The Highs and Lows of the CoverGirl Matte Made Foundation

You’ve likely seen reviews of the new CoverGirl Matte Made foundation everywhere. They sent out a massive 19-pound pr package with all 40 shades of the new foundation to just about every beauty influencer, blogger, YouTuber, and Instagrammer imaginable. If you haven’t already given in and purchased a bottle of your own, here’s everything you need to know.

CoverGirl has been aggressively making a play for our drugstore beauty budget with a fair amount of success so far in 2018, thanks to new product launches, new packaging, and an inclusive marketing strategy, but none of those tactics are effective if the product isn’t great. After weeks of extensive wear tests, it’s time to share my experience with the CoverGirl Matte Made foundation.

For context, my favorite foundations are Too Faced Born This Way, Estee Lauder Double Wear, L’Oreal Pro Matte, and Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation. My skin type is normal with an oily t-zone in the summer on very hot and/or humid days.

There are two things you should know before you buy this foundation. The first is that a “comfort matte” finish isn’t exactly a traditional matte. For starters, Matte Made doesn’t set down like the other long-wearing matte foundations I listed as my favorites. Secondly, although there are 40 shades to choose from, finding the correct undertone is difficult and as far as I can tell, there is no undertone information on the bottle or online so selecting a shade could be a challenge.

When I first apply the foundation, both with the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush & a Beautyblender, I love the way it makes my skin look. My pores do indeed appear minimized, my skin looks naturally matte, the coverage is high medium and my texture isn’t emphasized. Included with the mailing, CoverGirl sent over three new primers that paired nicely with the foundation, but I didn’t have any issues using any of my other favorite primers during my wear tests as well. Because it doesn’t set, the foundation can easily feel like it’s sitting on top of your skin if you over moisturize, overprime, or layer too many products before application. I don’t always feel the need to set it with powder, but when I do I don’t notice any difference in oil breakthrough or longevity.

Although I am generally Classic Ivory in CoverGirl products,  I’m having a difficult time finding my shade. I prefer foundations with a neutral undertone and typically the darkest fair or the lightest light shade matches me perfectly. Because I am in the sun now more than I have been in years, I am getting more color, however, I am also using chemical exfoliants daily and protecting my skin with mineral SPF 50. I’ve tried every shade in the light row and even some from the medium row, but I can’t seem to find a perfect match.

Although nothing about my experience with Matte Made could convince me that this formula is transfer resistant, it is surprisingly long wearing.  Even on the hottest days, it held up well to scorching temperatures and high humidity. However, the longer I wear it, the more I notice creases from my facial expressions so I don’t prefer it for photos.

My mom has drier and more mature skin and she’s been loving shade T30 Warm Honey. It took her several tries to find her correct shade as well, but once she did it is a perfect match. At the end of her workday, which can sometimes be physically demanding and in high heat conditions, her skin still looks fresh and even. She hasn’t noticed it settling into any fine lines or wrinkles either, which can be a concern as we age.

I’m excited that another drugstore brand has launched such an extensive complexion range (Maybelline Fit Me also claims to offer 40 shades) and I hope that other brands continue to follow suit. I do have concerns that all 40 shades may not be available in stores due to limited shelf space and sadly, my two emails to CoverGirl’s PR team have gone unanswered. I’ll update this post if I receive any additional information.