If you're new to my
Foundation of the Month (FOTM) series, here's the scoop: I'm on a quest in 2014 to find my perfect foundation. What do I consider "perfect"?
My goals/parameters for an "ideal" foundation are that it be long-wearing (especially on my peskily-oily chin) but not break me out. It must not be too fussy to apply. And it must come in under $40.
I originally planned to try out the much-adored
Rimmel Match Perfection in March. Then the Rimmel Stay Matte foundation hit the shelves to some initially good reviews (and a great sale at Walgreens), and since you already know that the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder is
my go-to, I decided to give it a try, and who wouldn't with a description like this?
A feather light, oil free formula with an airy mousse texture that won’t feel heavy or greasy. Delivers all day shine control and blends flawlessly for a natural looking matte finish. Minimizes the appearance of pores. The weight is over – finally, shine has met its matte.
Before you get too excited,
this one was a fail. So much so that I abandoned it by mid-month and reverted to using to
February's FOTM.
While the initial look is indeed beautifully matte,
it did not hold up without a primer. On a cold day (high of 42) in early March, I already had some slippage around my nose and on my chin by 1:00 in the afternoon. Additionally, the parts of my face that
did stay matte took on a cakey appearance throughout the day as it
settled into my lines (which are thankfully not numerous, as of yet - I'm 34 - but definitely noticeable). This effect was even worse in subsequent days when I used a primer underneath.
Some other, more general, cons:
This foundation is a mousse texture and as such, does not apply well with a sponge. It didn't apply all that great with a regular foundation brush, either. I finally had the best results applying with a stippling makeup brush.
Because the packaging is a non-translucent tube,
there is no way to gauge what shade you should buy. This did not concern me initially. Since I'm pretty consistently the "fairest of them all", I bought Fair Porcelain, It was
much too pink and
much too pale to be a usable match. I
had to use bronzer just to make it wearable for the day (bronzer is typically discretionary for me). I went back and purchased the next shade up - Light Ivory - better but still a bit too light (and at a time of year that many are beginning the transition to a darker shade). I finally found a match with my third try: Ivory. But ultimately,
for a foundation I couldn't try-before-buy, it was very inconvenient.
I found this foundation to be
fussy in the way that it plays (or doesn't) with other products. I typically apply concealer immediately following foundation without any kind of a waiting period and without any problems. However, when I went to blend in my usual Maybelline Age Rewind concealer, the foundation underneath smeared completely off the under-eye area (I did
not have this problem using the same concealer with the
Revlon and
em cosmetics foundations I tested in
January and
February). I had to pair it with the Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer in order to get a wearable look. (Ultimately, I'm not too sad to have been forced to try this new-to-me concealer - I've been very happy with the coverage, brightness, and longevity, and it looks like it might be a great bargain dupe for the legendary
YSL Touche Eclat - but am still taking points off of the Stay Matte foundation for being fussy: I shouldn't have
had to use a new concealer to make this foundation work for me.)
Overall grade: F. This foundation was too high-maintenance all around without the payoff of a great look. It may work well for someone younger, completely devoid of fine lines, and with more time to baby it during application, but if you're time-crunched and over the age of 30, skip this one.
