It was just before LMFF when L’Oreal sent me a heap of makeup that were to be used for all the runway looks to play with. A couple of products that stood out for me were the Nude Magique BB Blush (blush? But of course!) and Nude Magique BB Powder. These were 2 out of a few items I kept for myself; almost all of those makeup are now with my international giveaway winners! 🙂
I thought I’d share my thoughts on the blush and powder with you. There are many things I like about the makeup but just one thing I’m not too keen on.
What are they, I hear you ask?
The BB Blush (RRP $22.95)
The BB blush is very similar to Smashbox’s O-Glow Intuitive Cheek Colour blush. In fact, I’d say they’re pretty much the same sort of silicone-y gel blush down to the similar shade of pink. It comes out as a pink gel on the skin but when you spread it out, the pink becomes more obvious.
This gel blush is fully-packed with silicone to produce a velvety smooth application on the skin. It’s a buildable blush so keep layering it if you like a brighter flush on your cheeks. The blush also lasts quite long on the skin. I squeezed some of the gel on the back of my hand before applying it on my cheeks. When I rubbed the gel off my hand with a tissue, there’s still a pink stain on my skin, which can only be removed with makeup remover or soap. The same can be said with the cheeks. The intensity does fade in time but it doesn’t fully disappear.
To be honest, I don’t know why this is called a BB blush or why this has anothing to do with BB. I guess if you really want to use the letters BB, you can say it’s a beauty balm for the, er, cheeks? Hmmm. Nah, it still doesn’t work. I think L’Oreal is just trying to market this together with their range of BB goodies. Just to be clear though, this blush has NOTHING to do with BB creams.
If you’d like to try out Smashbox’s O-Glow blush, this is actually a very good dupe. It’s also cheaper than the O-Glow.
The BB Powder (RRP $26.95)
The BB powder is a compact that comprises very fine-milled and translucent powder. I like how smooth the powder is and no matter how much powder you try to pick up with your face brush, you cannot pile on too much on the skin. It leaves a very natural, non-cakey finish on the skin. It’s enough to create a matte finish on the skin but not too much that it ends up looking made-up.
Unfortunately, the BB powder doesn’t do much for oil control as after an hour, my nose would be shiny again. Still, it’s a good-sized compact for touch ups anytime of the day. It doesn’t sink into fine lines nor does it accentuate them. This has become a fast favourite face powder of mine regardless of the lack of oil control.
This is another product that has jumped on the BB name. It’s not a BB cream in a compact. It doesn’t conceal blemishes or do anything that BB creams do. It’s face powder in a compact. No more, no less.
In this picture, the powder has been heavily swatched
These are good makeup items by L’Oreal. The blush is pretty on the cheeks and the quality of the face powder is impressive. I’m just not keen on how they’re marketed under the Nude Magique BB cream umbrella because these have nothing to do with the BB cream. You don’t have to use all of the Nude Magique BB products together for “best results”. This is something I hope consumers will understand, that the blush and powder are standalone products with no relations to the BB cream.
BB powder and blush on face and cheeks
Add more layers to the blush if you want a brighter pop of colour
Blooper shot! That’s how messy my desk is every time I do a “look” for the blog 😛
Have you tried the Nude Magique BB blush and/or powder before? What do you think, yay or nay? What are your thoughts on L’Oreal marketing the blush and powder under the BB umbrella?
Note: These products were provided for editorial consideration.
I really like the blush, it looks nice on you, I agree the whole BB thing is just marketing though, but I will think about giving it a go, it seems unlike any other products I have used, I haven’t tried the Smashbox blush you mentioned, so this could be a nice option!
Zoe xx
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Thanks Zoe. It’s a pretty blush and if you’re looking to try out the Smashbox O Glow, then this ones a good dupe. In fact, I’m hard pressed finding any difference to the two!
The blush looks lovely..but I’m sad that the powder has no SPF… I don’t care if it does much more, but I do like a little extra sunscreen in my powder..
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Yeah I know what you mean, Natasha. I wouldn’t mind some SPF to the powder too. Would be great for touch ups during the day with that extra bit of sun protection albeit not much. Still, better than nothing, right? 🙂
Yesterday I saw this blush on a blog and I thought BB blush ??? what does this mean ? but I like the idea of a gel type blush and I must say the color is VERY pretty I love how it gives a natural pink glow to your cheeks, it looks so natural.I am sooo tempted to buy this after seeing the review and the color I hope Loreal releases it soon in my country I don’t know what’s wrong with them why they make us wait so long for all these new releases they haven’t yet released the infalliable eye shadows here 🙁 I have been waiting since last year to get the neutral colors from that range 🙁 why Loreal why ??
Hehe I love the blooper shot , it’s so cute <3
No way, still no Infallible? They’ve been out for ages! How about getting them online instead? I think you’ll get much better luck plus they might even be cheaper!
Hehe on the blooper shot 😉 I love the blush and so useful for travelling! Hope L’Oreal M brings in the stuff to the nearby pharmacies soon 🙂
Jessica W recently posted..Cupcake love
You should be getting it pretty soon. I’m not sure about this, but is the BB cream out yet? If not, maybe they want to bring them in all at once! 🙂
I think they have it, the BB cream. All I remember is Fan BingBing’s gorg face on the mag. 😉
Jessica W recently posted..Cupcake love
great review! and I hear ya, all the ‘BB’ talk … eh … just to sell the whole line, I don’t know why but I guess a lot of people still don’t know what ‘BB’ stands for and just don’t really care about (from what I can tell, europe). I remember the day, when suddenly every company came out with a bb cream, that even wasn’t one (the western bb creams are more of a tinted moisturizer than a true bb cream but as I said, you can sell this as bb cream, because people just don’t know what a ‘real’ bb cream is). I like the colour of that blush a lot, I am not sure about the heavy siliconey base though. Even though I have dry skin, I am desperately looking for a pressed powder I can take with me (I only use loose), for travelling or just to have it in my purse for touch ups. I will check out this powder but I think it will be a bit too drying for me xxx
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Haha I know, right? Sadly, brands are now saturating the market with heaps of BB creams. Western brands are finally getting onto the bandwagon after it was such a hit in Asia for many years. Unfortunately, now it’s like every other brand is coming out with one and to be honest, lots still don’t really get what BB creams are yet. Most are pretty much just tinted moisturisers (BB creams are supposed to be quite thick and give good coverage) . There’s just too many now. The letters BB are selling like hotcakes now so why not slap them on 😛
I’ve seen the powder used on dry skin and there wasn’t any emphasis on fine lines. Still, do test it out in store first. You might end up liking it after all 🙂
I think calling them BB is a bit silly but I guess it’s easier just to throw them all into one range. I’ve tried that blush and to be honest it just disappeared into nothing on me. I think my skin is too tanned for it to work!!
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BB = blemish balm/beauty balm. So BB powder is balm and, er, powder? Eh? 😛
Drats, ’tis a pity the blush didn’t show on your skin. Have you tried really piling it on? But then again, it’ll just look cakey and weird, so there’s no point. Oh well. NEXT! 😛
I’m so tired of all this BB thingie. The term is so overused it doesn’t even mean anything anymore. It’s come to the point that I’m put off by anything with BB in the name. And it’s a shame because, apart from the silly marketing, some products work really well. This blush, for instance, looks lovely.
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You and me, Gio. Every other day, you see a press release or when you’re in store, you see that some other brand has come up with a BB cream. At some point, it’s like “stop already! Either come up with a true BB cream like what Asian ones do or come up with something new that other brands don’t have”. It’s one tired makeup product, I’ll say that.
That was my first thought too! Smashbox O-Glow!
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Yep you got that right, down to the white packaging too! 🙂
The blush looks very interesting. Does it only come in one shade and do you apply it with a brush or with your fingers?
Yep it only comes in one shade, which is pink. You use your finger(s) to apply it as it works when it’s spread skin on skin.
Appreciated this blog and your explanation of these 2 products.
I have both (from the great L’Oreal Runway Look pack I won!) and was unsure of the blush – a pinky gel? Not the sort of blush I’m used to! And the Nude Magique BB Powder – where do I use that?
For someone who doesn’t wear a lot of makeup (mascara/lippy was about it, for many years of raising 3 kids), I’m only getting back into it, and it’s a real learning curve and your blog answered so many questions!
For the blush, squeeze a tiny bit of it out onto the back of your hand. Dab your finger on it (don’t spread it out on your hand) and then quickly spread it out on your cheek. Repeat if you want more colour on the cheeks. It’s a buildable blush so you can easily layer it. Don’t worry if you didn’t spread it quickly enough and it looks like a blob of pink. Just add one more layer and spread over it.
As for the powder, it sets your foundation or BB cream. If you want to use the BB blush and powder together,
1. Apply foundation/BB cream/tinted moisturiser
2. Apply gel blush (this does not go over powder. It has to be on unpowdered skin)
3. Sweep a layer of the powder with your face brush. I find a face brush works better with the powder than the provided sponge. It gives a more natural finish on the skin.
Have fun with the products and good luck! 🙂
Thanks Tine – much appreciated!