Review: Maybelline FitMe!

Posted by Tamara in review | Comments Off

Category: Foundation

Product Name: Maybelline FitMe! Foundation

Product Description: Flawless. Lets the real you come through. Beyond matching: fresh, breathing, natural skin. SPF 18. Sheer to medium coverage. No oils, no waxes, no nonsense. Natural coverage that leaves skin the way it was meant to be…fresh, breathing, natural. Exclusive translucent base and lightweight pigments allow skin’s natural highs and lows to show through. Non-comedogenic, dermatologist-tested. (from maybelline.ca)

Price: $7.96 CAD (Walmart)

Amount: 30mL (1 fl oz)

Packaging: A clear glass, rectangular shaped bottle with a black plastic, screw-top lid.

Experience: This foundation created a lot of buzz when it first came out, which was enough to inspire me to check it out.  I’ve never had much luck with Maybelline’s foundations because I found the colour selection was rather limited.  If the depth of colour was right, the undertones always seemed to clash and vice versa.  You can read about my initial issues about finding the right shades in a previous post.

I actually need to mix shades for that perfect match. Some might find that annoying, but I actually don’t mind because of the low price point. Buying two (or even three) of these foundations is still cheaper than some brands, and I like the versatility of being able to custom mix – especially at this time of year as my skin tone is changing.  The shades have both a name and number, though I did find the colours to be inconsistent compared to other foundations in brand.  Personally, a blend of 310 & 315 gives me a good match for my skin without a tan, and now that my summer colour is developing a some 320 into the mix deepens it up.

Blending is very easy, the formula glides smoothly onto the skin and leaves a very believable finish.  It does have that traditional liquid foundation scent coming out of the bottle, so those sensitive to scents should bear that in mind.  The interesting thing about this foundation is that even though it’s marketed as a sheer to medium coverage, it actually covers very well.  It covers all but the most stubborn of my hyperpigmentation spots while still leaving a natural finish.  Despite the SPF content, it also photographs nicely too.  I like that some of your skin shows through, but unfortunately my oily skin makes this a foundation that I’d only wear in cooler/non-humid weather.  It’s not that the formula is greasy, it’s just too emollient for my skin type – I imagine this would be a better fit for skin that runs more normal or dry. I used it pretty regularly when I first picked it up, but now that the weather is getting warmer and more humid – my skin gets very shiny, very fast.

With and without a primer and setting sprays my oil starts to break through within the first hour or two. I do like a healthy glow, but after anything beyond two hours is way too much. It is quite disappointing in that regard because this foundation is fantastic in other aspects, but how a formula wears is crucial.  I don’t mind the occasional touch-up, but I needed to blot with this numerous times throughout the day.  There was some transfer when I wore this, both with and without setting powders. It never actually slid off my skin on it’s own, but major contact did cause transfer but I didn’t notice any smudging or smearing. I wish that there were options for different skin types or long wear (maybe in future?) because I had been hoping this would be a good summer foundation with it’s light weight paired with good coverage.  Unfortunately, the oil break through and poor wear time doesn’t make this a viable option for me, beyond anything longer than a few hours.

Pros: good coverage, easy to blend, lightweight, price, testers

Cons: misleading shades, no pump, scent, transfer, very dewy finish

Rating: 3/5