All this time I've been raving about MAC Studio Fix Fluid, a lot of people told me that Revlon Colorstay is just as good. Well, I finally jumped in the bandwagon and bought a bottle to try for myself.
Unfortunately, the color selection here in Indonesia is very limited (only four shades available and they're all too light for me) so I had to order this online through a friend. It cost me a grand total of $21! I think it's too much of a steep for a drugstore makeup. I believe in the States it only costs about $13 while MAC Studio Fix Fluid costs $26.50.
After researching left and right, I picked up the shade Warm Golden. When I saw the bottle I was sure that I made a good pick but when swatched, it turned out to be a little on the neutral side. If only it was a bit more yellow-based, I think it would be perfect for me.I was going to buy another bottle in the shade Natural Tan (I suppose the combination between the two will create a matching shade for my skintone), but they didn't have it in stock. :(
So I tried it out and let me give you the rundown of what I think about the foundation...Consistency
Even though it's quite thick, I think it's actually more liquidy than MAC SFF. It's quite easy to spread out using my fingers, but I usually finish off by buffing it in circular motions with my kabuki brush. I also think that SFF dries faster than Colorstay.
Finish & Coverage
Okay, this is a bit tricky. Both Colorstay and SFF gives me matte finish and tends to get cakey if I use too much (this is probably why many people think they're quite similar). BUT! I think SFF's formulation is more pigmented, thus making it more effective in covering redness even if I don't use too much. With SFF, I can get away with less product to cover my entire face. With Colorstay, I find that I have to use more especially on my problem areas. As a result, it's easier to end up looking cakey with Colorstay. However, I notice that both look exactly the same in pictures; they make my face look flawless.
Staying Power & Oil Control
Without primer, oil control is just the same as SFF (about 3-4 hours before I have to touch up with powder on a normal Indonesian weather). But I have to say that the staying power is not as good as SFF. I find Colorstay cracks on my nose and laugh lines within two hours. SFF definitely lasts longer on me before it starts to fade/crack.
Packaging
I don't usually fuss over packaging but I think the opening of the bottle is too wide! You can make a huge mess if you're not careful because as I've previously said, the foundation is quite liquidy. SFF has the same kind of glass bottle but with smaller opening.
I wore the foundation without powder the other day just to see what it looks like on pictures...
In real life, it doesn't look too light, but I guess in this pic the SPF sort of made me look ashy.All in all, I don't think I will ever repurchase Revlon Colorstay (sorry Colorstay fans!). If it stays put much longer and doesn't crack on my drier areas, I might be able to put up with the price tag. But nah. For now if you ask me to pick between the two, I'd still prefer my MAC SFF. That being said, if you don't need much coverage to begin with and just looking for a good, affordable everyday foundation, this might do!
I just bought me my first Revlon Colorstay bottle a few weeks ago =). & I got mine for $10!I am in between NC37-NC40 and I got the shade in Rich Tan. I am liking it so far. I do agree that SFF has better coverage with little application.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you were disappointed, but on the bright side at least your current (HG?) foundation does its job. I'm actually in the opposite boat--I hated SFF and LOVED Revlon Colorstay. I'm also a Warm Golden/NC35. How interesting.
ReplyDeleteAnyway great post. Looking lovely as always.
To each their own :) I haven't tried other liquid foundations because Colourstay works well enough for me. My main problem is getting foundation to stay on despite sweating in the Aussie heat, so I'm too scared to venture out and try something else!
ReplyDeletehey fi, what blush are you wearing in this look??
ReplyDelete@Anon: I'm wearing MAC's Flirt & Tease! :)
ReplyDeletewah, kebalik ni fi.. aku justru jauh lebih suka colorstay daripada sff.. aku apply pake egg sponge lembab for less coverage n dewy finish.. hasilnya ga cakey n ga pernah cracked jg di aku..
ReplyDeletetp setuju,, oil control mirip sff n staying power lbh bagus sff.. yg aku ga suka, sff terlalu matte, n turns orange on me.. :(
I like Revlon PhotoReady foundation, actually.. Dulu pernah coba SFF, tp it was way too yellowish for me. Oh ya aku kan baru moved back to indo, biasanya kamu order makeup stuff lewat mana Fi, kalau bole tau :)
ReplyDelete@Shuu: oh well justru di aku Colorstay kurang kuning, heheh.. aku biasanya nitip belanja makeup di creamymilk.com atau gak order sendiri. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Fi, I'm an avid-yet-silence reader of your blog for about a year (or more, I've known you & your blog since we joined the same forum actually, FD & CreamyMilk). But now I feel like I have to write a comment on this post just because I'm happy to know that I'm not alone. Thank God! I thought my anomaly skin was acting crazy again, because on my face, Revlon ColorStay (both formulas) are definitely not a long-wearing foundation either! But oddly enough, the Normal/Dry formula lasts a lil' bit longer than the Combination/Oily one. Strange huh? MAC SFF stays about the same time on my face (3-4 hrs). Well honestly, I have an extremely oily skin to begin with. And yes, I also agree that the coverage is not that full, about medium coverage (at least on me, and I'm not even a full coverage foundation wearer/seeker).
ReplyDeleteBtw, I think we have a same coloring, I'm NC37 w/ golden/olive undertones but sometimes I can wear NC40 or NC42 when I'm darker. I wear Golden Caramel 360 in Revlon CS and while it's not yellow enough, but from your swatch, I'm pretty sure it seems darker & more yellow than Revlon CS Warm Golden 310. It's like the more golden version of Natural Tan (at least from what I've heard, since I don't have the Natural Tan). Oh ya, I have to order this shade through CP because this shade isn't available in Indonesia, bummer!
For me, the most long-wearing foundation I've ever tried was Shiseido Sun Protection Liquid Foundation SPF 42 PA+++ (my daily foundation, HG!). Sadly, this liquid version isn't available in Indonesia, only the pressed powder foundation & the stick one. I don't know if Singapore or Malaysia has it, but even Sephora.com doesn't carry it, I have to order it via Nordstrom (PO).
The next long-wearing foundation for me is the famous Estée Lauder Double Wear and followed by Estée Lauder Double Wear Light.
Sorry for the looooooooooong post. Guess I blab a lot, huh? Nice to know you btw, keep posting! ;)
kak fifi sayang.. situsnya ada yg bahasa indo ga??
ReplyDeleteHmm maksudnya gimana ya? Apa aku ada blog dalam Bahasa Indonesia gitu? Gak ada, blog aku cuma yang ini aja, tapi kan bisa di google translate? Tinggal ke translate.google.com trus paste aja alamat websitenya ke situ, gampang kok. :D
DeleteYou should've tried the dry/combination version. I have oily skin too but I find the dry one works better. It looks a lot more natural and I don't find it cakes on me at all unlike SFF and I can go 10 hours without blotting, now that's saying something considering I usually have to blot every 2 or 3 hours.
ReplyDeleteI've tried the oily one too and it just was no where near the dry version!
xo