When it comes to guys…most girls look for the “m” words like mature, masculine, money, modest etc….but when it comes foundations, the only “m” word most oily skin girls like me can think of is matte and trust me this m word is a chick magnet and so when I saw it on this cute tube of stay matte foundation at the Rimmel counter in Parcos I knew I had to try it and the price it was retailing just made it an easy decision. 

Price: Rs. 330 for 30 ml. 

Here’s what the company has to say about the product

“Up to to 12 hours natural shine control, for a fresh matte finish. With chamomile to help calm, cucumber to help clarify and cotton to help control shine. Talc free, oil free, paraben free fragrance free”

Rimmel London Stay Matte Foundation comes in this transparent plastic tube packaging. I like it because you can see the product left in it and tube is flexible enough to squeeze the product out without too much effort. It has screw on cap which is pretty stable so you don’t need to very about it leaking in your bag. 

When I talked about the Stay Matte Pressed Powder, I mentioned it has this peculiar fragrance and I guess that’s the trademark fragrance for this range because I found the same in this foundation as well. The fragrance is really strong but it fades after a few minutes so lets just say its bearable.

There are 7 shades available for this foundation. I got the shade soft beige and its just perfect for me. I have to say I am pretty impressed with the fact that Rimmel always has a wide shade selection and this not something you usually find in most brands especially when it comes to foundations.

The texture is very runny but it dries up pretty fast so you have to be quick to work with it. Because its soo runny, applying it with a brush or sponge is difficult because they just soak everything up and give you a streaky finish so your fingers are your best bet. It very light on your skin and it blends without any problem. Coverage is on the light to medium side but you can always layer it up to hide blemishes and marks.

The finish is kind of disappointing. I was looking for a matte finish but instead got more of a dewy one . Oil control factor works for around 2 hour which obviously means that the 12 hour shin control and matte finish claim is kind of far fetched. Another issue that I faced was that this foundation oxidizes on my face, making my face look really dull. 

Even though it did not suit my skin to well, the dewy finish is perfect for normal and dry skin. My sister has normal skin and she loves this product. On her the foundations remains oil free for almost 4-5 hours without any blotting or touch-up. For dry skinned ladies out there, who want to try this, I would suggest mixing a little bit of moisturizer to the foundation before you apply it. This will not only help with texture but also prevent it from drying  which will give you more time to work with it.

Here is a quick look at the Yays and Nays

Yays:

Nays:

• Very peculiar and strong fragrance
• Dries up fast so you need to be quick in working with it.
• Doesn’t live up to the 12 hour shine control claim
• Not suitable for oily or combination oily skin.
• Availability