Saturday 17 March 2012

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

Wake Me Up Foundation, the latest foundation offering from Rimmel, promises an anti-fatigue effect and a glow thanks to the use of radiance pearls and peptides to boost elasticity of skin. This normally retails at £8.99 for 30ml in the UK. When it was first launched, I snagged it at a discount, paying just £6 for it.

Made in Monaco, the glass bottle isn't that travel-friendly but it feels more expensive than the usual drugstore foundation. I like the small design details, like the subtle hourglass shape and the raised lettering on the side of the bottle which gives it a tactile feel. The perky bright orange cap also makes it easy to spot amidst the jumble of my makeup case - a definite boon for short-sighted people like me!

The convenient pump packaging is easy to control. I usually use 1.5 pumps if I am applying with a sponge (my preferred method). If I use my fingertips, one pump tends to be too much.

I purchased this in 100 Ivory, the lightest of the six shades on offer. Oddly, there is no ingredient list on the bottle but one of the reviews on MakeupAlley's Productville lists the ingredients, as provided by Rimmel. The foundation sports SPF15, which is decent, but there is no indication of whether it protects against UVA rays.

The consistency is a light cream that blends very easily and feels comfortable on the skin as it sets to a soft satin finish. It has a very light floral scent.


Under normal indoor lighting, it looks like a soft matte finish, concealing the natural redness in my skin.

However, when under strong spot lights, you can see that it actually contains very fine pearl shimmer. The shimmer particles are not that visible normally, unless one is looking ultra closely under bright lighting conditions. However, if you absolutely abhor shimmer, then another good drugstore brand to try for foundations is Bourjois.


After wearing this regularly for the past two weeks, I think Wake Me Up is definitely one of the better drugstore foundations that I've tried to date. It melds into the skin effortlessly and provides good coverage of pores and pigmentation without feeling not heavy or mask-like. The skin just looks better and more even-toned.

Right after I purchased it, there was one morning when I tried a Dior whitening foundation in 020 and it turned horribly yellow on me. After wiping it off with Bioderma, I reached for Wake Me Up and was relieved to find Ivory to be a much better match for my skintone as well as being much easier to apply and blend.

Another strong point is that while my skin still requires blotting every few hours, the foundation does not pool in the pores, oxidise or start looking patchy. It can emphasise dry patches though, so it helps to prepping the skin first with moisturiser. Overall, I think Wake Me Up is a good, nicely affordable option to explore for everyday wear as it is very easy to apply and wears well over the course of a day.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Haru,
Thanks for the detailed evaluation. Later when Watson opens at 10am, I am going to hunt for this. Hopefully it's available here :) Tks Vivian

Anonymous said...

It really suits you. You look vey glowy with this foundation and it is a good match. I'm going to see if it's already available here in Singapore. Thanks for the sharing.

birkinbagbeauty said...

it's beautifully glowy...Sometimes the drugstore brands really can deliver

Anonymous said...

This foundation looks gorgeous on you!
Do you mind me asking what moisturizer you use? :)

Thanks for sharing!

Haru said...

Hi,
Right now, I'm using Kenzoki Vital Ice Cream.

makeupmag said...

Hehe, you're using ice cream. :P

The packaging looks great for a drugstore brand. Reminds me of the new Za foundation (a bit).

Light Love said...

pretty! love the FOTD!