can you blame me? It’s the most beautiful piece of makeup I own, and for that reason alone, I love it. But once I got it home, obviously I did want to try it and use it, and to let you guys know how it performs aside from it’s luxurious packaging. 

What is the purpose of this cushion?

It’s a CC cushion, and is described as a “functional cosmetic product” to help with skin whitening, improving the appearance of wrinkles and protecting skin from UV rays. It came with a CC base to apply before cushion application.

Clearly I don’t want skin whitening, but usually I find Korean products brighten my skin rather than whiten, which is always one of my main aims in my base makeup. As for helping with wrinkles, I’m sceptical. I don’t have tooooo many wrinkles as of yet, only a few around my eyes, and so I don’t feel like I will be able to comment too well on this function. The leaflet inside also states that they wanted to produce a makeup product that also has a basic skincare effect. The leaflet describes how it will deliver moisture to the skin, which, if it does, I can see could contribute to an anti-aging effect through hydration. As for protecting from UV rays, I know that there is no way I can apply enough of this base to suitably protect my skin, but it’s nice to have some help for my sunscreen.

Overall my only true expectation from a cushion is to maintain a bright, dewy glow all day, and that is how I’m judging it.

Packaging

So first, yeah, the packaging. The case is beautiful gold, and a lot lighter to hold than I expected. The design on the top is gorgeously luxurious and detailed. It’s a mother of pearl effect in the background, covered with a stunning gold and glass flower pattern. It’s colourful, encorporating different shades of red/pink and green, with two red jewels in the centre of the larger flowers. The photos do it more justice than my description.

The CC cream was also very prettily packaged with the flower design, as was the outer box.

So as is clear, the packaging is beyond beautiful, and for me that was my point of purchasing.

Scent

The scent is a light powdery, herbal smell. It reminds me of an older lady, and it isn’t unpleasant. The CC cream, on the other hand, is a little too strong on the herbal, and has a faint dirt smell to be honest…once that fades though it leaves the same sweet powdery scent. And it’s an oddly comforting scent.

Shade and Texture

I bought the cushion in shade 21, as I always do. With only two shades, the range is horribly limited, as is normal in the Korean market. 21 is the lighter of the two, and I’m finding definite yellow undertones. This doesn’t always suit my pink-toned skin, and this is visible in certain lights- especially these photos! It doesn’t look quite as yellow and poorly matched in real life, but it’s definitely not my best colour option.

The texture of the liquid is like most other cushions- thin and light. It applies well, as I find the majority of cushions do. Gently patting, and layering the product is the best way to apply. It’s definitely not a cushion to generously slather on- layers are key to avoid caking, and to avoid huge transfer problems with the ‘wet’ texture.

Coverage

The coverage is okkkk. Definitely not going to be a choice for someone specifically looking for full coverage. I’ve been testing it when my skin is in fairly good condition in terms of pimples, breakouts, dry patches etc. I’m experiencing more redness at the moment. It did a pretty good job at evening my skin tone and the redness, and the brightening helped the coverage. I would say this is definitely functioning as a CC cream in terms of correcting colour, but it won’t do too much more than that.

 

Finish

This is a verrrry dewy option, and some people would not appreciate the glow on this. It’s probably the most dewy option I own. For the summer, it’s not the best choice, as the dew can become oily on my skin. But I think I’m going to appreciate the finish in the winter, when I really need that extra moisture. It definitely delivers on the moisture, as it states on the leaflet. It’s also a highly natural finish, because of the very light coverage. I like a natural finish some days, but again, it’s not everyone’s choice. Here are more photos to show the finish.

EDIT MARCH 2017: This was an AMAZING winter option for me. It totally changed my outlook on the product because it was one of my few cushion base options that didn’t leave my face looking flakey by the end of the day. 

 

Lasting power

Ok so I am testing this in the longest heatwave in Korea since 1994, plus humidity plus city dirt plus commuting plus teaching. So yeah, this is a hardcore testing period. Here are some photos from 7am in the morning, fresh on my face.

And here are some photos from 6pm, in the same room. By this point I had commuted, taught all day, been to Gangnam for doctors and shopping and then home. So 11 hours later these are the results…

So you can see my skin has the redness showing through by this point in the day. It’s not a reeeally long lasting cushion, but then again it doesn’t claim to be! I purposely didn’t top up during the day, but I think around 12pm I was ready for another little application. My t-zone and under eyes look particularly shiny in the 6pm photos.

EDIT MARCH 2017: over winter the lasting power was much better.

Final thoughts

So in my opinion, the beautiful packaging overshadows the actual product. The cushion is fine- it colour corrects, it gives a nice even tone to my skin, slight coverage, and a dewy yet natural finish. It seems to deliver a significant amount of moisture to the skin, as it promises.

However, for my skin tone, I really need to use a whitening base, such as the base included. Without this, it is slightly too yellow for me. The coverage is also just a liiiiittle too light for me most of the time. When I’m after a really natural finish, particularly on weekdays, I can see myself reaching for this, but not on other occasions. If I’m having any skin issues, it’s not something I could use. It’s also not a wise choice for summer, as you can see by the high moisture levels and the oiliness on my face in the 6pm ‘after’ photos.

Ultimately this wouldn’t be a cushion I would buy again,  (packaging aside of course, I’d buy it a million times over for the packaging). If you have fantastic skin, or like a natural finish with lots of glow, it could be a great option for you. If you prefer more coverage, or more of a matte finish, it probably wouldn’t be your best bet. Comparing it my other cushions, I have options that I’d more likely use for  either more coverage, more matte finish, dewy with coverage, suitable for summer etc. This cushion doesn’t really hold itself well when compared to my line up choices.

EDIT MARCH 2017: I’ve kinda done a 180 on my opinion. This cushion hugely impressed me over winter and it was my go to for really dry days. It was actually one of the few cushions I own that didn’t flake or dry up during a typical winter day here. It even featured in my favourite products of 2016 post in the end, I was that impressed. So ultimately, it seems to be a seasonal product! 

Despite all of this, I’m still obsessed, and you’ll be seeing it frequently on my instagram for the foreseeable future. I sit at my desk and stare lovingly at it. It’s my love, and I have no regrets buying it. BEAUTIFUL.

Have you tried a Whoo cushion? Are you just as obsessed with the packaging as I am?!