Maybelline Fit Me Matte & Poreless: Wear Test & Review

It would be almost impossible for you to not have heard of Maybelline New York before. If you say you haven't, you’re lying. What started as a small, family-owned business is now one of the number one cosmetics companies in America. It ranges every single product you would need for your beauty routine and covers trends from all over the world. It uses scientifically-advanced formulas to produce Maybelline’s trademark textures and all for an incredibly affordable price! 

We could go on and on about Maybelline’s extensive product range, but as we are in the foundation game, we are here to talk about one product in particular - Maybelline’s Fit Me Matte & Poreless ($17 USD, $14 GBP, $25 AUD). For the past decade, this product has had a cult-like following, in the drug store makeup world due to its accessibility and affordability. 

Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation claims to mattify and refine pores to leave a natural & seamless finish. We’ve taken a deep dive (so you don’t have to!) to see if this foundation lives up to the hype. 

Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless: The Facts

As always, I start from the outside in. The packaging for this product is a simplistic, no frills, yet chic square glass bottle with a black twist lid. I do take issue, almost immediately, with the dispenser. As a child of the 90s, when Foundation brands weren’t as vast as they are now, Maybelline was every high school girls go to. It was a great product, easily able to be slipped into the grocery trolley without mum seeing or quickly purchased with your paycheck from working 8 hours a week at the local Hungry Jacks. But Maybelline, we’ve been patient enough. Can you please advise when we will get a pump on this product? It’s been a messy decade, pouring this foundation out of the bottle and trying as we might to control the product flow. I’ve only been re-visiting it for the last week for this review and it's found its way onto various clothing items & household surfaces. My dry cleaning invoices are in the mail. 

The shade range has grown exponentially this year - it’s about damn time! In February 2022, Maybelline launched the full 40 shade range in Australian supermarkets as a trial, making this product available to a much larger base. Previously only 9 shades were available and the success of the trial just proves how desperate the market is for diversity and inclusivity - especially in the drug store market. The fairest and darkest shades are pointedly lighter and darker then most other brands on the market, with a commendable breadth of undertones throughout.   

The ingredients list is fairly standard, but the formula is completely oil free and features exclusive micro-powders to help absorb oil, control shine and blur pores for an airbrushed finish. Maybelline also claims that the Fit Me Matte and Poreless foundation is sweat - and sebum - resistant for 5-6 hours, which proves true. 

There is no smell to this product, which helps those with sensitivity, but this is also becoming more of a trend in foundation ranges. 

It is an ideal foundation for normal-to-oily skin. Dry skin can dabble, however, prep needs to be taken seriously (we are never serious about anything - but we are serious about this!). Good preparation with hydrating skincare and a good primer will set you up for success with this product. Sensitive skin can also come to the party without fear of flare ups or breakouts as the formula has been dermatologist and allergy tested. 

It is an ultra-light mattifying liquid foundation with a creamy soft texture and a runny consistency - which isn’t ideal due to the lack of bottle pump (the product flies out fast!). It doesn’t behave like most matte foundation formulas, it blends with incredible flexibility (most matte foundations are hard to stretch and I find myself having to work in small sections). 

It can be applied with any tool for a flawless finish, Maybelline does suggest that you can apply it with your fingertips but I wouldn’t recommend it, I typically use a brush or beauty blender for an even finish. 

It has a medium coverage, but it is very buildable to full coverage. First application is a medium coverage, but full coverage without that heavy feel is achievable with a second layer. On the other side, If you prefer a light, more sheer coverage, you could mix it with some moisturiser. The finish is matte but skin still looks super radiant and velvety, pores and lines appear blurred and oil is controlled. 

The internet swears up and down Fit Me Matte & Poreless is a cheaper dupe for the perennially popular makeup artist fave MAC Studio Fix Fluid (UK) (US), sharing the same silky fluid texture, ease of blendability, and natural matte finish. Comparatively MAC Studio Fix Fluid has a strong paint-like scent to the fragrance-free Fit Me, but it does make up for it with an inclusive 60+ shade range.

14 Hour Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Wear Test 

Fleur is back to take Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless out for the day (& night!); 

Ah Matte & Poreless, my old friend. This foundation was my staple in my 20s and my makeup cabinet had 3-4 bottles in varying depths and undertones at all times, and still does (fake-tanning life). It’s my budget-friendly foundation of choice for every-day wear due to its easy application, coverage and staying power. It’s been a few years since I’ve given her a proper whirl (2020 & 2021 were spent in lockdown/isolation so my nearly all my foundation bottles lay dormant and I’d prefer to get my NARS spent while my Maybelline curdles) and today I’m taking my Winter shade 112 Natural Ivory for a spin to see how it goes getting through an office day followed by an after work outing. 

5:30am - Skin Prep: I prepped my skin at 530am because I woke up feeling dehydrated (nothing new here). I knew I’d be wearing a matte foundation today, so I mixed in an oil with my moisturiser. This isn’t my usual prep, as I tend to lean towards more hydrating dewy foundations, but as I keep committing the crime not to prime (I am who I am, leave me be) this is a necessary step. I went off to have breakfast and let my skin drink it all up. 

7:00am - Application: I apply my first layer at 7am with my MAC foundation brush which goes on with immediate medium coverage. I let it set for a minute, before adding more product through the centre of my face and bouncing it out with my beauty blender. Usually I would stop here, but as I’ve got a long day/night ahead of me I’ve built it up to just under full. I don’t usually wear this much foundation on an office day, but we do what we have to do to make it to cocktail hour with a full face. I set the foundation with Maybelline Shine Free Loose Powder (UK) (US) and then add on all the necessary extras etc highlighter, contour, bronzer, brows, a subtle eye and a bold lip. 

9am - 2 hours since application: I arrived at work and NOTHING came off on my mask on my commute. It is on my face like glue without feeling dry or heavy. Overall my face is glowy due to the copious amounts of luminous blush, highlight and eyeshadow applied (I’m a glowy-gal to the core, you will never see me fully-matte) but my chin and forehead are nicely mattified and covered. No foundation movement to report.

2pm - 7 hours since application: Movement is still minimal after many snacks (Vi, please stop buying Tim Tams for the office), a cup of coffee, water bottle sips and a healthy lunch to offset the biscuits. A quick trip to Sephora and to the post office outside did little to affect the finish. Ever the face-toucher, Fit Me still endures on my chin and jawline.

5pm - 10 hours since application: I’ve arrived at dinner 2 trains and 40min of mask wear later. There's a bit of pooling in my smile lines, but considering I haven’t touched up all day this is great news. Feedback from my girlfriend Tina was that I looked fresh and she couldn’t believe I’m at hour 10 without a touch up! 

9:00pm - 14 hours since application: Several courses of Chinese, 2 cocktails and a piece of pie later, I’m home. I honestly look like I still have a very full face of makeup on. There is finally some smudging around the mouth and my under eyes look dry as a chip, they’ve had enough and want my makeup off and some moisture to go on. It comes off as easy as my light or medium coverage foundations and my skin feels as it usually does after my evening skin care. 

Fleur’s Final thoughts: For the price point, this is a banger of a foundation. It builds, covers, lasts, and has an awesome shade selection. You can always pick it up on sale and is a staple for filling in the shade gaps if you tan (naturally or by the bottle). 112 Natural Ivory blended right in for a perfect match (I matched using my Estée Lauder double wear shade 2c3 fresco (UK) (US) on the Match My Makeup website). My only gripe is with the bottle, the product is hard to get out & dipping a brush in is not hygenic. Like we, as a nation, collectively agreed to move away from cork wine & celebrate the twist top, we need to stand together - It’s 2022 Maybelline, we need a pump nozzle! 

Fleur’s Skincare Products (in order of application):

Beaute Pacifique Hyaluronic (AU)

Beaute Pacifique Age Defy (AU)

Avene Lips replenishing balm (AU) mixed with salt by hendrix eye babe treatment oil (AU)

Fleur’s Makeup Products (in order of application):

Maybelline fit me matte & poreless foundation in shade 112 (UK) (US)

Giorgio Armani luminous silk concealer shade 5 (UK) (US)

Maybelline shine free loose powder shade light 01 (UK) (US)

Nars Vallarta (contour) (UK) (US)

Nars laguna (bronzer) (UK) (US)

Hourglass blush in strobe x strobe blush in lucid glow (AU)

Mac highlighter soft and gentle (UK) (US)

Kevyn aucoin eyebrow pencil in Brunette (UK) (US)

Makeup rev eyebrow gel (UK) (US)

NARS eyeshadow palette cool crush (UK) (US)

Nars climax mascara (UK) (US)

Estée Lauder lipstick pure colour desire in 102 give in (UK) (US)