Maybelline Dream Urban Cover Foundation Review

Maybelline have recently released the Dream Urban Cover Foundation containing SPF 50, in a very familiar looking packaging. Of course this has sparked claims that it’s a dupe for the IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream. I was very intrigued as to whether such an affordably priced product could be a good dupe, so I picked one up for myself and I’ve been trialing it for a while now, so here’s my review of Maybelline Dream Urban Cover Foundation.

Maybelline Dream Urban Cover Foundation Packaging

This obviously looks similar to the IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream in that it’s a tube with half matte silver colouring and half clear. It has a screw off lid and a squeezy dispenser, whereas the IT Cosmetics CC Cream has a longer, pull off lid and a pump dispenser. Maybelline is sized 30ml and IT Cosmetics is 32ml.

Claims of the Maybelline Dream Urban Cover Foundation

Full coverage. Lighweight. Protective. SPF 50. Smooth away signs of dull skin. Creates a natural and healthy looking complexion. Perfect for normal to dry skin. Sounds a little familiar.. The IT Cosmetics CC Cream also claims to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and pores. Which, to be fair, the Maybelline one doesn’t do.

Application of the Foundation

Before I tell you how it was for me – let me tell you about my skin type. It’s oily, yet slightly dehydrated, mostly around the cheek area. I have redness on my cheeks as well as enlarged pores. My skin gets oily around about the 12pm mark that needs mopping up by lunch time. Usually I apply my foundation using a beauty blender and apply one 5p sized blob of foundation to each cheek, my forehead and one for the nose and chin. So here’s how the Maybelline Dream Urban Foundation performed on my skin.

For a “full coverage” foundation, I expect one blob and blend per area of the face, but this needed another go over with the same amount of foundation again. This to me isn’t full coverage. It has a very thin consistency and a lot goes not very far – I had to apply a second layer of product to get anywhere near the coverage I usually go for. It takes a long time to “dry” and set before you can do anything else to your face without removing half your coverage.

It sinks terribly into my fine lines around my eyes, along my forehead, on my chin( which is rare!) and around my nose. It separates really easily and when I apply loose powder to my forehead, it cakes and breaks up and looks weird.

Performance of the foundation

It’s only really been useable for me when I have a couple of hours running a few errands and I don’t want to go make up free, as it only last a few hours before it looks horrible and feels heavy cakey and sweaty on my skin. This isn’t a last all day even with touch ups kinda foundation for me. Do bare in mind my oily skin type though, this might not be the case for everyone.

When it has finally set though, I think it gives me a nice dewy finish, but which is not one I normally go for as an oily skinned gal.

Maybelline Dream Urban Cover Foundation vs. IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream

I will qualify this part of the review by saying that I have only tried a sample pot, out of which I got four faces of foundation, of the original IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream. I do own a full size of the matte version due to my oily skin.

The original IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream applied to my skin a lot better than the Maybelline one did. It applied like a full coverage foundation and didn’t require a second layer. It set a lot faster and dried down quicker, leaving me with a more robust base. It has a thicker consistency yet a smaller amount goes further with the IT Cosmetics.

It is also worth mentioning that both Maybelline and IT Cosmetics are owned by L’Oreal, and sometimes when this is the case they share their formulas, however based on the difference in performance between the two and the difference in consistency, I wouldn’t say this was the case here. Perhaps the Maybelline version is a watered down IT Cosmetics formula, hence the price.

Shade comparisons

There are 20 different shades in the Maybelline Dream Urban Cover Foundation, from Fair Porcelain to Mocha. Whereas there are only 12 shades available in the IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream, ranging from Fair to Deep.

Swatch of shade 103

This is the shade I have and I’m quite pale. For the sake of showing a true swatch, I didn’t edit these photos at all:

Price comparisons

It costs £10.99 for a tube of the Maybelline Dream Urban Cover Foundation whereas the IT Cosmetics CC Cream is £31.00.

Links to buy

Purchase the Maybelline Dream Urban Cover Foundation here* and buy the IT Cosmetics CC Cream here*.

Overall

Overall, the Maybelline Dream Urban Cover Foundation isn’t one for oily skinned gals, however it may be a good affordable alternative for someone whose skin is more on the dry/normal side of the skin spectrum. The IT Cosmetics CC Cream Original is slightly better for oily skin, but I prefer the matte version for obvious reasons. Is the Maybelline a dupe? I’d say no, but it is a good option for an affordable high SPF protective foundation.

Have you tried this yet? I’d love to know your thoughts!

*This post contains affiliate links. It does not cost you any more or change your rights as a consumer. Please see my disclaimer page for further details.