Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin Flawless Finish Foundation Review!

13 October 2014

Talk about timing! My Foundation supply was dwindling when this baby came my way... all the way from Facebook. Not literally but I won it off Maybelline NZ's Facebook page, when they gave away about 500 of them. And talk about being lucky when the shade I chose in a jiffy- '032 Golden' was a perfect match! What sorcery is this?


This is Maybelline's newest offering and my first encounter with their foundations. I quite like their BB creams though.


What Maybelline says about it?
Our 1st vitamin enriched longwear foundation with Actyl-C.
For Flawless coverage now, smoother, more even skin in 3 weeks
ACTYL-C FORMULA - improves skin's appearance after 3 weeks leaving it feel energised and looking healthier.
ALL-DAY WEAR - Longwear formula ensures your foundation lasts all day

  • Flawless coverage
  • Hydrates & smoothes skin
  • Evens skin tone
  • Reduces redness
  • SPF 14
The amount I used.
My Experience:

- First things first, 032 Golden is a perfect match to my NC 35ish Indian skintone, like seriously perfect. If used lightly, you can't even tell it apart. The foundation comes in about 9 shades. So there might not be a matching hue for every skintone out there but nevertheless better than the wide color choice we have in BB creams- Light, Medium, Dark! (Pun intended)

I use my Sigma F60 brush to buff it in! Hands down the best brush ever. 

- Glass bottle. Pump packaging. Fuss free!

- The foundation doesn't dry out my already dry skin. Feels very comfortable. Did not emphasize dry patches.

- Texture ~ Easy to blend. Its liquid to satin formula, almost powdery when sets, which happens pretty quick, so you need to work swiftly. It can be layered for more coverage. I've put a bit more on my cheeks to hide the redness (pic below). Notice no cakiness!

The scary close-up! It's actually not that awful in person.  My main concern is redness and acne marks on cheeks.

- Coverage ~ Medium at best but can be built up if required. Covers most imperfections but still looks second skin. I actually love it and haven't reached for any of my other foundations since past few weeks. It makes skin look more even and flawless, all while looking natural!

The not so scary Before and After.

- Finish ~ It's certainly not matte. Looks normal/healthy for first few hours and then turns dewy after 5-6 hours. I have dry skin so actually prefer dewy finish so its kinda perfect but if you have oily skin, you will have to set it with powder and may also need to blot a few hours later. The foundation actually claims to be for normal skin.

- The foundation can be used without powder, but setting with powder would actually help with the oil and shine that creeps up few hours later. (Didn't I just say that already?)

- It transfers less than my other foundations. I work in a science lab & we wear face masks. I can certainly tell the amount of transfer that happens on the inside of mask. My Bourjois 'Happy Light Foundation' does transfer a lot more, despite being powdered.
Maybelline SuperStay transfers less but it's not transfer-proof either. Is there any that is?

 - It wears well on my dry skin, stays put all day (8+ hours). No slip slide jazz! Can't attest this for oily/combination skin though.



- The formula is claimed to improve skin tone in 3 weeks. I've noticed no such magic. Panthenol a.k.aVit A on the ingredient list might the reason for such a tall claim. Expecting a foundation to improve skintone is quite far fetched in my opinion.

- Though I've had no new acne appear since last few weeks, so it isn't doing any harm for sure.

- The foundation has SPF 20 which generates no for/anti expression from me as I'm not very big on sunscreens in general. SPF 20 isn't enough skin protection & with the amount in use, 2 pumps worth, I don't expect it to save me from blaring Auckland sun. Actually I'd have preferred it without any SPF at all so I could wear it at night without fearing any white cast disaster. If you are a SPF fan.. hoorahh!

- But I did take some flash photos & they came out fine. So I'm going to try it at night sometime i.e. when I feel brave enough.

032 Golden Swatch

Verdict: Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin Foundation is rumored to be a dupe of Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation. I have both & prefer Maybelline SuperStay. Reason- 'Double Wear' despite super long wearing (NOTHING, I say nothing, can beat it at that) makes me look flat, it can look caked on, emphasizes my dry patches, looks super matte & is a serious pain to take off. Maybelline one is natural looking, medium coverage, slightly dewy finish albeit after few hours, doesn't dry out my skin & looks quite natural.
If you have dry skin & are after medium build-able coverage, this is for you.
If you have combination to oily skin, buy it if you can deal with the dewy look. The shine will likely creep up after few hours.
I noticed no skin improvements as claimed by the brand.
But will happily purchase it again as its rare to find my ideal 'color match + medium to high coverage + dewy finish' combo deal.

In full glory!
Price: $36.49 NZD (Do I see an American smirk?)

Buy it From: Available at selected pharmacies, Farmers stores and Supermarkets NZ wide.

Final look! Full makeup details and lippy review next week :)

Will you give it a go? Have you found your Holy Grail (HG) Foundation yet? Let me know in the comments below!

Catch u soon beauts
Nishu xx

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