I slapped REM Beauty Sweetener Foundation on one side of my face and my trusty $9 Maybelline Fit Me on the other. Then I went to a sweaty bar.
By midnight, the Maybelline had slid off my chin like a bad date. The REM? Still sitting pretty — but it also made me look slightly… gray? That’s the trade-off nobody talks about.
It’s $24 — literally the same as a drugstore mid-tier. The claim: “vegan, breathable, skin-like finish.” I call it: “foundation that doesn’t know if it wants to be skincare or makeup.”
Medium-buildable coverage
One pump covers redness. Two pumps looks like real skin that slept well.
The shade range is stupidly good
30 shades. The undertones actually make sense — not all orange or pink.
Zero transfer on my coffee cup
But it did crease in my smile lines after 6 hours. Pick your poison.
Photo: Evangeline Sarney / Unsplash
It’s packed with squalane and hyaluronic acid — normally good for dry skin. But here’s the catch: it feels hydrating going on, then dries down slightly matte. Your moisturizer matters more than this foundation does.
- Squalane: softens without grease
- Hyaluronic Acid: plumps fine lines temporarily
- Vitamin E: anti-oxidant, not a preservative
- Silica: that blurred-filter effect
Photo: Roman Petrov / Unsplash
Out of the bottle it’s watery — think runny yogurt. Blends in 20 seconds with fingers, but a damp sponge makes it look like you have zero pores. First wear: I felt dewy but not oily. Second wear: it clung to a dry patch near my nose I didn’t even know existed.
Week 3: I realized it oxidizes slightly after 30 minutes. Not dramatically — just enough to make you wonder if you picked the wrong shade. Weirdly, it looks better after 4 hours than at application.
Photo: Christin Hume / Unsplash
My pores looked smaller. My redness was gone. But my dry patches? Still there. The Maybelline covered more, but the REM looked more like skin. Pick your priority.
Photo: Alexandra Tran / Unsplash
It’s a good foundation that thinks it’s a great one. Fine for daily wear, but don’t expect it to survive a wedding or a crying session.