The Great Foundation Challenge #2 - Revlon ColorStay

Some of you may know about the little mission I set myself recently - to find a good drugstore foundation I can use as a substitute for my favourite - the amazing but pricey Estee Lauder Double Wear. Double Wear is definitely my "Holy Grail" foundation and it delivers on so many levels, but the two main things I want to see replicated in a drugstore alternative are a nice full coverage and decent longevity.

The first contender was L'Oreal's Infallible 24 Hour Foundation, which unfortunately I didn't get on with at all. If you want to read about my experience/have a good laugh at my appalling choice of shade, then check out the post here.

Never one to back down in the face of adversity, I've pressed on in the search for contender number two. I know everybody says this, but one of the best things about blogging is getting to know fellow bloggers, so many of whom are always ready to offer their thoughts, suggestions and support to whatever it is you're doing. Lots of you have been forthcoming with ideas about foundations I might like, and as a result I now have a pretty long list! One that seems to come up a lot is Revlon ColorStay, so I decided to try this one next.

I've been wearing it for a few days now, and I'm happy to report that I like it!

There are two versions of ColorStay - one for normal to dry skin and one for combination to oily skin. Well, sometimes my skin is dry, but my T-zone is often oily, so I went for the combination one. So far it seems to be suiting me just fine. Shade-wise, I chose Fresh Beige. It's probably the perfect colour for when I'm tanned - wanting a base to match my tan is what triggered this quest in the first place - though it's perhaps just a trifle too dark for me at the moment.

The coverage is not quite up there with Double Wear, but it's pretty close. It also has a slightly dewier finish, which a lot of people may prefer. I'm not sure that I do, necessarily, but once I powder over the top, I'm left with an even, natural-looking base that holds the rest of my makeup beautifully. The best bit is that it lasts all day.

While I may not be as head over heels for this as I am for Double Wear, I'm certainly impressed. At £12.49 it's less than half the price, too, so it's a great back-up to have. I'll definitely be getting plenty of use out of this one.

Have you tried Revlon ColorStay? Do you like it? Stay tuned for more drugstore foundation reviews - I'm on a roll!

Kate x