by Carlee Tibbs

Created on: October 13, 2010   Last Updated: August 06, 2011

Revlon ColorStay foundation is a liquid foundation that can be found for all skin types; Oily / Combination skin types and Normal / Dry skin types. The Oily / Combination skin type formula comes in up to 20 shades and the Normal / Dry skin type formula comes in up to 11 shades. Revlon ColorStay foundation claims to last for up to 16 hours and feels "like you're not wearing make-up".

Although I have a combination skin type, I have tested both the Oily / Combination skin type formula and the Normal / Dry skin type formula in the lightest shade, "Ivory".

Revlon ColorStay foundation was originally recommended to me by a friend, who swore by it for nights out, due to the fact that it stays put on the skin for a long time and doesn't "melt off" when the wearer gets too warm. I thought that my friend's skin always looked smooth and immaculate, so I decided to purchase it.

The packaging has nothing noteworthy about it; it's just a clear glass bottle with a heavy, thick black lid on the top. Under the lid is a big hole; I was expecting a pump or a spatula but there was nothing but this big hole. When I poured a small amount on to the back of my hand, I noticed that the foundation was extremely thick and creamy and it was difficult to stop it from continuing to come out of the bottle. This meant that there was a lot of unnecessary wastage.

I have applied this foundation using my fingers / hands, a make-up sponge, a stipple brush and a regular foundation brush. For me, the best tool I found to apply this foundation with was the sponge, as the formula is all but waterproof; if I used my hands to apply this foundation, I couldn't wash off the foundation and I have since had to throw away both the stipple brush and the foundation brush I used. Make-up sponges are fairly cheap to purchase, so it didn't matter if I couldn't clean them adequately.

To apply this foundation, I found that pouring a small amount onto the back of my hand and using a make-up sponge to pick up some of the foundation and then smoothing it onto my skin, was the easiest and gave the best result. For areas of my skin that needed heavier coverage, I dabbed the sponge back into what was left on the back of my hand and dabbed the foundation onto those areas repeatedly to blend it out.

This formula gives medium coverage but it is very easy to build on this and get heavy coverage if you think you need it. You will need to give this foundation a few minutes to fully set.

My biggest issue with this foundation was the fact that it oxidised so badly; I would leave my house in the morning with a foundation that perfectly matched my super pale skin tone and come back home in the evening with a dark brown face.

The other problem I had with this foundation was that it just didn't budge; I forgot - a few times, actually - to remove my make-up before hitting the shower and every time I came back out of the shower with my foundation perfectly intact, while all other bits of my make-up had happily washed away. I also found that the only way to completely remove all traces of this foundation was to use really harsh cleansers, which isn't good to use on a day-to-day basis.

Despite my two issues with this foundation, I still used it almost daily for over six months and even now, I occasionally use it when I have a night out to attend.

Learn more about this author, Carlee Tibbs.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.