As the foundation comes in a compact sponge (cushion), there is no chance of spillage. To dispense it, you simply press a sponge or a foundation brush into the cushion and you get quite a big amount of product onto it. To top up the coverage, you can press into the cushion as often as you want and get as much product as you like or need.

Touching up is supposed to be easier too, as compared to usual liquid foundations, you can simply just press and pat, press and pat, moving from the centre of your face, out.

The reason why cushions are such a big summer trend is that most of them contain SPF and the formula is supposed to cool your face and sit on your skin really lightly, rather than just covering it with an oily layer of foundation that just smudges and keeps your skin from breathing during the warmer season.

 With L'Oreal's launch of the Nude Magique Cushion Foundation, the trend has become affordable and easy to get your hands on in the UK as well. Boots are currently selling it for 9.99 as an introductory offer and it comes in 7 different shades. As far as I know, they must have topped up their colour range, as I have seen people complaining that there were only three shades when it first came out.

 However, I have heard quite a lot of people raving about this foundation recently and as I have never tried a foundation in a cushion before, I thought I would pick it up and try it. I know I am quite late but I wanted to try it anyway. Continue reading to find out my opinion on this product!

The product comes in this little compact form, containing a little applicator sponge and underneath, in a different compartment, there is the cushion. Basically a sponge soaked in the liquid foundation, which feels quite wet but the product stays in without spilling. I think it is not a good idea to leave the product lying open for too long, as there could be the possibility of the cushion drying out, but the packaging closes quite well and I don't think there is a chance that the product dries out if you keep it closed and stored well. The mirror inside has quite a good size and it is easy to use while applying the product, while the mirrored top of the product looks nice, but it is really not handy as you get finger stains all over it and it looks quite cheap. However, still cute for a drugstore product.

The applicator sponge that comes with it, is very soft and it might be good for applying it, however, I chose to not use it as I don't think it has a good shape for applying foundation. Another makeup sponge like a Beauty Blender or any other similar product seems far more convenient, in my opinion. Although, the applicator is supposed to be anti-bacterial, I don't think it would be hygienic to keep it inside the compact and you would have to wash it after every application, in my opinion. Also, it is not handy to use, as you can only fit two or three fingers into the little sling and that is definitely not a convenient way to apply foundation.

Instead of using the applicator that comes with it, I chose to use a normal makeup sponge on one side of my face, and then a foundation brush on the other side to try out which method worked better. I don't have a Beauty Blender as usually, I don't use sponges to apply my makeup, but I wanted to find out which would be the better way of applying the product. Normally, I prefer brushes like the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush or the LaRoc Kabuki Buffing Brush, which I used for this application.

When you press your sponge into the cushion, it takes up a lot of product and you can start working it into your skin immediately. I tried dabbing and pressing and it worked quite well. The product actually feels quite cooling on your skin and it blends out perfectly. The colour matched my pale skin perfectly, I have the lightest Shade 01 Porcelain, it didn't look caky and the coverage after the first application was really good. If you want to cover up blemishes, redness or dark circles, however, simply press your sponge into the product a few times more and add a few more layers, it covers everything quite well then without smudging or flaking like other foundations tend to do.

With the brush, it was more difficult to get enough product onto the kabuki fibres, as they don't take up the product off the cushion due to its spong-like texture. You really have to go back quite often and press the brush into the product to be able to build up an even coverage. If you want to layer up, it takes you long to do so, and you have do repeat the process very often.

This product gives your skin a very dewy and natural finish, it almost looks like you're not even wearing any foundation, but at the same time, it covers up unevenness and redness, spots and dark circles very well. I was very happy with the sheer, glowy finish which is perfect for summer, especially. However, if you have oily skin, you should definitely set the foundation with powder and top it up during the day to make sure it stays on. If you don't like a dewy finish and prefer matte foundations, this product is not for you. People with dry skin, however, will love this product, as it gives you a glowy shine and lets even dull skin look healthy and beautiful.

I applied the foundation at around 12 am, finished doing the rest of my makeup and set it with MAC Fix+ Fixing Spray. I left it on for the rest of the day until 10 pm, so it stayed on my skin for about ten hours. On a normal working day, you might wear it for longer, but I thought, that would be a good amount of time to measure the product's lasting power. I didn't top my makeup up or powdered over it during the day, as usually, that is not what I do anyway. I am not that kind of person who always carries their makeup bag with them wherever they go, and I don't like running to the toilet every few hours to check if my makeup looks still perfect. I want to be able to live my life and get through my day without stressing about that kind of stuff and usually, my makeup stays on no matter what.

My t-zone always gets quite oily during the day and to be honest, I haven't found any foundation yet that manages to stay on my nose for the whole day. (But as I said, I don't top up my makeup at all, so that might be the problem.) But when I saw how much this product had come off during the day, I was quite disappointed. My nose was not only shiny, but extremely oily and it had cracked around it, and sunk into the creases of my skin. It didn't look too horrible but it was quite annoying. Around my chin and my jaw, the foundation had completely worn off and its coverage wasn't as good anymore.

All in all, I think this is a good product for dry skin and if you are someone who touches up their makeup during the day, then this foundation can definitely work really well for you and still look good in the evening. It gives a beautiful healthy finish and its coverage is a lot better compared to most drugstore foundations. It feels light and soft, sinks into your skin perfectly and looks like you don't have anything on. Also, it looks really nice in photos (if you used powder) and the colour adapts to your own skintone quite well. However, if you are looking for something that lasts even for long days, this is probably not the product for you. Also, if you don't like dewy products, you should look for something else. However, if you want to have a nice lightweight foundation for the summer with SPF, and you are looking for something that leaves you looking as natural as possible, you should definitlely try this! I think it is quite pricy for a drugstore foundation, as the original selling price is 14.99. I would say that due to its nice feel, finish and high coverage, it is worth the price, but when it comes to lasting power, there are definitely better options on the market. 

The only complaints that I have heard about this product is that the cushion dries out quite quickly, so you don't get a lot of product out of this. That would obviously be very disappointing, especially because there is already a lot less product in this than in other liquid foundations (14.6g). If that will actually be the case and I can only use this product for a couple of weeks before it dries out, I will not purchase it again.

Thanks so much for reading, I hope I could help you with your decision on buying this product! Please leave a comment if you have tried this foundation as well or if you have any further questions.