L'Oreal Paris Magic Nude Liquid Powder Foundation in Sand Beige

Disclaimer:  I received a complimentary sample from SheSpeaks/L'Oreal Paris.  All opinions are my own. 

L'Oreal's new liquid to powder foundation is supposed to be so amazingly lightweight that it is like wearing no makeup at all.  Available in 12 shades, I chose Sand Beige sight unseen, and was super fortunate that was the exact right color for me.  So let's see how it performs, shall we?










I usually apply my foundation with a brush, so that's how I started with Magic Nude.  The consistency of this foundation is a runny liquid, so after shaking vigorously I poured a bit from the square glass bottle into my application tray.  You definitely don't want to drop this baby, as it will shatter and you will have foundation everywhere.  While I like the heft of glass, I'm thinking plastic would have been a safer choice.  The open of the bottle is just big enough to put your finger over.

The first thing I noticed was that Magic Nude was quite noticeably settling in my pores, even after using a facial primer.  I continued with the brush for overall coverage, but then switched to a damp Beauty Blender sponge to smooth out the foundation.  This actually worked fairly well, although it was still not as flawless looking as I would have preferred.  Of course, it would have helped if I'd read the entire label, as it does indicate applying with fingers is the best method.  So, the next day I used my fingers to apply, but it still requires a fair amount of smoothing to keep it out of my pores, and I think I liked the results of the brush then damp beauter blender method better. 

Magic Nude Sand Beige (outside lighting)

On the plus side, Magic Nude works well with my oily skin.  I suspected it would, as liquid to powder foundations seem ideal for those of us that are oil gushers.  With some foundations I have to blot soon after applying, but I wasn't seeing much sheen so did not feel the need break out the blotting sheets.  I did set Magic Nude with a finishing powder (Hourglass's Ambient Powder in Dim Light), but I do that with all liquid foundations. 

Magic Nude Sand Beige (inside, natural light)

The end result looks pretty good!  My skin is far from flawless, and I'd say Magic Nude gives sheer to medium coverage with a light weight feel.  I'm most impressed with how well Sand Beige worked on my skin tone - I really can't tell a difference from my face to neck.  Magic Nude wore well on me and did seem to control oil better than many other foundations I've tried, further reinforcing my belief that the liquid to powder formula is ideal for oily skin.  I see alcohol fairly high on the ingredient list, so that could be another reason why it's working well with my skin (seriously, I'm an oil factory).  I also like that Magic Nude  contains SPF 18, although a separate sun screen would still be necessary for full protection.

On the down side are the lack of any skin enhancing ingredients and the extra attention I had to give in order to keep the foundation from settling into my pores.  I'm not sure this is the easiest foundation to work with, but I can't argue with the final result, so there ya go.   

I've heard that Magic Nude ($12.95)is supposed to be the affordable alternative to Giorgio Armani's Maestro Fusion Foundation ($63), and given that L'Oreal Paris is Armani's parent company, that could well be true.  I've not tried the Maestro foundation so can't say for sure, but thought I'd compare ingredients: 

Octinoxate 3% Other: Dimethicone, Cyclohexasiloxane, Isododecane, Alcohol Denat, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Acrylates/Polytrimethylsiloxymethacrylate Copolymer, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Nelumbium Speciosum Extract/Nelumbium Speciosum Flower Extract, Limonene, Synthetic Fluorphelogopite, Benzyl Salicylate, Benzyl Alcohol, Linalool, Propylene Carbonate, Caprilyic/Capric Triglyceride, Parfum / Fragrance, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Oil / Bitter Orange Flower Oil, Aqua / Water, Aluminum Hydroxide, Hexyl Cinnamal. May contain: Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides

It looks like the ingredients of Magic Nude and the Maestro Fusion foundations are similar, with Magic Nude lacking those in the lower half of Maestro.  Not being a cosmetic chemist, I have no idea what the additional ingredients in Maestro are for.  Interesting!  I'd love to hear from anyone who has tried both to see how they compare.