I haven’t tried new drugstore foundation in over a year, but the L’Oreal Infallible Cushion Foundation grabbed my attention right away based on its lofty claims.
This drugstore cushion foundation advertises filter-like skin, weightless buildable coverage lasting up to 24 hours, and a soft matte finish that stays transfer-resistant, waterproof, and sweat resistant… sounds like it checks all the boxes to me!
Cushion foundation is not a new concept, but it seems to be having a second wave of popularity in the US right now. Originating in South Korea in the early 2000s, cushion foundation gives you the convenience of liquid foundation in a compact for ease of application and on-the-go touch ups. As K-Beauty trends started to enter the US mainstream in 2014, we saw a few brands try to replicate the concept, including L’Oreal. Their True Match Lumi Cushion Foundation offered fresh-looking, sheer dewy coverage plus SPF 15, but was discontinued several years ago.
Another feature of cushion foundation is that typically, you can purchase refill cushions to replace inside the compact. This offered sustainability and cost benefits, as refills were usually cheaper than the full compact.
The L’Oreal Infallible Cushion Foundation is $19.99, a price that definitely gave me sticker shock… especially when you consider that the cushion only holds a third of an ounce of product (.38 oz / 11g to be exact). I was hoping this cost would be offset by refill prices, but at the time of writing this review, the US market does not offer refills. I found a video on L’Oreal Paris Malaysia’s TikTok that called this product refillable, but I don’t see anywhere– including the brand’s US site– where you can buy cushion replacements.
Doing the math, that brings this foundation to a whopping $52/oz. Other foundations around the same price include Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation ($52 for 1 oz), NARS Light Reflecting Foundation ($55 for 1oz), and the Lancôme Teint Idole Foundation ($53 for 1oz). This is a high end foundation being sold at the drugstore, full stop.
The shade options leaves a bit to be desired. There is a range of warm, neutral, and cool tones across the 20-shade range, compared to their Infallible Liquid Foundation’s 40 shades.
130 Warm is my closest match, but it looks a bit too light when applied all over my face. It’s an easy fix with bronzer and blush, but it’s still not my perfect match. The next shade down, 140 Neutral, is much too dark and warm for me, though. The undertone labels were confusing to me, because the labels didn’t match how the shades were translating on me.
The L’Oreal Infallible Cushion Foundation’s coverage hits a solid medium. I feel that it does create a very even looking base, though doesn’t fully conceal blemishes or hyperpigmentation. It does even out redness well, and a little goes a long way. A quick tap in the cushion gives you enough product for nearly half the face.
While L’Oreal describes its finish as soft-matte, it doesn’t fully mattify my skin. As you can see in the photo above, the glow that my skin care routine gives me is still incredibly visible, and a bit of extra dewiness was added with liquid blush.
I first tested this foundation on an in-office work day. I work a corporate 9-5, but I’m not sitting in an office all day every day. As a social media manager in Las Vegas, I’m often walking through my casino, or sometimes even outside in the summer heat, which gets up to 120F.
I was absolutely expecting this foundation to look straight up busted after such a long work day. To my surprise and sheer amazement, the coverage hadn’t faded, the product hadn’t gathered or creased in my expression lines, and there was no separating where my natural oils were coming through. I did get a bit shiny in my T-Zone (I have combo skin) but I hadn’t powdered the foundation at all– only set it with my trusty Milani Make It Last Setting Spray.
The next day, I re-tested the foundation with a layer of my about-face Curtain Call Setting Powder, followed by my setting spray. Not only did I wear it through another full work day, but I went to a summer concert that evening without touching up my makeup. A full fifteen hours later, my face makeup was largely intact. The only visible wear was on my forehead where I had been wearing a hat. It also did transfer onto the hat, but the fit was pretty tight.
Besides that one spot, though, my face makeup looked flawless. I could have confidently worn it for another 8 hours, no problem.
Watch the video at the top of this post to see more in-depth before and after check-ins.
The L’Oreal Infallible Cushion Foundation performs like a high end foundation. It’s priced like a high end foundation. What’s that thing they say about looking like a duck?
Frankly, the performance quelled my sticker shock, though I’m not sure this will become a year-round holy grail foundation pick like their Infallible Fresh Wear Liquid Foundation is. 130 Warm may match me more closely in winter, though my skin is drier that time of year and I typically lean into hydrating formulas. It’s definitely a product I’m grabbing when I need my makeup to stay looking fresh beyond my typical wear time or conditions, whether that be hot days, long days, or special events.
You can buy the L’Oreal Infallible Cushion Foundation at Ulta Beauty.
Do you think the performance of this drugstore cushion foundation is worth the price?
– Miranda
