Image Source: sephora.com [1]

I've never been the type of girl who wears foundation [2] — or very much makeup [3] at all, TBH. I believe a beautiful complexion starts with skin care [4], so I've always focussed my attention there. That said, I love a tinted moisturiser or lightweight formula [5] that helps even out my skin tone. After years of struggling with products that were either too oily, too heavy, or too sheer, a friend of mine turned me on to the AmorePacific Colour Control Cushion Compact Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ [6] ($60), and I've never looked back.

The beauty of the cushion compact? It straddles the line between skin care and makeup. AmorePacific is a hero in the K-beauty [7] space, and the brand infuses all the products with Asian botanicals [8] that come from their own green tea fields on Jeju Island in South Korea. So while you're applying makeup, you're also giving your skin a boost of hydration and protection from free radicals — plus, each swipe of the product gives you a dose of broad-spectrum SPF 50+.

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Aviel Winter

Inside the compact is a sponge-like "cushion" that's saturated in product — you can use the soft applicator sponge that comes with the compact or a Beautyblender to gently push on the cushion and pick up product. It's my first step after applying my morning skin care and SPF, and it gives me such flawless, blurred coverage [9] that I don't apply any other powder or concealer [10]. It sinks into my skin without being cakey or sticky and has a nice dewy-but-not-shiny effect that lasts all day without sinking into creases or making me look oily by 4 p.m. As an added bonus, each compact package comes with a refill cushion, making the price tag totally worth it (each cushion lasts me about three months, FYI).

There's really no other makeup product [11] that I can honestly say I'm so committed to and that consistently makes all the compliments roll in. I can't see myself straying from the cushion anytime soon — it's basically the Paris filter IRL.