Review | Maybelline Dream Velvet Foundation

The Maybelline Dream Velvet Soft-Matte Hydrating Foundation was a product I was super excited to get my hands on the second in landed in Canada. I’ve been testing it for quite some time now and want to share my thoughts with you guys.

“Innovation: Our 1st gel-whipped foundation. Fresh, new and flawless… Dream Velvet whips a fresh gel into a velvet-soft texture. Complexion is perfected and smooth with a soft-matte finish, just like velvet. Skin feels fresh with lasting hydration.”

The packaging is basic but it works. I prefer my foundations to either have a pump, or be in a tube like this one is. I feel they are the two most sanitary options over a cushion or open bottle.

The texture is like nothing I’ve ever used before. Their claim of this foundation being a gel-whipped formula is very accurate.

This foundation has a solid medium coverage. I wouldn’t say it’s buildable as adding another layer of product doesn’t seem to enhance the coverage and you run the risk of looking cakey. It does set quickly, so work in sections when applying.

Although my skin has not been overly oily, as it has in the past, due to the colder months and this pregnancy, after only a few hours this foundation starts breaking apart across my T-zone, settles into pores and I look like a greasy mess. I have not been having this issue with other foundations, or even with a bare face over the past few months so the foundation must be to blame.

The shade range isn’t great in my opinion, there are only 12 shades. I had a really hard time finding a shade. I picked up 15 Ivory as it matched me the closest, but it has a super pink undertone. I found this to be the case across most shades. In hindsight I probably should have just skipped this foundation all together because there is not a shade that I could use in the whole line but I was hoping I could make it work – I can’t.

I would recommend getting a shade that is a touch lighter than you think you need as I did find it oxidized after application. If tester’s are available, swatch a few shades on your hand and leave them there while you continue to shop so you’re not surprised once you get home and use it for the first time and the shade it turns out to be.

The price is a bit high for drugstore, sitting between $13-18 in Canadian drugstores depending on the store and whether it’s on sale or not. I feel that most new foundations in the drugstore have higher price tags nowadays, but I’m glad the classics seem to be staying low in price.

My favourite way to apply this was with a brush. It didn’t blend out well with a beauty blender at all, it was very patchy.

Although I personally do not like this product, I like to keep my reviews open minded in the sense that not everyone has my skin tone or skin type, etc. So, I would recommend this foundation to someone with a cool (pink) undertone as that’s what the current shade range allows for, and for someone that has normal to dry skin types. Do not be put off by the soft-matte finish claim because it is still a hydrating foundation that doesn’t cling to dry patches.

I hope this review was helpful, I know it was lengthy but I wanted to share all of my thoughts with you in the most comprehensive way.

What should I review next?
Emily ♥