Product Review: Cover Girl TruBlend Whipped Foundation

Before I get started with this review, I'd like to share some exciting news about a cool giveaway that's going on. What's not to love about a giant box full of free, quality make-up must-haves? Nothing, that's what!

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Now, on with the show! If you've been reading up on your runway trends, you'll know that smooth, velvety matte skin is all the rage for Fall and Spring. You may have also noticed that Cover Girl has conveniently introduced TruBlend Whipped Foundation, and that Maybelline has likewise amped up their advertising for their Dream Matte Mousse.




I tried Dream Matte Mousse when it first came out, and I must say that I hated it. The product was too dry (almost 'crumbley') to blend well, and even after you tried to smooth it out, the foundation would just sit on your skin, looking all weird, chalky, and masky. It made my skin feel like it was suffocating. Ick.

Given this, I was a bit hesitant to purchase Cover Girl's version of a mousse makeup for $13 CAD. But, I was really impressed with their TruBlend powder foundation, and I do have that whole compulsive spending habit thing going on, and so I plunked down the cash and brought home my own little jar of TruBlend Whipped Foundation in Warm Beige*.

Even at first glance, TruBlend Whipped is very different than its Maybelline counterpart: TruBlend has a much softer consistency, reminiscent of Cool Whip. It also has a faint sweet almond smell on application, but it doesn't linger. But how does it perform?

Well, the fact that it was softer certainly made it easier to apply and blend with my fingers. It felt really nice and airy going on, so that's a plus. But, while it didn't just sit obviously on the skin like Dream Matte Mousse, it still looked a little cakey for my liking. Plus, as the day wore on, it started to feel kind of greasy, as though I could actually feel the foundation smudging on my face. Damn.

But wait! Reading the handy reviews on MUA, I saw that some helpful person suggested using a foundation brush to apply it. And let me tell you: that makes ALL the difference. Coverage is much smoother and it no longer feels heavy on the skin. Plus, the foundation doesn't migrate like it did when I applied it with my fingers. I think this is due to the foundation brush applying a much thinner, more even layer than my fingers did. I felt all make-up-artist-cool with my brush, as if I were magically painting away all the little imperfections. At the very least, it's probably more hygenic this way.

TruBlend Whipped gives a natural, pretty, smooth-looking matte finish. I do need to powder on top of this to stop shine and add staying power, and even then, shine will come through after the 4 or 5 hour mark. But blotting takes care of that, and the foundation remains relatively intact throughout the day. It still doesn't look quite as skin-like as my still-favourite Almay Smart Shade makeup, but then again, it offers better coverage (light-to-medium) than Smart Shade does. As well, this could double as an undereye concealer for those mornings when you're too rushed to bother with a lot of products.

Bottom Line: TruBlend Whipped Foundation is a good option for those looking to try a mousse foundation, and it is certainly loads better than Maybelline's version. If you hate powder foundations, but love the new matte skin, pick up a jar of this and give it a shot!


* Their Colour-Matching thing on the website is wack. Don't trust it, just go look at the actual shades and hope they have a few testers out.