Maybelline Dream Urban Cover | Foundation Friday

Foundation Friday

Feb 12

Hello and thank you for joining me! Today I will be sharing the fourth entry in my Foundation Friday series and we will be covering the Maybelline Dream Urban Cover. In my search for a drugstore alternative to last week’s It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream with SPF 50+, I decided to test out this product from Maybelline, as the manufacturer’s claims closely resemble those of IT Cosmetics and it also includes SPF 50. If this sounds interesting then keep reading for my favourite application, companion products, and who this will work best for.

Base Layer

If you’ve read my previous post, you’ll know I’m a huge advocate for proper preparation of your skin before makeup. However, this step was really challenging this week. This foundation not only gave me trouble with my holy grail sunscreen (La Roche-Posay Anthelios Dermo-Kids Lotion SPF 50+), but also struggled with a handful of primers and application tools that I tried over the week.

I began my applications this week with SPF and no primer for the first day. I then tried this product with several primers, which I will detail below in the Wear Test section.

Foundation Overview

This week, I felt like I exhausted all knowledge I had of application techniques, layering techniques, and product combination; I just could not make this product meet my expectations.

The initial level of coverage was sheer-to-light and to say this product struggled to build would be an understatement. I found most brushes either caused this foundation to streak or completely remove. A sponge could be useful at times; however, if too much pressure was used, it would remove. Surprisingly, this foundation worked best with fingers; however, too much pressure and… the product would remove.

With this product’s sheer-to-light coverage, you would assume it would look fairly natural on the skin; however, you would be very, very wrong. This product seems to love to sit on top of your face and emphasize dryness or texture you didn’t even know you had. I also found that something about this formula would irritate my skin; I noticed it around the four-hour mark on the first day (an hour after I’d removed it) and the sensitization lasted through the entire six days of testing (Avene Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream became my nightly best friend).

Application Tips and Preferences

Application with brushes was generally a struggle. I did have fairly decent luck with the ELF Precision Airbrush Blender Brush. My trusty Sonia Kashuk Makeup Blender Sponge worked well enough. Fingers, however, saved the day with this foundation.

Brushes

I was not able to build this foundation beyond sheer-to-light coverage without the product removing itself, regardless of the approach I took with application. Below are the tools I used over the course of testing and their results:

ELF Buffing Foundation Brush – simply removed the product
ELF Precision Airbrush Blender Brush – excellent for stippling in the product
damp beauty sponge – somewhat helpful for blending out patchy areas
finger – short, feather-light stippling motion yielded fullest (yet still light) coverage, though it required working quickly

Wear Test

Day 1: La Roche-Posay Anthelios Dermo-Kids Lotion SPF 50+, no primer, no setting spray

First application attempt with ELF Buffing Foundation Brush seemed just to remove product. So I cleansed my face, reapplied moisturizer and sunscreen and tried again with the ELF Precision Airbrush Blender Brush. I found thin layers, gently but quickly applied, yielded a uniform (sheer) coverage; however, product settled immediately after application.

Within an hour, product had worn off my nose; by two hours, it had worn from my forehead; after three hours, product had mostly worn away so I cleansed my skin and called it a day.

Day 2: La Roche-Posay Anthelios Dermo-Kids Lotion SPF 50+, ELF Poreless Putty Primer, ELF Makeup Mist and Set Spray

From the start, foundation appeared to be applying more smoothly using the ELF Putty Primer alongside the ELF Precision Airbrush Blender Brush, although when it came to my forehead, I noticed the product kept lifting. I continued application, making things as pleasing to the eye as I could.

I also noticed during application of blush, bronzer, and highlight, product wanted to lift away as well. Usage of any powder product on top of the liquid required very, very gentle stippling motions. At the end of application, the makeup looked very patchy, so I attempted to mend this by using a damp sponge with light pressure; that seemed to help (slightly) smooth the patchiness.

By hour two, product had settled into smile lines and was gathering at the outer corners of eyes eye, emphasizing fine lines. By hour four, product began patching off on cheeks, nose, and chin. Hour five, the product looked worse for wear, so I concluded the day and cleansed my skin.

Day 3: La Roche-Posay Anthelios Dermo-Kids Lotion SPF 50+, Revlon ColorStay Prep & Protect Primer, ELF Makeup Mist and Set Spray

Repeated application using ELF Precision Airbrush Blender Brush. I noticed that powder products applied much better than previous day and the final application looked phenomenal. I felt very optimistic for the rest of the day.

Hours one and two, no change. But by hour three, product was settling in smile lines, corner of eyes, and chin. Hour four, I saw a significant oily breakthrough in my T-zone and severe settling in pores (polka-dot effect). I attempted to smooth the product out with a damp beauty sponge, however, that only lifted away product. I ceased any further attempt to repair and continued with the day. By hour six, product seemed to have completely worn away, so I ended my day.

Day 4: La Roche-Posay Anthelios Dermo-Kids Lotion SPF 50+, Catrice Prime And Fine Refining Anti-Shine Base, ELF Makeup Mist and Set Spray

Product applied just as well initially as previous day and stayed intact until hour four. Finish looked smoother than it had on previous days; however, I noticed signs of irritation around my eyes and dehydration in corners of my forehead.

The foundation stayed pretty consistent until hour nine, where it suddenly took on a heavier look. This heavy look stayed consistent until the 12-hour mark; oil had broken through, pores were emphasized, and product settled in the same places as previous days.

Day 5: La Roche-Posay Anthelios Dermo-Kids Lotion SPF 50+, Catrice Prime And Fine Refining Anti-Shine Base, Pixi Hydrating Milky Mist

To address the irritation and dryness that I had noticed, I applied sunscreen and then misted a fine layer of Pixi Hydrating Milky Mist prior to primer application, for an extra boost of hydration. Product seemed more prone to slipping off than any previous day; however, I combatted this with two layers of setting powder and proceeded with other powder applications. By hour two, product seemed to be sliding, and powder blush, bronzer, highlight seemed to fade. By hour four, product had mostly worn away, so I concluded the day.

Day 6, Part 1: La Roche-Posay Anthelios Dermo-Kids Lotion SPF 50+, Catrice Prime And Fine Refining Anti-Shine Base, ELF Makeup Mist and Set Spray (Video Application)

Product seemed to apply in a heavier manner than previous days. However, coverage stayed very light. After finishing application, there is a noticeable patch that had worn off at the centre of my forehead. So I removed the makeup and concluded the week.

Or so I thought.

Day 6, Part 2: CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion, Catrice Prime And Fine Refining Anti-Shine Base, ELF Makeup Mist and Set Spray (Video, Burgundy Sweatshirt)

Instead of using a brush, I quickly applied products (foundation, concealer, highlighter) with my fingers. To my surprise, this was the best my makeup had looked all week. I cannot decide if it was the finger application or the absence of my sunscreen; products sat very well on the skin, and powder products layered extremely well on top.

Final product remained consistent until three-hour mark, when I removed product to go to bed.

Primer Recommendations

Unfortunately, the only primer I had success with this week was the Catrice Prime and Fine Refining Anti-Shine Base. Due to the primer’s mattifying quality, this would only be suited for those who are more prone to oily skin. None of my primers suited for normal to dry skin played well with this foundation at all.

Is the Maybelline Dream Urban Cover Right for You?

It’s hard to determine who this would be right for; as I previously mentioned, my skin reacted to this product. The irritation might not be an issue for you if your skin can tolerate chemical sunscreens, denatured alcohol, and fragrance. Given these potential irritants, I cannot wholeheartedly recommend this product for everyone. If I were to recommend it to anyone, it would be to those with more oily skin.

Downsides of the Maybelline Dream Urban Cover

It feels as if this entire review has been a downside entry, so I will briefly summarize the challenges I faced and the downsides in my opinion:

coverage didn’t build well;
lifted easily;
didn’t interact well with most primers I tried;
didn’t seem to agree with many brushes I tried;
includes fragrance;
contains SPF filters, but can’t be built up to deliver SPF rating.

Mini Reviews!

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind in Light

A long-time favourite concealer of mine that I feel would work for all skin types and conditions. Bonus: They recently had a shade expansion, which makes this concealer work for a broader range of skin tones.

Maybelline Fit Me Loose Finishing Powder in Light

Gorgeous loose powder formulation that helped to set product without altering finish. Other products layered well over it. For the price, you get a generous amount. Only downside: the product oxidizes slightly, so be mindful when choosing your shade.

Maybelline Facestudio Master Chrome Metallic Highlighter in Molten Rose Gold

Beautiful highlighter at drugstore price point. Definitely a great pick for anyone on the hunt for an affordable “blinding” highlighter. I was impressed at how much smoother it looked when applied with a finger than with a brush. Due to its metallic finish, it will emphasize enlarged pores and texture; if that’s not a concern, it’s a gorgeous product.

Maybelline City Bronzer in 100 Light

Great bronzer at an affordable price point. Product applies nicely, layers nicely, and the colour is nice if you like a warmer bronzer. Colour can lean slightly orange, so if you have a more neutral-pink skin tone I would advise you proceed with caution.

Maybelline Fit Me Blush in Nude

Gorgeous light mauve-y pink with a subtle blue/lavender shift. I struggled to figure out if this product emphasized texture on my face or if that was the foundation under it. When product was swatched on my hand, it did seem much smoother. I’ll have to continue to test this product for a better review.

Maybelline Eyestudio Brow Define + Fill Duo in Soft Brown

The powder side of this product confused me, to say the least. I didn’t notice any product when I was trying to apply it; however, when I brushed through my brows before applying the pencil side, brow powder appeared from seemingly nowhere and continued to spread. Sheering out this product and trying to correct without ruining the underlying makeup was extremely challenging and the pencil side was pretty standard. I would suggest skipping this product and going for a traditional brow pencil.

Maybelline Colour Sensational Lip Liner in Purely Nude & The Mattes Lipstick in Honey Pink

Both gorgeous colours, formula, and application. But the colour was just not to my liking. Lip liner had more of a technicolour orange colour on my lips and lipstick was more of a coral pink. If that sounds interesting, I would suggest checking them out as they are otherwise great products.