When one of my best friends announced she was jetting off to Japan on honeymoon, my first response was not one of congratulations or excitement for her and her husband. It was, “Please can you pick up some Tirtir Cushion Foundation for me?”

Am I a bad friend? Quite possibly, but that these were the first words out of my mouth perfectly summarises the viral response this foundation has had on social media over the past few months.

Although the brand was founded in Korea it quickly rose to fame across Asia and, now, thanks to social media, across the world. You might have already spotted its signature red egg-like packaging or noticed it making waves on TikTok for its dewy finish and impressive coverage. 

Thankfully, you’ll no longer have to guilt trip a friend or relative to pick it up for you as it’s just landed online in Boots.

Cushion foundations were all the rage around 10 years ago but seemed to vanish overnight. I’ll confess to not being their biggest fan when they first launched: shade ranges were limited and they oxidised on my pale skin after just a few minutes. Plus, they dried out in just a few months, which made their heftier price tags questionable. 

I was keen to see if the K-beauty brand had finally cracked the formula after months of seeing the foundation take over my social media feeds. From the get-go, I could see that the coverage it promised really lived up to the hype. I only needed one squish of the applicator into the product to even out my skin tone across my entire face. Not too shabby.  

I loved that it managed to disguise my redness without feeling cakey on my skin. Even better, I didn’t have to compromise on glow. This foundation is as glow-boosting as it gets; I even skipped the highlighter step. 

With 40 shades to pick from, this is not like the cushion foundations we saw a decade ago. The brand caters to a wider range of skin tones and the formula doesn’t turn to chalk after a couple of weeks (I’ve had mine opened for six months now, and it’s just as juicy as it was upon opening). 

Despite its glowy finish, this isn’t greasy. It’s lightweight and feels like it’s reflecting light, rather than dousing your skin in hydration, making it ideal for those with combination or oily-prone skin. For those of us with drier skin, I’d say to prep with a primer to prevent this highlighting any dry patches.

In terms of wear, it’s pretty decent for a cushion formula. Below is my skin after a few hours of wear and tear, and I’d say it’s holding up nicely, apart from some redness peeking through around the nose area (a weakness I have with all foundations for some reason).

The huge advantage of a cushion foundation is how compact it is, so even if I needed a top-up throughout the day, I could easily chuck it in my handbag and go – it’s what the format was designed for.

I’ve reached for it countless times over the last few months on days when dullness was getting the better of me or my redness was taking over. It gives me the coverage I need with a natural-looking glow.  

I would say it definitely lives up to the TikTok hype, and more. 

Images: Charlotte Bitmead; Tirtir