Hi Tory,
I've used Maybelline's Dream Mousse Foundation in the past before and to be honest with you, I absolutely hated it. So although I was curious to see that NYC do a range of mousse foundations, I was also a little bit reticent, and if it wasn't half price, I probably would have steered clear. All mousse or whipped foundations were pretty much the next generation of face products, boasting a lighter-than-air texture and flawless coverage particularly for visible pores, which I have in abundance.
I've yet to find a foundation that doesn't boast flawless coverage, but I decided to press on. The shade of NYC's Smooth Skin Mousse Foundation I got is Natural Rose, which is a little pale and oddly yellow for my skin tone - but the full range only includes three shades so I didn't have much to work with. As you know, I'm currently researching foundation shades in the drugstore brands for the lightest and darkest skin tones, so NYC scores a huge zero on that front. You get a beige, a pinky beige, and a slightly darker beige. And that's it.
The Facts
- product contains 14g
You get a beige, a pinky beige, and a slightly darker beige. And that's it.
- it's enriched with vitamin B5
- it does NOT have an SPF
- the shade range is 701 Natural Beige, 702 Natural Rose, and 703 Sand Beige
- product comes in a small clear pot with plastic lid
- current retail price is £3.99
- from the website: "The formula is enriched with Pro-vitamin B5 that is known to help moisturize. This clever little pot contains oil-absorbing properties for a soft matte look. Skin perfecting coverage that last up to 9 whole hours. NYC Smooth Skin Mousse Foundation will keep you covered from your breakfast meeting in the Village all the way to your cool party in Brooklyn. Dermatologist tested."
Why would you opt for a mousse foundation? In general they offer a mattifying effect, which is a bonus for oily or combination skins. You also don't need much product so a little goes a long way, and they feel remarkably comfortable on the skin - so the light-as-air boast is pretty much on the money. So how did the product actually measure up?
The Verdict
- The little goes a long way idea is very hard to judge on account of the all the air in the mixture. When I first put it on, using my damp beauty blender dupe, I used far too much product and the whole thing looked cakey and masklike.
- The texture is strange... really strange and has a weird grittiness about it that I just couldn't get used to, no matter how much I blended it out.
- It also clogged my pores, and quite visibly so. When I cleansed after the first try-out, there were disturbing beige plugs of foundation all over my skin that needed a good massage with facial cleanser to remove.
- Any dry areas (the winter has been unkind to the area around my nose for example) were magnified about a hundred times, and no amount of blending got rid of it.
- It felt light as air and soft to the touch, but the product moves. A lot.
- On the second try-out I used tiny dabs of product and applied it with my fingers in circular motions, smoothing it afterwards with the damp beauty blender dupe. It was still cakey, still settled in my pores, and still had a masklike appearance - on the plus side it covers redness and dark areas.
Here's where I realised where it could in fact be useful - for me it's a terrible foundation, but it does actually make a pretty good concealer. It covers incredibly well, is lighter in texture than most concealers and so would be smooth, and you can dab it better than most concealers. As a foundation though I give it one out of five - and that's only because it was on special offer.
Full product details and shopping here.
Hugs and kisses,
xxx
