Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation: Review & Swatches

Hello, Beautiful!

I was really excited to try out Rimmel's Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation this morning. This morning I was running really late getting my son ready and off to school, so I didn't do a full makeup routine... I didn't even use moisturizer! But I did need coverage on my face so I reached for this foundation and that was all I put on this morning.

I applied this with my fingers since I was in a major rush. One of things I liked when I read about this foundation is it's built-in primer, which is supposed to help it go on smoothly and keep skin hydrated. With all the acne treatment products I'm using right now my skin tends to be dry and flaky in spots. Without a moisturizer and/or primer most of my foundations won't go on smoothly and they'll show every dry and flake spot. However, the Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation went on very smooth and didn't show any dry or flaky spots! That instantly impressed me, although that was only one of many things that impressed me about this foundation.

It dried very quickly, which to me is a huge plus. I know some people hate foundations that dry quickly because they like to apply dots all over their face and then blend it in. With quick drying foundations you can do that, but it could become difficult to blend them in. I usually work in sections anyway when I apply foundations (forehead, left cheek, right cheek, chin, and nose), and I actually prefer a foundation that dries quickly so I can move on with my makeup steps.

It's transfer resistant... which a lot of makeup claims to be, but ends up being anything but transfer resistant. This foundation really did stay on my face once it dried without rubbing off if I touched my face.

The coverage level is medium to full. I was really happy with how much it covered just using my fingers to apply it.

The finish is luminous natural look. Nothing too dewy or too matte - just nice, luminous skin! Although I haven't tested it out for 25 hours yet, so far it's been on flawlessly for nearly 6 hours and there are no signs of wear or need to re-apply.

I also didn't have to set this foundation with a powder, which is a big change to my normal routine. I always set my liquid and cream foundations with some sort of setting powder so they set and last all day. I didn't need to with this foundation; although I'm sure I'll test it out with setting powder just to see if it makes any difference.

The only cons would be the shade selection. There aren't many options and my shade - 303 True Nude - was on the darker end of shades to choose from (I think only 2 shades darker than the one I selected). There aren't shades for those with darker skin tones, which is really a shame because this is a really great foundation. It may even be one of my favorites I've ever used. I was nervous about the color I selected. It looks too dark in the tube, but when I tested it at the store all the shades blended out lighter. I selected True Nude 303, which happens to be a close match to my skin tone - although slightly too light.

Below is a swatch photo of the foundation. On the left you can see the foundation and on the right you can see what the shade looks like once blended into my skin a little. It's a little lighter, but it works good for my skin tone (my hand/arms are still darker than my face... my body tends to hang on to summer tans for months and months).

 



So what do you think? Have you tried this foundation? If so, what do you think of it? Will you pick this up next time you see it on sale?