L’Oréal Nude Magique Cushion Foundation

It took awhile to arrive, but the first Western cushion compact foundation has hit the Belgian drugstores! Since Lancôme, the brand who came with the first Western cushion, is part of the L’Oréal group, it should come as no surprise the first brand to come out with an affordable cushion foundation is L’Oréal. The name of this beauty? The L’Oréal Nude Magique Cushion Dewy Glow Foundation (or L’Oréal True Match Lumi Cushion in the U.S.)!

The L’Oréal Nude Magique cushion foundation comes in a beautiful pink compact with a metallic lilac top. Even though it contains more product it’s slightly smaller in size than the Lancôme cushion because unlike the one from Lancôme, you can’t use refills with this one. I think it’s a pity because 1) even though it’s drugstore, L’Oréal products are pretty expensive, so not having to buy the compact every time is more economical and I kind of hoped L’Oréal would opt for a Cushion + extra refill formula for their drugstore version (as you’ll find with many Korean brands). 2) The packaging is pretty and decent enough to be reused, so why not be more eco-friendly?

Cushion compacts were built for natural application on-the-go and this one, who was also made in Korea btw, is no different. The compact case is small and light, in other words the perfect touch up tool to bring with you anywhere you go. It has a mirror inside and a special scuba sponge to apply the foundation with in tapping motions. Some people prefer to use brushes or a makeup sponge, but I do recommend you at least give the enclosed sponge a try before tossing it out. They are specifically designed to apply foundation  be more resistant to bacteria, plus you can wash it like you would do with your other application tools.

There are 12 colours in total, of which 6 you can find in Belgium. I’m wearing 01 Porcelain, a shade that is lighter than Lancôme’s 01 Pure Porcelain, but darker than 010 Alabaster. It’s just a little too dark for me right now because it does oxidize a little bit during the day, but it should be a good match in the Summer. It has a higher level of SPF (29) than the Lancôme cushion (23), but the formula’s are pretty similar.

The cushion will give you a natural, evened out skin tone while maintaining the natural glow of the skin (I’m wearing another moisturizer with SPF 50 underneath, which is giving my face even more of a dewy look). Still not as dewy as the ones were seeing in Korea though, because it becomes more matte as the day goes by. The coverage is sheer to medium, depending on how many layers you wish to add. Only the darkest imperfections still need some work, such as the red areas around my nose and some blemishes here and there that can be easily fixed with a little dab of concealer.

Overall I think this is a good product for those who are looking for natural looking skin and a decent option to take with them on the go. The main issue people will have with this is not having the right shade, as the options are rather limited. I’m hoping cushions will become the success like they are abroad, so more people will be able to enjoy this wonderful new way of applying base makeup. If it were up to me, the cushions are here to stay!

L’Oréal Nude Magique Cushion Foundation (14,9 g) – € 18
Available at the drugstore.

Disclaimer: This product was offered by PR for consideration.