Review: Revlon Photo Ready Foundation

Hello lovelies!

I went to Ulta a couple weeks ago with the intent of trying new drugstore foundations. I bought two by Revlon: the Photo Ready and the Nearly Naked. Neither of these are new products, but they fall on the pricier end of drugstore so it's taken me awhile to get to them.

The Photo Ready in shade Ivory is a dead match for my skin. I hate admitting that I am so pale I'm ghostly, but it's true. Blending it in was a breeze with my flat top kabuki. I also tried a beauty blender but did not like the result as much. The first day I didn't use a primer or anything special. When my makeup was finished it looked beautiful and flawless. The coverage is a solid medium and build-able to full. I was happy.

Then around the four hour mark, I wasn't so happy. My t-zone was so unbelievably oily it was disgusting. The foundation had slipped around my nose and had caked in certain areas. Luckily, I had a buffing brush with me to even it all out. I was so disappointed because the foundation was gorgeous on my skin.

The next day I tried it with the Benefit Porefessional underneath to hopefully help with the oiliness. It didn't. I was still a shiny strobe light by the end of the day. I set with powder and a make up setting spray. No change.

On my first day off from work since trying this product, I decided to give it one more chance before throwing in the towel. Since I wasn't in a rush to make it to work on time, I spend extra time on my skin. I paid close attention to how the product was covering and settling into my face. Then I realized, I had been using way too much. A little bit goes a very very long way. One pump, ladies and gents. That's all it takes compared to my beloved Cover Girl Outlast which takes 2 1/2-3 to cover this mug.

I've worn it every day since. I still get a touch oily on the nose but this isn't a mattifying foundation by any means. Nothing a little powder can't fix. If you like a fuller coverage dewy finish then you'll like this product. The shade range is fantastic. I would say this is a pretty good dupe for the Makeup Forever HD Foundation.

What're your thoughts on this product? Let me know! Thanks for reading.

First Impressions Friday: Rimmel London Wake Me Up Foundation

For those of you who know me in real life, you know how excited I've been to try the Rimmel London Wake Me Up foundation. For those of you who don't know me in real life, let me paint a picture for you.

I first saw a very darling British YouTuber named Polly use this foundation in "Get Ready With Me" video. It was lovely on her and I decided I had to have it. Impatiently, I completed my tasks for the day, y'know, that pesky work thing and went to Ulta.

What can I say about Ulta? It's my home away from home. When I fling open those big heavy doors the angels sing. I may be on a first name basis with the store manager... Anyway, I can navigate this store drunk and blindfolded. After sneaking past the Clinique guy, weaving through aisle after aisle of perfume, and crawling over the teenage girl testing all of the nail polish on display, I came face to face with  the Rimmel section.

It was looking rather sad today, like no one had given it any attention in awhile. A quick glance across the shelves only showed me the usual cast of characters. Hmmm. I bit my lip, walking around the corner hoping there was another display with new products. There wasn't. After standing there tapping my foot for a few minutes, an associate came by to see if I needed assistance. Why, yes I did. No, she hadn't heard of what I was looking for, but did I want to try XYZ? No. No, I didn't want to try the super magical liquid purifier made of unicorn tears and phoenix feathers. For the first time in awhile, I left Ulta disappointed and empty-handed (GASP!).

Not ready to give up, I made a stop at Walgreens, Walmart, CVS, and Target, all with the same result. It finally dawned on me that perhaps this product just wasn't available in the US yet. A quick Google search confirmed my fear. As I've previously stated, I am an impatient person. Who knows how long it'd be before this beautiful glowy foundation was available to me? I could totally hop on a plane to London the next day, but was that really practical? Not so much. I searched and searched and finally came across a website that shipped internationally for free. Ding ding ding!

Without a moment's hesitation, I dropped it in my cart and then I waited. If you've never ordered products from oversees, the waiting is the worst. You may get a tracking number, but the information is days behind. For the first few hours I refreshed my screen numerous times, hoping for an update I knew wouldn't be there. It wasn't until four days after my initial order, a little notation appeared with a flight number that my package had been loaded on. I immediately plugged that number in to Flight Aware and stalked my package all the way across the Atlantic. Once it reached New York, there was radio silence. But, here I am after two painful weeks of waiting, to tell you my initial thoughts. 

Here is what it claims:

Wake up and glow! Rimmels first liquid foundation that instantly reawakens skin with a healthy, radiant glow. Light, moisturizing texture applies smoothly and leaves skin feeling soft and comfortable all day... instant flawless natural finish... visible anti-fatigue effect. This also has SPF 15 which is a plus.

Ingredients

http://uk.rimmellondon.com/products/face/wake-me-foundation

This is what it looks like. My shade is Ivory.

I applied it with my Blank Canvas Cosmetics Airbrush Sponge

This is me before: I've cleansed, toned, and moisturized my skin. No primer this time.

I started by applying one coat to one side of my face to see how the initial coverage and shade matched up.

I'd say this is a light to medium build-able coverage foundation. One coat evened out my skin tone nicely but my blemishes were still exposed. Two coats was perfect and minimal concealer was required. Look at those under eye bags. Hooo boy! 

And here I am all set to go to a work meeting in both artificial and natural lighting. 

The time is approximately 1247.

Honestly, I feel like it's a touch on the yellow side for me, but I find that with just about all drugstore foundations. I did set the t-zone with my Nyx Stay Matte powder in natural beige. I tried not to but my oily t-zone was having none of it. I agree that it has a glowy flawless finish. I just hope glowy doesn't turn to hot oily mess as the day goes on.

First check in: 1600... I will not powder. I will not powder. I will not powder.

You can see my extremely messy car in the background. I have an aversion to cleaning.

Hello pores!

I haven't done much of anything today. I sat in a meeting for three hours and have been outdoors for a grand total of 15 minutes. The shine on my nose is out of control. That is the only area I really am dying to touch up. The rest looks dewy and luminous and I'm OK with it.

Time to don the red lips to go out! I took this picture using the flash on my iPhone 5. As you can see, there is flashback from the SPF 15 in the product. It's not horrendous like some foundations, but enough for me to not recommend this if you're going to be taking photographs. It is now approximately 2130.

Last check in of the day. I'm about to wash this stuff off. It is now 0030. 

It's been a long day. It was hot and humid but I must say this foundation held up amazingly. I never once re-powdered  which I deserve a medal for! There was no slippage. The coverage is still as amazing as when I first applied. I also did not notice any oxidation. Except for the extreme oiliness on the nose, I'm happy! I think the Wake Me Up and I are at the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Check back in about a month for a full product review.

Also, please take a moment to visit Polly's blog and YouTube channel. She is adorable and an absolute delight to watch.

http://pollyanneb.blogspot.co.uk/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg2XrZUeAOKudLAg5irVlSw

Thanks for reading and I'll talk to you soon!