The TIRTIR MASK FIT RED CUSHION seemed to be all of the rage earlier this year when TIRTIR responded to Miss Darcei’s call for a more inclusive shade range with their cushion foundation. The brand rolled out 40 shades of the foundation over the months following her post. I’m not actively on TikTok, but I still managed to get sucked into the craze, which is impressive. The publicity worked, because I did end up buying the foundation. After some rigorous testing, I’m here to share my thoughts.
*All photos of my face were taken with my camera phone (Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra) and were not edited/retouched.
My Skin & Foundation Preferences
For reference, my skin is pretty normal but will lean towards being dry in the winter. When it comes to foundation, I prefer a dewy, skin-like finish for daily wear. I want my skin to look smooth, hydrated and even, but still look like skin. This means I prefer light to medium coverage. Don’t let this fool you though, I love fuller coverage foundation when I’m going out or taking photos.
My Expectations for the Mask Fit Red Cushion
The TIRTIR Mask Fit Red cushion was my first time using a cushion foundation. There was a time when BB creams and cushion foundations were really becoming popular. However, the shade range for Korean brands was terrible if you weren’t light or barely medium. By the time Western brands started hopping on the trend I wasn’t interested. As I didn’t have experience with a cushion, I didn’t have very high expectations. I figured it would give me about a medium coverage and the finish would be natural – dewy. The brand says the foundation could stay on 72 hours. However, I don’t often believe longevity claims.
About the Product
The TIRTIR website describes this cushion foundation as having 72-hour coverage, lightweight/breathable feel, and a buildable semi-matte, radiant finish. Another feature is the hibiscus and red propolis extracts in the formula. TIRTIR claims these enhance skin elasticity and help maintain a youthful glow.
The foundation retails for $25 for .63 fl oz of product. You can find it on their website, tirtir.us, or via Amazon.
Shade Choice:
The first hurdle to overcome with this foundation was choosing a color. Since it wasn’t possible to swatch this foundation first, I looked at the arm swatches provided by the company, picked a shade I felt might be close to my skin color, and then scoured the internet for anybody wearing that shade or who had done swatches of that shade and similar ones.
Something to note, as I’m writing this (September 19th), this foundation line appears to have expanded once again from 30 shades to 40 shades. This is very impressive but compared to how many light and mid-range shades there are available, the shades on the deeper end still leave something to be desired. The latest expansion added 3 new shades in the 40s range. I’ve heard people in the deeper range were having trouble finding a color because there wasn’t much to choose from, and hopefully this helps, but I hope they will continue to expand.
For myself, I have two shades which work for me, 31N French Beige and 33N Macchiato.
My Experience:
The first few times I wore the foundation, I used 33N Macchiato. I did my skincare as normal, used my MILK Hydro Grip Primer, and then put on the TirTir foundation. I fell in love with the feel of the foundation immediately. The foundation went on smoothly and I felt it had solid coverage even when using a light hand. I love how it has a slightly glowy, but skin-like finish.
The only issue was that the foundation oxidized after a few hours. Terribly.
Never one to give up though, I ordered the shade 31N French Beige. For whatever reason, both French Beige and Macchiato are a close match for me, however French Beige is just a pinch lighter than my skin color, which works for this case. If I mess up during the application process and it oxidizes a little, French Beige still looks good while the shade Macchiato made me look orange. Now that I have a tan though, Macchiato is the better match because it’s slightly lighter than my tanned skin.
Before trying it again, I watched a video on applying cushions by Robert Welsh. He gave some great tips on applying cushions, such as going lighter on the skin care routine and blotting off excess product, remembering that the product WANTS to be one with your skin, and using thin layers and building up the foundation.
Armed with this information, my current routine for applying this foundation consists of doing an abbreviated version of my skin care routine so that I don’t have anything heavy on my skin when it is time to apply, skipping the primer, and using lighter layers and taking time to build up coverage in areas that I need it. For me, this foundation doesn’t need a setting powder to still be long lasting, however sometimes I will use a translucent powder out of habit. I find that in terms of finishing, I have to be more careful with what setting spray I use, even though it really doesn’t need a setting spray at all. If I do use a setting spray, I’m now using the TIRTIR Mask Fit Makeup Fixer. I will put this on either before foundation (instead of primer) and/or after my whole face is finish.
When I took these steps, it drastically reduced the oxidation that I experienced. It also made my life easier, because I think the foundation was created to not need anything extra, just put it on your skin and go.
Wear:
I tested this foundation during summer and wore it on my days where I commuted to the office. Usually, I finish my makeup around 5:45 in the morning and I return home by 3 – 4pm. I found that after extended wear, my face might get a little shiny in some areas, but overall, the foundation continued to stay skin-like and hold its coverage on my face. The staying power of this foundation is great. Even when I don’t use anything to set it, it will last well on my face for hours, needing only blotting. The product website does mention “transfer proof” as one of the selling points of the foundation (72 hour wear) and I can say that I took a nap in this foundation on a pillow without a pillow case, so it was white, and it did not transfer. And this was one of the days where I didn’t set it with spray or powder AT ALL. Very impressive.
The product comes with its own puff to use for the product. I didn’t think it was very special but it wasn’t bad. Nothing to write home about though. I haven’t tried using a different method to apply because I actually like the coverage and look I get from using the puff.
Conclusion:
I really love the finish of this foundation and the lasting power. This 100% isn’t the easiest foundation I own to work with, but I love the result so I’m willing to continue to play with it. If you have patience to figure out how to get this to work with your skin/skin care products, I think it is worth the purchase. Everybody’s skin/routine is different, so it might work for you straight away!
I would actually be keen on trying the other formulas at some point since TIRTIR expanded the shade range for the Mask Fit All Cover Cushion (Pink compact, semi – matte finish, full coverage) and the Mask Fit Aura Cushion (Silver compact, semi-glow finish).
Anyway, that was my review. Have you tried the Mask Fit Red Cushion? If so, what did you think? Are you planning on trying it if you have not yet? Do you like any other cushion foundations? Would love to hear your thoughts.
