Not a dream but not a nightmare either (Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation)

Member Name: caz-3124

Product:	Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation
Date:	02/05/09 (70 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Ease of use

Disadvantages: Transferring, dry skin, colours

I am often on the look out for a good foundation and tend to find it more difficult than most as being so pale means that a lot of the high-street and department store make-up ranges just don't do foundations that go pale enough for me to be able to use. I initially tried this some time ago but the shades were all far too dark but some time last year Maybelline added another two or three shades to the range including a new one called 004 Champagne which became the palest in the range and this is the one I got.

I bought this in Superdrug for £4.84 which was with a £2 off special offer. This offer is quite often running from what I see and is also included in the 3 for 2 deals that they run. As you can guess from the title this foundation has the appearance of a mousse which is what made it so unusual on its release and why it gained so much publicity. Now there is a whole range of mousse products including the mousse blush, mousse highlighter shimmer and the mousse eyeshadow so as you can tell it's a successful range and they have really capitalized on this. I know that this foundation is not popular with everybody and tends to get very mixed reviews and it would appear the mousse blush is the most popular of the series and that was something I had tried previously and not liked because I had issues with the application. I tended to find that whilst applying and blending the mousse blush I wiped off the foundation and powder underneath so I never got a good result but I knew that this would be irrelevent in this case so I was completely open-minded about this. For general information's sake I tend to use Max Factor's Miracle Touch in Creamy Ivory as my go-to foundation. In fact this foundation has now spawned clones as so often happens in the world of make-up with the most well known copycat probably being Rimmel's Cool Matte Mousse.

Dream Matte Mousse comes in a sweet little glass pot. This makes it heavier than most foundations but I don't carry mine around so it doesn't bother me but I know it puts some people off. The colour of the lid of the foundation varies according to the shade you have chosen and on the front it claime to be a matte-perfect foundation. When you unscrew the lid you may be worried to see that there is not a lot of product in the jar but not to worry as you don't use much at a time. One of the things I like about this is that you are able to see ecactly how much remains rather than guessing according to the weight of a bottle so you know exactly when you need to go and buy another pot. I also like the fact that this can't leak everywhere like when you shake a foundation bottle to get some out and it flies out and lands on your brand new cream carpet and you can never get those marks out again. Stupid Clinique wide-mouthed bottles.... On the other hand I know that some may consider a pot where you put your hand in everyday unhygenic but I can't say it's something I worry about. I apply the mousse with fingers. You can use a foundation brush or a sponge but you may find that this option will soak up quite a bit of the product too. As to whether it looks like a mousse or not, I would say it does. Not quite as bubbly as the chocolate mousse you find in the fridge but not far off...

When you first look at the mousse it will always look quite dark but once smoothed out will look a different colour so don't let that put you off. To apply it you simply take a bit of the mousse from the pot and put it on your face. I find it's better to take a little bit to start with and just go back for more if needed. Using it is incredibly easy as you just spread it out ensuring you blend around the hairline and jaw. As you smooth it out it changes into a soft powdery finish. Bearing this in mind I would consider this a very good foundation to give to a teen just learning to use make-up as it's almost fool-proof in terms of ease of application. The coverage of this I would classify as average. If I have blemishes that need covering up I don't find it does it hugely well. This is probably because I find you need to spread it out thinly to avoid it looking cakey and thus it's hard to get good coverage. You can of course apply several layers but then this risks making it look too masky. If you have good skin to start with this can make you look flawless because it always looks fantastic on my cheeks but I find that how a foundation deals with any spots or redness is the true test of a foundation and this is an area where it lets itself down a little. I also think you have to be wary of using too many layers of this as it can make it appear orange and streaky which is not a good look. In fact I think a colour one shade paler than this would be appreciated, (by me at least) as then you could use it without having to spread it out so thinly. One of the problems that I have found with this is the fact that it comes off easily. If you accidentally rub a material against your face or even rest your chin on your hands for a while you will often find that some of the foundation has come off. This is obviously bad for whatever you have touched as it can leave a permanent stain and bad for your face because you are left with a 'bald patch ' on your face. For this reason if I am going clothes shopping and anticipate that I will be trying things on I don't use this foundation that day. The other gripe with this product is how it reacts to dry skin. I, like many others, have some dry skin around my nose and I have noticed that it tends to sit on the skin and rather emphasize the dry flaky skin rather than melt into it. I think the best way around this is to be sure your skin is exfoliated and moisturise well before you apply this but even so doing I still get the occasional problem.

So in summary I would say that this isn't the best foundation out there but it's not bad either and I think that given the low price tag it is good value for money.

Summary: Somewhere above average