An apology to Dream Matte Mousse

A greatly misunderstood Foundation

I’m sure reading “Dream Matte Mousse” in the title of this post will more than likely bring back some bad memories for those of us over 30—or perhaps make you laugh at the memories of past makeup mishaps.

Maybelline’s Dream Matte Mousse was popular during a time when I wasn’t wearing makeup, so I didn’t fall victim to it. But I had a handful of friends who smeared the mousse across their whole face, brows, and lips—only to stop immediately above their jawline. In fact, one of my most vivid memories of this foundation is the clumps of it clinging to earrings, where it had been applied in a rush with zero care. I remember thinking, “I’m pretty sure that’s not how you use that, but what do I know?” Even pre-makeup artist me couldn’t help but feel slightly confused by some of my friends’ shade choices and their decision to use it as lipstick.

But with all those memories still crystal clear in my mind, I do think those of us who have ever said anything bad about this foundation owe Maybelline an apology. We gaslit Dream Matte Mousse into thinking it was the worst foundation ever. (I’m not sure I used that term correctly here, but you understand what I mean!) We were the problem. Although I had never used it back then, I still looked down on it as the worst foundation ever invented. So this post is all about why that is, in fact, wrong—and why Dream Matte Mousse is actually a pretty decent foundation.

It was a different time!

But it really was! Different in terms of what the average teen knew about skin and makeup. Can you imagine yourself at 13 shopping in a beauty store for BHAs and primers based on your skin type? Or were you drying out your “acne” as much as possible with anything containing tea tree?

The importance of skin prep never felt like a priority. Three-step skincare routines were left to older people using Clinique, to those who had been prescribed skincare by a doctor, or to those who had amazing parents forcing them to do a skincare routine. Serums, exfoliators (that weren’t St. Ives), treatments, and masks definitely weren’t as vast in terms of choice as they are now. Everything we used was just made to “treat” our teen skin, mostly assuming all teens had acne-prone, oily skin.

Foundation was a different experience back then.

Picking a foundation back then was nothing like choosing one now, mainly because of our age, wisdom, and the realization that the condition of our skin matters and that foundation doesn’t cover everything.

Today, we are also blessed with larger shade ranges. Brands now realize how important it is to cater to everyone. That being said, Dream Matte Mousse had one of the worst shade ranges I’ve ever seen in a foundation, especially considering it was sold worldwide.

The Appalling shade range

Another very clear memory I have of this foundation is how it would cling to dry patches, especially around scars from healing blemishes that had been dried out to death. Now imagine—knowing all we do now about skincare and makeup—not only as adults but in this era of beauty knowledge in general—how you could have made that Dream Matte Mousse look smooth, even silky on the skin… with the correct shade, of course.

The era before blending was a thing.

In a time before social media, when AOL chat rooms were our (possibly dangerous) form of entertainment, and in a world without makeup tutorials, blending seemed like a nonexistent technique. The tools weren’t as readily available to the average consumer, either. In fact, even when I first learned makeup, I learned with those white triangle sponges and disposable eyeshadow applicators. Of course, you could blend with those sponges, but nothing quite matches the blend from a foundation brush.

Speaking of blending, fingers were the main way to apply foundation (still a great method), or you used one of those flat makeup sponges that came with a cream foundation or pressed powder—sponges that never got cleaned. And this was used in what could only be described as a hacking motion. I say all this from experience watching friends apply their makeup. I’m sure some of you out there actually knew what you were doing even back then.

So, were we the problem?

Now that we’ve listed a few reasons why the memory of this foundation makes us cringe—wrong shade choice, lack of blending, and lack of skincare prep—I hope it’s clear why I said we were the problem!

I recently used Dream Matte Mousse again. Something in me was extremely curious to see if I could make this shunned foundation work for me. Was it really that bad? Turns out, it wasn’t. I really liked the way it looked on my skin.

I’m super oily. And by oily, I mean I apply foundation, and three minutes later, I’m greasy. So, Matte Mousse is appealing to me.

I prepped my skin with my usual skincare, focusing on my skin type and texture (oily but dehydrated). I know my T-zone gets oily fast, so I didn’t over-hydrate. I know the skin around my nostrils and cheeks is textured and dehydrated, so I used something to smooth that out. Both of these steps are a few more than anything I would have done as a young teen.

I used a flat, dense powder brush to buff the mousse texture into my skin, slowly circling the formula around my face until it was undetectable. This left my skin tone completely even. These steps, which we now consider so simple, weren’t the norm back then.

The challenge: Try it again.

So here’s my challenge to you: If you can find it, grab yourself a Dream Matte Mousse in your shade. With your makeup and skincare knowledge—whether you consider it basic or advanced—make that foundation work for you!

You owe it to your younger self… and to Maybelline.