New Base Items - Aqua CG Smoothers & L'Oreal True Match Powder

Because my Mentholatum tinted moisturizer (Asia exclusive) hasn't been working for me since winter, I looked into alternative options for a tinted moisturizer and decided to get the Cover Girl Aqua CG Smoothers about a month ago. To go with my new tinted moisturizer, which isn't as matte as the Mentholatum one, I also got a L'Oreal True Match Powder. Now that I've had some time to try out both products, here is the review.


I rather like the consistency of the Aqua CG Smoothers since it feels light yet still moisturizing (at least more so than my Mentholatum TM), like a normal moisturizer but with a little coverage. The color is cooler than my natural skin tone, but I don't think it really matters since the coverage is very sheer and the color doesn't really show up. All I'm looking for in a tinted moisturizer is sun protection and pore coverage, and Aqua CG Smoothers has both. However, this TM disappears from my face by the end of the day, which is a problem for me. Also, despite what the packaging says about being non-comedogenic, I think it still clogs my pores. The TM doesn't cause any pimples on me, but I do notice these little white heads on my nose and forehead after I wash my face. So this is not HG quality, and I'm still looking for something better.


The L'Oreal True Match Powder is very finely milled, and the coverage is matte but light if applied with a powder brush (more specifically, with my new trusty super-soft Ecotools powder brush ^_^). To be more specific, my face doesn't look cakey matte with this powder, but rather matte with the natural luminosity of my skin still showing through from underneath (satin finish?). The lasting power, however, is also not the greatest; I don't think applying the powder prolongs the staying power of the Aqua CG Smoothers at all, but I'm not sure if I'll count this against the powder.


I got the color in N3, to match the color of the foundation I previously bought. However, since I apply the powder really sheer-ly, I don't really see any color from the powder.

All of the pictures in this entry were taken under natural light.

In short: Aqua CG Smoothers has a great texture and sheer coverage, but unfortunately, it has poor staying power and clogs my pores. L'Oreal True Match Powder is finely milled and can be applied sheer-ly to achieve a natural matte look, but also has poor staying power.