What's the matteR with Rimmel? (Rimmel Cool Matte Mousse 16 Hr Foundation)

Member Name: famouslastwords

Product:	Rimmel Cool Matte Mousse 16 Hr Foundation
Date:	21/12/08 (105 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: quite cheap and refreshing

Disadvantages: can be streaky and dries very quickly

As you may or may not have seen from my review of the Rimmel 'hide the blemish' concealer, i am a big fan of Rimmel products for doing your 'face base' of your make up. Whilst the other products are reasonable, i really like the combination of this foundation with the hide the blemish, and this is for why...

The packaging
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The pot is nice and looks much more expensive than it is. With a clear, solid glass curved base and a thick black plastic lid. The lid has the standard Rimmel logo in blue with 'cool matte' and 'mousse foundation' across the front.

The pot size is 0.60 fl oz, or 18 ml. Bit of a pain though if your rubbish collection is like mine and you can't put any glass in it, but a good incentive to get down the bottle bank! The glass makes the pit quite heavy for an item of this size. The pot is sealed with a sticker and inside there is a white plastic cover to stop the mousse leaking / getting stuck inside the lid.

The product
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the cool matte foundation boasts a 16 hour staying power length and that it has a 'no transfer' formula. From experience, this is pushing it really. I would struggle to conclude that it can last 16 hours, but it will stay on pretty successfully for most of the day. I would say if you are out during the day and evening, you may need to re-apply once to keep it looking nice and fresh. As for no transfer, i would agree that most of the product has very good staying power, but if you wiped your face across your partners white shirt (don't do this - it tends to alarm and aggravate!) such as they do it adverts, im pretty sure you will give them a nice orange stain.

However, when this is applied it gives you a really nice glowing look, and feels refreshing and very clean. As with most foundation products, it takes a little practice to apply successfully and you have to be quite quick or you can end up looking like an orange patchwork quilt. Be quick, or ill will dry streaky. Also, finding the right colour for your skin is paramount, or the lovely effect will not be so lovely on you. If you have dry skin like me, the creamy nature of mousse foundation is fantastic, preventing t-zones from drying out without losing the matt finish of the cool matte when it drys.

Also, im a big fan of the smell. Im not sure how to explain the aroma, other than to say it smells very clean and fresh without smelling cheap. Its hard to explain and i am aware of the distinctly personal preference of this statement as my other half is not keen on the smell at all.

Personally, i use the classic beige 201. this is richer than my normal colour but it seems to work better to give me a nice even skin tone. Other shades available are;
- True nude 303
- Soft beige 200
- Natural beige 400
- Ivory 100


Where to buy
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As with most Rimmel products, the cool matte is fairly easy to pick up on the high street in superdrug, boots, tesco or a pharmacy. Look out for special offers though, as both superdrug and boots often have a 3 for 2 on the Rimmel range. At last check, the foundation was under £6 which i personally think is good value for a product which so successfully emulates higher end range foundations.

For more details, check out the Rimmel website on: http://www.rimmellondon.com/UK/products/face/produ ct.aspx?id=263

Overall
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I think the Rimmel cool matte comes up as much better quality that it seems for its price tag. With a little practice, the cool matte gives you a rich and lasting foundation, which is lovely to apply and refreshing. Personally, its the best foundation for my skin type that i have ever found, across the board. I would recommend giving it a try, but be very careful in matching it to your skin tone to make sure you don't look like someone has attacked you with Ronseal.

Summary: With a little pratice, helps create an excellent 'face base'