There's a lot of noise about the L'Oreal Mat Magique All-In-One Powder (P499) lately because it promises to be your primer, foundation, and sun protection in one compact. Even more - it says it can last stay shine-free for 12 hours on your skin! That's quite a claim. After using it for a few weeks now, here's what I've found.
What I love about the product
- It delivers a gorgeous smooth matte finish. Coverage starts light but it can be layered to achieve a heavy one. I use a powder brush to apply it but the soft sponge also works really well!
- I stay shine-free for about four hours, yes, far from the 12-hour promise, but still pretty good for a 500-peso foundation. The foundation itself stays on for about seven to eight hours on me with no retouch.
- This foundation looks great by itself, but it excels particularly as a finishing powder. It improves the wear of my liquid bases and smoothens the overall finish even more! As it starts out light and has a loose texture, it doesn't add too much coverage or cake on me when worn on top of something else.
- It has SPF35 PA+++. *drops mic* I still recommend wearing an SPF cream underneath though, to be sure.
- The compact is slim and lightweight. It also has a big mirror so I can easily see what I'm doing.
- Super affordable! I'm surprised to find out it's only P500.
What I don't like about the product
- The darkest shade is Golden Ivory. It looks ok on me, but it still has a bit of a white cast. Not sure why, could be the SPF. The cast does fade after an hour or so.
Golden Ivory is the darkest; Rose Ivory I believe is third from darkest
Wearing Golden Ivory here. Quite lovely!
Recommendations
If you have oily skin, the L'Oreal Mat Magique All-In-One Powder is a good everyday foundation. It does prevent shine for a bit longer than usual and is great to use for retouching throughout the day as the powder absorbs oil.
The finish and coverage is also pretty good - you can use just this if you have good skin, or use concealer/liquid foundation underneath if you're dealing with blemishes. I recommend you use a dense powder brush to put the powder on to get a smoother finish. Reserve the sponge for quick retouch jobs!
Verdict
This is an excellent, affordable powder foundation. I do wish it doesn't have that white cast on me, but you know, it's not a deal breaker. I would prefer to have the SPF! I'm happy with the medium buildable coverage as my skin is fine lately; it's all I need for daily makeup. ^_^ Don't think you'll be disappointed in this as long as you manage your expectations about that silly 12-hour thingie.
Remember, it's just 500 bucks. It does more than what it costs IMHO! Let me know your thoughts! Is this foundation for you?
