I recently picked up a bottle of L’Oreal’s newest foundation, “Magic Nude Liquid Powder” foundation. Count me intrigued by the name!

The website boasts that this “revolutionary liquid transforms on contact, leaving a soft powder-like finish,” like “wearing no makeup at all.”

The packaging, lacking a pump, is average and must be poured out onto the hand (or a flat surface) prior to application.

The first thing I noticed when pouring the foundation out of the bottle is its watery consistency. As you can see, the foundation runs quite a bit and could easily spill if one isn’t careful. A pump would have been useful in this case. The company recommends shaking the bottle well prior to application.

Of note, this foundation contains SPF 18 and comes in 12 colors. (This is a good color selection, as far as foundations go.)

Bare Face:

After foundation application:

The foundation does have a weightless feel and seemingly disappears into the skin. It offers light to medium coverage, so those with major blemishes will need to apply concealer as well. I did not feel the need to add powder after foundation (as I normally do) since the foundation does indeed assume a matte powder-like appearance, as the advertisement claims.

Full face of makeup:

Throughout the day, my skin became shiny in the T-zone — and required some blotting. The finish, although appearing matte initially, therefore did not remain so at midday. I didn’t notice any patchiness.

I think this foundation is a mixed bag. The SPF 18, the price, and the color selection are all advantages. Nevertheless, the difficulty of application is a definite con. In addition, I would recommend this more for dry/mature skin as opposed to oily/combo as it does not retain its powder-like finish on the latter skin types as the day goes on. For universal appeal, I think L’Oreal’s trusty True Match liquid foundation has more to offer.

Final Score: 2.5/5 Stars

Available at Wal-Mart, Walgreen’s, CVS, Rite Aid, and ULTA for $13