Review: Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation in 202 Nude

Price: I got mine for around $3 on sale from Long's. Regular price was around $8.
Online, you can find it for $3.59 and up.


What they say:
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What's in it:
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Dang, that's A LOT of ingredients...

The good-stuff:

• Affordable
• EXCELLENT FULL COVERAGE
• Super smooth, semi-matte finish
• Starts out liquidy and easy to smooth on
• Light fruity scent (doesn't bother me, but others might not like it)
• Long lasting (10+ hours)
• Photographs well
  
• Controls oil/shine
• Makes a good base for blush
  

The low-down:

• As you apply, it starts to feel sticky/thick (I recommend using a sponge)
• Must apply quickly for best results
• Takes forever to set
• Still will feel slightly tacky to the touch afterwards
• You can feel it sitting on your face for several hours
• Can get cakey / accentuate dryness & bumps
• Oxidizes after an hour or so

My take: I found this on sale at Long's awhile ago, so I figured... why not try it? I wouldn't have given it a second glance at the regular price of around $8, but for $3, I figured I'll give it a shot. There were only about 5 shades left and most of them had strong pink undertones, so I chose 202 Nude. It appears to be kind of dark....

...But actually blends rather light and is passable for my skintone.

However, I should note that this shade did oxidize and get slightly darker and more orangey on me after an hour or so. Nothing terrible, but I think I would have liked to try a lighter shade anyway.

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At first, I thought I would hate this foundation because I immediately was turned off by the texture. It starts out liquidy and easy to spread on, but quickly turns thick and sticky. I tried applying with my fingers (which is what I usually do with thicker products like BB cream), but found out that a wedge sponge is much easier and applies the product much better.

You also have to work quickly with this foundation because of the sticky/thick texture. It gets harder to blend in the longer you wait. So I found that the best method for me was to put some of the foundation on my hand and dab the sponge in it, then dab it on my face several times, and then buff it in with the sponge. I also found it easier to put more foundation than I thought I would need on my hand, so it'll stay liquidy longer. This foundation has the potential to become cakey though, so don't use TOO too much! About a quarter sized amount was good for me.

Other things about the texture and feel of this foundation that I'd like to mention are that it takes FOREVER to set and "dry down." Even after several hours of wear, my skin still feels slightly tacky to the touch. Also, the foundation is also kind of uncomfortable and sort of mask-like for the first few hours or so... I can feel it sitting on my face. This does wear off after awhile but the tacky texture does not wear off completely.

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Despite all those "negative" aspects,

I must say that this foundation provides THE BEST full-coverage of any foundation I have ever tried!!! It has a semi-matte finish and makes my skin look extremely smooth and dare I say flawless in pictures?! But of course, it is not without flaws CLOSE-UP. Let me explain:

While this is not noticeable in regular pictures or from short/long distances,
I wanted to note a few things:

The yellow sections indicate where the foundation accentuates pimples, blemishes, and pores. The white sections indicate where the foundation got dry and flaky on me. However, my skin is prone to dryness there and I hadn't used a moisturizer beforehand. So if you have dry skin, I would definitely recommend using a moisturizer before this foundation! Also, those with very uneven skin texture might want to stay away from this foundation because it is so full-coverage -- While it does cover up pimples and blemishes, it can also make it look more "obviously" covered up, and can accentuate any uneven skin texture.

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...But it does photograph very, very well.

For anyone interested, I'm using:

• Blush from ELF's Blush & Bronzer Duo and MAC Marine Life on cheeks
• MAC Jazzed & Ravishing Cremesheen Lipstick & On The Scene Cremesheen Glass on lips
• Brown eyeshadow shades and a cream colored highlight from my ELF Studio Mini Makeup Collection, Wet N Wild "Vanity" Palette, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil (Zero) to tightline, NYX Pencil Eyeliner (Extreme black) and L'Oreal Lineur Intense (Black Mica) to line lashline.

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As for the 16 hour lasting power -- I wore this foundation for 10 hours straight and it looked the same as when I first applied it! So I don't doubt that it would last another 6 hours. So I would have to say that its super long-lasting claims are justified :) Blush also adheres to this foundation really well. It lasted just as long as this foundation did!

Also, since my skin has gone back to being rather dry, I don't get as much shine or oilyness. However, when it gets REALLY hot and humid here, I still oil up -__-; But while using this foundation, shine is banished all day! It held back any trace of oil and shine, so I think this foundation would work well for those with oily skin as well!

On the other hand, this foundation lasts so well that removing it is kind of a pain. I use Epielle makeup removing wipes and I usually only use one side of the wipe to sufficiently remove my face makeup before washing my face with cleanser. However with this foundation, I needed to use both sides of TWO wipes to get this foundation off, and my skin still felt covered. So you have to cleanse REALLY thoroughly after using this foundation to get it all off.

Would I repurchase/recommend?

I think if I find this foundation on sale again, and if I could find a lighter shade, I would give it another go. I wouldn't really want to pay upwards of $8 for it though. However, the amazing coverage is undeniable... so I guess it's worth it if you want a good drugstore full coverage foundation. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone with a very uneven skin texture because this foundation can actually end up highlighting that. Also, if you don't like the feeling of a "tacky" foundation and don't like waiting for it to set, you might want to avoid this. However, if you want an affordable, long-wearing foundation that photographs wonderfully, you might want to try this!

The Rundown:

Packaging: 5/5
A simple squeeze tube. Easy to control the amount that comes out.

Product: 4/5
Excellent full-coverage foundation. Long lasting. However, takes awhile to set and still feels slightly tacky afterwards. Also, will accentuate dry patches & uneven skin texture if you're not careful.

Price: 4/5
Affordable. You can find it for cheap online or when it goes on sale.

Overall:

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