The Revlon ColorStay Foundation is one of the OG foundations which has been raved about for years within the beauty community. I loved the Revlon ColorStay Foundation and I remember trying to shade match myself under the rubbish lights in Boots in my teens, way before YouTube and blogs were a thing… wow I sound old. Due to how much I loved that foundation, I’ve always been eager to try any of their foundation launches but I’ve not loved any of their other offerings as much as the original cult favourite ColorStay. Their newest launch is the Revlon Candid Collection which includes a foundation, a setting powder and a concealer, and I was kindly gifted all three to see what I thought.
The Revlon Candid collection is part of their PhotoReady range, and is described as being flawless, natural finish makeup which feels good with antioxidant and anti-pollution protection in an anti-blue-light formula—and even better without oils, parabens, phthalates, and harsh fragrances. There is such an emphasis on more natural formulas right now, and more natural base products can be pricey so it’s interesting to see Revlon create their own with less chemicals. Revlon are definitely up there in price as this trio are priced between £6.99 and £9.99. The ColorStay Foundation is £12.99 so it’s fab that this more natural finish foundation is a little cheaper in comparison.
Revlon Candid Natural Finish Anti-Pollution Foundation £9.99
“Get comfortable! This incredibly creamy, moisturizing and protective foundation has the ingredients you do want, without the ones you don’t.”
- This skin-enhancing, natural-looking foundation delivers a flawless finish—all day long—as it hydrates
- You get medium coverage that feels weightless and looks like your best skin!
- Feels good with: anti-pollution, antioxidant, and anti-blue-light ingredients to protect your skin
- Feels better without: oils, parabens, phthalates, synthetic dyes, and harsh fragrances
- Available in 31 makeup shades
The foundation is available in 31 shades however the UK appears to only have 29, so I’m not sure why that is. I have the lightest shade they do; Porcelain 110, which isn’t too much deeper than my skintone, and has a cool undertone which I always appreciate. The packaging is very sleek for a budget brand, with a squeezy plastic tube and a pump dispenser which looks very similar to the IT Cosmetics Your Face But Better CC+ Cream. From reading the description, I believe Revlon may have intentionally tried to mimic the IT Cosmetics formula.
Although the foundation is £9.99 instead of £12.99, the tube only contains 22ml which is 8ml less than other drugstore foundations. The formula has a light to medium coverage which looks skin-like when applied with a sponge or a brush, and it doesn’t look like makeup when on the skin. It claims to hydrate but it does cling to my dry patches, so I have to use my Hourglass Primer Serum underneath otherwise the clinging is too noticeable.
It is very natural but it doesn’t last all day which is a downside for me as I can’t be doing with touching up my foundation during the day. It lasts for about three hours before I start to notice fading on my nose and chin. It claims to last all day long but it definitely doesn’t unfortunately.
Revlon Candid Antioxidant Concealer £6.99
“This smooth medium-coverage concealer disguises like a pro. With: amazing skin-protective ingredients. Without: bad ones your skin doesn’t need.”
- This concealer with medium coverage camouflages dark circles and puff, with a jolt of caffeine to help wake up tired skin
- It’s also excellent at disguising blemishes and other things you’d rather not see
- Feels good with: a formula that includes a protective antioxidant, along with anti-pollution and anti-blue-light ingredients
- Feels better without: oils, parabens, phthalates, synthetic dyes, or harsh fragrances—making it ideal for delicate undereye skin and a great concealer for sensitive skin!
- Flexible doe-foot for precision application
- Available in 18 shades
Revlon launched 18 shades but here in the UK we have a very impressive 4 shades. Yes really. It’s embarrassing how poor that shade range is and the whilst the palest skintone shade is 005 Fair (there’s a 001 Banana shade for colour correction), the palest shade on offer at Superdrug is 010 Vanilla. Vanilla is very dark as you can see from the swatches above so I feel like the shade range needs to be extended with lighter shades as this shade would totally work as a contour shade for me.
I tried the foundation first and the sheer, more natural finish made me think the concealer would be similar but it’s very different. The concealer offers buildable medium coverage which works well for blemishes, but it’s a little too drying for use under my eyes. If you have oily skin, I think this would work really well for your under eyes with the added caffeine to help depuff. I really wish the foundation had coverage as good as this, and I like the larger, rounded doefoot applicator.
Revlon Candid Anti-Pollution Setting Powder £9.99
“Our translucent, loose setting powder creates a natural, airbrushed effect—all while protecting your skin from harmful pollutants (and leaving out things like parabens).”
- Our lightweight, ultra-fine loose setting powder evens out your skin tone and sets makeup while it protects
- Feels good with: antioxidants and anti-pollution ingredients, to help fight aging
- Feels better without: parabens, phthalates, synthetic dyes, and harsh fragrances
- Won’t turn chalky or white on you
- Built-in sifter minimizes mess
- Available in 3 shades (the powder’s still translucent, with just a hint of tint)
This is a translucent powder and I have shade 001 which does have a slight peachy tone rather than translucent, and I think the peachy tone is why Revlon claim it won’t turn chalky or white on the skin. The powder is quite drying, and clings to peach fuzz and makes my skin look flakier than it is.
I haven’t been able to use this more than twice as I really don’t like the effect on my skin but like the concealer, and foundation I feel like it might work better for more normal to oily skin. The jar has a sifter which leaks too so the powder is a fail for me unfortunately.
Overall I’ve not been wowed by the Revlon Candid collection but I’m ever hopeful that one day they’ll launch something that knocks the ColorStay Foundation off the top spot!