Review: Maybelline Mineral Power Natural Perfecting Liquid Foundation

This review is for a product I've been using quite a bit now. I recently finished my CoverGirl TRUblend Whipped Foundation and was on the hunt for a new one. I wanted to try something liquid because I've been told that they're better for oilier skins, and I ended up choosing Maybelline's Mineral Power Natural Perfecting Liquid Foundation.


The shade that I got was Light 1, Porcelain Ivory, and it even has some SPF in it! And it's a decent amount too. Any SPF foundation that has less than 15 SPF is a joke. I'm pretty sure that Revlon's had quite a few foundations with SPF 4. I mean, that's laughable! If you're going to put SPF in, at least have it be a somewhat beneficial amount.

Here's the dispenser:

The dispenser is one of the things that drew me to this foundation. It is a lot more hygienic than the standard one, which is just an opening you dip something into (or use your finger). I though that it would be cleaner (in terms of spillage) than other foundations but really, as there is no stopper in the lid, a lot of product still escapes. I've got to be careful not to leave it upside down or sideways cause if I do, I end up with a lot of foundation on the inside of the cap which gets everywhere. I really like how the dropper makes getting the perfect amount really easy. I never have to worry about wasting product because I took out too much, which is a plus.

Here's just a dot of it:

Ignore the glitter--I'd swatched some eyesadows prior to this.

Spread out:

You can really see how emollient it is here. A lot of foundations are thicker, more creamy. This one is lighter.

And blended in:

I don't know how well you can tell, but it covered up just about all of the imperfections on the back of my hand as well as the glitter. It does have a bit of a luminous finish, but no shimmer.

One of the things that I love about this foundation is that it matches my skin perfectly! Usually, the lightest shade is too light and the next lightest is too dark. This was the second shade and it is perfect for me. I don't think that I've ever found a drugstore shade of foundation that has matched my skin, let alone this well! The shade selection in general is great. There are fifteen shades to choose from. What separates these fifteen from other brands are the undertones. I saw a few olive and yellow undertones, so if you're looking for those, you may want to check this line out.

As for application, this foundation is really moisturizing, and very light and smooth. I'd say this is a light to medium coverage formula, so if you're looking for something heavier, skip. It applies very evenly, and looks flawless. It gives your skin this luminous and dewy look. My skin looks amazing when I'm wearing this. Lately, as summer is nearing, I've been mixing this with my Clinique DD moisturizing gel to make a tinted moisturizer. This foundation is perfect for this because it's light anyway. I mix half and half on the back of my hand and then apply with my fingers. If I need more coverage I just dab on a bit of the unmixed foundation and my skin looks great without too much product, which I love. I've noticed that lately my skin has been looking better. I don't have as many blackheads or breakouts. I think that using less foundation everyday is responsible for this change. I used to wear a ton of foundation and powder everyday and I've really been cutting back lately. Less is definitely more with makeup.

The lasting power of this foundation isn't great. I'd say about six to eight hours if you set with a powder in the morning and use a primer. That's not actually too bad because all I need is for it to last through class. I'll usually reapply before going out anyway, so it's not a problem for me. If you're looking for a heavy duty foundation, again skip.

Finally, Maybelline makes some bold claims with this foundation. It claims that within 8 weeks you will notice clearer, smoother, more luminous skin. I have noticed an improvement in my skin, but I'm not quite sure of how much of it is due to this foundation. Honestly, all foundations are bad for your skin. All. If a company advertises a foundation as beneficial (as opposed to not wearing any) they are outright lying to you. Foundations clog your pores, cause breakouts, can dry out your skin, can cause premature wrinkles, and just plain old doesn't let your skin breath. I think some foundations are less bad for your skin than others, but I wouldn't go as far to say that foundations are good for you. A friend of mine has got such bad acne and just doesn't seem to understand that caking on foundations and concealers will only exacerbate the problem in the long run. Ann in addition, drugstore brands that advertise foundations as "mineral" foundations don't really inspire confidence in me as a drugstore foundation needs only one mineral ingredient to be classified as a mineral product. As far as I can tell from the ingredietns list, the only mineral that is actually in all the foundations is aluminum hydroxide. The other two included in the list, titanium dioxide and iron oxides are listed under "may contain," so the consumer has no way of knowing if they are actually in the product. I wouldn't purchase this foundation on it's mineral claims.

To leave you on a high note, in general, this is a decent foundation. If you like a foundation that's light and fresh looking with a good range in shades, this is a good one!

Info:

Price: $9.99

Ingredients: Octinoxate (7%), Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Isotridecyl Isononanoate, PEG 9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Dimethicone/Polyglycerin 3 Crosspolymer, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Chlorphenesin, Disodium EDTA, Acrylates Copolymer, Propylparaben, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vitamin C), Aluminum Hydroxide, PEG 9, Ethylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Butylparaben, May Contain: Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides

Disclosure: The product featured in this post was bought by me for the purpose of my personal use. If you have any further questions about disclosure, don't hesitate to ask in the comments.