The new Maybelline Dream Velvet Gel-Whipped Foundation ($8.99) is finally here and I couldn't be more excited! I have really dry skin and I feel like Maybelline foundations are typically made for younger skin that's on the normal to oily side. I've tried almost all of them but haven't really found one that suited me well (the original Fit Me came the closest). But this one claims to be their "first hydrating matte for velvet-smooth perfection" so it sounds right up my alley! Not to mention it would be nice to have a matte option for drier skin types. Let's take a closer look...
The first thing I noticed when I saw the display was the number of light shades. Going by the color of the tubes and the swatch photos underneath, it appears that the first five shades are in the fair-to-light category. The next two shades look like they could be medium and the last shade, Coconut is a tan color. There are no darker shades in here at all, which is disappointing! I noticed that there are 12 shades on Drugstore.com, but the darkest shade is still Coconut.
Maybelline is also selling a Dream Blender foundation sponge that's meant to even coverage and smooth the finish.
Here's a close-up...I think it's pretty cool that it has a little handle! I'm wondering if it'll be easier to use than holding on to the sponge (like you would with a Beauty Blender), because I'm used to holding the sponge itself. We'll see! The display didn't have a price on it so I'm not sure how much these are just yet.
Here's the back of the Dream Blender box...it has instructions on how to use it
Here's the back of the foundation tube with the ingredient list. There's a lot of silicone at the top, as well as glycerin for hydration.
They had a tester of the second-to-darkest shade (Natural Beige) so I swatched it on my hand...are you thinking what I'm thinking??! That is ridiculously light! I'm pretty much casper-pale and this is about a shade or two darker than my own skin tone. Yikes.
My first impression from blending it into my hand is that it's definitely very hydrating, especially for a matte foundation. My hand is dry and scaly right now and it smoothed out my skin without clinging to dry patches at all. The only thing I noticed was that my pores seemed a little more pronounced, so I'll have to look at that aspect carefully when I'm trying this on my face. Hopefully a good primer or pore-minimizer will solve that problem!
So what do you think? Are you interested in trying the new Maybelline Dream Velvet?
If you haven't seen it near you and want to try it out, it's available now on Drugstore.com for $10.99.