Maybelline Dream Radiant Liquid foundation review

The most exciting foundation launch of the year? The Maybelline Dream Radiant Liquid hydrating foundation! When I found out that Maybelline was releasing a new foundation and one that was marketed as being hydrating, I knew I wanted to try it. Especially because my experiences with the Maybelline Dream Urban Cover wasn’t that successful. I generally like Maybelline foundations and so I am always excited to try them. Here we go!

Review: Maybelline Dream Radiant Liquid hydrating foundation 03 True Ivory

Let’s talk specifics first. This foundation is marketed as a new foundation in the US. In Europe it is marketed as the replacement of the older Dream Satin foundation. I used that before and really, genuinely enjoyed it, but the shade range was a bit shoddy and the lightest shade in the line was too dark for me which is why I never ended up wearing it an ultimately decluttered. With the relaunch, they also extended the shade range so that is a lovely fact. This retails for €15.99 and I got it on sale as I usually do with my Maybelline products. It is available in 15 shades (there seem to be 20, but I can only find 15 shades in my local drugstore). The shades mainly seem to be more on the fair side and there are different undertones.

What does the Dream Radiant foundation have to offer?

The Dream Radiant Liquid foundation is supposed to be hydrating foundation with hyaluronic acid and collagen. It has a medium coverage, should last 12 hours and give a natural, glowing look to the face. It’s texture should be lightweight and smooth out the skin while making it seem more perfected. Maybelline recommends using this if you have dry skin. It mostly delivers on those claims. I feel this is a medium, with buildable to full, coverage foundation. It is a bit much for my skin this time of year, but I think this will be nice in the winter time. In terms of what this looks like on, I find that it can look a bit cakey if you apply too much or don’t blend it well enough down your neck. I also find that this only looks good with certain powders: it can look a bit heavy if the powder doesn’t go well with it.

What does this foundation swatch like?

On the back of my hand this shade looked a bit yellow and dark, but foundations never look the same on your face as your skin is very different. What I mainly want to show with these pictures is the texture of the product. When you pump this out it is a thicker, creamy formula, but one that is still very easy to blend out. With a sponge it literally takes a few seconds to blend this in fully. This foundation is not super glowy, but once blended out it does leave a bit of a glow to the skin. It indeed is a great perfector and one that makes your skin look plumped yet still gives you a good amount of coverage. It is a really good drugstore foundation that is easy to wear and very fuss free.

What is the shade match like?

True Ivory is the lightest shade that looked like it had a more pink to neutral undertone: all the other shades look to be quite yellow or too dark. That is why I chose for this one. I picked the lightest shade in the Dream Urban Cover and that oxidized into a lighter shade once applied to the face. I was afraid this might do that too and so I went with a few shades up. And this shade is spot on. It is getting a bit too light for me now that I have caught a bit of sun due to the nice weather we’ve been having. But overall, I think the shade is perfect for me. In this picture I didn’t blend it out and I think you can see the foundation sitting on the face a bit too much, so this is one that I like making sure I blend down my neck just to make sure it doesn’t look too makeup-y. Perhaps also good to know: the shade names of this foundation seem to be different in different territories.

What is the coverage like?

So yes, this foundation has a medium coverage especially when you apply this with a makeup sponge. I use a bit more than one pump (more like 1 1/2 pumps) and that I feel is the perfect amount. It covers all the redness in my face, but it doesn’t look too heavy or cakey. It is definitely a foundation-foundation though: this is not the kind of lightweight foundation that gives you a barely there look. This is definitely more of a medium coverage foundation which means it will show up more like you are wearing makeup. Still, this looks natural as it is not too thick and heavy. It stills shows the natural texture and look of your skin, but then more evened out and perfected. When this is first blended in, I feel it makes my skin look airbrushed.

My final thoughts

The Maybelline Dream Radiant Liquid foundation is a good staple to have in a makeup collection. It is not the most amazing foundation I have ever tried, but it definitely is a good foundation that just does what a foundation needs to do. This doesn’t look dry and cakey and it doesn’t emphasize dry patches, which is always a win-win situation. This lasts well: I have been wearing this through workdays for the past 6 weeks and my makeup still looks great at the end of the day. I do find that the powder I pair this with really influences the look of the foundation. So if you do have very dry skin I would recommend making sure you go light on the powder as the wrong powder or too much powder can have an averse effect.

Would I recommend the Maybelline Dream Radiant Liquid foundation?

This foundation would make for a great beginner foundation. If you can find your shade, this is the kind of foundation that I think can appeal to many people with dry skin. It is not too light coverage, so it is not one that forces you to have near perfect skin. It can be built up to have more coverage if you want to and it comes in a good range of shades if you are on the fair to medium end of the spectrum. What I feel they can improve on is the shades available to people with deeper skin tones. In that way this foundation range is severely lacking, so I would not recommend if you fall into the medium to deep end of the shade spectrum.

What Maybelline foundation is your favorite?