Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse Foundation

I’m so excited to review this product for you guys! Sorry if this review is long, but I have a lot to say about this product. I was on the hunt for a good cream or liquid foundation, since I’ve been wearing minerals for so long and I just wanted to try out a different formula again. Since one of my beauty resolutions was to try buying more drugstore products, I researched a bunch of different drugstore foundations online. I was about to go with the ever-popular Revlon ColorStay but I felt like that would be too thick for someone like me who is used to a lighter, more natural coverage. The Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse got some really great reviews (and also the highest rating on Beautypedia) so I decided to give it a try!

Now, I love this foundation (I’ll get into that more in a sec) but the way they have their shades categorized is ridiculously confusing. The first shade I purchased was “Medium 2.5: Natural Beige”. I got this shade because a lot of the YouTube girls that reviewed it were this shade and they seemed to be a similar skin color to me. Usually I am whatever the most “common” shade is (which is your average medium I guess). Well I tried it on when I got home and it was wayyy too dark and yellow toned. I do have a yellow undertone, but this color was far too yellow in my opinion. Ended up returning it and picked up the shade “Medium 4: Buff”, which despite having a higher number than the first one and being higher up on their color scale was actually a lighter color. However, the shade was still too dark for me but I kept it because it could probably pass on my skin for the summertime. Finally I picked up “Light 5: Creamy Natural”. I never thought in a million years that any color categorizing itself as “Light” would match me, but sure enough it was a perfect match! So happy that I finally found my color, but its a shame it took 3 tries!

The packaging is interesting. 80% of the packaging is devoted to holding the sponge applicator, and the small part at the bottom unscrews and holds the actual makeup. Not very practical, but it is what it is. I have used the sponge to apply it before, but I feel like most people wouldn’t use it so I’m not sure why so much packaging it devoted to it. As for the actual foundation…amazing. It goes on feeling really cool and refreshing, which is something that I don’t usually say about most foundations. Most liquid foundation makes my skin feel dry, which luckily this cream foundation did not. I’ve applied this using a stippling motion with both my flat top kabuki brush and my round top kabuki brush, which really gave me that airbrushed look. When using the round top kabuki, I buffed it in a little bit more which looked nice as well and I was able to get into the corners better. As for the sponge, it works well but tends to pack on too much product which can look cakey. Here are both of the colors I have with swatches:

My skin seriously looked and felt amazing after using this! It didn’t bring out my dry flakes too much (if you looked closely they were noticeable as they usually are, but barely). It has a super dewy finish, which is ideal for normal to dry skin. My skin is combination so I had to apply powder on after to tone down the shine in my t-zone a bit. This foundation feels so refreshing and hydrating, and best of all the coverage is great. I would say its a medium coverage, which is more than the light coverage I’m used to with most mineral makeup. I still had to use concealer, but this foundation really blended out my skin to airbrushed perfection! On the downside, its not super long lasting (though it does not claim to be). I would think that using a setting spray and primer would help with that, though, which I have not done. All in all, I think this is an excellent foundation and I’d highly suggest this if you have normal to dry skin and want a natural, porcelain finish. I would suggest buying a couple colors first to try out though, because selecting the right shade can be really rough with this foundation.

What is your favorite drugstore foundation?