As a super oily t-zone sufferer, every time I see a new base product with the word "matte" in the title, it goes straight to the top of the "must try" list. So naturally, the second the new Maybelline Dream Velvet Foundation hit the shelves of the Great British high street, I was on that faster than I could say the products name. I've been testing it for a few weeks so let's have a look at what I thought:
First off: the packaging. I cannot explain the joy I feel when brands package products in sanitary containers. Seriously. Glass bottles and fancy jars are nice and all, but if it doesn't have a pump I'd rather have a squeeze-y tube any day. So +5 points to Maybelline for the packaging on this, I also like that the lightweight plastic makes it really travel friendly.
I also appreciate that Maybelline foundations tend to be on the more affordable end of the spectrum for high-street prices. While L'Oreal and Maxfactor tend to charge £10+ for theirs, this is comfortably in the middle of Maybelline's foundation pricing at £7.99 for 30ml.
The product squeezes out with a really whipped consistency, and feels almost like a thick mousse in texture. It feels nice and creamy going onto the skin but sets down with a matte cream-to-powder finish quite quickly. One thing to keep in mind is that this foundation does set really quickly - which is nice if you like to apply your makeup quite quickly but it does mean you'll have less time to blend it into the skin. I apply it to my face in sections to avoid streaking.
I would say the coverage is light to medium. If you just apply one thin layer to the skin you'll be able to see freckles and will need concealer to hide slightly bigger issues on the face. However as the product sets really quickly it is so easy to layer up with. I find that by the time I've finished the first layer I can go straight in with a second if I want to build it up. However the formula isn't completely weightless on the skin so the more you apply the more you will feel the product on the skin.
The wear time on this is great, I set it with my Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot powder as I do with all foundations (and no, I don't think I'll ver stop raving about that powder). I find that I do get a little shiny in my t-zone after about 5-6 hours of wear but I get that with most foundations. My only other gripe about wear time is that I find sometimes my cheeky start to look a bit cake-y as the day goes by, but this isn't something that happens all the time so it may be to do with other products I've been using - will check back on that.
I do also like that you can apply this in a variety of ways and it looks nice. I personally prefer to apply this foundation with fingers but I've also had a nice effect applying it with a damp makeup sponge (my usual preferred method). Which brings me nicely to my next point:
The Maybelline Dream Blender Foundation Sponge.
I picked this up as it's advertised as the tool to apply the foundation with and there was an offer on them when I picked mine up. Honestly? I can't say I'm a fan, and here's why:
While it does apply the mousse textured Dream Velvet Foundation nicely, it's not a massively versatile tool as I find the sponge is too firm to be used wet, and a dry firm sponge isn't going to apply most formulas to the skin in a way that give a natural finish. At first I really liked the idea of the handle as not touching the sponge would be more hygienic for the face and would also keep your hands foundation-free but I find that, again, it makes it more difficult to get a natural finish.
But by far the most annoying thing about it is the size. The sponge on the end of this tool is about half the size of a dry beauty blender, and because the sponge is so small, it takes so long to apply foundation that it's impractical at best. Personally I feel like for just £1 more, you can get the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge and that this is a far better tool for applying foundation.
