When the NEW It Cosmetics CC Cream Matte recently launched, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it! My finger was on the order button the first day of launch. I’ve done several other foundation reviews on various It Cosmetics foundations and have also compared most of their foundations to each other in one comprehensive video as it can be a little difficult to understand the differences between them.
My Testing Method
Just to give you some background if you haven’t seen my “about me” section: I’m 43 and have combination/oily skin and live in New Orleans. Right now it’s August. In New Orleans. So this testing was thorough with the heat and humidity elements…a little too thorough if you ask me! I always test my foundations out over a period of days using different primers and different powders using various methods. In this particular review, I also compare it directly with the original CC cream. Below are the nuts and bolts of it all and the summary. If you want to see it in action and more in depth, head to the video, linked at the bottom of this review.
The Basics
The Ingredients
One thing that bothers a lot of people about the original It CC Cream is the laundry list of ingredients. Well, It Cosmetics CC Cream Matte still has a huge ingredient list. What I noticed up front is that all the oils have been removed and oil absorbing clay has been added. Both products have good-for-you skin ingredients like peptides and niacin, etc. So things look pretty similar, aside from the ingredient ordering which has been changed up a bit. For example, niacinamide is moved up in the matte version.
The Claims
The Matte It CC Cream is supposed to deliver color correcting anti-aging full-coverage skin care along with broad spectrum SPF 40 physicial sunscreen. I always tell people that even though both the original and matte It Cosmetics CC Creams offer high levels of SPF, we shouldn’t rely on this for our full amount of facial sunscreen. In order to achieve the adequate amount of sun protection, one would have to use a ridiculous amount of foundation/BB or CC cream/Tinted Moisturizer. It’s not realistic for anyone to apply that much foundation. Though, it’s a great supplement to whatever sunscreen you’re already using underneath in your skincare routine
It Cosmetics CC Cream Matte is said to give you a poreless, natural-looking, long-lasting matte finish that instantly camouflages skin imperfections (including dark spots) without creasing or cracking. It’s clinically tested to reduce shine and control oil for 12+
hours and is infused with charcoal to detoxify, collodial clay to absorb oil and tea tree extract to combat blemishes. It also has an advanced anti-aging serum made of hydrolyzed collagen and has peptides, niacin, hyaluronic acid, vitamins and antioxidants.
It claims to be full coverage, matte, and good for all skin types.
Initial Thoughts
The texture is pretty thick. So initially I was a bit concerned that it wouldn’t sink into the skin or blend in and look natural. But it turned out to blend in super easily! I like that it’s matte but not a flat matte. It feels nice and light on the skin and seems to make my pores look really nice.
Coverage & Application
Even though It Cosmetics CC Cream Matte doesn’t fully cover the sunspots on my nose, it blurs them enough that they look pretty darned good! I’d say it has medium to full buildable coverage. It didn’t build to complete full coverage any day of wear. It can give medium to full buildable coverage that you can sheer out with a sponge. I personally don’t like applying this with my fingers as I find it just a little bit time consuming. Though it blends in easily with a brush, I find that gave me a little more coverage than I prefer on a daily basis. I really enjoy applying this with a damp sponge. Level of daily coverage is very much a personal preference.
It takes a while to set and remains tacky a little longer than I like. So if you’re someone like me that needs to set your foundation to keep your makeup from sliding off your face, you’ll probably need to set this unless you just want to sit there for a long time waiting for your foundation to set. I don’t know about you but I don’t have that kind of time in the morning!
For some reason, It Cosmetics CC Cream Matte gathers in my forehead lines as I’m applying my under eye concealer, before I go in with setting powder. This means I have to press out the gathered foundation before I set my face. It also has a tendency to gather there during the day. I don’t have that issue with the original CC cream.
Wear
One thing I like about this new Matte CC Cream is that my makeup lasts all day. I really don’t have to blot a lot. I have some shine at the end of the day but it’s not greasy shine, just that end of day glow. I also notice that when I do have to blot, I only have to do so very lightly with a napkin or tissue and there is very little transfer.
Something I can’t figure out is what happens towards the end of the day. I’m not sure if it starts to dry my skin out by the end of the day or what. But it starts to emphasize some not-so-good texture things with my skin that I really haven’t had other foundations do. If you’re a little more oily than I am you may not have this happen. I noticed this each day of wear, no matter what powder or primer I wore.
It Cosmetics CC Cream Medium Matte vs Original
I know there are some oily/combo ladies out there that really don’t like the regular CC cream. But it’s always worked really well for me, even in the hot summer months. I mean I do have to blot a couple of times. But it still looks really pretty on my skin and just gives me just the right amount of glow. But I apply in very thin layers which I think is key. I also set it well and use a primer. So there are some things that I do to make it work. But I get a really pretty finish with it.
I noticed a distinct difference in the way the two sides looked on the day I wore the matte on one side and the original on the other. I think the original side looked a lot more flattering. It was pretty noticeable to me when I was taking the photos trying to get one at the right angle for you guys. This was evident at every angle and in every lighting. I noticed the matte side emphasized the texture of my skin (where there is no texture) whereas the CC cream side kind blurred my skin. I don’t feel, however, that they differ much in terms of longevity of my makeup. It CC Matte Cream feels a tad lighter on my skin. I also noticed the lack of a scent when i was applying the matte versus the CC cream! There is an almost-lemony scent in the regular CC cream version. It doesn’t bother me and does go away. The matte CC Cream doesn’t have a scent at all.
My favorite day of wear was when I decided to mix the two CC Creams on the back of my hand and apply them with a damp Beauty Blender. It looked really really pretty on my skin even though it still creased on my forehead right after I applied it before I set my makeup. I always have to just tap that out with my Beauty Blender or my finger.That’s just something I’m going to have to deal with with the It Cosmetics CC Cream Matte. I just wanted to see if mixing would give me a different finish or if it might make the CC cream a little bit more matte or the matte a little bit less texture emphasizing for me. This combination is really nice. It wore a good 8 hours before it needed any light blotting. And even then, I feel like blotting was optional.
I do think it has a little bit of a white cast in flash photography and am not surprised with having a high SPF.
SUMMARY
I like the way my makeup stays true all day and relatively maintenance free with It Cosmetics CC Cream Matte. Even when I do have to blot, it’s an easy thing to do. Powder is optional. I’ve mainly done it as a preventative measure rather than looking in a mirror and recoiling in horror from the grease pit staring back at me.
However, it does tend to gather in my forehead creases. So if you have areas on your face that tend to crease a little bit, it might be something you might have to maintain throughout the day.
This It Cosmetics CC Cream Matte Foundation Road Test has kind of left me with some mixed feelings. I don’t know if you guys have ever felt like that when you’ve tried something before. But so far this one is just OK. I don’t not like it but don’t really love it either. It seems like it would be too matte for people with dry skin. Yet it’s doing some unflattering things on my oily/combo skin. My recommendation is to try It Cosmetics CC Cream Matte before you buy if you can. See my full review below: