Review| Rimmel Stay Matte foundation

My favorite product from Rimmel has always been and always will be their Stay Matte setting powder in Sandstorm. The color match is great and the pressed form, while rather tacky in its plastic packaging, is super convenient and non-messy. For every day, it has never failed to keep my face relatively oil free without looking too matte. And the best part? It's under 3 dollars everywhere I've checked.

Now with the release of a Stay Matte primer as well as foundation, there's hope for people on a budget but still want a base product that will keep them ultra matte. Today I'll be reviewing the foundation, which comes in eight shades. Its sanitary squeeze tube can be found taking over drugstore displays everywhere and retails for under 5 dollars.

For the price of a latte you can't ask for fancy glass and smoke and mirrors.Simple and portable, if only you didn't need a damp sponge for the best effect.

Also, are you pink and pale, pinker, orange, super pink, or beige? There are 8 available shades, but I often only see two or three stragglers left on displays.  To be honest with ya, I wasn't intrigued at first because I could tell that the limited shade range wouldn't have olive tones for me.


Though their intentions are well and the foundation performs beautifully, my biggest gripe with this product is the abysmal shade range. I still purchased it to see how this performs and write a review based outside of color match issues. I chose 203 True Beige which believe me, is a true beige. It seems to be at the same tone as NW25 or NW30, perhaps NC37.

See what I mean? Beige. Under very bad lighting it blends somewhat well, but in broad daylight you can see that my neck is much lighter and more yellow. Here's the problem, it looks amazing on the skin and performs like Revlon Colorstay and Covergirl 3-in-1 without feeling as heavy. And....I have no match. Okay then. I did see a Youtuber around my shade and she tried out 200 Soft Beige, which still seemed very neutral but closer to my tone.

The consistency of the product is a thick mousse that isn't too heavy and applies nicely with a Beauty Blender. I wouldn't use a brush with this unless it was a stippling or buffing brush. It doesn't set too quickly, but it's still best to work in sections. The overall finish is semi-matte and medium to full coverage. I didn't need a concealer for any red spots or patches on my skin.

Look at how thick that is though, like a loaf of doodoo. Blech.

I found that it didn't exactly "control my oil" but kept my skin looking semi-matte all the way to satin by the end of the day. Yeah, I wore it around the house and probably looked like an oompa loompa to the husband. And while he noticed that the color was off, he also said that if I really wanted to make it work, I could just blend all the way down my neck to match my tan chest.
...He knows too much.

I didn't notice any caking, creasing, or fading with this foundation until the 8 hour mark. To be honest with you, it looks like Tarte 12 Hour Full Coverage Foundation ($38 retail) for an extremely low budget production! It really is light-weight for how much coverage it offers. While I wasn't sweating buckets on the times I tried it out, it still kept that semi-matte finish for the entire time I wore it. With a matte setting powder the foundation can go for ever.

The only other problem I see with Stay Matte is that it definitely "looks" heavy on the skin, simply because it is very full coverage for me. While it didn't emphasize pores, it made my laugh lines stand out a bit. Primer isn't crucial, but something that eradicates lines may help. It's also best to use much less than you think you need and keep sheering it out with a damp BB.

While I like it and think that those who are combo to oily with neutral/pink undertones will be over the moon, I can't stand a foundation that doesn't match. If Rimmel introduces just a few more yellow-toned shades to round it out, Stay Matte would be in my arsenal for summer.

Did you try this one out?

xo Be

Favorites | September 2013

Oh my gosh, it completely slipped my mind that September is over! I've been on a mini-vacay with the husband for this past week and haven't been on the computer 24/7. Speaking of ideal husband situations, he got me the new Vice 2 palette! I would do swatches but it hurts just looking at it. I told him that I would get a lot of usage out of it and "it would last for 10 decades", but I honestly just want to encase it in bulletproof glass and only purvey from the outside. 

September weather in the OC has been temperamental. My nose is beginning to flake from the drier weather, and with cooler temperatures comes the return of full fledged makeup. I'm talking medium to full coverage foundation, dolly cheeks, and long lashes since my hair is short (I recently gave myself an undercut, but that's another horror story) and my clothes are modest. Take a look at my favorites for the past month.

From left to right: Covergirl Outlast 3 in 1 foundation in 832 Nude Beige, Urban Decay Lip Primer, Rimmel Fix and Perfect Primer in 002, Rimmel Stay Matte powder in Sandstorm, Benefit Watt's Up sample, NARS Light Reflecting Loose Setting Powder, TheBalm's FratBoy blush, Benefit's Gimme Brow in Medium/Dark, NYX Cream shadow in Suede , NYX Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee, YSL's Rouge Volupte Nude Beige 001, L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes mascara

Covergirl Outlast 3 in 1 foundation in 832 Nude Beige is like Revlon Colorstay's better looking sister. It's a very full coverage and long lasting foundation that will photoshop your face upon contact into flawlessness with no tell-tale caking. The only downside is the lack of strong yellow tones, and 832 is rather pale on me at the moment. The next yellow toned color is 842 Medium Beige, which is much too dark now that my tan is faded. I have to use a bronzer on the perimeter of my face, but this foundation is comparable to MAC's Studio Fix at a fraction of the price. 

Urban Decay Lip Primer is my new holy grail lip product. I have a review on the blog already, but it makes even the most dull and sheer lipsticks come to life and gain much opacity without drying out my lips. I put MAC's Sunny Seoul on top and it was much brighter and opaque than I was used to!

Rimmel Fix and Perfect Primer in 002 is a recent drugstore find that has encouraged me to use primer before foundation on a daily basis. For summer, a primer seems to suffocate my skin. In the wintertime however, this primer seems to provide a much smoother surface and blurs away any pores or expression lines on my face. The 002 shade is clear and doesn't feel particularly "silicone-y" and sets any base product I put on for the entire day. It isn't hydrating, but pairs well with any moisturizer underneath. I can also smear it onto my lids if I'm feeling too lazy for a separate eyeshadow primer. 

Rimmel Stay Matte powder in Sandstorm sets any makeup perfectly without imparting color and kept my T-zone mattified all day in the hot days of September. I dropped it the other day (mind you, I had been using for 6 months and hadn't even made a dent) and had to run out to the drugstore to pick up more. It's only 3 bucks and does an even better job than my MAC Studio Fix powder. Amazing drugstore product. 

Benefit Watt's Up sample is the perfect size for my everyday makeup bin, and its smaller bullet means I can glide it directly onto my cheekbones. It's absolutely beautiful and natural. 

NARS Light Reflecting Loose Setting Powder is a new item I received in a swap, and it's the best setting powder for undereye concealer (I've been experimenting with the Kardashian triangle of light) and gives my face a very healthy glow with no sheen or glimmer. It's really lovely for dry skinned gals who want a glow but still want their foundation to last. 

TheBalm's FratBoy blush has been my go-to blush for everyday looks. It has a tiny bit of sheen and gives my cheeks a healthy look, and I always get compliments from the husband when I wear it. Something about it is very understated and works with every type of makeup look, but it also stands out in its own way. The packaging is also adorable.

Benefit's Gimme Brow in Medium/Dark, in conjunction with my Anastasia Brow Wiz in ebony, has become my holy grail brow routine. My brows have never looked more defined yet natural and they last all day.  

NYX Cream shadow in Suede, another daily favorite, acts as a base and primer in one and is a lovely metallic sheen of gold that isn't overpowering or unnatural. I use it with a light wash of matte brown in the crease and outer V along with some black eyeliner and it completes an eye look. 

NYX Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee is a nude gloss that's very moisturizing and thick without being sticky. It's nude, but won't wash out your lips and layers well with any lip look. It acts as a moisturizing balm in my book when I can't find a true lip balm. 

YSL's Rouge Volupte Nude Beige 001 is the high end equivalent of MAC's Creme Cup and is much more moisturizing while maintaining a high level of opacity. I love it with a simple cat-eye. Often I will put on Creme Cup in the morning and touch up with YSL. 

L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes mascara is the product of my drugstore mascara vice. I love the packaging, and I've been meaning to try out some volumizing mascaras for that thick, almost spidery lashes look for winter. It really does thicken up my sad lashes, but I can't say much for its lengthening abilities. I like layering it over Definicils or another tubing mascara. 

That's all for my September items, and I've been using most of them into October. I love a full face of makeup for colder months, and now it seems like every YT tutorial is for plum/burgundy/dark lips. As much as I love the trend, I'm more excited to try the other fall trends out there, like a light grey wash of color on the lids and matte skin with no blush. So tell me, are you one to go for makeup trends or do you think trends are best left for fashion? Let me know :)

Be