L'Oreal Visible Lift CC Cream VS. Almay Smart Shade CC Cream

I had yet to try any CC Creams, so I figured I would also pit 2 against each other - the new L'oreal Visible Lift CC Cream and the new Almay Smart Shade CC Cream. Both come in 1oz. squeeze tubes, though the L'Oreal is SPF 20 and the Almay offers SPF 35.

The first one I tried was the L'Oreal. This one is pretty much just a sun screen for your face. Like I said, it has an SPF of 20 but in my opinion, doesn't do much. Let me elaborate.

Here's the typical squeeze tube, it actually has a pretty small opening so it's easy to control how much product you get out of it.

I got Light/Medium because I didn't see any plain Light. But as you can see, it's pretty much white with little specks in it. The little specks are "color capsules." It has a very thick consistency. This is a product that claims to, over time:

Reduce the appearance of age spots & dark spots

Even skin tone

Brighten a dull complexion

Smooth skin's texture

Firm skin

So obviously, using it for a week isn't going to show those results yet. Problem is, I don't think I can use it all that much!

Right off the bat, it smells like sunscreen. Obviously you're going to get that scent with a product like this. It's not a BAD smell, I just hate that kind of scent near my face. Luckily, you don't notice it too much after you put it on. You can use this alone but it doesn't do much, so if you want coverage you definitely need to use it under your normal foundation. I used this by itself so I could tell if it did anything or not without being affected by my foundation. It made me appear shiny right after applying, but the funny thing is it didn't get any worse throughout the day. I was expecting to be disgustingly oily by the end of the first day. So that was a plus.

 My face with nothing but the CC Cream on:

The bad part? It broke me out. I had 3 pimples on my face by the end of the first day using it and more to come by the end of the 4-5 days that I tested it out. Some things just don't agree with my skin and this is one of them I guess. I think it'll be really great for anyone with dry skin but if you're oily and hate being shiny, you may not enjoy this one.

 Now for the Almay Smart Shade CC cream. I got this one in Light, and it offers an SPF of 35, so it's higher than the L'Oreal. Has the same sunscreen scent, only not quite as strong.

 This one has a squeeze tube also, pretty much the same as the L'Oreal.

One of the major differences is that you can see that this one has color to it as soon as you squeeze out the product. It's a bit thinner than the L'oreal one. The color correction with this one is better and more noticeable, probably because it is more tinted. It offers a light coverage and I find this one doesn't make me as shiny as the L'Oreal.

This one doesn't claim to reduce age spots, dark spots, etc. like the L'Oreal - it just says that it instantly perfects and visibly corrects. I will say, my cheeks always have redness to them and I could definitely tell a difference using this product. Plus, it didn't break me out! This one is easier to use by itself without having to put foundation over it, but again it offers a pretty light coverage - more than the L'Oreal, but still light.

I am wearing it in this photo - I have blush and eyeshadow on but no foundation - just the Almay CC Cream :)

So all in all, after using them both each for about a week, I like the Almay one better. I was surprised, as I don't usually like many of their products! They are both better used as a base under your foundation because although they help correct and redness on your face, they offer very little coverage.

I talk about the L'Oreal one here:

And the Almay one here: