There has been a lot of hype surrounding this product in the UK and there have been rumours that it will be launched in the US in the summer (but nothing official yet so don’t hold me to that!).  I recently received a sample of this foundation in a magazine which was great for me because I’m still on Project Pan and, despite a little slip up with some Revlon Lip Butters, have been sticking to it!

Apparently this foundation reawakens the skin and gives it a healthy glow so (for review purposes only of course!) I went out and had a bit of a late night and decided to try this ‘reawakening’ foundation for myself!

Here is the little sample I received.  The blurb on the back states that this is Rimmel’s ‘first foundation that visibly reawakens and illuminates skin with a radiant glow and a flawless natural-looking finish.  Instant anti-fatigue effect.  With peptides and a Vitamin Moisturising Complex.’

This foundation also includes ‘radiance pearls’ for that ‘radiant glow’.  Radiance pearls scream ‘shimmer’ to me, which I have always avoided in my foundations but I was still determined to try it out.

Now for the scary part…. The before picture.

Oh that’s not pretty!  So this is what I looked like when I woke up on that fine morning (note the dark circles!). Pretty zombie-like but definitely an excellent test for this foundation.

And here we have the after shot.

I have added lipstick and mascara but there is nothing on my face except the foundation.  You can clearly see the ‘radiance pearls’ at work as the foundation does not have a dewy finish but is still giving the appearance of one.

This is what the foundation looks like on the back of my hand:

It’s quite a thick consistency and because I usually use water based foundations that give a dewy appearance I found I had to hold back from caking too much on! This is also probably not the colour I would match for myself (this is ‘Soft Beige’), but as it was a sample with a magazine I didn’t get to choose a shade and I have a slight (fake) tan at the moment so it’s not too noticeable!

Application was nice, I used a regular flat foundation brush and it applied to my skin well.  After reading other reviews on this foundation I wasn’t expecting much coverage but it actually gave me more coverage than I usually have in my foundation during the day. It’s still very light, but I think it would suit those who prefer more coverage than MAC Face and Body and Chanel Vitalumiere. It is definitely not a medium or full coverage.  For instance you can still see my freckles.

I didn’t wear a primer underneath this foundation (I wanted to give it a good test!), but found that it lasted on my nose, which can be quite oily, fairly well.  I’m not sure how well it would last on someone who has very oily skin, but if you have an oily T-zone like me it might be worth trying it out.  It also didn’t make any dry skin really obvious so nice on my skin.

I was also pleased at how well it covered my dark circles!  I used less concealer than I normally do (bad for finishing Project Pan, excellent for my bank balance!).

However, I could see the shimmer which irritated me.  I don’t mind adding a little shimmer in blush or highlighters to the areas I want shimmer, but all over my face?  In saying that, it did have the effect it was supposed to have – my skin looks fairly radiant!  I was also the only person who noticed the shimmer on my face.  My boyfriend couldn’t see it!

It also has a horrible floral smell.  Some might think it’s lovely, but I couldn’t stand it.  It caught in the back of my throat during application and I was practically choking on it.  Not a pleasant experience.

This foundation retails at £8.99 which is good and certainly cheaper than the foundations I currently use!  But it is also only available in six shades, which means not everyone is going to find a good match for them.

So, to summarise:

Pros

Inexpensive

Nice application

Lasts fairly well on normal – combination skin

It really does make the skin look radiant and illuminated!

Cons

Shimmer (this might not bother everyone!)

The smell! (again maybe not a concern for everyone!)

Limited shade range

Would I buy this foundation after sampling it?  Probably not.  Firstly, I’m not sure I want to gag every morning when I apply my foundation and secondly I think the shimmer would just irritate me.  Although it does make my skin glow, I personally prefer a lighter coverage and a more dewy finish.  I would consider it again if I needed a cheap foundation to wear on nights out when I prefer more coverage (and the shimmer might irritate me less!) so I won’t say definitely not to this one (just in case!).

I hope this was useful! Let me know what you think in the comments below or follow me on Twitter and send me your comments there! @LaPalmaGem

Gemma

Written by Gemma

Gemma

Gemma is a make-up obsessed Literature graduate from Glasgow, Scotland. In between studying she is a self-confessed YouTube junkie, bargain hunter and cupcake baker.
Follow her on Twitter @LaPalmaGem