It hardly needs saying any more that cushion products are a huge beauty trend. But for the record: yes, they are. It has taken almost a decade, but cushions have well and truly arrived in the West from Asia (Internet tells me that the first cushion foundation was launched by IOPE in Korea in 2008).

I’d been curious about cushions for years and bought the Lancome version as soon as it hit the market. I liked it, but didn’t really understand the hype about the format – it didn’t seem inherently different from other light covrage foundations and you could get a really beautiful finish with a beautyblender, too. In fact, I didn’t like the applicator at all. After using cushions for a while, though, I realised they filled a very important niche for me: makeup on the go.

I know there are people who do their makeup in front of their bathroom mirror every morning. I am not one of those people. Skincare, yes – I almost always go through my pretty elaborate routine, but after that, I need to run. This means that most days, I’ll decide in the office if I need to wear makeup and if yes how much. And I’m sure you already know where this is going: indeed, I always have cushion foundation on my desk at work and usually another one in my bag. They are quick, convenient and will not cover your hands with foundation. I love that, although I’m not sure my room mates enjoy watching me apply my makeup almost on a daily basis.

Anyway, here are my five favourite cushions. In the spirit of full disclosure, let me make clear that these are also the only ones I own. But I like them all. Plus “Five Favourite Cushions” sounds somewhat better than “The Only Cushions I Own”.

1. Lancôme Miracle Cushion. The first one I bought, for the simple reason that it was the first one available in Europe. As I said last autumn, it looks very natural and the coverage is quite sheer. I still like it, but wear it less now that I have other options. It’s also better suited for spring/summer than autumn/winter, I think.

2. L’Oreal Nude Magique Cushion. This is the one I keep in the office and as you can tell from the sad look of the compact, I’ve been carrying it around a fair bit, too. Similar to the Lancôme cushion, this has a bit more coverage and is considerably cheaper. If you are curious about the format, this is the one I recommend trying (unless you have access to Asian ones, of course) – good results without a huge investment. I have a full review here.

3. Sulwhasoo Perfecting Cushion. Probably my current favourite (in 13), this has more coverage than the previous two, but is still a cinch to apply. It’s also a bit more matte than I usually go for, but the finish is so beautiful that I don’t mind. It’s not easy to get where I am – I bought mine at the Osaka airport – and it’s pricey. Then again, it comes with a refill, so in the end it’s cheeper than other high-end ones here. It addition to great performance, it has SPF 50+/PA+++ and gorgeous packaging (this is limited edition, though).

4. YSL Fusion Ink Cushion Foundation. This is the newest addition to my cushion collection and most confusingly named: I find it’s much closer in performance to YSL Touche Eclat foundation than it is to their Fusion Ink. On me, this is definitely dewy, not matte. Not that I’m complaining. Coverage is medium and staying power reasonably good. If it wasn’t so expensive, I’d gladly recommend it to everyone. I wear number 02.

5. Lancôme Cushion Blush Subtil. Considering that I haven’t tried any other cushion blushes, it’s a bit rich calling it a favourite, but I really like it. 032 Splash Corail is to my eyes a pretty pink colour that looks very natural and fresh. You need to take care not to over-apply, though, and blend fast. Mine comes in the wonderful limited edition Sonia Rykiel packaging, but the lack of it doesn’t affect the performance.

I’m now also dying to try cushion SPF – I’ve become pretty good with putting sunscreen on in the morning, but reapplication is definitely my weak point.