Maybelline Dream Wonder Foundation

I've been on the search lately. There must be a good foundation out there for me. There must. And dammit I will find it. Today I am testing out the Dream Wonder Foundation from Maybelline. Supposedly it is a dupe for the Armani Maestro foundation, which I will never be able (or willing) to afford.

Price: $9.99 at Ulta (though I think CVS has it cheaper)
Number of Shades: 12, though very deep complexions are out of luck
Where to buy: drugstores
Good for: Most skin types, provided your skin can deal with silicones
Formula: Silicone based liquid. Definitely needs a good shaking prior to use.
Fragrance: minimal.
SPF: yes
Would I recommend it: Sorta...if you don't have dry skin/texture issues.

I had a really hard time finding anything about this foundation. Every search just points to the Dream Wonder powder...dammit. I couldn't even find this on the Maybelline website, which was a bit aggravating. It must be quite new, because even Makeup Alley only has 9 reviews on this stuff so far. 

What I like about it

It dries to a smooth, powdery finish. I feel like it covers redness well (you'd never know I have a bright red spot on my face from waxing my brows) but doesn't make my freckles look weird. Even after several hours, it is still comfortable to wear. It has a nice, luminous finish to it that really looks like skin. This stuff is wonderfully affordable too, compared to my Urban Decay or Chanel foundations, which is always good. 

What I don't like about it

I broke out my Smashbox primer for this one, because it tends to fill my pores the best and smooth over any weird spots. I still had issues with this sinking into my pores and catching on the uneven texture of my nose. Applying this with my fingers was a terrible idea...and I ended up using a stippling brush to attempt to un-spot my skin. From far away, it looked good...but up close it was obviously makeup. Sadness all around. I am loathe to apply with with a sponge, because it is so thin...it would just sink into the sponge. I don't know if it was user-error, but this stuff really started to get weird on my forehead towards the end of the day. I've got flaky skin, and it appeared to have multiplied by 9pm. It's such a shame, because from a few feet away it looked really good.

Tl;dr
If you have normal  or slightly oily skin, this might be a kick ass foundation for you. It lasts well, covers well without being super thick, and is comfortable after several hours. If you have textural issues...you might want to pass.