Hey guys! I purchased Revlon Colorstay Foundation last month while it was on sale at my local drugstore for 40% along with L'Oreal True Match Foundation. This is actually the third or fourth time I have purchased this foundation. Each time I have purchased a different color and wasn't happy with any of the shades. So basically, I gave up on Colorstay due to the color selection. But, I was determined to find a decent match.. which is why I decided to yet again give it a try. It has great ratings and I've seen so many gorgeous faces in the makeup community use this foundation and love it. Many claim that it's the best drugstore foundation. With such positive feedback.. I was very eager to try it for myself.
I did a little research, and found that for MAC NC35-37, "Golden Beige 300" and "Warm Golden 310" were the best matches. One up, "True Beige 320" is too pink and is better suited for NW30.. and the next up from True Beige is "Natural Tan 330" and is best for NC40.
I did a few hand swatches and liked the way "Warm Golden" looked the best.. so that's what I purchased.
I did a few swatches of "Warm Golden" next to MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC30 and NC40. Unfortunately, I didn't have NC35 or NC37 on hand. You can very visibly see that the MAC foundations are much more golden.. where Revlon is slightly more neutral/beige. It may be difficult to distinguish because the undertones don't match.. but Warm Golden is darker than NC30 and would fall in the NC35-37 range.
When I really like a foundation, I know right away. And usually, I'll review it fairly quick. This foundation took a while to grow on me. I applied it in several different ways. I applied it to a dry face, moisturized/primed face.. with a standard foundation brush, duo-fiber brush, fluffy synthetic brush and with my fingers. And I found that the best way for me to apply this foundation for the best result is, by first moisturizing my face prior to application and using my MAC 131 (smaller version of the 187 skunk brush), dampened with water to stipple it all over my face until blended. Applied to a dry face, this foundation looked terrible on me. But, this foundation is meant for combination to oily skin.. so it should be perfect for those with oily skin. I have pretty normal skin.. but I would also call it combination.. because I tend to get an oily t-zone (but not overly oily).. so thats why it applies better with some moisture on my face.
The foundation itself is creamy.. but a little heavy. If you find it to be too thick, heavy or cakey.. I recommend mixing it with a couple drops of your facial moisturizer or a tinted moisturizer. I tried this with MAC Face & Body and had great results (But my F&B is a little dark for me right now.. so I didn't post a photo).
Even though the undertone doesn't have that much yellow - it works perfectly fine for me right now since my coloring is a bit lighter than usual.
The coverage is pretty good. It's a medium coverage that is buildable for a heavier coverage. I prefer the way it looks when it is sheered out a bit with a moisturizer or thinner foundation. I find myself using this pretty often in conjunction with lighter foundations to over areas that need extra coverage.
It claims to last for 16 hours, which I think is a bit of a stretch. MAC Studio Fix Fluid definitely lasts longer on my skin than this foundation. This foundation can probably get me through a full work day.. but I don't agree that it will look flawless until I take it off at night. For me, after some hours (maybe 6?) it starts to fade and areas that were once concealed aren't very well concealed any more. What I really like is that it keeps my face matte.. and I have no signs of oil on my forehead or nose. So, again.. a great foundation for those with oily/combination skin.
I prefer setting it with a setting powder, as it made my face feel a little wet? tacky? after application.
Overall, I do think it's a nice foundation and in terms of coverage.. probably has the most out of any drugstore foundation I've used. Also, I love the fact that it keeps my skin matte. My only complaints are that I'm not really fond of the chemical smell (yuck), there is no pump (my bottle is looking a little messy), I don't like the way it fades after hours and I wish there were more golden/yellow shades.
Here's me wearing it... (excuse my pjs)
FACE:
MAC Pro Longwear Concealer NW25
Maybelline FIT ME Concealer #20
Revlon Colorstay Foundation #310 Warm Golden
Rimmel Stay Matte Transparent Powder (to set the foundation)
NARS Madly Blush
Benfit Hoola Bronzer (just a tiny bit in the hollows of my cheeks)
MAC New Vegas Mineralized Skinfinish (LE) (highlight the top of my cheek bones)
BROWS:
Ardell Medium Brown Brow Powder
MAC Girl Boy Brow Set
EYES:
MAC Point Black Liquidlast Liner
MAC Gilt By Association Mineralized Eyeshadow (LE) (smudged under eyes)
Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara
LIPS:
MAC Stripdown Lip Liner
MAC Pink Fish Lip Conditioner (LE)
OCC Cha Cha Lip Tar (tiny bit)
Revlon Life's a Peach Lipgloss (LE)
*(LE) = Limited Edition shade.
