The original It Cosmetics CC Cream is one of those products that I’ve always wanted to try. My biggest turn off however was the fact that it isn’t the most well suited product for oily skinned folks like me. So when I heard that they would be releasing an oil free matte version, I was more than a little excited! And while I was on holiday, I dropped into the first Sephora I could find to get my hands on it. Having now tried it, I definitely have some thoughts about it. So if you want to know if I liked the It Cosmetics CC+ Cream, just keep on reading!
IT COSMETICS CC+ CREAM OIL FREE MATTE – $61.00 – sephora.com.au (12 shades available)
As always, I’ll start with the packaging. It’s very much in line with the rest of the It Cosmetics other CC cream products. It’s encased in the same squeezy tube style bottle as the other CC creams in their line, however this one is blue. Making it rather distinct from the OG (which is silver) and the illuminating CC cream (which is pick). Also like the original packaging, this comes with a pump to dispense the product. Which is something I’m always going to prefer, especially with a product like this.
There are 12 shades in the line which isn’t great but because this isn’t marketed as a proper foundation, I feel like there is a little bit more leeway in terms of finding your right shade (though having said that, I do know of a few people who have had to mix shades to get it to match their skintone).
The CC cream contains a whole host of skin loving ingredients including Charcoal, Tea Tree Oil (both are great for oily skin folks) Peptides, Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamins and Antioxidants. Most importantly for me though is that fact that this CC cream has SPF 40 and it has broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection. While the level of SPF is lower than the original and the illuminating CC creams (both boast an SPF of 50+), I’m still glad it has some SPF protection.
When I first pumped the product out and applied it, I was genuinely surprised at how thick yet light the formula was. If I were to describe it, my first thought would be a very smooth mousse like consistency. Fortunately, it blends out pretty easily no matter what method you use. I tried blending it out with a beauty sponge and a flat top kabuki brush and to be honest, both worked well for me. It’s just a case of what kind of finish you want. Using the brush gave me a more full coverage and was more of a velvet matte finish, but using the sponge made it look more skin like and natural, but still on the matte side. Using the sponge gave me the finish I generally preferred.
I used this CC cream over three days while I was testing it. Day one, I didn’t use a primer or set it. Day two, I used what I considered to be a hydrating primer (Stila One Step Correct) and I set it with powder (Rimmel Stay Matte). And day three, I used a more mattifying primer (Hourglass Mineral Veil) and a really mattifying powder (Too Faced Mattifying Powder) just to see how the CC cream would cope with these conditions. On all three days, I wore it for a minimum 10 hours. I should also note that on all three days, the temperature in Mount Isa was well into the high 30’s/low 40’s so I was really putting this CC cream through it’s paces.
On all three days, I have to say that the CC cream held up pretty well. I found that the day it best performed for me was on days two and three. I’ve heard some people say they don’t need to set this product. I really did have to. Especially if I’m wearing it to work which was what I was doing. The big thing I noticed was that it didn’t sink into my lines and pores. And while it did fade throughout the day, it didn’t break down due to my natural oils coming through. Which is pretty amazing! I would say that towards the end of the day, if I were going out, I would have probably touched it up with a little more powder around the nose and forehead, but overall I was really impressed at how well it held up.
Overall, I totally love the It Cosmetics CC+ Cream Oil Free Matte and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone with oily skin. Even if you’re someone who is put off by matte face products, I still believe you should give this a go. Though due to the somewhat limited shade range, I would recommend getting shade tested first. Let me know down below if you have tried out the It Cosmetics Matte CC Cream and if you liked it as well!
Cheers and love
Emmie xo