Review - Revlon Photoready Foundation.

One of the most eagerly anticipated drugstore foundations ever (exaggerate much?), has finally arrived in the UK... There are so so many reviews out there of this product, but what the heck, I thought I'd add mine to the mix. 

The packaging is fab, for one reason and one reason alone - the pump! Not only is the fact that there is a pump a great thing, but its also a very well designed one, which allows you to dispense a little or a lot of the foundation. Please Revlon, add one to the Colourstay range now? Those bottles are so messy without a pump...

Shade range wise, here in the UK, we seem to start at shade #02 "Vanilla" for some reason - I'm not sure if shade #1 missed the plane over or they just aren't bothering with that one over here... 

I was actually sent shade #4 "Nude" to review, but there was no way that shade was ever going to work on me. I was desperate to give it a go anyway, being the foundation junkie I am, so I picked up shade #2 "Vanilla". I was shocked (in a good way) when I realised it was actually a little bit too pale for me... I usually have trouble finding shades pale enough. Luckily Revlon was on 3 for 2 at the time so I picked up the next shade up "Shell". On most days Shell works fine, somethimes I have to mix in a little of the Vanilla shade too... The point is though, if you are pale, then this is a great foundation colour wise. The same unfortunately can't be said about the darker shades. This is surprising really because Revlon do so well shade wise in the Colourstay formula...

In the image above, all three shades look very similar in the bottles, and they are in fact very close, but have subtle differences in undertone and darkness;

Above from L-R - Vanilla, Shell and Nude. Vanilla and Shell are both light, however vanilla has a more yellow undertone, while Shell has more of a neutral/pink tone to it. Nude is slightly darker with a yellow undertone.

I've also heard a lot said about the shimmer/glitter in this product. Yes it is there, for sure - the particles are very very fine, but are there non-the less. I'd describe the particles as a finely milled shimmer rather than a full on sparkly glitter. So if you like matte, or completely detest shimmer, give this one a miss. Also if you have large pores then I have heard and read a lot of reviewsstating that the shimmer can draw attention to them, so definitely consider this too. Once applied and buffed in, I don't notice shimmer when I'm out and about in the sunlight, but my skin looks radiant and dewy. I do have a few open pores either side of my nose, however I don't personally find that this foundation makes them appear any larger.

 Given that this is called "PhotoReady" foundation, I was surprised to find that this carries an SPF of 20. I'm no makeup artist, but I know that SPF and photography do not make a good match. Indeed, it's an issue I have fallen victim to myself in the past (I actually look like casper in the photo's from one uni ball...). 

Below are pictures of the product blended onto the skin with and without flash...

 Above - product pictured without flash.

Above - product pictured with flash.

I personally think that for everyday photography purposes, eg days out with friends, BBQ's etc. there is not too much of a "bounceback" effect from the flash, and the foundation doesn't make the skin appear to have too much of a white cast. For a photoshoot or occasions where intense light is going to be used, it may not be quite right.

One issue I did have with this foundation is that it can be difficult to blend... Fingers can produce a streaky finish, a traditional foundation brush produces a streaky finish... I was at a bit of a loss really... Then I tried stippling brushes, which work reasonably well (MAC 187, ELF powder brush and Sonia Kashun flat topped face brush)... I think any decent kabuki or flat topped brush would work well. At times though, even these brushes need a little bit of extra work with fingrs etc to blend... If you can manage to find a brush that works well for you, then this looks lovely and dewy when applied, but you have to be extra vigilant for streaks with it in my experience.

On my normal-dry skin I find this foundation has a reasonable staying power - it does need setting with powder (I use ELF HD powder) and a touch up with pressed powder about half way through the day. If you have oily skin I would expect wear time to be reduced though, so consider your skin type before purchasing!

I have such mixed feelings about this foundation - I really really wanted to love it. I like it, and would probably repurchase it (look out for special offers as this retails at £12.99 which is a lot for a drugstore foundation). On days when I have the right brush to hand and the time to blend it out properly to check that there are no streaks, I love the way it looks... however if I'm in a rush I have to reach for something a little bit more reliable...


Have you tried this? What did you think?