Maybelline Master Prime & Fit Me! Foundation

by Rosy Day Blog

Makeup: Maybelline Hydrate + Smooth, Fit Me! Dewy + Smooth Reviews

Get dewy skin with Maybelline’s Fit Me! Dewy + Smooth foundation!

Disclosure:
I received these products from Maybelline through Influenster in exchange for my honest review. I was not given any money to do this review. I enjoy doing product reviews to share my own experiences with the product and hope someone finds it useful. I do not work for Maybelline.

Brand Overview:
Maybelline is probably a brand that needs no introduction. It was probably the gateway makeup brand for many growing up as it was always affordable and easily accessible at many grocery and drug stores.

Most western makeup looks from what I've seen tend to gravitate towards more of a matte look. However that has changed the last couple of years or so as I've been seeing more dewy or even semi-dewy looks lately (especially with all that strobing and highlighting). Here I will be trying out Maybelline's hydrating Master Prime Primer + Base in their Hydrate + Smooth formulation, and their Fit Me! Foundation in their Dewy + Smooth formulation.

Just The Primer

Primer Description:
As quoted from Ulta, its a primer "formulated with a water-soluble base and active ingredients that refine the look and feel of skin and keep makeup in place from morning to night."

Primer Claims: Like its name, hydrate and smooth, as well as even out skin tone. Can be worn alone and when used under foundation, helps prolong the look and wear of makeup.

Primer Notable Ingredients:

• Apricot Kernel Oil – Rich in vitamin K (known for helping to reduce dark circles). This also contains vitamin E and omega 6 fatty acids which help nourish the skin along with the vitmain K. This better allows nutrients to penetrate your skin.
• Rice Bran Oil – A very hydrating ingredient with a high percentage of fatty acids. Is also good for anti-aging.
• Shea Butter – A multi-tasking “healer”, regular use of this ingredient helps treat blemishes, wrinkles, itching, sunburns, small wounds, eczema, skin allergies and more, in addition to being highly moisturizing.
• Beeswax – An ingredient with anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, and anti-bacterial properties. It helps fight dry skin as well as bacterial infections. It seals in moisture with a protective wall on your skin, without clogging pores.
• Sodium Hyaluronate (Hyaluronic Acid) – An ingredient naturally found in your body, it moisturizes and plumps, helping to create full and youthful skin.

Primer Full Ingredients List:
Aqua / Water / Eau, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil / Apricot Kernel Oil, Propanediol, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil / Rice Bran Oil, Stearic Acid, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter / Shea Butter, Palmitic Acid, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-20 Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Cera Alba / Beeswax / Cire Dabeille, Tocopheryl Acetate, Talc, Acrylamide / Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Dimethiconol, Isohexadecane, Sorbic Acid, Myristic Acid, Polysorbate 80, Triethanolamine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Disodium EDTA, Sorbitan Oleate, Citric Acid.

Primer Packaging:
The packaging is actually really similar to a lot of other primers. This is basically like the standard primer bottle shape, though the color on this specific packaging, reminds me a bit of the Smashbox primer (the one that’s specifically designed for acne/oil control). It’s not necessarily a bad thing. When you see familiar packaging, it just makes it easier to distinguish a product as “oh this is definitely a primer”. It looks like a primer and it is a primer. I really like this particular shade of green. It also kind of looks more like a department store product.

Primer Scent & Texture:
As this isn’t a skincare product, I don’t normally go around smelling primers unless they’re specifically advertised as being scented. There’s no noticeable scents with this product, maybe your typical slightly chemical/artificial scent, but nothing worth noting as being particularly bad or offensive. As for the texture, it is similar to other liquidy-cream silicone-based primers. It glides on smooth and feels silky/light to the touch. If you are sensitive to silicone/dimethicone, etc., I wouldn’t recommend this product and would instead look for one that doesn’t have it (it would be a bit difficult though as most primers have -cones).

Primer Performance:
I really liked this. I didn’t use any moisturizer prior to using this product, just toner and some essence/light serum, and this does truly hydrate. I test the true performance of a primer by its ability to smooth out the fine lines around my eye area. There are actually a lot of primers that smooth out your skin, however, they still make my eye area look dry and things settle into those fine lines. Being older, my eye area needs to be well hydrated whenever I wear any form of makeup. I’m happy to announce that this primer provided enough hydration that by the end of the day, it looks nearly the same as when I first applied makeup, and nothing has settled into my fine lines.

Although this primer doesn’t have any specific skincare claims other than to hydrate and smooth, as seen in the Notable Ingredients section above, it does boast quite a bit of some nourishing and healing skincare benefits. It can definitely double as a moisturizer/primer combo when needed. I have combo skin (more dry in the winter and more oily in the summer), and I didn’t have any bad reactions to this product. Sometimes I can feel how pore clogging a primer can be and can feel a pimple coming on as the hours go by, but this product was light and at the end of the day, I didn’t see any pimples forming after taking off all my makeup.

Primer Pros:

• Hydrating enough, even without a moisturizer.
• Very affordable at ~$8-10 USD (depending on where you buy). This costs less than pretty much all the department store primers you can think of.
• Goes on silky smooth and doesn’t cause your makeup to settle into your fine lines (a little goes a long way). A definite plus if you have pesky fine lines under your eyes like me (they’re actually not that noticeable but when makeup settles in - it makes me look older).
• As far as I know of, this can be found nearly everywhere like other Maybelline products.

Primer Cons:

• Contains Stearyl Alcohol and Dimethicone (if you’re sensitive to these ingredients). These two seem to cause breakouts (or make it exisiting acne worse) for some people.
• Not made for oily skin. If you have oily skin, you should look for something more mattifying or at least not overly hydrating.

Just The Foundation

Foundation Description:
As quoted from Ulta, “Maybelline's Fit Me Dewy + Smooth Foundation is face makeup that fits you. No oils. No waxes. No nonsense. This foundation blends seamlessly for light to medium, natural coverage that leaves skin the way it was meant to be - fresh, breathing, flawless. The exclusive translucent base and lightweight pigments allow skin's natural highs and lows to show through.”

Foundation Claims:
Unlike some foundations, this one claims to not clog pores and is “shade-true” in that it merges with your natural skin tone (for women in all colors).

Foundation Notable Ingredients:
None. This isn’t a BB/CC cream or cushion where one would normally expect skincare benefits in addition to some coverage.

Foundation Full Ingredients List:
For my shade (Medium Buff) - Aqua / Water / Eau, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Glycerin, Isotridecyl Isononanoate, PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Dimethicone / Polyglycerin-3 Crosspolymer, Sodium Chloride, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Chlorphenesin, Disodium EDTA, Acrylates Copolymer, Propylparaben, Parfum / Fragrance, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Aluminum Hydroxide, Butylparaben, PEG-9, Ethylparaben, Dipropylene Glycol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone. May Contain: CI 77891 / Titanium Dioxide, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 / Iron Oxides.

Foundation Packaging:
The packaging is pretty similar/standard to other foundations you might find, whether you get your foundation at a department store or a drug store/grocery store. Maybe it’s just me since I don’t typically wear foundation, but the size of this bottle seemed to be on the small side, especially if you’re one who needs to pack on additional foundation in areas that need more coverage. I guess this size is enough if you normally just put a light, even amount all over and don’t necessarily wear foundation everyday. Also, I don’t know if all foundation bottles have an opening this size, but I tried to be careful pouring out the foundation, and some came out a bit too much (what a waste) :/ Maybe if the opening was a tad bit smaller or this came in a pump bottle, I wouldn’t have wasted so much product and there would definitely be more to go around.

Foundation Scent & Texture:
Just like with the primer, I didn’t really detect any specific scents with this product. As for the texture, it’s pretty much the same as any other liquid foundation. I will add though, that this didn’t feel heavy or suffocating on my face.

Foundation Performance:
As someone who doesn’t normally wear foundation (I wear a tone-up/tinted sunscreen most of the time and occasionally wear a BB cushion), I liked how this looked fairly natural for a medium-ish coverage foundation. I still think one would be able to tell you’re wearing foundation (at least after first application), but as the day goes on and the foundation settles on your skin/oxidizes a little bit, it does look more like a natural dewy glow. This didn’t feel heavy/suffocating at all on my face. I also didn’t experience any oncoming breakouts or pore clogging with this product. Now, I haven’t tried this foundation with any other primer besides the Maybelline Hydrate + Smooth one, but having a hydrating primer combined with a hydrating foundation (this is formulated for normal to dry skin), this one did not last long on my face, LOL.

Within a couple of hours, my dewy look turned into a greasy look. Maybe a more mattifying/oil control primer and/or someone with dry to very dry skin would combat this better. I’d love to test this out in the future and update this post with my findings. Obviously if you already have oily to even somewhat oily skin, don’t bother with anything in a “dewy” formulation. You already produce enough of your own “dew” naturally. I would look for a semi-matte formulation (it’ll go on more matte looking initially but your own face oils will eventually produce their own natural glow). There’s also strobing/highlighting options as well.

Foundation Pros:

• True to its name it is hydrating and definitely goes on smooth (if you don’t have textural issues it does make your face look smooth).
• Very affordable at ~$6-8 USD (depending on where you buy).
• Goes on silky smooth and doesn’t cause your makeup to settle into your fine lines. A definite plus if you have pesky fine lines under your eyes like me (they’re actually not that noticeable but when makeup settles in it makes me look older). However, please note this could be because I used the Hydrate + Smooth primer.
• The Medium Buff shade fit my NC 25-30/ish skin almost 100% (it “fit me!”)
• Looks more natural with wear (it’s not a heavy, full-coverage foundation though coverage can definitely be built up).
• As far as I know of, this can be found nearly everywhere like other Maybelline products.

Foundation Cons:

• Contains Dimethicone (if you’re sensitive to this ingredient). This seems to cause breakouts (or make exisiting acne worse) for some people.
• Definitely not made for oily skin. If you have oily skin, you should look for something more mattifying (or aimed at normal to oily skin). If you want to look more dewy, you can always strobe/add highlights, etc. I just wouldn’t use a dewy foundation when I produce enough of my own “dew” and want something fairly long lasting (in 2 hours or so I looked greasy and I don’t have super oily skin).
• Only has SPF 18. Not a deal breaker if you use a separate sunscreen underneath your makeup, but I would think SPF 30 was standard. My BB cushion by comparison is SPF 50++++ (it's just nice to know you have additional sun coverage even if the product is not specifically "sunscreen").
• If you’re used to makeup products that can double as skincare, this wouldn’t be one of them.
• If you’re not careful when pouring (or maybe I’m just clumsy), you can over-pour. This product would have been better if a pump was included or if the opening was a tad smaller.

The Results

Both Primer & Foundation

Primer & Foundation Final Impressions:
I have to admit, prior to this I haven’t really tried that many Maybelline products, and the few I have tried in the past, they were basically subpar. I really liked the primer and although the foundation didn’t completely work out for me (next time I should try a mattifying primer or switch to the one made for oily skin) - the foundation is still a solid pick and there are plenty that enjoy it for what it is. In short, if you have dry to very dry skin, I definitely recommend this combo of the Hydrate + Smooth primer and Dewy + Smooth foundation.

If you are more normal to combo skin, I would probably only go for the Hydrate + Smooth primer and go for a more semi-matte foundation. However, if you are oily and/or acne-prone, I’d probably look elsewhere or look into Maybelline’s other offerings (they might have other options better suited for these skin types). Overall, good picks for their price, especially the primer.

Hydrate + Smooth - Primer + Base 4.5/5 = Great product! Lacking a couple of minor things to truly be a holy grail, but it’s cheap and definitely smooths out my eye area! I would definitely consider purchasing this in the future, even if I only end up using it for my eye area. Pretty darn good for a drugstore brand – I totally recommend!

Fit Me! - Dewy + Smooth Foundation 3/5 = Good for what it is. Not very long lasting but other reviews I’ve read seem to like this product so maybe I just need to find some way to make it last longer. Other than that, it truly is dewy and smooth. I have no problems recommending this to someone who craves hydration and doesn’t have any issues with dewy/hydrating makeup not lasting long on their skin. Just be sure to wear sunscreen underneath as this one is only SPF 15. I would also consider wearing this for special ocassions where one would only need to wear makeup for a couple of hours (and not necessarily the whole day).

Similar Products:
I offer you some suggestions for similar products if you are still interested in general for hydrating primers and dewy foundation.

• Blithe In Between Hydro Prime – Hydrating primer that doesn’t let anything settle into your fine lines. This one is in a jello/pudding-ish cream consistency with skincare benefits. This one can be worn at night as well.
• Smashbox – If you prefer non-drugstore brands (and have extra cash to splurge), this would be my pick. It has the same consistency as the Hydrate + Smooth primer.
• Becca - Prefer to use semi-matte foundation but still want a lit from within glow? This brand is perfect for that.

I’m not going to list any similar foundations as I feel like there are far too many out there that there is definitely a foundation (or BB or CC, etc.) for everyone.

Any questions about the products and/or my experience? Just let me know!

Shop This Post

Maybelline Master Prime Hydrate + Smooth
Primer + Base

Maybelline Fit Me! Foundation
Dewy + Smooth