For Tea L♥vers: A’True Real Black Tea True Active CC Cushion Review

May 12, 2015

Hey There!

I am currently in the midst of quitting my shitty part-time job and I can’t wait for it to end!! It’s just an incredibly horrible experience and I will probably make a whole video rant about it once I’m out of there. I am also slowly seeing a light at the end of my deep thesis tunnel and it’s  somehow all falling in place – I can’t wait to give it in and be done with it! But I’m not here to rant about how busy I am, but instead am wondering:  ..are you bored of cushions yet? I certainly am still utterly in love with those small foundation wonders so I proudly present you the newest addition to my ever growing collection, the A’True Real Black Tea True Active CC Cushion! 
As a huge tea lover who cannot go a single day without her favorite drink, this cushion was especially appealing to me. Actually, I’ve been interested in A’True items for quite some time now (I mean, Himalaya Black Tea Watery Gel Cream? Paradise Black Tea Aqua Blossom Essence? Whoever is responsible for the wording, they are doing a brilliant job.) but ah, the prices have prevented me from trying them so far. But since A’True has a special offer at the moment on Jolse where you get a refill for free I didn’t have many counter arguments anymore 🙂
Compagnie Coloniale Black Tea Fermentation (32%)
A·TRUE Black Tea fermentation is accomplished through our diligent work and a series of carefully crafted methods. The carefully selected tea leaves are fermented twice, enabling their natural ingredients to be delivered to the skin revitalizing it with the tea’s essential nutrients, keeping it healthy.
Benefits
[Radiant + Firming + Hydrating + Tone + Brightening + Boosting] 
This revolutionary formula benefits from a foundation which holds six multi-functions that help revitalize and illuminate the skin tone maintaining overall skin brightness and transparency. Micro particles of mineral powder completely fill the uneven skin tone. Its color controlling effects help find the individual natural beauty to show a clear and gorgeous look.
A·TRUE tries to minimize harsh chemical ingredients
Formulated without Paraben, Ethanol, Phenoxyethanol, Benzophenone, Triethanolamine, Talc, Mineral Oil, Petrolatum and SLS
Ingredients
*Saccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment(3,840mg), Cyclopentasiloxane, Titanium Dioxide, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Octocrylene, Zinc Oxide, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Butylene Glycol, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Sodium Chloride, Stearic Acid,1,2-Hexanediol,Iron Oxides (CI 77492), Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Acrylates/Dimethicone Copolymer, Chlorphenesin, Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Iron Oxides (CI 77499),Saccharide Isomerate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Adenosine, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Fruit Extract, Maltodextrin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Panthenol, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance
* Compagnie Coloniale Black Tea Fermentation

…props to easily searchable full ingredients lists! Many companies should do this, I didn’t even had to search for the product in Korean, a simple English search was all it took :3

        PACKAGING        

…am a big fan of the color choices here, it just feels more fresh and high-end than other brands that I have tried (not that it really matters but…..packaging!)
Also really enjoy this unique color choice for their cushion compact; a deep purplish burgundy color with browns in them

…sorry for the obsessive packaging pictures; I just really like the colors of this product!

        SWATCHES (01 LIGHT BEIGE)        

Pretty puff is being pretty.
For all my fair-skinned ladies and gents: This CC cushion is pale,wow! I would say it is even a tad lighter than the Laneige #13 which so far has been the most pale for me. I included IOPE’s Air Cushion XP in C21 as many have this cushion and it’s always nice to judge in comparison – the CC cushion matches me a lot better and almost disappears on my skin than the IOPE (although I don’t remember it being so dark…. I almost suspect it might be a packaging error and I’m using a #23 as I feel my first IOPE was a lot lighter?) That being said, the A’True CC would be very suited for NC10 – 15 skins and fair ladies that have trouble finding a light enough shade for them. The texture is light but not runny.
        PERFORMANCE        
As always, all pictures were taken without any primer/concealer whatsoever, light adjusting only to simulate how it looks in real life.
….for some mysterious reason, I always get pimples popping up as soon as I want to take pictures for a review. I think my skin is intentionally mocking me as I didn’t have any pimples for like three weeks. (Please ignore my hair, I intend to pretty it up very very soon (as soon as my shitty part-time job actually PAYS me but that’s a story for another post……)
As you can see, this cushion is definitely not meant to cover up a lot of blemishes – if you have acne or a lot of hyperpigmentation like I do, this cushion will very probably not give enough coverage. I like how it balances out my skin’s uneveness in a very natural way – but that’s it. The coverage is also not buildable due to the light formula of the cushion so that you’d need to use concealer if you want more coverage. To be fair, I didn’t expect lots coverage because of the term “CC” already as this usually means color correcting more than blemish balm.
The finish is natural – not dewy and not matte. The staying power is better than all of my dewy cushions but not as great as the Laneige Pore Control Cushion. This is a great product for an overall “no” make-up look – for my particular needs however, it’s clear that it’s not cutting it for me. I do enjoy this product though, so I will stash it and definitely use it after my hyperpigmentation has faded. I do use it for days when I am mainly at home but still want to look more fresh than with zero make-up.

This cushion did not break me out and I love that it doesn’t contain any mineral oil (tends to break me out), petrolatum (tends to break me out a lot) or SLS (loves to break me out at random)! Although fragrance is at the very end of the ingredient’s list, this cushion has a quite heavy flower/honey scent to it that does linger for some time – very sensitive noses should probably stray away for this. I personally don’t mind the scent as it is the exact same scent as my beloved Skinfood Royal Honey Cover Bounce Cushion 🙂

In short:

+ light formula
+ no Paraben, Ethanol, Phenoxyethanol, Benzophenone, Triethanolamine, Talc, Mineral Oil, Petrolatum and SLS (didn’t break me out)
+ honey scent (might be yay or nay depending on personal preference)
+ natural finish
+ decent staying power

– very sheer coverage
– heavy fragrance

Conclusively, I really do enjoy this cushion if only it had more coverage! There will be a time of clear skin coming though where this cushion will hopefully be all I need and be able to ditch the heavy concealers, I know it will be.  In the meanwhile, I happily continue to walk the route of cushion adventures with you guys 😀 If you’re interested in trying this, I highly suggest you get it as long as A’True offers a free extra refill with purchase 🙂 Since it’s Monday evening I will enjoy one of my favorite activities: Watch the newest episode of Game of Thrones, drink wine and pretend to be badass Cersei Lannister.

If you have any questions that I didn’t cover, please feel free to ask away in the comments!
Happy start into the week everyone!
Lots of love,

Sam

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About Me

Hi there! I’m Sam, solo traveler based in Berlin who lives part-time in Japan. I love to explore off the beaten path and immerse myself in the local culture as much as possible. Here you can find my favorite places around the globes, guides and itineraries!

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