Who doesn’t love a good drugstore foundation? Who doesn’t a love a good drugstore ANYTHING for that matter. As much as I love my highend makeup, I always get super excited when I find something inexpensive that works amazingly. At least, one of those does…
I bought the Rimmel Lasting Finish 25Hr Foundation while it was on sale at feelunique.com , guilt free. It was a bargain. Along with it, I got 3 sample sachets of their Lasting Finish Primer. So naturally, I put them to the test for quite some time and I am ready to tell you what went down.
But first, let’s take a closer look at the items individually. The foundation comes in a glass bottle with a red pump, and a red lid. Cute. Not too cheap looking. Normally, you get 30 ml/1 fl. oz for around $8, and a reasonable SPF of 20. What it claims :
“Full coverage foundation enriched with a comfort serum. Instant perfect coverage that feels extra comfortable and lasts all day. Sweat, heat, humidity and transfer proof for up to 25 hours. Coverage that won’t let you down. Dermatologically tested.”
The first thing you’ll notice with this foundation is that it is quite thick. Not Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Foundation thick (review coming soon), but on the thicker side of liquid foundations. I actually don’t mind that at all. I prefer thicker foundations. I find them easier to work with than really runny ones. Another thing you’ll notice is that the coverage is pretty awesome.
This was one pump of product. You’ll notice that you cannot see the veins on my wrist once I blend it out. Yeah, that’s something… A little goes a long way. The surprising twist is that it feels really lightweight on the skin. If you are familiar with longwearing foundations, such as the Estee Lauder Double Wear (regular and Light) or MAC’s Prolongwear foundation (and concealer), you know that they feel a bit heavy on the skin. This one doesn’t. Which is a big plus.
It doesn’t look heavy either. Many people expect a full coverage foundation to be cakey. Well, I’m here to say that the Rimmel Lasting Finish is nothing but. Whether you apply it with a Beautyblender or a foundation brush, it performs beautifully. I am very impressed. The only drawback I found is that the shade range is a bit limited. Currently, there are 7 shades available, “Natural Beige” being the darkest. That’s not so good. If you manage to find one of the seven to match you, that’s great. For the rest of you, especially the darker skin babies, I’m really sorry, but you will have to be accomadated elsewhere. In case you were wondering, I got the lightest one available, “Ivory”.
On to the primer, and the point where this blogpost goes nasty. Thank ewhatever higher power you believe in I didn’t pay for this atrocity. The claims :
“Skin Perfecting primer, extends wear of foundation for up to 8 hours. Ultra lightweight formula helps to minimize the appearance of pores and even skin tone whilst providing endless comfort. Can be worn alone and also under or over makeup for extended wear.”
Ok, first of, “or over makeup” ??? You cannot be serious. This primer is as thick, or even thicker than the foundation, stark white and sticky AF. I mean… Elmer’s Glue sticky. If it smelled like it, I would have been convinced it’s glue. How could anybody actually apply it over makeup? How would it ever blend without fucking everything already applied up?!
Let’s be a teeny bit positive before I go ballistic. It works ok, especially when combined with the Lasting Finish foundation. Did I notice a remarkable difference in appearance or wear time when I put this primer under it? No. Did it magically minimize all my pores? No. I think the foundation works well either with or without it. That was everything nice I had to say about it. Brace yourselves. It’s coming…
This poor excuse of a product, broke me out SO MUCH, it’s not even funny. I have never seen my skin going this downhill. Ever. I had bumps all over, as well as painful pimples that took weeks to completely disappear. Nope, nope, nope. Nope. Even if it was an oustandingly performing item, I wouldn’t put it on my face again if you paid me. Save yourself the $6 and go get a Chai Latte, or a burger or something.
In case you’re a detail oriented person, here’s the full list of ingredients :
“WATER/EAU, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, HYDROGENATED POLYDECENE, TALC, CETYL PEG/PPG-10/1 DIMETHICONE, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, ALUMINUM STARCH OCTENYLSUCCINATE, MAGNESIUM SULFATE, BIS-PEG/PPG-14/14 DIMETHICONE, DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE, GLYCERIN, LAURETH-7, TRIBEHENIN, VINYL DIMETHICONE/METHICONE SILSESQUIOXANE CROSSPOLYMER,DIMETHICONOL, PHENOXYETHANOL, SORBITAN SESQUIOLEATE, CHLORPHENESIN, PROPYLENE CARBONATE, XANTHAN GUM, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, DISODIUM EDTA, PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRA-DI-T-BUTYL HYDROXYHYDROCINNAMATE, [May Contain/Peut Contenir/+/-:MICA, TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), ULTRAMARINES (CI ”
I am bit weirded out by some of the ingredients in it. “Sorbitan Sesqiuoleate” for example, has been characterized as an uncommon allergen even though it has been found to cause allergic reactions to a number of patients (read more here).“Chlorphenesin” has also been reported to cause irritation and contact dermatitis in many, particularly those with sensitive & dry skin. The FDA dissuades pregnant/nursing women and small children from using personal care products containing this ingredient. So keep that in mind… (source)
Just so I end this post on a positive (for Rimmel) note, my favourite setting powder is the Rimmel Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed Powder in “Transparent”. I have been using it for years, and it is one of my most repurchased items ever. If you are looking for a good mattifying powder that will not damage your wallet, give it a go.
-xoxo- Macy
