Review: Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation

I don’t know how I managed the luxury of shopping at Sephora and department stores exclusively for beauty products while in college, but I do know times are a-changin’.

My tube of Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer ($42) was running low and I started to research for a replacement.  I wasn’t going to miss it since I found it too thick to be considered “sheer” natural coverage.  Plus, the limited shades offered at the time meant that I had to choose between a pale-gray wash or slight orange tint.  I went with orange, the seemingly lesser of two evils.  (Sorry, Laura, I usually like you!)

So, I had a new mission in mind:  sheer, natural coverage + easy on the wallet.

I stumbled upon Rimmel’s line and remembered I had read somewhere that the texture and sheer coverage of Rimmel‘s new Stay Matte Foundation was closer to that of a tinted moisturizer.  With a friendly price ($6), I thought, why not?

Luckily, I found a color that matched my skin (half the battle is won there).  The formula was surprisingly smooth and light, and went on with a natural finish (I used a foundation brush, but fingers work just as well).

It really did feel like a moisturizer, and a little went a long way.  It does tend to stay matte for more than 8 hours and with a mattifying base under, it’s shine-free for the whole day.  Coverage is natural — looks like my skin, but better.

For $6, this is an amazing bargain.   I was really surprised by how well this worked  and how great it looks — it works just as well if not better than dept. store brands.  I’m pretty happy with this find for now.  Just make sure to test a little on your wrist or jawline to find the closest color match.

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