Majolica Majorca's Nude Make Gel review!

What is it:  MAJOLICA MAJORCA Nude Make Gel is an all-in-one Japanese gel foundation/ tinted moisturizer for a natural no-makeup look.

This multitasking formula perfects the skin in five ways: it covers imperfections and corrects skin tone; draws moisture to skin; brightens dullness instantly; helps reduce the appearance of large pores; and shields skin against damaging UV rays.

Available in a two shades (light beige and natural beige) for Asian skin tone.

As you can see, both of these shades have yellow undertones and are suitable for Asian skin. The Light beige is close to MAC's NC15 and NC20, and MUFE's Matt Foundation in shade 20 and 25. The Natural beige is comparable to MAC's NC25 and NC30, and MUFE's Matt Foundation in shade 30 and 35.

This product has an interesting texture. It literally melts from upon contact with the skin. I was so amazed!

Instinctively, you'll want to run your fingers through this formula.

The sheer texture melts seamlessly into my skin (random: it also smells like fresh flowers).

And right away, you'll be thinking.. oh my this blends like a dream! The gel spreads so evenly with my fingers alone. But also because it disappears so well, it felt as if i had to use a lot more product than usual. I used about 6 to 8 pea-sized Nude Make Gel to cover my entire face.

Apart from being super blendable, i also like how this gel corrects redness and evens out my skin tone with just a thin layer. The end result is a very dewy glowing skin. 

When i first tested it on my face, i was worried that it might be too oily and dewy for my skin. But thankfully, the formula eventually sets into a semi-matte (but still hydrating) finish after 15 seconds. The coverage is sheer and weightless, perfect for the barely-there makeup look. I can imagine how easy it would be to work with the Nude Make Gel every morning before rushing off to work/ to school.  If you are as conscious about your base makeup as i am paranoid about how my foundation will look in the day, (is it cakey? Is it flaky? Does it match my skintone? Am i over-applying?) Then, this is the perfect product for you. It's fuss free and foolproof: easy to blend and difficult to over apply.

The Nude Make Gel also offers a buildable coverage (from light to medium). I do realize though, that the subsequent layers do not blend as well with my fingers. To effectively layer on more Nude Make Gel, i reached for my trusty Ultimate Shader.

The Nude Make Gel is ultra light and dries fast. To achieve a flawless lightweight finish, you will need a brush that blends quickly across large areas of the face. The Ultimate Shader is dense, large and fluffy. This makes base application super quick and easy.

Just for fun: I timed myself and found that realized i took only 17 seconds to apply the Gel across my entire face! The combination of the Ultimate Shader and Nude Make Gel is a crazy time saver for me. I also noticed that my pores appeared smaller after a mere 2 layers.

If you prefer a more matt look, dust a light layer of loose powder on the base makeup. 

Next, we'll look into the Nude Make Gel's efficacy as a makeup base. Primers can bring your makeup to another level, be it to reduce the look of large pores, filling in fine lines, and preventing foundation from looking cakey.  They also help with correcting the skin tone and making your makeup last much longer throughout the day.

We've already established that the Nude Make Gel is fantastic at hydrating, color correcting and pore minimizing. But how well does it hold our makeup?

I've sectioned my arms as such and done up a simple comparison between several face primers commonly found in the market. A control was added to show how well my makeup stays without a primer.

Well, any primer is better than no primer. To be honest, this comparison wasn't super fair as these primers had different textures and i wasn't comparing like for like. The Nude make gel is the most dewy of all bases used here. Hence, my eyeshadow did creased a little bit at the very start. I suspected that 3 minutes alone wasn't enough for my gel to set completely. On hindsight, i should have waited a while longer, for the gel to set completely before applying eyeshadow on. But i really liked how toasty Blackheart from Naked 3 looked with the Nude Make Gel! It also seems to bring out the best colors, allowing eyeshadow to appear most vibrant and truest to its original color in the pan.

To test their ability to hold on to makeup, i took a big fluffy brush and swept several times across my wrist. Urban decay and Majolica Majorca performed the best here, both ended up equally intense. Urban decay's section however turned into a charcoal shade. At the end of the experiment, I also found that the the Nude Make Gel held on to the most amount of glitter.

The Nude Make Gel is a water-based gel, so presumably it would not be water resistant.

All in all, the Nude Make Gel makes a great makeup base: It conceals pores, intensifies makeup, corrects skin tone, hydrates the skin and offers  300 minutes of UV protection. Its sheer coverage allows you to slowly layer on bit by bit for more coverage. The gel also did not oxidize throughout the day, looking fresh on my skin for a good 6-7 hours. Great makeup base, just don't go running in the rain or swim in it!

The Nude Make Gel retails for $25.90 in Watsons.

If you're still wondering how to wear the gel, here are some suggestions:

A) Everyday dewy look: Use Nude Make Gel alone as a color corrector, moisturizer and sunscreen

- Perfect for daily use: Corrects skin tone instantly, quickly minimize the appearance of pores and fine lines, offers protection against harmful UV rays

- Super blendable: To apply a thin layer of Nude Make Gel, you don't actually need a brush for this product because it blends too easily. This helps you save precious time in the morning before rushing to work.

- Buildable Coverage: The Nude Make Gel also offers buildable coverage, allowing you to layer on for more coverage. This is great for beginners to makeup as its fool-proof and you won't be afraid that you might over apply. To gradually layer more Nude Make Gel, use a foundation brush for best results. A foundation brush ensures the even distribution of product across your face. This prevents patchiness.

- Moisturizing quality: Skin-loving formula. Especially great for ladies who spend a lot of time in the air conditioned room

If you belong to category A and wants to receive the complimentary Nude MJ Nude Make Gel + Blending Sponge + Ultimate Shader- click here

B) Everyday lightweight matt finish: Use Nude Make Gel as a color corrector, moisturizer, base and sunscreen and finish off with setting powder

- Perfect for daily use: Offers oil control when used with a light layer of setting powder. Instantly corrects skin tone.

- Does not oxidise throughout the day: Especially great if you need to head outdoors. Wearing it this way helps you achieve shine-free skin in the hot summer weather in Singapore. You can also be sure that your makeup will not oxidize into a strange orange color.

If you belong to category B and wants to receive the complimentary Nude MJ Nude Make Gel + Blending Sponge + Ultimate Shader + Loose powder brush- click here

C) High coverage, full-face makeup: Use Nude Make Gel as a color corrector, moisturizer, base and sunscreen, then layer on liquid foundation and dust a thin layer of setting powder to prevent products from sliding

- With its sheer coverage, the Nude Make Gel makes a great a color corrector and a face primer. This helps you prep your skin and gives a flawless canvas for your makeup.

- You'll find that your makeup lasts longer and appears more intense: Helps eye makeup, blusher and setting powder last longer as powder based products are better able to adhere to the skin. Eyeshadow and blusher will also appear more vibrant with the Gel as a base.

If you belong to category C and wants to receive the complimentary Nude MJ Nude Make Gel + Blending Sponge + Ultimate Shader + Loose powder brush- click here

The Verdict: WE LOVE IT! This is a must have for anyone looking to break down their skincare and beauty routine into one easy step, all while getting instantly great-looking skin.

I hope this review helped.. till next time!

Love, Yu Hui