Quickie Review: L’Oreal Nude Magique Eau De Teint Foundation in 110 Warm Ivory

 

 

I picked this up on a total whim during Superdrug’s 3-for-2 extravaganza. I was picking up my favourite and much repurchased Revlon Colorstay when I spotted this on the shelves and, remembering rave reviews from US bloggers (why is the US version of something never in French, by the way?) I spent about 15 minutes trying to work out which matched me best in the crappy shop lighting. I eventually settled on 110 Warm Ivory, which is a touch too warm on my face but Porcelain was much too pale for me, and skipped off home to try it. I don’t usually wear L’Oreal foundations but understand they’ve changed their colour naming/numbering system for this line.

  This foundation probably isn’t something I should have picked up at all – it’s a silicone based foundation and alcohol is way up there on the ingredients list. I have combination/dry skin, so that’s not the best combo, but bollocks to it, I wanted to try it! The promise of lightweight, lovely matte-ness swayed me and it sounded perfect for work.

 

 

 

L’oreal claim this is their ‘lightest foundation ever,’ a ‘fresh feel foundation with weightless bare perfection.’ Sounds good, huh? The bottle says to shake it up well and tip on to your finger, presumably suggesting this applies best with your hands. I went right ahead and tried it on. As you can see, it’s very watery and spreads very smoothly in a thin layer over the skin – it’s a very odd formula!

 

 

 

 

As it felt so thin, I wasn’t expecting anything at all when I looked in the mirror properly and I was bloody impressed with the finish! It looked matte but not flat on the skin, and while still fairly sheer, I was able to build it up a little over some blemishes. As you can see, I could do with some concealer still but trust me, the redness on the side of my nose and chin were pretty honking in real life. I applied a couple of layers of the foundation over the top, and considering how thin it is I was very impressed with the coverage I got without it looking cakey.

 

 

Due to the silicone texture and the long wearing claims I’d read about, the first day I tried it I went a little overboard with my moisturizing routine. I applied it at 6.00am and by 11.00am that morning, the foundation had completely separated on my nose and chin so by lunchtime, I more than needed to top those areas. Luckily reapplication is pretty quick! The next day I toned down my morning moisturizing routine and  I found it lasted much more nicely, needing a little love mid-afternoon and then sticking around for a meal in a pretty hot restaurant. I don’t like to powder over this, preferring to blot instead as I find powder makes it look a bit too matte. I do find, like most matte foundations, that it clings to my dry areas, but I've not found many foundations that don't do this and I don't find it feels drying on my skin at all.

 

I found this foundation to be a little expensive. Not as a foundation itself, but compared to other high street options of similar quality it is. At £9.99 for 20ml, it’s more expensive per ml than their True Match or Infallible ranges. I suppose if it’s really right for you a couple of quid isn’t that much, but still, for a lot of people that’s going to be something worth considering and if this hadn’t had been on offer I probably wouldn’t have bothered.

While I found this formula really interesting, for me this isn’t a perfect foundation. If you’ve got very dry skin, this will cling to your dry patches and you may not find the silicone-y feel comfortable. If you have very oily skin, I don’t think it’s going to stick around. If you’re somewhere in-between and like a light feeling coverage, it may be worth checking it out. I have to say I’ve gone back to Colorstay day to day, but what I absolutely LOVE this foundation for is under my eyes. For some reason, possibly the silicone formula, it just doesn’t budge. It’s not the best coverage in the world, but look at the difference in the above photos. I'll take that over cakey, creasy under-eye concealer any day!

Have you tried this foundation? What do you wear day-to-day?