First Look| Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin Foundation

Praise Jesus Lawd Almightay! It's an olive toned foundation at the drugstore! They have acknowledged our meager existence on this Earth! Hallelujah!

I saw the new display of the Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin Foundation ($11.99) at Target and my eyes focused immediately on the most yellow toned of the bunch.  It was in the color"Warm Nude" (second lightest in the display, lulz) and there was a tester for each shade. I furiously pumped some on the back of my hand, expecting a dark muddy peach mess that was meant to encompass all Asian and Mediterranean skintones. 

Lo and behold, it was a cool yellow even under horrid fluorescent lighting. Foundations tend to oxidize into an orange mess on the back of my hand, however, and I put it down after observing my hand for several minutes. Still, the nagging feeling persisted and I had to pick one up to really see if it was a cool olive foundation at the drugstore. 

And it is!

This is indoor natural lighting.

Maybelline is on the very left, next to UD Naked Skin Foundation in 4.0, Buxom Show Some Skin Foundation in You're A Natural, Benefit Hello Flawless in Petal, and Bourjois Healthy Mix in 53. All of these are relatively cool-yellow to olive, so the Maybelline one blends in like a dream. 

And now that the drugstore has options to match my skin perfectly, I have literally no more excuses to keep on buying peachy foundations that are too warm for me.

This is outdoor/overcast lighting. 

And with flash...

I researched online, and it seems to be a U.S. promotion as this foundation launched last year in the U.K. Sure, the shade range is pretty bad. I counted like, 6 shades at most on the display and confirmed online that it really does have only 6 shades. If you're about NC25-30 and very olive, however, Warm Nude is a perfect match.

I mean, perfect! Let's say for a second that the formula is terrible in every aspect. You still have the option of buying this DRUGSTORE product to mix with a slightly "off" foundation to correct the undertone. 

  

I'm currently NC30-35, so it's a tad light on my skin. Here it is freshly applied over moisturizer. The coverage is a solid medium. While the texture isn't too creamy or thick, I still wouldn't build up several coats of this and would reach for a concealer to spot conceal instead. Case in point: the redness of that nasty bit of zits above my brow is lessened but not completely covered.

It also looks a little dry and prone to caking around my mouth with a finger application, so I will try it with a Beauty Blender to see if results fare better. This foundation promises to fix your skin in three weeks from bumps, lumps, and general hideousness. I'll be the judge of that. 

This is after an hour with no setting powder on top. For dry to normal skin I really don't think a setting powder is necessary as the foundation leans matte. You can see that it's a foundation meant for combo/oily skin in the way it sits on my dry under-eyes and around the mouth. I definitely need a spritz (or gallon) of Fix+ to bring some life and dew back into my skin, but there aren't chunks of flakes being highlighted either. It does well with hiding pores and textural issues. 

Here it is on another day of testing. It couldn't cover up my horrid zit clusterfuck above my brows. The overall effect is very nice with a soft layer of WnW Reserve Your Cabana used as a setting powder on top. I noticed some slight migration and fading on my nose after 6-7 hours of wear, but the overall effect of flawless skin held up for 10 hours, even after the gym.

This is two pumps applied with the Bobbi Brown buffing brush. The pump dispenses a little product at one time, so there's no risk of over-applying. I find that applying with a dense foundation brush gives me an airbrushed look without caking around my nose. I also sprayed a light mist of Fix+ on top to take care of any tell-tale "foundation-ness" (highly scientific terminology) on my skin.

Woah...the perfect match *-* 

It's a miracle!

After some playing around, I've discovered that it looks the most natural and seamless with ONE PUMP on a BeautyBlender (in my case, the RT Complexion sponge works just as well) and dabbed into the skin. Below I'm wearing it with this application method over the UD Naked Beauty Balm as a primer and UD All Nighter Spray to set. The glow on my skin is mostly attributed to my Becca Champagne Pop, but the finish of the foundation itself is satin.

Aside from the PERFECT shade match, this foundation is a solid contender for many other ones on the market. It offers medium coverage, great staying power, and doesn't look obvious or unnatural if you apply sparingly. My skin is on the normal side now with no patches of dry skin and flakes, but it did pick up on a tiny bit of dryness on my chin. If you're normal to combination, I think this foundation slays. If you're very oily, I would strongly advise you to set it down with a mattifying powder. 

xo Be