I can’t even begin to tell you how far drugstore foundations have come over the years. I remember back in high school, every girl who wore foundation had a ring around her shirt collar. It was a dead, orangey giveaway that was never flattering. I always saw it after gym class, when she’d be all sweaty and crap. Her makeup would melt off and party on her shirt collar -ugh. I never wanted to have that symbolic orangey brown makeup collar so I avoided foundations altogether. I just felt they’d look cakey and unnatural, so I was like “Screw it!”.

Years have passed, and I’ve found a new love. Revlon Colorstay Foundation with Softflex ($8.99 – $13.99, 1 oz.) is the best drugstore foundation I’ve ever used. I love it and I especially love that it doesn’t transfer. What do I mean by “transfer”? Well, any foundation, no matter how much or how little you spend, will rub off if you rub it off. They’re not stains, they don’t sink into your skin, so they can be removed if you rub your face on something. But, there are some foundations that just after a tiny bit of sweating, will break down and drip and slide right off your face onto your clothes. This is reminiscent of what I’d see in high school and it was gross.

You may notice how each bottle says it’s the same color, but the one on the right is slightly darker than the one on the left. I would assume it has to do with the SPF. The Normal/Dry formula has an SPF of 12, and is slightly lighter than the Combo/Oily formula, which doesn’t have SPF. I could be wrong, so if that’s not the case someone let me know. All I do know is that even though they vary slightly in color they both match me when blended in. I wear the Normal/Dry in the winter, and the Combo/Oily in the summer when I’m a shade darker, but you can do whatever you want.


(Unblended swatch on my face)

revlon colorstay foundation swatches blended in(Blended swatch on my face)

This stuff is indeed my holy grail drugstore foundation (so far). I absolutely love this foundation and will continue to buy it — I’m already on my third bottle! I’m wearing this foundation in this post here.

PROS

  • Applies easily with a foundation brush or fingers.
  • It lasts on my face all day.
  • I don’t notice any oxidizing — meaning it darkens or turns orange on the skin throughout the day.
  • It looks natural and flawless.
  • It’s lightweight, I often forget I’m even wearing it.
  • Both formulas are oil-free.
  • It’s transfer-resistant. I can sweat in this and it doesn’t drip onto my clothes, water can get on my face and it still doesn’t trip onto my clothes.

CONS

  • It doesn’t come in a wide variety of shades.
  • It doesn’t have a pump.
  • It’s a drugstore foundation and you can’t really test these, unless you have the balls to open the bottle like I do and swatch it before you buy.

The way my foundation performs for me, may not be the case for you, but I seriously feel that this foundation is priced so that just about anyone can afford to try it at least once and see how it works. You may get a good deal at CVS, they often have a BOGO deal where you can buy one at full price and get a second bottle for free. Definitely give this one a try, and if you hate it, you can return it. If you love it, you’ll probably continue to buy it like I will :)

RATING

B+

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