(Just a little bit of information about my skin: I have mostly dry skin with occasionally oily T-zone. Some acne here and there, acne scars, large pores and few wrinkles. Colour shade NW20 in MAC foundations.
What I expect from a foundation: medium coverage, good longevity (more than 7 hours), smoothing my skin texture (hiding pores and acne scars) as well as not accentuating dry patches.)
REVLON COLORSTAY ORIGINAL AND REVLON COLOR STAY WHIPPED FOUNDATIONS
Price: 30 ml for 13-17€.
Scent: they have a make-up scent.
Shades:
Original: 20 shades in US, about 10 in Europe in each formulation (Normal to oily, Normal to dry skin), my shade is 150 Buff Chamois (in Normal to Dry skin formulation) which is very pale and quite pink so not my favourite colour.
Whipped: 12 shades in US, about 6 in Europe. I don’t remember which one I had but it was similar colour selection as with Original, I could not get the right shade.
Texture and finish:
Original: liquid texture, shake it before the use. Best applied with fingers or brush. Sets on the face quickly so work on one part of the face at a time. It gives matt finish to the skin, looks quite natural if you don't apply too much. Doesn't covers large pores or scars as it is very liquid formula.
Whipped: cream texture, best applied with fingers or sponge. Doesn't dry as quickly as original but I still recommend working on one part of the face at a time. It gives matt finish and can be very visible on the skin if you don't blend it well.
Coverage: both have medium to full coverage, they cover pretty much all imperfections.
Longevity:
Original: I have formulation Normal to dry skin and it lasts on me only 5 hours then it breaks everywhere. Maybe the Normal to oily skin formula lasts longer.
Whipped: it lasts on me for about 8 hours.
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| Colorstay foundation by Revlon |
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| Colorstay foundation in colour 150 Buff Chamois by Revlon |
KIKO SKIN EVOLUTION FOUNDATION
Price: 30 ml for 12,90€ on KIKO website or stores.
Scent: it has make-up scent with hint of floral aroma.
Shades: 18 shades available (in Belgium at least), the undertone of colours is apricot, so warm undertone but not really the tone I like (I’m more a yellow undertone fan). I have a make-up in shade 107 Creamy Ivory which is light enough for me but with the undertone different from mine so not really my favourite.
Texture and finish: it has thick cream consistency; it is best applied with fingers or sponge. It gives semi matt finish, it smoothes the skin very nicely. However it is visible on the skin the same way as for example Double Wear foundation by Estee Lauder.
Coverage: medium to full coverage, it covers pretty much all imperfections.
Longevity: it lasts for about 8 hours, after that is breaks on T-zone and soaks into the pores. However, it looks still nice from the distance for another few hours. It is definitely a foundation for evening event.
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| Skin Evolution foundation by KIKO |
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| Skin Evolution foundation in colour 107 Creamy Ivory by KIKO |
COVER GIRL OUTLAST STAY FABULOUS 3 IN 1 FOUNDATION (in Europe: FACE FINITY ALL DAY FLAWLESS 3 IN 1 FOUNDATION BY MAX FACTOR)
Cover Girl and Max Factor are the same company and they release usually in Europe (under Max Factor) what sells well in US (under Cover Girl). For example, I’ve been using 2000 calories mascara by Max factor which is exactly the same as my favorite Lash exact by Cover Girl. So if you were lusting after something from Cover Girl, go and check Max Factor if it’s been released in Europe as well (under different name).
Price: 30 ml under 8$ in US, 16€ in Europe (what a difference!).
Scent: almost no scent, maybe hint of floral aroma.
Shades: 14 shades in US, 6 shades in Europe (why such a poor selection?). I bought originally Cover Girl foundations through Amazon and as I wasn’t sure about the shades I bought one in shade 820 which is ok (just the undertone is different) and 855 which is very dark (to be used when I’m super selftanned).
Texture and finish: it has creamy consistency; it is easy to apply (fingers, brush or sponge). It gives matt finish however it doesn’t stick much to the dry patches. It smoothes out the skin texture and the face looks flawless. On the other hand it is visible on the skin so it is best used for evening events. From all the foundations in this post, this one reminds me the most of Double Wear foundation by Estee Lauder.
Coverage: medium to full coverage, it covers pretty much everything.
Longevity: it lasts very long time, it stays matt for 7 hours and well together for 10 hours.
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| Outlast Stay Fabulous foundation by Cover Girl |
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| Outlast Stay Fabulous foundation in colour 820 (left) and 855 (right) by Cover Girl |
Final verdict: all of these foundations are not bad at all and they are definitely worth trying. Apart from Original Colorstay by Revlon other foundations remind me of Double Wear by Estee Lauder, especially Cover Girl foundation, due to their high coverage and great longevity (and visibility on the skin). Since I own the Double Wear and I wear it only occasionally I don’t think I need all these foundations so I will give them to some friends or relatives (except Outlast by Cover Girl in shade 820, it expires in February 2015 so I will use it till then).
Related articles:
Foundation festival part 1: Yves Rocher foundations
Foundation festival part 2: Dermacol foundations
Foundation festival part 3: L’Oreal foundations
Foundation festival part 4: some average drugstore foundations
Foundation festival part 6: my favorite drugstore foundations
