How to add more warmth/yellow tones to your foundation

For a long time, I really struggled to find the right foundation shade let alone which one agreed to my skin the best. A few years ago, there were not as many shades available for skin of colour. The limited selection available I found would either be too light/pink or too dark/orange for my skin tone. That’s when I discovered Make Up Forever Chromatic Mix in the shade Yellow and I am telling you ladies this is a game changer!

The best decision for me at that time was to purchase a neutral toned foundation and then to add the Make Up Forever Chromatic Mixin the shade yellow together. I had purchased the Estee Lauder foundation in the shade Shell Beige 4N1 which is a medium shade with neutral undertones and looked slightly ashy on me. I had mixed the foundation and yellow mix together and HOLY MOLY this had worked beautifully with the perfect amount of yellow undertones to the foundation and this became my holy grail for many years until more recent times where now more shades and undertones are available.

How to make the mix? It is as easy as 1-2-3. You can either make as much as you need for one time by adding few drops of foundation and MUFE yellow drops on a pallet and mixing together OR you can do what I had done, which is to purchase a small travel pot and to make enough mixture for a week. This was a great bonus for when I use to go on holidays as it is travel friendly and takes little to no room in your bag. P.S – I had added more yellow drops than usual in order to show the difference for review purposes.

Why I love the Make Up Forever Chromatic Mixin the shade Yellow:

• You can adjust your foundation to how you like. In this case with the yellow shade, you can make your foundation as warm/yellow toned as you please.
• The yellow is more of a mustard yellow rather than a bright yellow, which works best for tanned/brown skin tones.
• Great for making your foundation warmer in the summer, instead of buying a new foundation when you catch a tan this would be great replacement.  
• Lasts a long time – you only need a couple of drops
• Lots of other shades available, so you can make your foundation lighter or darker etc

For reference the nearest best foundation shades for me now are: Fenty Beauty shade 290 and The Ordinary foundation in the shade 2.1 Y. I do no use MAC foundations but the closest match would be NC40 (however this is too orange for me but the closest I can reference too).

Even though I have now found better foundation shades for me, having the Make Up Forever Chromatic Mixin the shade yellow is still a great addition for when I catch a tan in the summer. All I have to do is just add a couple of drops to my current foundation and I can adjust this accordingly to as my tan starts to fade.

I purchase mind from Guru Makeup Emporium for about £12. I am not 100% sure if it is currently out of stock – please drop them a message.

I totally recommend Make Up Forever Chromatic Mix for any one as this is such a great little hack for your foundation plus, they offer a variety of colours that can best suit you.

Find me on Instagram @beautypuzzled for more beauty tips and tricks xx

Make Up Forever Ultra HD Foundation

Hey guys, I know I have been awful with keeping up to date with my blog! I have been crazy busy with several celebrations over the last few months. But I have a few beauty products to share over the next few weeks.

Today I will review the Make Up Forever Ultra HD Foundation in the shade Y385. If anyone is familiar with Make Up Forever foundations, they have actually discarded their original HD line and replaced it with this Ultra HD one. I did use to use the original foundation in the shade 128. This shade was not a perfect shade, it needed more yellow undertones, but it was the nearest I could find to my skin tone at the time. I had to add Make Up Forever yellow colour corrector to this to make it a perfect shade. ( Correctors are amazing in making the perfect shade – I will review this product soon guys!). However with the new Ultra HD line much more colours are released, some are the same colours as the original and some are brand new shades, making that a whopping 40 shades in total. They have really thought hard about everyone’s skin type, as they have categorised the shades in groups – light, medium, tan and dark and then what undertone you are – red or yellow. It can be a little confusing so ask a beauty advisor to colour match you when purchasing this foundation.

I got colour matched to shade Y385 – Olive Beige (this is found in the medium group range), which is a new shade. This was the best match for me out of all the shades. For reference this shade is near to Mac’s NC40-42. It has strong yellow undertones, I found it look slightly too yellow on my skin, I needed to apply powder on top to calm down the ‘yellowness’. I had brought this last summer and it worked well with my tanned skin, unfortunately a little too dark for winter months.

Left: blended Right: swatch

The formula is silky, smooth , a bit more runny compared to the original. It is definitely very hydrating, my skin does not feel dry and does not cling on to dry patches. Therefore I would highly recommend this foundation more so for dry- normal skin girls rather than very oily. I have dry-combination skin and this works fine for me. I would say this foundation is medium coverage and is very natural looking.

It doesn’t look overly yellow in my photos due to the poor lighting, but in reality it is.

What are your thoughts on the new Make Up Forever Ultra HD Foundation? Do you prefer it over the original?

Thank you for reading

Bhavi x o x o

EX1 Invisiwear Liquid Foundation Review

I am SUPER EXCITED to write this post!! As today I will be reviewing a foundation I can actually state as AMAZING!! The foundation I will be reviewing is called EX1 Invisiwear Liquid Foundation in the shade F300.

About Ex1

Ex1 was founded by British Asian Biochemist Farah Naz. Like most Asian/olive skin tone women Farah was very frustrated with the lack of high street products available to match her skin tone. Therefore she conducted a two year research program in order to create the perfect foundation for olive skin tones.

For all those that are Asian, Indian, Pakistani, Middle Eastern, Spanish and anyone else with olive/yellow skin tones this foundation should appeal to you, as I am sure we have all suffered the same difficulty as Farah Naz!!

Packaging

This product is contained within a clear transparent plastic packaging with a copper lid. This packaging does not look cheap, it looks high end and it is travel friendly! I like this packaging as I can see how much product I have left. It also comes with a pump where the foundation moves up while you pump more product out which again is great for showing how much product you have left. The only downfall I have about the packaging is that the pump is not very sturdy sometimes you have to be careful with how the foundation disperses, as it can go everywhere!! However, I have now got used to this and have no problems with it.

Product 

Shades: The shades available are F100,F200,F300,F400,F500. Not a huge shade range, but lucky for me F300 worked perfectly!! It contains olive/beige and yellow undertones, what I love is that the yellow tones are not too strong and does not make me look like a member from TOWIE! For Autumn, Winter and Spring shade F300 should work great for me. It may be too light for me in the summer with a tan but I will probably purchase the next shade up for then. If you are unsure what shade you could be EX1 have conducted a shade matcher on there website, please click here to find your shade. They have compared there shades to Mac foundation shades which may help some when deciding. For reference I am MAC shade 41 and F300 is a great match for me. Unfortunately, this foundation may not suit pale or pink skin tones, as the undertones are best suited for olive skins and the lightest shade available is not that pale. However the darkest shaden(F500) does run quiet dark and will be great for any african/afro-carribean ladies.

Texture: This foundation is not too runny nor too thick, it is extremeley blendable. It works well with fingers, sponges and brushes!! My favorite method of application is my Sigma F88 as it gives the best flawless finish.

Skin type: I have combination skin – oily T-zone, with exzema around my mouth and normal skin on the remaining areas – Great combo huh? But this foundation tackled each part! It was hydrating enough to not let my ezeama look flakey and it kept my t-zone looking non-greasy! Therefore this foundation could work for every skin type – dry, normal, oily and combination.

Coverage: I would say this foundation is a light to medium to buildable coverage foundation, which is great as I can wear this in the day time or build it up more for a evening look. I usually use around 2 pumps which covers most my acne marks!

Finish: This foundation is a good semi-matt finish, with powder is more of a matt finish but my face still has a glow it does not look powdery or too matt. This foundation states it is ‘invisiwear’ meaning a natural finish, I believe this is true if you use one/two pumps. However if you are going for a good medium coverage look with three pumps you will be able to tell you are wearing foundation but you will not looked caked up compared to other full coverage foundations. For all you dewy skin lovers – fear not, I dampen my beauty blender dupe and the finish was dewy!

Lasting power: This foundation lasts all day. This foundation can look fresh for about 5/6 hours and can last a good 8/10 hours with just a little fading. I do not have to top up in between with extra foundation or powder!! I have not worn this foundation for more than 10 hours but I can likely see it lasting all day a night with an in between touch up.

 Price & Availability:

I was very lucky to stumble on this foundation in a store which allowed me to test this foundation before purchasing. If you live in London, you can visit Guru Make Up Emporium based in High Street Kensington  for £10.50!! Bargain for such a quality foundation! I can not praise the staff in this store enough, they were very friendly and helpful, I was there forever deciding on make up. What I like about this store is that they allow you to try as much make up as you like, they provide you with a mirror and a selection of make up brushes, I much prefer this as you can take your time trying on as many products as you like without irritating a beauty advisor or queing up for one. But fear not, there are beauty advisers there available to help you still! They also sell other make up brands that are not available in stores in the UK such as Make Up Forever and Ben Nye! I had also purchased Ben Nye Banana Powder when I had purchased this foundation, I will be reviewing this next time.

For online availability you can also purchase this at LookFantastic.Com £10.50 + Free UK delivery.

Overall Verdict: I give this foundation 5 out of 5 stars!! I have never given a foundation such great ratings, but this is now my HG foundation. Everything is great from the price to the quality to the coverage it provides!! I highly recommend this foundation  for all olive skin girls as I believe it is a foundation for all skin types. The shade is the best I have tried, it suits my olive Indian skin tone very well!

Above: Is a photograph of me wearing the foundation, I have kept the rest of my make up neutral to show you how well the foundation looks. 

Thank you for reading,

Bhavi x0x0

Follow me on Instagram @beautypuzzled

 

My Saturday Night Make Up Look

As I got great feedback from My Saturday Make Up look post the other week, I have decided to do the same for this weekend. On Saturday I had attended my cousins reception party, which was great fun :D! It was an Indian reception party and therefore I wore a saree with a sparkly gold blouse due to this I wanted to keep my make up simplish.

Eyes:

1) Applied Maybelline Fit Me concealer in the shade 25 all over my lid first as my lids are a little dark. This also allows the eye shadow to pop out more!

2) I used Sleeks Divine Shadow Collection. It does not state the colours of each shadow. But according to the photo below I used number 1 all over my lid. This shade is a lovely metallic bronze colour. I then used number 2 which is a matt black colour. I made a side wards V shape on the edge of my lids and then blended both colours together in the middle.

3)Applied Rimmel London Exaggerate liquid eyeliner in black and created a wing look effect. This is a great eye liner, it is easy to apply and does not irritate my sensitive eyes.

4) Curled my top eyelashes and applied Maybelline The Collossal Go Extreme Mascara in Black.

Face:

1) Smashbox Photo finish primer applied everywhere

2) Applied EX1 Invisiwear Liquid Foundation in the shade F300 – I LOVE LOVE LOVE this foundation. For those that read my blog you would know I am always trying to find my perfect foundation! Being Indian with beige and yellow undertones it can be tricky finding a perfect much. I found this foundation out of chance, usually I like to check reviews out before purchasing but I was in store at Make Up Guru based in Kensington London. As soon as I tried this I loved it. The colour, texture, staying power, coverage etc  is pretty much perfect!! I will go into more detail about this foundation soon. It is so amazing it needs a detailed post!!

3)Ben Nye Banana Powder – another product that I am absolutely loving atm and again needs a detailed post on it soon! I apply this on areas that need highlighting – under the eyes, bridge of nose, chin, and forehead. I apply this with my beauty blender dupe. This powder brightens areas of your face and keeps your make up and oil control at bay! Best powder I have tried by far!

4) Sleek Face Form kit in Medium – I used the bronzer and highlighter on my cheeks.

Lips:

I wanted to keep my lips simple with a pretty subtle pink colour.

1) Applied Boots Natural Collection lipstick in the shade cranberry – Medium berry-pink tone lipstick.

2) I then applied L’Oreal Glam Shine in the shade Perennial Rose – Lovely rose colour with some shimmer – perfect for an evening look and the shimmer flowed nicely with my shimmery saree blouse and eye shadow.

Thank you for reading

Bhavi xoxo

Follow me on Instagram @beautypuzzled

My Saturday Night Make Up Look

Hi Everyone, The above photo was taken on Saturday night, If you like this DRUGSTORE look and wish to create this your self then please read on as I will list the products I had used.

Face:

 1)Moisturized my face with Cetaphil Moisturising Cream – This is great if you suffer from dry skin.

2)Applied Smashbox Photo Finish Primer on to my face, only a pea amount is needed. This helps to keep my foundation to last longer.

3)SmashBox Studio Skin 15Hour Wear Hydrating Foundation (Sample Size) – This foundation is great, it oil free, it last all night with a medium coverage that looks natural. I only had to re apply powder once therefore it is pretty shine free. I will be purchasing the full size. For reference I wore shade 3.1 which is a decent match for my skin tone. I have not found any blog reviews on this shade therefore I will do one as soon as a purchase the full size.

4) Applied Maybelline Fit Me concealer in shade 25 – I use this as a concealer highlighter – I applied this under my eyes, bridge of my nose and the arch my my eyebrows.

5) Applied Maybelline SuperStay 24H Waterproof Powder in shade 30 Sand on my T-Zone area- This pressed powder compact is very long lasting, usually only have to reapply this once through the day. Gives me a shine free face. However if I apply too much of this, it does appear ashy as there is not enough yellow tones in this powder. I really want to try Ben Nye Banana Luxury Powder (Kim Kardashians HG highlighting powder), but it is very hard to get hold of 😦 – If anyone knows an inexpensive place in the UK to purchase this let me know please!

6) Applied Sleek Face Form Kit in Medium – As you know I am loving contouring ATM. On Satuday I only did a light contour as my hair was covering half my face anyways. Applied the dark powder just with a light hand on the hallow of my cheeks and applied the highlighter on the top of my cheek bone.

Eyes:

 

1) W7 In The Buff – As you know I LOVE this eyeshadow palette, please click for full review here. I had applied the shade Camel all over my lid. I wanted a sutle light colour for my lids as I wanted to go for a bold lip.

2) Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Eyeliner – Applied this on the top of my eyelash line with a wing. Please click for full review of this product here.

3)Maybelline The Colossal Go Extreme Mascara in Leather Black – I am usually a fan of Loreal Mascara’s but this one was on offer for only £5 at Superdrug. It is indeed an intense black colour. It does lengthen and volumise my lashes however it can easily look clumpy if I apply to much product.

Lips:

1) Applied Aquaphour lip therapy on my lips.

2) Applied Sally Hansen Inivisible Lip Liner – This is Amazing! It makes my lipsticks last so much longer and prevents them from bleeding.  Please click here for full review.

3) Appled Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in shade Glam Plum Fulham 470 – This lipstick is perfect for Autumn and night outs. It is a lovely deep plum/ dark red colour. I don’t usually like dark colours as I can not pull the ‘vamp look’ off, but this colour does not make me look vampy but like it states ‘glam’.

Brushes:

Sigma F88 Flat Angled Kabuki Brush –  I love this brush! I used this to apply my foundation.

Real Techniques Pointed Foundation Brush –  This is from the core collection kit. I used this to apply my concealer as it is a small pointed brush great for under the eyes. I feel it is far too small to be used as a foundation brush.

Real Techniques Buffing Brush – Again from the core collection kit. I used this to apply my powder as I can really buff the powder into my skin. Some like to use this brush for foundation, but I enjoy using this for powder as it is not too big and can reach smaller areas such as under the eyes and nose.

Ecotool Tapered Brush – I use this to apply my contour and highlighting. Also great for applying blusher.

Real Techniques Shading Brush – I use this brush to apply my eyeshadow. The bristles are very soft however I find this brush too big  if I wanted to blend two colours on my eyelid but it is perfectly fine to apply one colour or a base colour.

Maybelline Eyeliner Brush –  This came with my Maybelline Gel Eyeliner – I enjoy using this brush.

Hair:

1) Treseme Heat Defence Styling Spray – I must always use a heat defence before applying any heat products on my hair – it really prevents extra damaging!

2)Aussie Mircke Recharge Assome Volume – I spray this on the roots of my hair to create volume. I would not say this is an amazing product. It does provide me a little volume however it does not last all day. Nevertheless the product smells amazing!

3) GHD’s – This is my HG heat product, I can not live without them. I use it for straightening and curling my hair.  In this post I have curled my hair with them. They give me beautiful curls. I have used a wand and Tongs before but the curls don’t come out as nice nor last as long compared to using my GHD’s.  GHD’s last for years, I have been using these for 11 years and this is only my second GHD I had to purchase. My first one broke at University halls, I am not sure whether it was a technical fault or just my fault with a drunken night LOL 😛 !

4) L’Oreal Elnett Supereme Hold Very Volume –  I applied this hair spray all over and a little on my roots to give my hair an extra ‘lift’. This hair spray does provide some volume and good hold for most the night!  It gave my curls a lovely ‘bounce’. It does not make my hair feel like glue after neither!!

All these products can be found in Drugstores, I had purchased these products from Boots and Superdrugs. Apart from my GHD’s those were purchased from a Salon. Please feel free to ask any questions about my Saturday night look or any of the products mentioned above.

P.S – Dress was purchased from Bershka a couple years back. However, I have seen something similar in branch recently.

Follow me on Instagram @beautypuzzled

Thank you for reading

Bhavi xoxo

Essence – All About Matt Foundation Review

Who ever thought my current favourite foundation would only cost me £3.50!! I love this Essence – All About Matt Foundation in the shade 30 Matt Sand. Even more surprisingly I had found this little beauty in Wilkinsons, please click here to purchase. I had no idea Wilko had started selling make up. FYI they also sell a wide range of synethic brushes for super cheap too, that will be next on my wish list!

What the packaging states:

*12 hours long lasting

*Moisturising

*Mattifying

*Oil Free

*Cover imperfections

*Flawless finish

*Dermatological tested.

Packaging.

It looks like nothing special, a very basic plastic tube! I have no issue with this, as I much prefer the foundation to be amazing (which this is!). I also, find it hygienic that it comes in squeezy tube with a nozzle at the end. You get the standard 30ml amount of foundation inside.

Shade Range.

The shade range for this product is poor, there are only three or four colours to choose out of. This will not be ideal for very pale or very dark skin tones. Luckily the darkest shade 30 Matt Sand has managed to work decent for me. Also I have a bit of my holiday tan still left so perhaps in another month this foundation should hopefully be a perfect match. For reference, I am shade MAC NC41 or Revlon Colourstay Foundation in Natural Tan (if you are these shades this essence shade should work for you). In the summer I fit L’Oreal True Match Foundation in N6 therefore this Essence foundation will probably be too light for the summer but for the rest of the year it should be fine.

I would say this is a neutral foundation, it appears slightly more pink when I first apply it but it does somehow blend and after a while it oxides and matches my skin tone perfectly.

L: Blended, R: Swatch

Formula

This foundation gives a medium coverage finish that is oil free. It covers most light blemishes and marks. The texture is not too runny or too thick therefore It can be easily used with fingers or a brush, I personally use this with my Sigma F88 brush and it gives a flawless finish.

Because this foundation is so cheap I did not expect a lot from the formula and the claims of being matt, but this is one product that does not lie! It certainly does give me a matt finish. I wouldn’t say pure matt, but something in between semi- matt to matt but you can definitely make it pure matt with applying powder. I tend to prime, then apply the foundation and then apply a very little amount of powder only on the T-Zone (far much less compared to when wearing another foundation), sometimes I even skip the powder part as I do not really need it, but I tend to just apply a little if I will be wearing it for a long time.  I love how natural and flawless this foundation makes me look. I love the semi-matt look when the weather gets cooler so this is perfect for the autumn/winter months.

Longevity

This foundation does last a long time – I have worn this for 10 hours and it stayed on fine, definitely lasts longer when primed and powdered on top. More importantly it stays true to its claims with staying matt!! I spent a long day shopping the other week and my little sister who does not know much about make up had even said your face is not shiny after shopping for once! ( ha ha cheeky little girl). Sometimes it is nice to hear a compliment from someone that does not know any thing about make up because then they will tell you the obvious truth without being bias!!

The only downfall I have for this foundation is that it contains no SPF, but on the other hand this shade will be too light for me to wear in the summer anyways. Even If I could wear this in the summer I probably would because of the price and how amazing this product is, I would be happy to apply SPF underneath this foundation.

Over Verdict: 4 ½ stars out of 5. It looses the extra ½ star for no SPF. Other from this I love this foundation and find my self reaching for it more than my other foundations. I also have not had any break outs so its no clogging pores claim is probably true!

Have you tried this foundation or any other products from Essence?

Follow me on Instagram @beautypuzzled

 Thank you for reading

 Bhavi xoxo

L’oreal True Match Foundation Review

 

Hey everyone, I hope you’re all enjoying this BEAUTIFUL hot weather. As us ladies know, when it becomes hot, we get a tan which is great but we also encounter the dilemma of our foundation no longer matching our new tanned skin! This was myself a few weeks ago after coming back from Morocco I definitely needed a new foundation. I usually use Revlon Colour Stay in shade natural tan, but this looking slightly grey on my skin at the moment. I started my hunt with high end brands such as Mac, and Estee Lauder. I picked up studio fix fluid samples from Mac in shades NC40,41 and 42. Shades 40 and 42 looked way to orange on my skin, shade 41 was a good match, however I could not handle the paint smell and it gave me a headache. Next, Estee Lauder double wear, I have trailed and error 4 shades of this foundation yet they are either too dark, light or not the right undertones. Apart from the colour I absolutely love this foundation, the coverage and staying power is fantastic but unfortunately it’s a no no for a colour match.

After this I looked at high street brands, I noticed L’oreal True Match foundation has a huge variety of colours; 22 to be precise, these range from pale, tanned to dark shades. Surely I would find my colour match?! Guess what, I did!! :D. Purchased this from Superdrug for only £9.99.

Loreal claims

“True Match super-blendable foundation perfectly matches the colour and texture of your skin. Now available in 22 skin-true shades across warm, neutral and cool, it matches more than any other.** 

Oil free and non-comedogenic. SPF 17.

97%* of UK skin tones matched. A foundation for the nation.”

 What it claims on the bottle:

• Super blendable
• Matches skin colour and texture
• SPF 17
• In 2 weeks skin will look healthier and more even due to the micro minerals in the product.

I think many people would find their colour match here as they split there foundations in regards to under tones,which are cool, neutral and warm. From light, medium to dark shades. Loreal has an online app where you can find your colour match. Please click here to view this.

I am shade N6 – Honey. Some people may claim I would be more of a warm undertone, but I find these appear too dark and orangey on my face. Maybe that’s why I haven’t found my perfect shade as most brands have either cool or warm shades. However L’oreal has a neutral shade with an equal balance of cool and warm shades in the formula. It matches perfectly for my tanned summer skin!

One pump of foundation

 

Foundation blended in

This foundation I would say is a medium coverage. It is a thin formula which makes it easy to buff and blend and feels very light on the skin. It is also super blendable and matches my skin magically. I apply this foundation with my Real Techniques Stippling Brush, It definitely gives of a natural look, yet covers up my blemishes. After primer and powder it finishes of as a semi-matt look, I much prefer this than complete matt as I love the glowing dewy look for summer. If you prefer an extra dewy look than skip the powder part. In regards of L’oreal stating it can improve your skin quality; well I did not notice any difference!

The longevity of this foundation is not the best after a few hours I do notice a little fading and the T-zone is a little shiny, nothing too bad. Funny enough I do not mind this for the summer as it gives of a dewier look. I have combination skin so this foundation is more manageable when it comes to longevity, however someone with really oily skin then this foundation may not work for you. For everyday wear this foundation works well, however if I was going for a night out/wedding/all day event I would much prefer my Revlon Colourstay Foundation. Please click here for this review.

     

I absolutely love the packaging for this, it is a great size for travelling and the pump makes it so much easier to use and is very hygienic.

Overal verdict:

Pros

• Great if you are looking for colour to match your skin tone as there is a huge variety of shades.
• SPF 17
• Dewy summer look
• Lightweight
• Does not irritate my skin
• Does not break me out
• Blendable
• Skin like foundation
• Affordable
• Hygienic pump bottle
• Oil free and non comedogenic.

Cons

• Longevity  – does not last all day
• Would not suit very oily skins.
• No signs of L’oreal claims of improving skin quality.

This is my go to foundation for the summer to match my skin tone. However in the winter I much prefer a more matt finish and will be returning to my Revlon Colourstay when my tan fades out. So far I have not found a foundation to beat my Revlon Colourstay. The closest I have found as mentioned above is Estee Lauder Double Wear. If anyone has similar skin colour to me or for reference wears Revlon colour stay in Natural Tan or Loreal True Match in N6 and has found a shade to match with Estee Lauder Double Wear then please let me know 😀

Thank you for reading

Bhavi xoxo

 

 

 

Revlon Colourstay Foundation

Hey everyone!

We all know that there are hundreds of foundations to pick from, from your high end to high street brands, with vast variation of the type of foundations whether it is liquid, mousse, cream or powder.

Today I would like to share my thoughts on the Revlon Colourstay Foundation for combination/oily skin types in shade Natural Tan. This foundation has been on the market for years but it is still one of my favourite foundations, I have been using it for about 2 years now, I have sampled quite a few others but always seem to go back to Revlon Colourstay.

What it states on the bottle:

• Wears for up to 24 hours.

• Flawless look.

• Light weight feel.

• SPF 6.

Formula

There are two types of formula’s that they provide which are either for oily/combination skin or for normal/dry skin. I have purchased the formula to suit combination/oily skin types however my skin is now more on the dry side but still works perfectly fine. I would say this foundation is medium to full coverage depending on how many layers you do. The liquid formula is quite thick and can dry up pretty quickly, therefore when applying this foundation I would do a small section at a time, however, despite it being quite thick in consistency it blends very well to my skin. I tend to use my Real Techniques stippling brush to apply this foundation, the finishing effects are flawless. When I tried using my fingers I found that it did not spread and blend evenly on my skin this is probably due to the foundation being thick in consistency and this is why I would recommend using a good foundation brush. The added bonus to this foundation is that it contains SPF 6, but I find this is a low SPF amount compared to many other foundations in the current market, therefore people using this foundation in higher climates will definitely need to use sun screen protection underneath, luckily this has not been a huge issue for me as I live in England so half the year it is raining anyways!

Wear

I do not use any sort of primer, serum or powder when using this foundation, as I don’t think I really need it, therefore considering I don’t use anything else underneath or on top, this foundation for me last about 8 hours before I see a bit of fading and about a good 12 hours when the fading is more noticeable, with a touch up it would last a lot longer and bare in mind if you was to wear a primer and powder it will probably live up to its statement and last up to 24hours.  In regards to covering blemishes and spots, I would say it does a good job. I usually just apply one layer all over my face and then on the troubled areas I would go over them again with a second layer. I am very pleased with how the foundation feels light on the skin yet has a good coverage and does not look ”cakey” or ”fake”. May I also add that it has not given me any additional break outs or irritated any of my acne or my sensitive skin.

Sample of the colour Natural Tan.

Foundation after blended into my skin.

Shades

There is a good variety of shades to pick from, and unlike a lot of other foundations, Colourstay has darker shades available. I purchased shade 330 Natural Tan; I would say it is neutral with yellow undertones. It’s pretty much a close to perfect colour match for me, however in the summer after a tan it can appear slightly light for my skin. If comparing this colour to Mac foundations I am a NC40. I love the fact that it does not oxidise and remains the same colour throughout the day.

Packaging

I think the packaging of this foundation is its major down fall, its a glass pouring type bottle, due to no pump or squeeze nozzle you can easily waste product by pouring too much out especially when its nearly running out and you have to really turn the bottle up side down – e.g. – a bit like pouring the last bits of ketchup from the bottle. Also, the foundation gets stuck in the lid which is not very sanitary; I have tried buying separate pump lids to fit on top but could not find one that fits well. There is about 30ml of foundation liquid inside which is about the average standard amount with most foundations. I personally like this size as it’s easy to travel with and easy to store away in a make up bag.

Pouring bottle.

Price / Where To Purchase.

This foundation is superb value for its money especially comparing it to its high end competitors, I paid £12.50 for it at Boots and I usually buy it when there are promotional offers, e.g. – buy one get another Revlon product half price. In the UK, you can also purchase this foundation in Superdrug, eBay, Amazon and most chemists.

Photo – me wearing the foundation

Overall Verdict.

Revlon Colourstay Foundation is my Holy Grail foundation; I am very pleased with it and so far my favourite foundation. It is light and easy to apply with covering most blemishes giving you a lovely flawless look in minutes with a very affordable price tag. I would definitely recommend any one that is considering this foundation to try this! I have recommended it already to lots of my friends and family and they are very happy with the results. If you do purchase it, feel free to message me and let me know how you find it  🙂

Thank you for reading,

xx Bhavi xx