Despite my best efforts (Neutrogena Age Shield Face 110 spf), I spent so much time in the sun this summer that a whole new crop of freckles and sunspots were born. I'm not real happy about that.
I want to cover them up. That's just me. You can love your sunspots & freckles all you want to.
I began to search for a medium to full coverage foundation on the pages of my fellow beauty blogger's sites. Several kept popping up, but one in particular got loads of raves, even if it did get a few rebukes, too.
ColorStay by Revlon.
And at drugstore pricing, I could afford to try it out without it being a huge loss if it didn't work out for me.
Off to Walgreen's. $12 later I have the bottle that looked to be the best color for me. I needed it to be dark enough to keep me from having the bald eagle look (really tan body, really pale face syndrome), but light enough to not look freakish (fell into a vat of self-tanner kind of look).
I think I did pretty good. The lighting makes me look pale, here, but you can still see the excellent coverage achieved.
I picked out the combination/oily skin version. There's also a normal/dry skin version. I have oily skin in the summer, hence my choice.
You can barely see the sunspots and freckles if you look closely. This is a huge improvement. You will see me in the video below with no makeup and will see all my spots & dots.
While at Walgreen's, I also picked up a "stippling" brush. A fellow beauty blogger demonstrated how it could be used to achieve a higher coverage look. I have NEVER used a brush to apply foundation, so I was curious about this method and was hoping for good things. Here's the set I bought for only $9.99 at Walgreens.
Here's my experience, videotaped for you. Don't pick on me about my pre-makeup self. I'm being brave to let you see me in all my un-made glory. And by the way, I'm almost 40, so no cracks about any lines, wrinkles, or bags!
Here's what I discovered:
- ColorStay comes in LOTS of colors, which is helpful in picking out YOUR color.
- ColorStay comes in different formulas, which is helpful for different people's needs. I find that the combination/oily skin formula actually helps control my oily skin. I can't promise that for everyone, but it works for me. I quit using loose/setting powder.
- ColorStay does, in fact, when used with a stippling method, provide a heavy coverage. In fact you can theoretically build it up & up, if need be. You should be able to apply it with a sponge or your fingers and get a medium coverage. You control that.
- ColorStay seems to be waterproof. I REALLY have to scrub my face to get it all off. In fact, I bought a motorized facial scrub brush from Rite Aid ($19.99, similar to the Clarisonic ~$169) so I could thoroughly remove this makeup. What this means to me: I can swim or sweat and still have my face on if I want to.
- It has an SPF of 6. That's not much, I know, but it's better than nothing. Put something under it if you need more SPF.
- Even though it's medium to heavy coverage, it still isn't really cake-y looking. No, you don't look like you have NO makeup on. But you don't look like you have a mask on, either. Blend it well into your neckline and you will look pretty natural.
- It's inexpensive! Hallelujah! It's $11.99, plus Buy One Get One 50% off at Walgreens.com. I paid about $12 at Walgreen's, but you can score it for $11.99 at Ulta (it's on sale, buy 2 get 1 free right now). Walmart.com has it for $9.98 currently.
- It did NOT cause my face to break out. Nor did it sting, as some products I've tried. Let me go ahead and tell you that I don't really have sensitive facial skin, though.
- It LASTS. All day long. Seriously.
- I really like applying it with a "stippling" brush. After a little practice, I'm very fast at it (unlike in the video, which was early in my usage days).
Here are a few things I don't like:
- It's kinda hard to get off! I have to really scrub my hand to get it off.
- I find it all over my phone (it transfers more than what I was previously using). So while it may last & last & even be waterproof, it does get on other stuff, apparently.
- I wish it came in a more convenient bottle. A) it's glass...and B) you have to pour it out onto something in order to not contaminate it with bacteria...and that may mean you end up pouring too much and wasting it.
- It can be hard to find your right color, considering there are NO TESTERS. UGGGHHHH. I wish makeup companies would do better in this area. We NEED testers. That's why so many people go buy expensive foundation, because at least you can test the color out to make sure you get the right one. Come on guys, FIX this problem!
All in all, unless they go messing with it, I think I found my Holy Grail Foundation. Seriously.
Thank you Revlon!
