Review: Revlon ColorStay Foundation

My latest purchase is something I’m very pleased with indeed, and, fingers crossed that I’m not speaking too soon, but I think I may have finally found a foundation to suit my somewhat strange skin! My skin can be what you’d call ‘difficult’, red and blotchy with large and noticeable pores, can get very oily around the t-zone/forehead area, very light in skin tone and to top it all off, often prone to quite large, angry looking spots that I’ve previously found very hard to cover.

Having given up on the hunt for my ‘perfect foundation’, for the past six months or so I’ve been using Bourjois’ Healthy Mix Foundation (which, by the way, does have it’s perks and I particularly liked the slight glow it gave my skin). However, I was nearing the end of my second or third bottle of the stuff, and after growing tired of my make up just sliding off and having a seriously oily forehead within a few hours of application, I decided it was time to return to my unfinished mission and find something much more suitable for my skin type!

I started looking online for foundations specifically for oily skin, as especially with some of the (albeit very rare this year!) slightly sweatier days during the summer my skin has been particularly greasy and shiny. I came across a few options, and I whittled it down to either Benefit’s ‘Hello Flawless’ foundation, which boasted an oil free formula for a ‘natural finish’ and cost around £25, No7’s Beautifully Matte foundation which claimed to balance oil production and keep you shine free for 12 hours and costs around £13.50, or finally, Revlon’s ColorStay Foundation for combination/oily skin which apparently lasts for a whole 24 hours, costing around £12.50.

I did my research on each and I found that the most reviewed in the blogosphere was definitely the Revlon ColorStay, which was raved about repeatedly mainly for it’s staying power. Then I saw Becky’s review (from Milkbubbletea) and her comments about how well hid her pores and prevented oily patches, and I went and picked it up from Superdrug the next day.

The foundation does come in two different types, combination/oily and normal/dry, so kudos to Revlon for tailoring ColourStay to everyone. Although Revlon’s website indicates a large range of shades available, in store at Superdrug (and in Boots) there didn’t seem to be a massive range, and I went for the second lightest in the store, shade number 150 (buff). In terms of presentation I think the glass bottle it comes in makes the product look quite classy and semi-expensive, but the most annoying thing about the bottle is the lack of pump, as it does mean its more difficult to get the right amount of foundation for a single application and ultimately means some product will get wasted. 

In terms of the foundation itself, it has quite a creamy consistency and blends quite well, and I feel it dries much quicker than my previous foundations. I’d the say coverage is fairly heavy, judging on how well it covers my redness and even my spots and under-eye dark circles, but by no means ‘cakey’. Once applied this foundation really will not budge, which is something of a revelation for me, although I can’t vouch for the 24 hour stay claim as I never have my make up on for that long at once. On the whole it lasts all day without really needing any touch ups, and definitely stops my oily forehead problem. I love the natural finish the product gives, and given a few minutes to set I do think my pores are a lot less noticeable too.

Overall, I’m VERY happy with this foundation and will definitely be repurchasing, and at £12.50 it’s far from a bank breaker.

Has anyone else tried this? Or the normal/dry skin version? What do you think?