Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse foundation

It was my sister who turned me on to this product by leaving some behind for me the last time she visited.

Maybelline's mousse range covers several products, including blusher, eyeshadow and concealer, but here I'm looking at the foundation. 

The foundation comes in a heavy-bottomed glass container that gives a nice solid feel in the hand, but is rather too heavy to lug around with you all day in a handbag. If you're the type who likes to reapply foundation during the day (not my preference), you'll need to decant a portion of it into a smaller container.

The good thing about the container, though, is that it enables you to use only just as much product as you need. This makes it more user-friendly than liquid products in a tube or pump dispenser, where you can easily end up with excess, but it does mean that you repeatedly touch the product then seal it up again, so make sure your fingers are clean. You'll also be able to use every last scrap of product, which is something I approve of.  

The foundation is beautifully whippy in texture, like chocolate mousse, and you can apply it with fingers or a damp sponge - no special tool required. It blends like a dream and once on your skin, it dries to a fine, silky finish that doesn't feel like you're wearing makeup at all. I like this, as I hate the feel of makeup on my skin. It's a good foundation for women who don't like foundation, if you know what I mean.

I am a big fan of cream makeup products generally because they're kinder to an ageing skin than powders, which tend to collect in your wrinkles, and they're also easy to apply using your fingers - a must for women who aren't into twotting about with makeup application and also useful for anyone on the go, like me. This foundation also gives very good coverage, and evened out my blotchy, rosacea-prone skin very well, resulting in a smooth, even finish.

My only problem with it is that if your skin's already dry, then it's perhaps a tad too matte, which can make a complexion look rather dead. Either a good dollop of moisturiser underneath or a quick spritz with a water spray such as Evian afterwards can fix that problem, though. The blusher contains some sparkle, and this might be a worthy addition to the foundation range too.

I find I use hardly any of the product at one time - indeed, because I don't wear foundation every day, this will be well past its sell-by date before I use the whole jar, but it's moderately priced from supermarkets, so even if you used a pot a week there'd be no worries about it breaking the bank.