Why Celebs—and the World—Are Obsessed With Cushion Makeup Compacts

You may have noticed small, round compacts lining cosmetics aisles near you. Open these oysters of the beauty world and you'll find a pearl in the form of a built-in sponge or netting-like layer dispensing a perfectly balanced amount of product upon dab. Hey, that's a treasure in our book!
At first, these compacts (first popularized in Korea) housed lightweight foundations, BB and CC creams and sunscreen. Now, makeup brands like Stila have gone so far as to create cushion eye liners, touting the perfect amount of color saturation for precise and fluid application.

Even A-list celebs like Julia Roberts (who reportedly uses Lancôme's Miracle Cushion Liquid Cushion Compact) are fans. Why? Not only does the cushion save you from wasted, excess product, but the sponge helps to keep the compounds together to deliver an even consistency with every pat.

Theo Wargo/WireImage

For reference, imagine your beloved bottle of foundation; its formula consists of some kind of oil and water, which naturally separate in a state of rest. If you don't shake your foundation well, the mixture will not always be balanced. It may look similar, but the consistency might not always be the same.
Factoring in the success of skin-care cushions (this writer swears by Laneige BB Cushion with SPF 50+) and rave reviews in favor of the liner iteration, are cushion compacts the future of makeup? If so, we could definitely use a perfectly balanced bronzer. You hear that, beauty gods?
AmorePacific Color Control Cushion Compact, $60; Iope Air Cushion Sunblock XP, $40; Hera UV Mist Cushion SPF 50 PA++, $45; Stila Got Inked Cushion Eye Liner, $28; Banilo Co Eye Love Cushion Gel Eyeliner, $18.92; Lancome Miracle Cushion, $46.50; Laneige BB Cushion, $34