UPDATED! Five Dollar Find: Rimmel Clean Finish Foundation Review

It's still hotter than hades around here, and the humidity is so thick in the air, you practically need to breathe through a straw. The thing is, in another month, we'll be in sweaters. They'll be lightweight sweaters over tank tops, sure, but by Halloween, we'll need jackets. My point is, it's almost that lovely time of year when tinted moisturizers and beauty balms make way for heavier foundations. I guess I need to get one...

So, I'm on the hunt. I already tested out the Urban Decay Naked Skin, which was unbelievably gorgeous, but caked a bit and didn't last in the humidity. Still, it's in the running, since it won't be a gazillion degrees and muggy when I actually go to wear it. It is pricey, though, so I thought I'd check out the other end of the spectrum, and try the super-inexpensive Rimmel London Clean Finish. $4.99, Ulta. I love Rimmel's powder, so maybe this would work for me, too.

According to the bottle, Clean Finish is supposed to leave you 100% poreless. To put it to the test, I applied my True Ivory shade without a primer. Before applying, though, I noticed that there's a little spatula attached to the inside of the lid, to allow you to scoop out however much product you need. I like that. There's no way that spatula will ever reach the bottom or sides well enough to scrape out the dregs, but for now, it's a lot neater than having to try to pour out the foundation, and more hygenic than trying to use a sponge.

Foundation Only. *shudder* You can still see some pores, and a little discoloration around the eyes.

I used a Real Techniques expert face brush to buff the product into my skin. The shade match was spot-on, which is always a nice surprise when you don't get to test out a product in the store. The texture is not heavy, and leaves a not-matte, but not-dewy finish. It's actually a very similar finish to the Naked Skin, but the coverage is nowhere near the same. I didn't see where there was much more coverage--maybe a touch--than my Too Faced Beauty Balm. That almost defeats the purpose of switching to a foundation, but the Clean Finish does photograph better.


Pay no attention to the puffy eyes. It's allergy season. This is just a pretty, inexpensive, decent, everyday foundation. It does photograph much better than a beauty balm, even if the actual coverage is only slightly heavier. That's a good thing.

After several hours of wear, I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was very little settling or caking (and even that was easily smoothed back out), and the shine was minimal and blotted away in a jiff. I was not, however, 100% poreless. If anything, the pores on my nose seemed more prominent.

This is not bad--not bad, at all. It's not the best foundation I've ever used, but it's definitely not the worst. It does the job, and it does it for only $4.99. Is it my Holy Grail foundation? No. But for now, it'll do.

Shade Range: There are what appear to be eight shades of pale. I'm day-glo, and somehow managed to match to the second lightest shade, and not the first. 3 out of 10.

Application: It went on like moisturizer, and wasn't buildable. It did sink into my skin easily. 6 out of 10.

Packaging: I love the spatula, and the glass container is very nice, indeed. 9 out of 10.

Appearance: Natural, not too matte, not too dewy. Light coverage. Not 100% poreless. Photographs well. 8 out of 10.

Wear: Fairly long-wearing. Not oil-controlling. Minimal caking and settling. 8 out of 10.

Price: $4.99. That's a steal. 10 out of 10.

Final Verdict: 7.3 out of 10. It's a decent, light-weight foundation for a dream of a price. Just hope they have your shade.

UPDATE: I've worn this with a primer for a couple of days, and it feels so heavy on my skin, I just want to run in the bathroom and wash my face. This is my usual primer, and I've never had this experience with it before, so I have to attribute it to the foundation. Still and all, I do recommend this as a good drugstore foundation, but I thought, in the interest of full-disclosure, that you guys needed to know this.