This New Drugstore Foundation Is Made For Summer!

Whenever a new drugstore foundation lands, we’re always excited to try it out – what’s not to love about potentially finding an amazing new foundation that won’t break the bank?! Nothing! The latest drugstore foundation is going where no other drugstore foundation has gone before… SPF 50! Yup, the new Maybelline Dream Urban Cover Flawless Coverage Foundation Makeup, SPF 50, $13, is designed to protect your skin with a high-performance sunblocker and free radical-fighting antioxidants. We tried it out to see how well it performed; here’s the lowdown.

What it is: The lightweight dermatologically-tested foundation is designed to protect your skin with a broad-spectrum SPF and antioxidants in the form of niacinamide and vitamin E. The formula comes in 16 shades that go from fair to rich.

The formula: The formula feels SO lightweight on the skin, almost like a BB cream, and it blends out really easily. We found the formula to be medium coverage, and although it can be slightly built up, we would recommend using your concealer to get full coverage on any areas where you want more coverage. We also didn’t notice any flashback in photos.

The finish: The formula has a natural-looking finish that’s slightly radiant. It’s not completely transfer-proof and we didn’t find it to have any skin-perfecting qualities like minimizing pores – so try combining it with a primer if pores are a concern for you.

The wear: It wore well through the day and only settled slightly into fine lines (although no more than most foundations tend to), and it didn’t break up on oily skin. For dry skin, we recommend using a hydrating primer beforehand to prevent the formula clinging to patches, and for oily skin, set your look with a light dusting of powder to keep it in place.

The shade range: We’re slightly disappointed with the 16-shade range as there’s definitely space for more, however, the spectrum does go fair and rich, and we found that one shade worked for more than one skin tone. Hopefully, Maybelline will bring out more shades.

The SPF: As you’ve probably heard us say before, SPF is so important, especially in the summer. We love that this adds extra protection with a broad-spectrum SPF 50, which means it defends against UVA and UVB rays. However, because you don’t often apply a thick enough layer of foundation to get the protection it promises (maybe you’ll get 20 or 30 instead), if you’re spending the day in the sun, then we recommend applying an SPF underneath as well – it never harms to have extra protection! If you’ll be mainly indoors through the day, then the foundation should be enough.

Don’t forget to top up your SPF through the day with these SPFs you can apply on top of makeup!

The verdict: We actually really like this foundation for summertime, it’s super lightweight, feels very comfortable, it’s not drying or irritating and it wears well through the day. This is definitely ideal if you love a light-to-medium foundation that’s easy to apply and won’t need touch-ups through the day.

Shop it at Ulta here.