Review: L'oreal Nude Magique CC Cream Anti Fatigue

I'm sure most of you have either tried or at least heard about CC creams by now. Personally, I found the whole BB cream thing a bit of a let-down, and having tried several I can confirm that they definitely weren't for me. While they claim to help even out skin-tone, cover minor imperfections and redness and generally perk up a dull complexion, if anything I found them to do the opposite, leaving me looking grey and washed out. I wouldn't dream of replacing my tinted moisturiser with one, and would only ever use it as a base product underneath. If anyone has tried one that honestly did impress you then do let me know in the comments below, as I'd love to know if there is one that truly does cut the mustard.

So, what do CC creams have to offer that their predecessors didn't? Well, they claim to prime, protect, moisturise, control oil and fade dark marks and acne scars over time. On top of this, they aim to neutralise and brighten the complexion, so all in all a pretty tall order.

Of all the CC creams I'd seen, the L'oreal Nude Magique CC was the one that caught my eye, not least because it comes in three varieties: anti-redness, anti-fatigue and anti-dullness. Having tried some other items from the Nude Magique line as well as a couple of  L'oreal's primers and serums, and really enjoying them, I had confidence that this would mostly likely be one of the best on the high-street. I really like L'oreal as a brand in terms of their cosmetics, and as most of you know, I'm a loyal fan of their Volume Million Lashes Mascara and Youth Code Luminize Super Serum.

 I couldn't find many reviews to go by at the time of purchase, but I did see one or two for the anti-redness version, and I have to say that I was really impressed by the before and after pictures.

Personally, the variety that most appealed to me was the anti-fatigue version, so I popped online and made a swift order.

The Nude Magique CC Cream claims to transform into foundation and wake up the complexion for the perfect nude look. It also offers flawless coverage, perfectly even skin texture, a fresh dewy glow and 24hr hydration, and as an added bonus, contains SPF12.

The product itself is an apricot cream which is supposed to adjust itself to the colour of your skin upon application (hence there only being one colour for all skin tones), and is priced at £9.99 for a 30ml tube.

Unfortunately, this product wasn't a winner for me, as although it did perk up my complexion a bit and offersome very sheer coverage, unfortunately it left me looking like, well, an apricot. I didn't find that the colour adjusted well to my skin-tone, and I can only imagine how someone even paler than myself would find it.

I did find a way to make this work for me though, which involved wearing it underneath a light-coverage foundation such as the Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid Makeup. However, unfortunately for me, this was also short-lived, as within a couple of days I was getting breakouts under and between my eyebrows and on my cheeks - areas which usually remain blemish free.

I haven't lost all hope though, as I do think the anti-redness version looks much better. At the time of ordering, this wasn't really a concern for me, but thanks to hormonal breakouts I now think that it could be of benefit to me. That particular variety is a greenish colour, which is designed to counter-act redness, and again, adjusts to the colour of your skin upon application, so I'd like to give that one a go before I write these off completely.

The L'oreal Nude Magique CC Creams are available from Feel Unique here and Boots here.

I think I'd like to try out the Clinique CC Cream next.

Have you tried any CCs? If so, what was your verdict?

xx