Back at with the foundation testing! I will be just about beside myself if I can find a long-wearing vegan foundation that doesn’t break the bank. So how does the Essence All About Matt stack up? Does it stay matte all day long, or slide off your dial? Time to dive deep with all those pros and cons in this full review!
PROS:
- It’s cheap as chips. Retailing for only $7.15, this is very budget-friendly. Love that!
- It’s made for oily skin. This is a big plus for me. My skin is forever an oil slick, and if something can withstand this skin, then it’s gotta be a winner.
- It won’t clog pores. Due to being oil-free, the formulation is made so that it will stick where it needs to – but not in your pores!
- It’s a drugstore brand. Apparently Essence is a German brand, but you wouldn’t know that by looking at it in Australia. Aussie’s can find Essence at Target and Priceline, most of the time. Not all Priceline’s stock Essence on the floor, so you may need to track it down online.
- It’s cruelty-free and vegan. As someone transitioning to cruelty-free makeup, this is awesome. Very chuffed!
CONS:
Already into the cons?! Well, yes. But that’s mostly because I want to give you a more thorough review based on my experience afterwards!
- It smells funky. Well, maybe not funky, but it doesn’t have the scent you’d think it would. Actually, now that I’ve said that, I don’t know what scent foundation SHOULD have. But I don’t think ‘tropical fruit’ is it.
- There’s only three shades. Sigh! Can someone please explain to me why companies can manage to produce 20+ different ranges of products, but can’t swing some of that development money towards more than three basic foundation shades? I’m genuinely curious!
- It’s becoming difficult to find this stuff. Yes, it is drugstore. Yes, it is in Target and Priceline. But a basic online search is coming up dry, and Essence unfortunately isn’t always stocked at Priceline. I’m not sure what’s going on here, but I hope that changes soon!
After 12 hours of wear
Okay, so ultimately this foundation is supposed to do one main thing: keep your complexion matte for up to 12 hours. Does it do this? Not exactly, but that “up to” is very important here. I highly, highly doubt there is a foundation on this planet that can can give anyone 12 hours shine free. Point one out to me and I’ll gladly slap it on my face to test it out. What this does give, however, is great coverage for a long time. I did notice my oily shine peeking through at the 3 hour mark, and it became progressively more shiny as the hours wore on. Usually I would combat this with a quick powdering or blotting, and be on my way, and I think most oily-skinned ladies and gents would do the same. It’s no big deal.
There was something else I was curious about, and maybe even a little low-key worried: would this separate or crease on my face? And the answer to that one is definitely NO! Which was kind of a nice surprise! For only $7.15, you too can achieve a creaseless mug! That’s not shabby at all.
Honestly, because this is a drugstore brand, and especially one that is so ridiculously cheap, it’s very easy to give it a pass. Even if it doesn’t tick all the boxes, it’s basically pocket change at the end of the day, and you can’t get too mad about that. But… it’s actually great. I like this more than some $20-something foundations I’ve tried! The finish is smooth, you can blend it out, it lasts all day without having pieces crack away and slide down your face… There may not be a lot that you could ask from a foundation that costs so little, but what it delivers makes me think that those bigger brands need to watch out, and try harder. I will happily repurchase this in the future, and can easily recommend that you too should give it a go!
Close-up after 12 hours of wear.
Have you tried the Essence All About Matt! foundation before? Is there another one I should try? Let me know!