Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Review

Today’s post is a review of the Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse foundation. This product has been around since 2005!  I was a baby eighth grader when it was released and used to be a loyal customer back then. I recently picked up Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse after seeing Casey Holmes mention it in her March favorites video. I haven’t used this foundation since freshman or sophomore year of highschool, so I was looking forward to seeing why this was popping back up.

I stopped using this throwback because I had a friend tell me that the mousse formula was pore clogging. I have no idea if this is true, but I was like 13 and believed everything my cool friends said of course. I moved on to bigger and better things- aka mostly just slapping bronzer and caking powder all over my face, but that’s a different story. According to Ulta.com, “Dream Matte Mousse Foundation is non-comedogenic which means the foundation is specially formulated to not cause blocked pores. Dream Matte Mousse foundation does contain oil.” So my worries were unfounded.  

I actually have a current- day friend who uses this foundation. She has her match, knows what she likes, and continues to repurchase this. In my opinion she has naturally perfect skin- *can’t relate* – so I was never tempted to pick it back up. I had left it in the past until seeing Casey mention it. She has oily skin like me, and I usually trust her opinions.  I was ready to give Dream Matte Mousse a second chance.

I picked up the shade Medium Beige 3 at Fred Meyer. The shade range is pretty small. This color is pretty dark on me and quite pink.  The shade lighter, Natural Beige, looked too yellow so it was hard to decide. I got away with wearing this one because I have a ton of tan on at the moment and I’m naturally very pink. I like to counteract my pink coloring with more neutral and yellow foundations typically. Looking back, I think Pure Beige would be a better match for me.

Application

I started with Rimmel Stay Matte primer as a base. Usually I put on one or two pumps of foundation to get coverage all over my face, but this one isn’t pump-able.  I applied four smears all over- think the size of a lipstick arm swatch. (Describing non- liquids is hard.)  I used the It Cosmetics Heavenly Complexion brush to apply this because I wanted to make sure it wasn’t being packed into my pores with a sponge, and it feels so silicone packed that I didn’t want it to cake onto my sponge. The brush did a good job evenly spreading it over my face, but I had to go in with four more smears to get all of it brushed across my skin without it looking patchy. It was more product than I thought I would need.

My first impression was that I looked EXTREMELY matte and full coverage. This didn’t look like it needed to be set with a powder like most liquid foundations. I like to work setting powders or powder foundations over my liquid foundation to set it, but with this I was worried it would look super cakey with the addition of a powder or start moving around my face because of the moussey consistency.  To counteract the matte mask I had just applied, I set it with Hourglass Dim Light powder on a fluffy Real Technique brush. This brought back some dimension and made me really like the finish.

My skin looked quite made up already at this point, and I hadn’t even gone in with bronzer, blush, or highlighter yet. The reason for this could be that the color was already so dark and the foundation is thick. Bronzer, contour, and other face powders looked very nice on top of my base once I had them on. I applied Tarte Aquacealer concealer and set that with Bareminerals Well Rested powder, used Benefit Hoola, Tarte Sensual blush, and Nars Hot Sand highlight.

Results

I took a few photos when I was done with my makeup and looked in the mirror. The foundation had sunk into my pores and looked thick.  A forehead crease line showed up that I didn’t even know that I had.  I wanted to give this a good wear test so I went on a 50 minute brisk walk.  It was about 55 degrees Fahrenheit and I was going pretty fast but wasn’t sweating by any means. The foundation looked like I had been sitting in a sauna and everywhere I had put blush and bronzer looked muddy. I can’t emphasize how badly I wanted to wash my face. It felt like I needed a million clay mask treatments and chemical exfoliators to feel clean again.

It could be my childhood memory of thinking it clogs pores, but I was grossed out by how this stuff felt. I’m going foundation- free today as I write this to give my pores a break. Part of me wants to wear this foundation to work to see how it performs as my face gets weird and oily throughout the day.  However, I feel like I wouldn’t be able to wear a collared shirt or anything with a too- high neck because it seems like it would get on clothes and transfer everywhere.

I’m partially bummed because this stuff brings back memories of a simpler time when I was younger, but I think it’s meant to be left in the past.  I’m not a fan of this foundation and would never wear it for an important occasion where I want my face to look good.  I want my face to look good every time I wear makeup, so unfortunately this gets a thumbs down from me. If you have invisible pores and non- oily skin but want full coverage, this may be a good one for you.  Make sure you don’t mind having it look and feel thick and adding even more coverage by setting it in place with a powder.

I wouldn’t be so negative if this foundation didn’t slide around so much and make other products on top of it get weird. If you love Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse, please let me know how you use it! I’d love to give it another go if I could get it to set nicely and last.

-Kim