First Look| L'oreal Pro Glow Foundation

The L'oreal Pro Matte Foundation is basically a cult classic at this point and I've ran through two tubes even with a self proclaimed dry skin type. So, when the L'oreal Pro Glow foundation ($12.99) began to blow up on YouTube, I was beyond ecstatic to see if it could be a potential Holy Grail.

Ingredients are listed inside a sticker. 

Based on Trendmood's swatches, I thought that 202 Creamy Natural would be a match for a cool olive NC20. However, it looks to be a neutral NC15! The middle range of shades seem to be very similar, but 205 Natural Beige is the most olive yellow match for NC30-35 and is my current match.

I've got Dior Forever 21, UD Naked in 4.0, L'oreal Pro Glow in 205 and 202 swatched in direct sunlight.

Indoors with flash. I repeat, 202 is NOT a cool yellow/olive!! Looks like a neutral NC17-20 to me. 205 is a true NC30, as MAC formulates their liquid bases, in terms of depth and golden hue. It doesn't look completely stark against my tan body, but I could stand to blend it down my cool boiled chicken neck. 

A lot of bloggers and YouTtubers claim that it gives a medium-full coverage but maintains a satin leaning dewy finish on the skin.  At this point, a lot of drugstore base products are rivaling the performance (and price!) of mid range and high end ones. I'd have to say that a lot of consumers are upset at the abysmal shade range and tonal variety (50 shades of medium pinks, anyone?) The Pro Glow line is generally much less "yellow" than the matte line.

Beware, it smells strongly of alcohol but  the scent dissipates within 10 seconds or so. 

Consistency: The foundation is a true liquid that's easy to blend and easier to over-squeeze. It's much more runny than the Pro Matte, so use a light hand with the squeeze tube. I would suggest using a damp Beauty Blender rather than a buffing brush with this foundation. It seems to like a pounce motion rather than a sweep/swirl motion to blend best with your skin. I like the finish best with a very thin layer applied with a BeautyBlender.

Coverage: Solid medium. It could be full if you don't have major hyper-pigmentation. I found that it only slightly hid my dark spots and blemishes but completely evened out my skin. Concealer is needed for dark circles.

You can decide for yourself how natural it looks on bare skin.

Wear: This is where this base falls short. It tended to pool into my pores (even the smallest ones), patched up by mid-day, and looked absolutely terrible on peach fuzz. Not to mention, it managed to direct eye traffic to sebaceous filaments on my nose! I've tried it with and without moisturizer/primer/powder, but a multitude of layered products couldn't solve the poor wear time and appearance on the skin.

Here it is, looking innocuously smooth upon dry down. I wish it could STAY this way for 9 hours. Can you say miracle drugstore foundation?

The "glow" factor, however, remained true throughout the day without getting greasy. I would say that the Pro Glow will not work with poor skin texture that often comes with dry skin, and it may work better for those with combination skin types who wants a bit of glow without looking absolutely greasy.

Here it is set under makeup after 2-3 hours. It's not full coverage enough for my chin breakouts, and I suspect it may have given me clogged pores. It seems like a dupe of Too Faced Born This Way foundation in terms of texture and wear on the skin if you ask me. If that was a big hit for you, you'll love how this is a cheaper alternative.

WHOMP WHOMP.



Overall, this was a huge miss for me. I would've really preferred something more forgiving to the rough texture that my skin is currently experiencing. Fine lines? In it goes. Pimples? Tada!

xo Be

Review: Revlon Colorstay

Is the Revlon Colorstay foundation a hidden holy grail, lying underneath piles of rubble?

If you know anyone in the beauty blogging world, either on blogs or Youtube, you have probably heard of the drugstore Magna Carta known as Revlon Colorstay. When I first tried it out, I was NOT impressed. Why? It's thick. The color match was horrendous. Every shade suited for NC25 was too pink toned or seemed ashy on my skin, making it look like a horrible and flat mask. 

I picked up the shade Golden Beige in an earlier haul as a last attempt of saving humanity's faith in drugstore foundation, and it seemed to fail me yet again. I had thought this shade would be a great match for my summer tan (around an NC35 to NC40). Wrong!It was much too light. This is when I should've realized that it would be a perfect match to NC30. I didn't. Instead, I shoved it into my "excommunicated and ugly foundation pile", never to be seen again.

Now in the summer heat, my skin is a definite poster child of combination oily. My T-zone, and especially my nose, isn't responding well to liquid foundations that have a satin or dewy finish. Two hours after makeup application, I look like I've been snorkeling in a sea of grease. Gross. Meanwhile, my matte finish powders are too dark. Therein I thought to myself, I should invest in Makeup Forever's Mat Velvet and solve this awful problem!

Then my wallet cried, and I said, "Let me look instead to my pile of cast-off foundations to find something that controls oil."

Oh yeah, I have Revlon Colorstay. Isn't it touted as the HG affordable solution for oily skinned girls?

I gave it a try again, and it matches PERFECTLY with my NC30 skin. As the name suggests, its yellow tone matches to my face and neck with no issues.

Yes, it's thick. I use a very watery Beauty Blender and a very sparing amount of product, taking care not to spill the entire bottle out with each application. The finish in the first hour is definitely flat and doesn't pass for natural at all. By the second hour, however, my natural oil has seeped through enough to make it a beautiful natural finish with zero shine or slick. Wow! I'm guessing this is the goal of any other oil controlling foundation that is on the higher end, but since I am on a budget, this foundation is turning out to be a surprising (or not surprising) favorite of mine at the moment. I'm sure that when my tan comes through again, however, I will have to buy the next color up and risk hating this foundation again.

Verdict?

Pros:
- Oil control is magical. Blows my Studio Fix Fluid AND Powder out of the water. The only place that "glows" on my face right now is where I place my highlighter, not on my forehead or the creases of my nose.
- Cheap. And for the price, I think it probably does the same job as a higher-end product like MUFE Mat Velvet or NARS Sheer Matte.
- Needs very little product for full coverage. Goodbye, obvious zits and concealer!
- Water resistant, may I say waterproof. This baby doesn't budge with sweat and only comes off with some elbow grease and some oil based makeup remover.
- Natural finish with some aid from skin highlighters and natural oil.

Cons:
- Thick. I think it is very easy to go overboard and risk cardboard skin.
- Good God, why can't you include a simple pump? I feel like it's a life or death situation every time I pour some product on the back of my hand.
- Horrible, horrible, horrible color match for light-medium skintones with yellow undertones. I'm talkin' NC23-NC27. I've tried Sand Beige based on online recs and the color was still way too pink and ashy. As for NC30, Golden Beige is deceptively dark in the bottle, and you can't try it on in stores before purchasing. I'm not even sure what the color match for NC35 is, or if it even exists.
- Will this clog my pores? My skin is very resistant to allergic reactions from products, but I can't see this as healthy for every day use. It takes a lot of work to remove this foundation, and I wouldn't recommend to people who even occasionally sleep in makeup after a long night out.

Overall, I'm glad I saved 40 bucks from not buying a new foundation that controls oil. I wouldn't say that this foundation is amazing, but it is very excellent for the price point. My skin wouldn't like it in the winter, but for the humid summers, it stays on very well. This is a good option for those who are active, live in hot climates, and need full coverage (or are just plain lazy like me and hate multiple steps when applying skin correcting goop).

What's your take on drugstore foundation? Do you have a DS foundation that can beat out a high end one? Let me know!