You can just imagine my joy when L’Oreal Makeup Designer/Paris invited me to have my hair and makeup done and have my photo taken by celebrity photographer BJ Pascual so we can update our profile pic in time for the new year and, more importantly, so we can try and experience first-hand the effect of their newest product, Mat Magique, their new foundation that promises 12 hours of matte perfection with no retouch required.

I just thought it was such a brilliant, timely event on so many levels. First, what better way to demonstrate how your new makeup product works than by inviting members of beauty media and bloggers to a makeover where we’ll actually use the product and keep it on all day to see if the 12-hour no-retouch promise is true. And personally, it couldn’t have come at a better time, because I was going out with friends that evening, so if my matte makeup look lasts all the way ’til after dinner, then I’m sold!

Another reason this event came at the perfect time, personally, is it marks how I’ve come full circle somehow. When I was new in TV5, a few months before we launched Kristn.com, the lifestyle website I was editor-in-chief of, we got BJ to shoot our glam staff photo. And now that I’ve decided to move on and start my very own lifestyle blog after launching and serving as editor of various lifestyle websites for two media companies over the last seven years, I think it’s a lovely coincidence that BJ also shot the portrait I will now use everywhere as a new lifestyle blogger: on my blog, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook page. Thank you for this awesome treat, L’Oreal!

Anyway, I’m sure after my very long kwento to introduce Mat Magique, you’re now dying to know if it works and is true to its no-retouch promise. I can honestly tell you it controls oil for 12 hours without you having to retouch. But, let me give you a caveat: It also depends on how you use/apply it.

Basically, if you put a proper base (makeup artist Anjie Gogna, who did my makeup for the shoot, used L’Oreal’s Base Magique on me) and if you pat it on lightly using the sponge that comes in the compact, you’re good for 12 hours. But if you lightly brush it on to avoid caking, it would last long, provided you don’t walk under the sun and are not as oily as I am. (Anjie taught me the brush trick to avoid caking, but she didn’t know just how oily my T-zone can get, especially after walking around Greenbelt’s open area for half an hour while waiting for my friends.) After five hours, I did have to retouch, but this time, I used the sponge in the compact; I just patted it on lightly so the product wouldn’t cake on my shiny nose. It came on a little thicker than when Anjie first brushed it on that morning, but it provided great coverage and I didn’t need to retouch for the rest of the day. The effect is natural, but flawless, although I didn’t really have that many blemishes to conceal either. I like that my skin didn’t look unnaturally matte or flat, either; it looked like I have a bit of highlighter on – dewy, if you may – but definitely not greasy/oily. Here are photos of my dinner with friends, so you can see the effect. (My friends noticed the finish and even asked to see and know more about the product on the spot!)

I tried it again on a different day, just to make sure it didn’t just stay on because a professional makeup artist did my makeup that day. I wore it over just my sunscreen (as base) and concealer (on a few problem areas) on a day I spent doing errands and I was mostly in a non-air-conditioned room (with short walks under the sun in between) with average humidity. And, I didn’t need to retouch all day! I just had on that naturally dewy look later on in the day, but never hulas or greasy. I didn’t even need to blot.

So, how does Mat Magique manage oil on our face for 12 hours? Thirty percent of its formulation is actually made up of volcanic perlite, a natural, non-irritating sebum absorber. This is reportedly the highest concentration of this oil-controlling ingredient in a makeup product to date, according to L’Oreal, so it’s worth a try.

Mat Magique is made for busy girls like us who just don’t have the time to retouch too much (or at all) during our very hectic day but need to look naturally matte and flawless from our meetings and errands during the day all the way to dinner and drinks with friends at night. Another thing I like about the product is how it already has SPF 34/PA+++ in its lightweight formula, so on extra toxic days when you don’t even have time to apply sunscreen on your face before makeup (but please, on non-toxic days, apply sunscreen FIRST!), you’re still protected from both UVA rays (that cause photo-aging) and UVB rays (that cause burning)! Don’t worry if your complexion is way different from mine; Mat Magique comes in five shades. You can now get it in beauty counters nationwide at an affordable price of P499 (refills are at P399).

P.S. In case you like the feline-inspired makeup look Anjie created for me, read on for the products she used:

FACE:
1. Base Magique Primer
2. True Match Concealer in N 4-5
3. Mat Magique in R1 Rose Ivory and G2 Golden Ivory
4. True Match Super Blendable Powder in Natural (to finish)

EYES:
5. Color Riche Les Ombres eyeshadow
6. Super Liner Duo Smoky Eye Designer (Black)
7. Double Extension Curl Mascara (Black)
8. Super Liner Black Lacquer
9. True Match Foundation in C7 (Tip from Anjie: For quick fixes, like a photo shoot or a short event, use dark liquid foundation like this one, applied with a mascara brush, to lighten your eyebrows.)

LIPS:
10. Collection Star Lipstick in Red Valentine