I probably don’t mention it enough, but I’m a huge Rimmel fan. Love their mascaras, love their glosses, will forever rue the day they discontinued their blush trios. But for the near six years that I’ve been doing this (and the many more years that I have been wearing makeup), their foundations has always escaped me.
I’m not sure why that’s the case, to be honest. I’ve always heard good things about them. But I’m someone who tends to get stuck in her ways. And because I always gravitate towards the likes of Maybelline and L’Oreal when it comes to drugstore foundations, I’ve never had any interest in trying Rimmel. So, when I saw that their iconic Lasting Finish Foundation was getting an upgrade, I took it as an opportunity to finally try it for myself. I’ve been using it for the last few weeks and I can’t wait to talk about it!
RIMMEL LONDON LASTING FINISH 35hr FOUNDATION – $26.95 – chemistwarehouse.com
(34 Shades available)
We shall start with the packaging. The Lasting Finish Foundation is housed in a sleek clear glass bottle. There is white, red, and blue detail on the bottle itself. It’s reminiscent of their Wake Me Up Foundation packaging. And from what I’ve seen online, this appears to be the packaging that they’ll be using for all of their foundations eventually. I get it, it’s very sleek and slimline. The bottle itself is quite weighty and solid. The Lasting Finish Foundation is vegan, cruelty free, and contains 30ml of product.
The Lasting Finish Foundation uses a pump as the dispenser. The pump is plastic, and if you ask me, a little on the generous side when it comes to dispensing product. You do have the ability to control how much product does come out. But I did find that first initial pump to be a bit much.
Getting into the shade range now, the Lasting Finish 35hr Foundation has 34 shades in the line. A massive step up from the original 25hr which only had 25. The shades are divided up into 5 categories (Very Light, Light, Medium, Tan, Deep). And there is a wide range of undertones to be found here as well. I wear the shade 103 True Ivory. Described as being Light with Olive Undertones. In the bottle, I will admit that it looks on the deeper side. But it’s a pretty solid match on the skin.
On the topic of shade range, one thing I will mention is that through my research, I have seen that more than a few people are disappointed in this reformulation. Specifically because the shade they were using in the 25hr range no longer corresponds with the shade in the 35hr range. So, if you’re someone who has used and enjoyed the 25hr Lasting Finish, I would get shade matched in the new version before you buy it. Obviously, me being new to this foundation, this isn’t an issue for me.
Skincare infused makeup is still the new hotness. So it makes sense that Rimmel has jumped on this trend too. The Lasting Finish Foundation contains 2% Niacinamide (we love Niacinamide for barrier strengthening and skin health). And Hyaluronic Acid also appears on the ingredient list (keeping the skin hydrated). This is also marketed as being SPF 20 (Zinc Oxide is in the ingredient list). But we can disregard that because you never wear enough foundation to get any true sun protection. On the flip side, there is fragrance in this foundation. I find that it doesn’t linger for too long. But if you’re sensitive to fragrance, keep this in mind.
The formula of the Lasting Finish Foundation is one of the more interesting ones that I’ve encountered recently. I would describe it as a gel/liquid. Not too runny, easy to dot on the skin, and very nourishing to the touch. I enjoyed applying this with all three methods (brush, sponge, fingers). But I got the best overall appearance when I used my fingers. I never had issues with streakiness or blotchiness. It blended out very evenly. Which is shockingly rare for me.
The Lasting Finish Foundation is described as being a full coverage foundation with a lightweight, natural finish. And boy howdy, I agree with this. It’s actually quite rare for me to love a full coverage foundation. Especially with my combo/dry skin. But I loved the finish this gave. I actually have a few blemishes on my jaw. But you wouldn’t know from the above picture. It was also so incredibly comfortable to wear. It didn’t leave my skin looking cakey or feeling heavy. It really was my skin but better. For the finish in the above picture, I used one pump for all over my face. And then an extra half pump to boost the coverage on my chin.
For the wear test, I accidentally picked a hell of a day to do it. It reached maximums of 37 degrees. The humidity didn’t drop below 40% (which is high for us here). I was outside working for most of the day and I was sweating up a storm. And this foundation did not budge. It didn’t crack, fade, or break down at all. It looked as good at 5pm as it did when I first applied it at 7.30am. If I needed to go out that night, I could have easily touched up with some powder and kept it on until bedtime.
Well, all that’s left to say is that I unequivocally and wholeheartedly recommend the Rimmel London Lasting Finish 35hr Foundation. I know it’s only March, but this is already in contention for my Best in Beauty Awards for 2024. I am that impressed. Have you tried the Rimmel London Lasting Finish 35hr Foundation? Let me know in the comments.
Cheers and love
Emily xo