Over the course of the past year or so, I have struck up a friendship with one of the sales associates at the
Lancome counter at my local
Kaufmann's department store. I always walk past through
Kaufmann's and past the
Lancome counter to get to
Bath & Body Works which is right next to
Kaufmann's in the mall. Just about every time I go by, she is there and we always talk a bit. The last time I went, she told me about this new foundation,
Lancome Magique Matte Soft-Matte Perfecting Mousse Makeup and gave me a ton of samples to try. So for the past few weeks, I've had the opportunity to try out this new foundation without having to actually purchase it!
Product Details:
Lancome Magique Matte Soft-Matte Perfecting Mousse Makeup (which I will refer to as
Lancome Magique Matte Makeup from this point forward for the sake of space) is the newest foundation product from
Lancome. It joins other cosmetics brands in the new "mousse" makeup trend.
Lancome states on their website (LancomeUSA.com) and on the sample packaging that I received that this product is for all skin types except
Very Dry.
This product comes in a frosted glass jar with a black plastic lid with
Lancome's trademark rose printed on the top in gold. There is .705 oz. of makeup in each jar.
Lancome Magique Matte Makeup comes in 12 shades, all of which can be seen at LancomeUSA.com:
Ivoire 2,
Buff 1,
Buff 3,
Buff 5,
Bisque 2,
Bisque 3,
Bisque 4,
Bisque 5,
Bisque 6,
Bisque 8,
Suede 2 and
Suede 4.
This is what
Lancome has to say about this product (taken from website):
Mousse to soft matte makeup for smooth, even toned skin - Magique Matte features a breakthrough mousse texture that applies like a foundation with the finish of a velvety powder. The air-whipped formula with Spherelight™ micropowders glides on smoothly. Innovative technology evens skin tone and blends away imperfections. This ‘never flat matte’ makeup offers buildable, moderate to full coverage that stays fresh all day. Available in 12 shades, the diverse shade range has all skin tones covered.
Ingredients (taken from sample packaging):
Cyclopentasiloxane, hydrogenated polyisobutene, dimethicone, diisostearate malate, polydecene, dimethicone crosspolymer, dimethicone/vinyl dimethicone crosspolymer, cyclohexasiloxane, hydrogenated jojoba oil, polymethyl methacrylate, vinyl dimethicone/methicone silsesquioxane crosspolymer, HDI/trimethylol hexyllactone crosspolymer, silica, silica dimethyl silyate, aluminum hydroxide, disodium stearoyl glutamate, isobutylparaben, methylparaben, phenoxyethanol, propylparaben, ethylparaben, butylparaben, BHT.
May Contain: Bismuth oxychloride, iron oxides, titanium dioxide, mica.
My Experience:
I love trying new foundation products, just as I love trying other cosmetic products. I always end up going back to my beloved
Cover Girl AquaSmooth Foundation because the smooth finish is unmatched by every foundation I've tried in the past several years. So when I received these new
Lancome samples, I expected a great product - I've really liked so many of
Lancome's other cosmetics.
I can see why
Lancome states that this product is not for
very dry skin - it has a thick, somewhat dry (but not actually
dry) feel. It would make dry skin look and feel (and actually
be) even more dry. It is thick and a bit fluffy, just like
Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation (which is a very similar product - I will compare the two in detail later in this review). It does look like it's been "whipped" and has a dense, moussey texture.
The shade that I tried is
Ivoire 2, which is one of the more pale shades. This shade was just about right for me.
Since I've been using the
Cover Girl AquaSmooth Foundation (which comes with its own sponge applicator), I've been spoiled by the fact that I don't have to use my fingers to apply a foundation. With the
Lancome Magique Matte, I have to use my fingers to get the product out of the packaging, and then use a separate sponge to apply it to my face. I like the fact that
Cover Girl's sponge fits right into the compact and I don't have to worry about losing a sponge in my makeup bag.
Applying the
Lancome Magique Matte Makeup is fairly easy, but I constantly feel like I am just moving the foundation around on my skin. It sort of "sits" on top of my skin and I never feel like it is truly blended. However, I noticed that it actually emphasizes tiny lines and other imperfections that are not color imperfections (like redness, dark undereye circles, etc.). Any tiny lines or scars are emphasized because this foundation does not smooth over them - it
sits on them and settles
into them. Yuck...this is a MAJOR con in my opinion.
The actual coverage of this foundation is pretty good. That is, once I feel like I have it applied evenly. But, as I go about my day, I don't feel like this product is "set"...even when I use a loose powder over it to help it set. At any given time, I can run my finger across my face and actually move this product around. Again...yuck. This is where the smoothness issue comes in for me. It has a matte look, which is not the same as the smooth, dewy look I get from the
Cover Girl AquaSmooth. I want my skin to look smooth, not matte.
The wear of
Lancome Magique Matte Foundation is pretty good. I don't feel that it wears off my face any faster than other foundations. I am not one to touch my face throughout the day, so if you are the type who touches your face a lot, this foundation might not wear as well for you.
This foundation controls oil very well. I have a somewhat oily nose (while the rest of my face is normal to dry), and I can go hours without oil breakthrough on my nose. I think this would be a great product for those with oily skin types.
How Does Lancome Magique Matte Compare To Maybelline Dream Mousse?
The two are very, very much alike. I see very little differences except in the ingredient listing. The coverage, wear, and lack of smoothness are almost identical. If you really want to try one of these newer "mousse" foundations, try the
Maybelline Dream Matte Mouusse first. It costs a fraction of the
Lancome and it's just as good.
Final Thoughts:
I will not be using this foundation again. It is not the wonderful product that
Lancome makes it out to be. It is just not for women with any type of lines on their face in my opinion! It is probably better suited for those who have color imperfections (blotchiness, redness, undereye circles, etc.) that they want to hide. I still had to use my regular concealer while using this product, as it did not fully cover my undereye circles.
I also feel that this foundation is quite over-priced.
Price and Purchasing Information:
Lancome Magique Matte Makeup is $37.00 no matter where it is purchased. It can be found at
Lancome counters and online at LancomeUSA.com and Nordstrom.com.
