1 DAY REVIEW- L'oreal Nude Magique CC Cream

£10 isn't a lot of money.
But sometimes it can mean a much-needed dose of petrol or some food. And you have to choose those (unfortunately) over the latest make-up craze.
A harsh reality, and maybe one that's not addressed very much in the bloggosphere, but I'm going to put it out there- for most of us, that's the way it is.
So it stands to reason that before making a purchase of say, £10 and above, you want to do your research first.
Sometimes blog reviews can really help. Sometimes there's nothing better than testing the product yourself.
And this is how I felt about the L'oreal Nude Magique CC Cream.
I've spoken about my (at best, frosty) relationship with BB creams on the UK drugstore market.
So how would a letter down the alphabet make any difference?
Getting older, and (thank heavens) finally shaking off my 'acne-prone' label, I've been looking for much lighter bases. I don't want something that completely masks my skin. I want it to be able to breath, but with some enhancement (some days a lot of enhancement, let's be honest).
So I was grateful for the chance to try a product that promises 'anti-fatigue' along with a host of other benefits, without masking my skin.

What it Says

'The magic Smart Pigment Capsules in a feather-light apricot hydrator transform into foundation on application. Helps wake up the complexion. A perfect nude look with buildable light-weight coverage.'

• I applied this with fingers, no primer and no other make-up on the face. 

Firstly, the texture is quite 'weird'. Yes it's creamy, but as you can see (if you look closely!) it's full of little beads. I assume these are the 'smart pigment capsules' and they pop on contact with your face- although I don't have the eyes of a hawk, so I can't tell you that's exactly what happened.
What I do know happened is that this transformed in to a foundation on the skin and (thankfully) didn't remain the same colour you see here.
I know other people have remarked it might have been a little dark for them, or a little too yellow-toned, but I found this to be a pretty good match for my skin.
It blended in easily and, quite frankly, as soon as I put it on, I knew it had transformed my opinion of the BB/CC situation. At last! A drugstore product of this variety that doesn't make me look like an idiot!
The only thing I'm not keen on is the smell. I can't even describe it (maybe I had an 'off' sample) but I'm not a fan. Chemically, plasticy...not natural at all. Which is ironic, because that's how it's supposed to make your skin look.
...With a little added je ne sais quoi, of course.

So I decided I would test this CC, so-called 'magique' cream at the time I look my most fatigued. That's right. On a Sunday morning.

At the beginning of the day....

At the end of the day... (with one little touch up mid-afternoon)

*As you can see, this is my happy face.

So, how did we get on?

• WELL, as I said, I applied this without any other face products (a brave move, some would say). I'm not at my spottiest at the moment, but this did give good coverage to those 'oh dear' areas. It lasted well, although I did give it a little touch-up a few hours in after I noticed some lines (particularly around the eyes) had started to creep through. This feels comfortable on the skin and like you're not really wearing anything, which can be a refreshing change from those 'fully made-up' days. If you do need a little more coverage, applying this under foundation gives a nice glow to the skin. My boyfriend commented how nice my face looked when I wore this on an afternoon stroll (he didn't know I was doing this little experiment by the way, and I was so taken aback I almost fell over), so this is getting a thumbs-up from me.

• Overall, I'm really impressed with this product. It's changed my mind and is now going to be a definite pay-day purchase. 

• To anyone who, like me, is living on a bit of a shoe-string (let's be honest it's a lot of us and there's no shame in it, so I don't know why we don't talk about it more as a blogging community), it really is worth saving those samples you get in magazines/ asking for them at your local drugstore or beauty counter. A little savvy can stop you from making an expensive mistake.

Have you tried this product? What do you think?



  Follow @styleresolution

REVIEW- Nivea BB Cream

With summer on the way (PLEASE, please say summer is finally on the way?!) it's time to put away those heavy-duty lotions and potions in favour of something a bit, well, lighter.

I have been on the look-out for a drugstore BB cream that lives up to my (not even very high) standards for a while.

I just want something that, essentially, does what it says on the tin.

But every time, they fall short of my expectations.

And the biggest downfall is always the colour.

I just don't get how drugstore foundations have really accelerated in recent years, with a good range of colours.
And yet BB creams don't seem to have got beyond 'light' 'medium' and 'dark'.
I know we're talking high street, so we can't expect miracles. But there are some really great drugstore products out there. So surely it wouldn't take too much to add in a few shades that might actually suit anyone who isn't an Oompa Loompa?

Unfortunately, the 'colour problem' is the one and only downfall of this Nivea BB Cream.

I picked it up in Tesco for a ridiculously cheap price- literally about £2. I bought it for my holiday because (knowing already about the 'colour problem') I thought once tanned, the light shade might just be okay.

*Sorry it's a bit messy- a sign it's been tested well, eh?

What It Says-

5in1 Beautifying Moisturiser

• Evens
• Covers 
• Illuminates
• Moisturisers 
• Protects your skin

Instantly perfect looking skin with minerals, ProVitaminB5 & a hint of colour. SPF 10.
    

 

First of all, SPF, so that's good. Because I am ageing at a ridiculous pace, I can't go out of the house without one. But SPF 10 just won't make the grade. 

This is definitely moisturising, yes. It has a really nice texture, is creamy and smells nice. 

Unfortunately a 'hint of colour' is a bit of a hint of a lie. 

Because, unless your natural skin shade can be likened to 'red brick', this is just way too dark. 

As I said, I was tanned when I applied this (just with fingers, nothing fancy) and at first I thought mmmm not too bad. 
But by the middle of the day, when I made the mistake of looking in the mirror, I JUST. LOOKED.DREADFUL. 

My shiny face, with concealer having run for its life, had an orange tinge that made me look about 50. The product had settled in to my pores and highlighted my wrinkly bits. 

Which is a real shame, because everything about this product is great. The price, the formula, the way it looks on the skin when first applied (and vigorously blended). 

But at the end of the day, what's the most important feature of a product you put on your face? 

The colour. 

As you can see, it gives a really nice illuminating finish. Unfortunately this doesn't last.

Review by Numbers

Did it live up to it's promises?-3/5.It is moisturising and illuminating and when first applied, it does blur imperfections. But that just doesn't last.

Packaging- 3/5- They give you a generous amount of product for the price, but the bottle itself isn't particularly eye catching.

Value for money- 3/5-£2 for a good BB cream is a bargain. Unfortunately you will only think this if you're an oompa loompa.

Recommend to a friend? Yes. IF they improved their shade range. As it stands right now, I just couldn't.

 Follow @styleresolution