June 23, 2010

Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse Review and Swatches

Much to my utter delight Mayeblline Dream Smooth Mousse is available for purchase in US drugstores. When I originally told you about this foundation it was only available within Europe and I thought maybe we’d have to wait as far as Fall to see it here but yay! It’s been released and is available now at your local drugstores (and on sale in most cases Buy 1, Get 1 50% Off all Maybelline).

Jump ahead to hear the good word.


A retake on Maybelline Dream Mousse Foundation in compact form with a whipped formula that provides a super soft, matte finish with a weightless feel!


Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse comes housed in a new compact design. Where as before you had to dip your hands into a pot of Maybelline Dream Mousse Foundation, you now have the option of purchasing Dream Smooth in compact format. The foundation is housed in a screw top compact with a flip top that reveals a mirror and sponge. The top unscrews and reveals the foundation beneath.

Now knowing the original whipped formula, I somehow assumed that this would sport an airy, whipped like texture but that’s really not the case at all. This formula is more of a traditional cream foundation but with a creamier formula. If you have dry skin, chances are you’ll love how creamy and hydrating this feels on the skin. The formula glides on effortlessly, blends out flawlessly, and creates a nice smooth surface for makeup. The included sponge works great to apply or you can apply with a foundation brush.

I didn’t feel the finish was completely matte but more dewy to the touch. It wears comfortably on my face and feels quite weightless.


Although the formula is weightless you can easily over do it and end up with a mask-like look and feel. So do be aware when blending. A little goes a long way as the product is very pigmented so build up slowly…I’ve made the mistake of layering it on WAY to thickly.

Color selections are the worst since many contain a fair bit of beige. Beige in my foundation tends to make my skin look old, tired, and dull. I tried Classic Ivory and even this was crazy beige (it’s the 2nd lightest shade).

The cream formula is quite gorgeous as it’s a cross between a cream and whipped up mousse (leans more towards cream) however it proceeds to oxidize fairly quickly on my skin even after proper prepping and priming.

I’m not a big expert on large pores but I can imagine this could cause general woe with larger pores since the formula is rich and even though it claims a matte finish, I felt it was more dewy to the touch so it might cause more of an greasy feel for those with oily skin.

  • Oily skin types or those with larger pores (because of reasons described above).
  • Anyone seeking a matte finish (Just didn’t feel like this was fully matte, perhaps semi-matte).
  • Anyone who has a problem with foundations that oxidize easily.
  • Anyone who isn’t BEIGE (Jebus when will the drugstores get the shade selection right on foundations?)


I could deal with many of the bad things I said about this before but the fact that I can’t find a single flattering shades is unforgivable. I’m not beige Maybelline! The overall feel of the product is very nice and I liked working with it but I just wish it didn’t make my skin look so dull and tired, the shades are just wrong for me sadly.

Not really bad but not really good either.

Indecisive about this one!

Probably worth a shot if you’re dead curious. You can always return it, if you hate it.

One anyone’s wish list?

Anyone try already?

What did you think?

Curious minds!

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Steelnpurple

    Ah I had this on my to-try list but still haven’t got around to it.
    Will pick it up shortly and try it out.
    I am an official sucker for creamy products. LOL!

          • Steelnpurple

            Ok.
            I do like it. A lot. It looks fab actually!
            I HATE the colour selection, with a passion.
            But.
            I like the foundation. A lot. LOL!
            The lightest available here (no 20) is a tad too dark but I’ll make it work since it’s summer.
            I don’t have any issues with my pores showing up more than I’d like, but the liines in the forehead = FAIL. lol..
            So overall I do like it!

          • the Muse

            steel awesome. I like it but not alot 😀 and color selection BLOWS 🙁 so glad you liked it 😀

  • Phyrra

    Why can’t drugstore foundations ever come in neutral light colors? Everything is too beige, too yellow, too dark, too orange.

    • the Muse

      mg dd you’d struggle with these! I doubt any shade would match your gorgeously goth skin!

    • Ashley

      I have the SAME problem. I got this in Creamy Natural and it seems to be working well. The undertone isn’t as pink as I thought it would be. The first one I bought (can’t remember name) was way to yellow.

  • ndoodles

    I have so much trouble finding my foundation color from the drugstores! But glad to know that the texture is great!

  • Womble

    we dont have this in the UK we have dream matte mousse, and dream creamy foundation, which is more like mac studio tech then mousse i think this is it under a different name

  • Courtney

    How does this compare with the Covergirl TrueBlend Whipped Foundation that you reviewed awhile ago? Do you like the Covergirl or the Maybelline better? just curious.

  • Nicole

    Great review, as always. I just thought to comment that you put “Final Thoughts” instead of “Who Might Not Like It.”
    🙂

  • Dana

    Hey musey

    This is not a replacement to dream matte mousse. Its a smooth creamy version. They are likely going to be releasing a new improved version of the dream matte mousse with different and less silicones.

    Hugs

    • the Muse

      hey dana didn’t say it was hun just a retake on the product. 🙂

      • Dana

        ok thank you. I was just confused when you said before you had to dip finger in a small pot etc. Sorry and thanks!

        • the Muse

          hi dana you lost me again dear I didn’t say anything about a small pot in this review?

          • se7ens7ars

            Actually u did mention “dipping your hands in a pot…” here’s what u said, “dip your hands into a pot of Maybelline Dream Mousse Foundation.” Just saying so no one gets misunderstood : ->

  • Delphine

    I’m a fair skinned East Asian. I tried the two lightest shades and they both made me look drunk, AND they’re both too dark for my skin. It was awful.

    Not only that, I felt the foundation smelled bad and felt greasy.

    Bleh. I had to toss both foundations I got.

    Now I only use BB cream.

    • the Muse

      Delphine I’m with ya bb cream is def my choice 😀 I didn’t get a smell or thankfully a greasy feel, more dewy but I agree the shades made me look bad bad bad bad. sad sigh.

  • Courtney

    You both have piqued my curiosity. I may have to make a trip to the Bobbi Brown counter this weekend.

  • em

    I love dream creamy! I don’t know if we have diffrent shades in europe but I have fair skin and the lightest shade was totally good for me 😮 its called 004 light porcelain

    • the Muse

      em hmm dunno if we have the shade will have to look 😀 thanks!

    • Delphine

      I checked, we don’t have that shade. The palest we have in the US is light ivory. For the liquid version it’s porcelain ivory.

      I have a yellow understone so make up with pink understones look really horrible on me and they appear darker than my skin when they may be the right shade.

  • Charmaine

    I tested this at CVS, and ITA, the stuff feels fantastic, but the shades are funky. I’m SE Asian, and VERY yellow-toned, so it’s really hard for me to find stuff that actually matches. I would love to buy this just cuz I like the way it feels, even though the color and formula aren’t quite for me [oil slick and some big pores, bleah], I would just wear it in the house, lol!

  • Tohnia

    the original Dream Matte Mousse was HORRIBLE for me! The colour selection was awful (the closest shade made me look gray! No joke!), and it rubbed off on EVERYTHING. 🙁 I might try this, but after my experience last time, I may pass.

  • jen

    I just got this and there is no mirror (you mentioned a mirror). also, i dont think it’s ever intended on being a matte finish. its quite the opposite and will compliment the maybeline line! I hate the matte mousse, this one is its opposite lil’ sister! love it! my tone is neutral, but the 240 natural beige works for me.

  • CuriousAboutDreamMousseSmooth

    I was wondering if you know which colors would work best for a person with light skin and yellow undertones?

    • the Muse

      curious I haven’t a clue hun sorry. considering I couldn’t even find my own shade I prob can’t find the best one for you 🙂

  • Cindy

    I’m going to have to try this. I like the regular mousse foundation ok ,but it does accentuate dry skin. I’ve been miffed at Maybelline since they discontinued their shine Free foundation a few years ago.

  • Danielle

    I do have yellow undertones in my skin, so this stuff matches my skin color perfectly. It’s great for my dry skin too.

    • Trebbles

      i totally agree with you Danielle. I have dry patches around my nose but this doesn’t cake up like the revlon foundation I have. Since I got a tan over the summer I’m a shade darker than usual so Classic Ivory matches my skin perfectly for now anyways.

  • sania

    i’m 17 year old biracial (black and white) girl. i have a complexion similar to singer Rhianna. So, its hard to find a color to match me, and not to mention i have blemishes because of acne in pre-teen years.
    the color selection is horrible ! i usually settle for honey beige in other foundations. everything here was too dark or too light. i ended up settling for natural beige, I love the creamy fill of it and how it feels so smooth on your skin ! i agree with everything you said. Great review

  • Naomi

    I really like it. The only problem is that it smears clothing whenever I happen to touch my face. I have both dry and greasy skin which is bad. So I don’t know what kind of foundation I should get but I this foundation so far is the best I’ve had. 🙂

  • Melissa

    this SUCKS!!! it makes me look like a crackhead. good coverage but wears off FAST and makes my forehead look SOO oily! gross. my momma said i havent been lookin half as pretty since i bought it 🙁 lol

  • Ashley Beau

    Hello! I really want to try this foundation…. I have fair skin with yellow undertones….. Which one of the shades would you think I need to use?

  • m-dot

    I just bought this and tried it out this morning. I like it. I have very dry skin and some acne spots on my cheeks and it covered it right up w/out feeling like a paint job. I’m african american and between Halle Berry and Ashanti’s complexion. Caramels are always too dark for me so i was happy to find a honey beige that wasn’t to chalky looking. It looks perfect face to face but does photograph a little lighter. But for the texture, finish, and price it’s a go!

  • Emily

    Hi Muse! I really enjoy your reviews and posts on Dr. Who (love Dr. Who!!) I just wanna say that this foundation is suppose to a hydrating/dewy finish version for dry skin, unlike the matte mousse which is matte for oily skin.