Product Review: Maybeline Dream Smooth Mousse Foundation

What it is: 

Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse Foundation

Unique cream-whipped foundation provides 100% baby-smooth perfection.

• Skin looks and feels hydrated for 14 hours - never rough or dry
• Lightweight formula provides perfectly moisturizing coverage
• Blends seamlessly and feels fresh all-day
• Oil-free, Fragrance-free, Dermatologist Tested, Allergy Tested, Non-comedogenic – won’t clog pores.
• Safe for sensitive skin 

(taken from the Maybelline website)

This foundation is the newest edition to the Dream Mousse product line, which includes blush, bronzer, concealer, and foundation. The line includes the Liquid Mousse foundation as well as the Dream Matte Mousse foundation. I haven't tried the other two foundations so I won't be able to compare them to this one.

Hype:

If I remember correctly, I first saw this product on Musings of a Muse' blog post about upcoming Maybelline products. I then spotted it at CVS but didn't want to purchase it without reading reviews of it first on Makeup Alley.  After reading some of the reviews, I just knew I had to purchase it. The average rating on Makeup Alley is 4.3 which is pretty good, and most of the reviewers stated that this was their HG foundation or had replaced their high end department store brand. Due to my neverending search for the perfect foundation I was immediately sold and ran out and got it as soon as I could.

Price:

At first I was a little disappointed by the price when I saw it at CVS for about $9.99, which I know isn't super expensive, but for the amount of product you actually get (14g) it seemed like too much to be asking. However, I went to Wal-Mart and found it for $7.99 instead and purchased it there.

Packaging: 

This is another aspect that I was a little put off by.  First let's take a look at the packaging:

As you can see, it consists of two sides: one side snaps open like a compact and houses a triangular shaped sponge applicator (sorry, I forgot to take a picture of it!); the other side is a shallow plastic disk that holds the foundation and screws into the other compact side. I find this packaging inconvenient in two ways: first, the oddly raised edges of the compact side makes it difficult to stack other items on top, or to place it in a row with other compacts. Second, you end up wasting time unscrewing and rescrewing the product back on the base. I'm not sure why Maybelline thought that this was a good idea, but I find it to be a bit annoying. The actual size of the package is comparable to your standard powder compact width wise, while it is about an 7/8 of an inch thick.

Formula: 

This is where the product actually makes up for lacking in other areas. Many people stated that this was their new HG foundation or has replaced their more expensive ones, and I can see why. I wouldn't say that this has replaced any of my foundations, but  it has definitely found a spot among them. This foundation  is definitely one of the most moisturizing formulas I've tried and keeps my dry skin hydrated for hours without caking.

The foundation's creamy texture covers flawlessly and dries to a dewy finish, making your skin look very natural and even. For those with oily skin the dewiness may create a small problem, but for those that suffer from drier skin (such as myself), this feels like a dream (haha, like the play off the name? :P ) It's very buildable without looking cakey and a little goes a long way, so start off with just a little and build up to the coverage you need. It lasts a good couple hours without touch ups but its small size makes it very portable in case you need to, especially with the applicator included. If I'm in a hurry I like to apply this with the sponge applicator it came with because the triangular shape makes it easy to get around the nose and under eye area, but if I have more time I like to buff it in using my Sonia Kashuk flat top brush. This foundation comes in 10 shades; the first one I bought (the one pictured) was Buff, but it ended up being too light so I returned it and got Natural Buff, which is still a tad too light but when I add bronzer it looks okay. I forgot to take face swatches but I'll be sure to post a FOTD using this foundation (actually I think I may have already posted a couple).

Overall Thoughts: 

This is probably one of the best drugstore foundations formula wise I've tried. I'm not too happy with the packaging, but the formula makes up for that, as well as the price because a little of this goes a long way so it should last you for awhile. 

Where to Buy:

This foundation is now available at your local drugstore or mass retailers for approximately $7.99-$9.99

Disclaimer: I purchased this product with my own money. Period. :)