Review: Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation

Despite being a bit of a base product-addict, I'd never actually tried any of Rimmel's foundations until pretty recently. My skin is oily and blemish-prone, so for me a foundation has to provide at least a medium coverage which is buildable when I need it to be, and to last well one my skin without sliding around or becoming super-shiny within the hour. Not much to ask, then! I've been trying to expand my foundation horizons, leading me to pick up Rimmel's Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation in the shade '100 Ivory'.
"Full coverage foundation enriched with a comfort serum. Instant perfect coverage that feels extra comfortable and lasts all day. Sweat, heat, humidity and transfer-proof for up to 25 hours. Coverage that won't let you down."
First things first, the 30ml bottle is fitted with a pump, which shouldn't be a big deal but after using Revlon's ColorStay which is lacking a pump - trust me, I was thrilled to get back to the pump! Pump is beginning to sound like a made-up word now.. How many times can I say the word pump in one review? Pump pump pump. Ahem. One pump of product is pretty much the perfect amount to cover my whole face, although I sometimes add an extra half-pump or so if I'm wanting to really build coverage on a bad skin day.
I've been blending this into the skin after applying a primer, using either my fingers, my BeautyBlender, or my ELF Stippling Brush, all of which seem to work well; the foundation is easy to blend and gives a smooth, even finish without pooling in pores. I've not had any problems with cakiness when building more coverage, which is a must-have for me. I always set my foundation with powder, so the fact that this has a slightly dewy finish doesn't bother me; if you like a more glowy finish it's there, but if like me you prefer to go for a matte look, it powders down nicely. As you can probably see, this doesn't completely cover redness and imperfections so concealer is still a must for me for a completely even skintone. The shade I have is a good match for my fair skin and doesn't seem to oxidise as the day goes on, which is reassuring for us pale ladies!
On my skin, this lasts around 4-5 hours before I get an obvious shine coming through on my forehead, which is better than average although not up to the standard of ColorStay. That said, I can easily blot or powder over it at that point so it's not too much of a concern, especially since the foundation seems to stay put even when I start to get a little shiny; it's generally still giving a good coverage when I get home from work, after around eleven hours wear. I haven't found it to settle into fine lines or anything like that, which I'm impressed with. 25 hours is obviously a ridiculous claim and I'm never going to wear make-up for that long, but it's good to know I still have coverage after 12-14 hours wear.
Overall, if you have a normal skin-type then I can see this being pretty perfect if you can find a shade match. For oilier-skinned ladies like myself, it's still definitely workable as long as you don't mind blotting or topping up your powder after a few hours. The coverage is definitely there and the ease of blending and setting make this a good choice for me. Rimmel's Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation is priced at £7.99 for 30ml of product, making it an affordable option, and is available in seven shades from Boots and Superdrug, amongst other retailers. Have you tried this, or any other Rimmel foundations? What are your favourite base products?

xo