Revlon: PhotoReady Foundation Mixed Review

This is my review of the Revlon Photo Ready Foundation. Revlon gave in to all the high definition trend and tried to create a drugstore version of perhaps the Make up forever hd foundation. I bought this myself in December for about $16.99 CAD from Walmart. I have been using it on and off since then. There was sooo much hype about this product, and everyone has done a review of it.  Here is mine, there are things that I like about it, but that is pretty much equal with the things that I don't too.

The first thing that I was really happy about with this foundation was the colour range for light-skinned tones. I use Revlon's Colorstay foundation and I don't like it a whole lot because I can't find my matching colour, I have purchased Ivory and Buff and there is nothing in between, one is too light and the other is too dirty, I have also bought each in the normal and combination/oily variety because I do find that the colours vary. Revlon Photoready however had my colour! I bought it in the shade, 002 Vanilla because to me it looks a lot like MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC15.

 MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC15 on Left, Revlon Photoready in Vanilla on Right

From the back of the foundation bottle, here is what the product claims to do "perfected airbrushes skin in any light, complete coverage, oil-free, fragrance free." I can say straight up, this foundation is NOT full coverage. I would say it's medium at best. And this definitely disappointed me. It does not cover the redness in my face. If you have pretty good skin, not a lot of acne spots, not much to cover, basically if you have perfect skin, then this foundation is for you. If you have problem skin, I would skip trying this foundation altogether.

I thought the foundation applied easily, it blended well with my ELF powder brush. For those with dry skin, make sure you moisturize beforehand as I think this foundation would extenuate your dry spots. It's not a foundation that you can build however. The formulation is dewy, not matte at all (like the MAC Studio Fix Fluid) and it gives a satin, shimmery finish on your face. There are shimmers in this, not chunky glitter at all, but shimmer, you do notice this on your face and it will show up in light. I always find it amusing reading reviews where people say they do not notice shimmers, cause they are very obviously there. If you tilt the bottle itself, you can see the shimmers. I guess that is what Revlon was going for when they market this foundation looks good in any light, it will make you glow like Edward Cullen! It does NOT offer any HD definition or whatever Revlon claims, that just doesn't hold up at all. It's hard to capture on camera, but I tried my best to take pictures to reflect this shimmer.

Pics of me wearing Revlon Photoready and nothing else (click to enlarge)

 I love that Revlon finally added a pump to their foundation, this is great because you can control how much you use, less wastage of product. The pump does not lock, and you do have to be careful because the amount that the pump dispenses is generous, you can control how much you get out by how far down you press the pump. The lid on the product stays on well too. 

This foundation does not stay on very long (even with primer), I find after a few hours it's disappeared off my face, I don't know where it goes. It did not break me out and it does not irritate my skin. My skin is dry and I do find this hydrating, the formulation is nice. I think it would work for all skintypes. It also comes with SPF20, which is nice. However, I am surprised there is no expiry date on the product, as sunscreen protection does expire. There is a translucent powder that comes in the Photoready line too, but I read really poor reviews for it, so I did not buy it.

So in conclusion, I am torn about this product. It is totally the opposite of Revlon Colorstay, it blends well and is easy to apply, it does not smell like paint (Colorstay does), great colour selection, pump which is lovely, coverage is mediocre though. Your skin will look like skin when you wear this, which is nice and I do go for it, but it does not cover anything really. If you are thinking of buying this, please note that there is shimmer in this. In the summer, in the sunlight this will make you noticeably shiny. I applied this today in direct light in my bathroom and it was like pow! shimmer city! I personally don't love this about the foundation.

I would not repurchase this. Did you try it? What did you think?