Match Perfection

Just yesterday, I got my hand on this beauty


Rimmel London's Match Perfection Ultra Creamy Compact Powder - yes, that's a lot to say and while I'd love to label it "genius-in-a-compact-case", I'll stick to Compact Powder.

It's Sunday today and I had some errands to run so I thought to myself, well, what better time than now to punish the poor sucker and put this compact powder through the ringer. "The ringer" being a warm Karachi day spent mostly outside with the temperatures in the mid 20's - sunny and a little humid.

So I started out with a clean, moisturized face - I applied a makeup primer and used the sponge applicator provided to pack the product onto my face - my color is Soft Beige. Starting from the center of my face, I worked my way out, just pressing the product on. Once that was done, I took a kabuki brush and buffed all the product I applied into my skin - insider trick: this is the best way to achieve even coverage! I then misted a setting spray over my face and let that dry.


At this point, I took a step back and analyzed the coverage. The color seemed off at first, but the product claims to have SMART-TONE technology, so I chose to give it a chance. I puttered around for 30 minutes and then saw that the powder had indeed adjusted its self! The coverage looked natural and even and just really skin like! It didn't feel heavy or cake-y. At this point, I'm going to mention that I'm a girl who likes sheer to medium coverage. Full coverage looks unnatural to me, unless it's a for photography. So I topped it off with a blush and mascara and set off for my day.

Rimmel London says:

"Up to 14 hours of wear! Find your match with Rimmel London's Match Perfection Ultra Creamy Compact Powder. A Super-blendable and Lightweight formula with SMART-TONE TM technology that cleverly adapts to your skin's natural colour and texture, while blue-sapphire pigments enhance your natural colour and tone. Lasts as long as you do!"

Here's what I found:

My "ringer" included a 30 minute drive to the grocery story, 1 hour spent shopping, a 10 minute drive to an outdoor fruit vendor, 5-6 minutes in the midday sun getting my purchases, another 20 minute drive to a coffee shop, 1 hour spent lunching with friends, a 5 minute drive to another market and then 10 minutes later, I was home. The first thing I did after dumping my bag and keys was to run to my vanity and see my face. Now to be fair, I put the compact powder through quite the test and like any proud cosmetic, it managed to hold its own! Kudos! Of course most makeup gives up at the first sign of perspiration, but this little guy put up a good fight - it didn't dislodge itself! Then again, I didn't swipe at my face either :p

Right now, it's approaching 5pm and its beginning to show signs of weakness. My nose and forehead have developed a slight sheen, but that's also in part because I haven't done a touch up. To credit the formulation, its hit the half-way mark in very tricky weather conditions. Any cooler day and it would still be going strong - any hotter, and even a TV Stick would have called quits. So I'll touch it up and see how it holds for the rest of the day.

(Fast forward a few hours)

It's nearing the end of the day and blissfully the evening was cool. The makeup hasn't given up on me yet, but I don't think I have it in me to last that long without washing my face - also, I've been dying to scratch my nose!!!! It has done a solid 12 hours by now and I'm very happy to give this round to the makeup. I claimed that this was a genius-in-a-box and I say so because this held up, stayed put for the most part and my skin didn't feel clogged or irritated! It also matched my skin tone and made it look even and natural - and that's saying something because sunlight is very unforgiving towards foundations. How do I know it lasted and didn't budge? Well, when I took a remover soaked cotton pad, a lot of product came off my face! Trust me, I checked :p Oh, and the highest commendation I can give this little guy - my DAD didn't even NOTICE I had makeup on my face! HAH! This is from the man who thinks I'm wearing way too much makeup if I wear a red lipstick... I love you pops, but my relationship with makeup is something you will never understand.

Would I recommend this? Oh definitely! It's a must have! Apply some concealer to the trouble areas, buff this on and your skin in prepared! Bring on the war paint! (More on the subject in a future post.)

Have you tried it? Please share your thoughts about this product.

This product was sent to me for review purposes. All views and opinions stated in this article are entirely my own.