L'Oreal Paris Mat Magique Review + Mini-Giveaway!

How does it feel to not have to touch up your makeup through the day? Really, I don't know. Ever since I first started to put on makeup, there wasn't a single time when I didn't need a retouch at all. I've always had oily-combination skin, as far as I can remember. And whenever I put on foundation, mattifying ones, I'd only need to wait about an hour before my face turns into a grease ball. So when I was sent L'Oreal's new mattifying powder foundation, Mat Magique, I knew I just had to try it and put this product to the test.

While having dewy, supple skin is a sign of youth, having overly shiny face is not a good sign at all. I've always gone for the dewy look since I didn't want to cake my face with too much mattifying powder. However, even if I put on tons of powder, I'd still end up shiny, oily and not picture-ready after an hour or so. Actually, photos of me with my friends would easily tell you that I have really oily skin. Especially when the photos were taken with flash. Ugh! I just hate when my friends had to use flash. (Peace to said friends! ｖ（=＾▽＾=）ｖ Just being honest here.) It makes me even more oily and haggard-looking. (◍•﹏•)

My Faces of Oiliness

The Product

The new Mat Magique by L’Oréal is a 12-hour matte foundation said to give flawless full coverage and long-wear, so users can stay shine-free, worry-free, and flawless all day.

The science behind the magic of the L'Oreal Paris Mat Magique lies from the fact that 30% of its formula is made of volcanic perlite -- a natural, non-irritating sebum absorber, which is the highest concentration of this ingredient in a makeup product to date.

It was also specially developed for South East Asian skin type, which promises to suit Filipinas, and comes in 5 different shades: R1 Rose Ivory, N1 Nude Ivory, N2 Nude Vanilla, G1 Vanilla Ivory, and G2 Golden Ivory.

It comes in a rounded rectangular plastic packaging with a shiny hot pink cover and a white matte translucent body. I generally like the handy size of the product, although I don't dig its shape, color and shiny plastic material that much. If the packaging was pink and black, or simply black, and matte all over, I think I would've loved it better. It would've looked more sleek, more fitting to the brand, and less tween-sie Barbie-ish too.

But I have to say, I really love the box the Mat Magique comes with! The pink and black combo really works, and I just love the finish of this part of the packaging! （*＾3＾）/～♡

Inside the L'Oreal Paris Mat Magique palette pops a decent-sized, roughly 3 by 2-inch mirror, along with 6.5g of product and a white rectangular sponge.

The Test

There are things that can be improved with the L'Oreal Paris Mat Magique's packaging. But of course, it's the product itself that's most important. Does the Mat Magique deliver? Can it really give a reliable matte protection for 12 hours with no retouch?

I put the product to test last week, and again yesterday, without retouching.

Upon application, I noticed that the L'Oreal Paris Mat Magique is indeed mattifying, without being too cakey. I'm prone to getting flaky skin on my nose area and chin whenever I put on mattifying powder. But with the Mat Magique, it wasn't too prevalent. Even from a close distance, except when you stare super closely, you'd think my skin is flawless.

I've mentioned before that I usually get pretty oily about an hour after doing my face routine. But with this powder, my skin only got slightly dewy at hour 1 upon application.

Skin Type: Oily-Combination | Shade: R1 Rose Ivory
Click the photo to enlarge and see my messed-up skin better

After 12 hours, I can't say that the L'Oreal Paris Mat Magique has kept me as matte as what I expected. I'm not sure if my oily skin type is just too oil-producing for the powder. But this is already a very good feat for me, as it definitely delivered less shine compared to my usually super-oily-face whenever I arrive home from a day out.

My skin looked shiny, but definitely not oily.

Skin Type: Normal-Dry | Shade: G1 Vanilla Ivory
Click the photo to enlarge and see my sister's better-than-mine skin

I also had my sister try this all-in-one mattifying powder. And for her, the L'Oreal Paris Mat Magique really worked wonders. She loved how fresh-looking and velvety her face seems after application. And even after 12 hours, her face still looks as fresh with a bit of a dewy finish, which is a far cry from the shine she'd usually get when using other powders.

The Verdict

✓ THE GOOD
Very light-weight and non-comedogenic
Also protects with SPF 34 PA +++
Perfect for South East Asian skin
Light to medium coverage perfect for daily wear
Mattifying with a fresh, velvety finish
Can be useful for people with oily eyelids (like me)
Keeps the face pretty matte unretouched for 4-6 hours (for oily-combination skin)
Does a really good job keeping the shine away (for normal-dry skin)
Compact size is handy and sling bag-friendly
Very reasonably-priced at P499

✗ THE NOT-SO-GOOD
Not as full coverage as it claims
Did not keep my face as matte after 12 hours
Doesn't carry a lot of shades

Would I (re-)purchase? Yes, definitely! I've been using it as my go-to mattifying powder whenever I go out. But I'll still be on the look out for something that will keep me matte for longer, if ever that's possible for my skin type.

Overall, I think L'Oreal Paris Mat Magique is a good mattifying powder. I wouldn't go as far as to say that it can keep those with really oily skin as matte without any retouching for 12 hours. But if you have normal, combination or slightly oily skin, and want to keep the shine at bay, I think this might just be the mattifying powder you've been waiting for!

And if you have oily skin like myself, the L'Oreal Paris Mat Magique can keep us retouching waaaaay fewer times than the usual. ☆⌒（ゝ。∂）v

Mat Magique by L'Oreal Paris is available for P499 at all L'Oreal Paris counters nationwide.

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L'Oreal Paris Philippines was very generous to give me more Mat Magique powder foundations than what I'd need for this review. So, it's time for a giveaway! I want to share this new mattifying gem to three lucky winners, so you too can #BelieveinMagique.

Prize: (3) Winners of L'Oreal Paris Mat Magique
All-in-One Matte Transforming Foundation

I only have 1 shade each of the following, so it's important to please mention which shade you want to win. I'll only be picking 1 winner for each shade of the Mat Magique I have.

• R1 Rose Ivory: Light perfect for those with more pinkish undertone
• N2 Nude Vanilla: Fair perfect for those with more yellowish undertone
• G1 Vanilla Ivory: Light-medium perfect for those with more neutral or olive undertone

PLEASE READ!
Guidelines to enter the giveaway raffle:

1. Open to all Philippine residents.
2. Follow the Rafflecopter mechanics below to join.
3. Make sure you do all the first six mandatory steps to be eligible.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


The giveaway raffle will run from today until January 31, 2015. The winner will be drawn, announced and contacted the next day. So join now and get to #BelieveinMagique with Mat Magique by L'Oreal Makeup Designer/Paris!

Disclaimer: The prizes were given by the good folks from L'Oreal Paris Philippines.