I had no idea that Revlon was doing so poorly until I read today's Wall Street Journal. After Revlon's Vital Radiance cosmetics line tanked, Revlon's CEO was dismissed, the company lost more than $70 million, and about 10 percent of Revlon's workers were laid off. To put that into perspective: Ten years ago, a share of Revlon cost about $50; today, that same share trades at 95 cents. Ouch.
Revlon's trying to turn things around, which is why you'll see a lot of new advertisements soon. Expect more commercials from Halle Berry and Jessica Alba, plus a big push for the new ColorStay mineral makeup line and the Revlon Custom Creations adjust-your-own-foundation. It's a good effort, but honestly, I'm not sure how well it will go over with consumers. Everyone is doing mineral makeup these days, and Revlon is a little bit late to the game. And when I see the Custom Creations foundation in drugstores, I think, "Ugh, I have to mix my own foundation? Too much work."
In my ideal world, Revlon would push the products they do best — lipstick and nail polish — and emphasize the glamour of the brand. (How did these guys miss the huge Old Hollywood revival?) Then again, that's just me. What do you think of Revlon? And if you haven't been buying anything from the brand, what would it take for you to give it another look?
James Darby
Tod's
Vila
Never been a fan...
1I really liek their nailpolish. I have tons of revlon nailpolish...
2I'll buy Revlon nail polish and the occasional lipgloss, but overall, I'm not impressed with the line. After using Colorstay foundation for a month in high school, my skin was ruined for over a year afterwards. Ten years later, I still can't bring myself to use any of their face makeup.
I'd rather spend more and know I'm getting a quality product. Revlon is a crap shoot, IME.
3I actually have NEVER used Revlon at all. Just not interested I guess. I like my MAC and CoverGirl
4In high school and college, I subsisted on Revlon lipstick and nail polish. In fact, I still have the tube of Deep Nude that I wore to my senior prom. But since then, they keep adding more and more crap...and the majority of it isn't necessary or any good. Frankly, many of their new products are quite gimmicky. Someone needs to get in there and switch up some things. I agree with Bella. Revlon should concentrate on the lipstick and nail polish (I also like the tools: tweezers, eyelash curlers, etc)...and trash the rest.
5I think they need to hire more women, because women know what will actually sell and what is needed by women consumers. It's gone down hill... The lipglosses are good though. Probably the best lipgloss in drugstores now, and Allure was giving them credit for it a few years back.
6I love the new revlon mascara. I dont remember the name but it's super tiny and silver. It's kinda expensive for my taste ($12) but it works sooo much better than CG Lash Blast.
7it's kinda funny how both of those spokesmodels happen to be pregnant, though
8........."get that pregnant glow" haha
9I'm really excitied to use the Custom Creation because I can never find a foundation that actually matches my skin, so this way I can play around and find my ideal shade.
I've used some of their stuff and I think they're pretty good. Especially the nail polishes.
10I had a few polishes and glosses in HS (and middle school - anyone remember Revlon StreetWear?? that was some good sh*t!), but I've long since moved on to higher-end brands with more suitable colors... to me, Revlon has always seemed a bit old-ladyish, and not really on top of trends. The mix-your-own foundation seems a bit silly - wouldn't you end up using more of one side than the other, and have to throw it away with a lot left in it? Why not just offer a really wide range of shades, a la L'Oreal? Oh... because L'Oreal's already done it.
11Whenever I see the Custom Creation makeup advertised, I think to myself... so I have to pay for shade depth that I won't use? (I'm very fair, so anything with a darker pigment, would be a waste) Also, I agree, I think "ugh I have to mix it myself?" I can pay Prescriptives to do a great job at that!
12Whenever I see the Custom Creation makeup advertised, I think to myself... so I have to pay for shade depth that I won't use? (I'm very fair, so anything with a darker pigment, would be a waste) Also, I agree, I think "ugh I have to mix it myself?" I can pay Prescriptives to do a great job at that!
13I must say, I'm a Colorstay foundation and pressed powder addict. I have a lot of freckles and an uneven skin tone, and this foundation is perfect. It doesn't wipe off when I swear, and it offers great coverage. It's not great if you have really dry skin, but if yours is oily like mine, it's perfect. I was always a Clinque devotee, but after trying the Colorstay foundation and powder, I switched to Revlon. I must say, however, that the other Colorstay products they offer are crap. The lipstick is horrid, and no, the color does not stay.
14I like Revlon's nail polishes and their ColorStay shadow quads. They really do last for hours and wear very well.
Not my favorite brand by any means, but I'm surprised that they're doing so poorly.
15I would use Revlon more if they got rid of the plethora of celebrity spokesmodels. Give us back our runway models!
16I love their nail polish and their lipgloss!
17Honestly, if they want me to take another look they need to lower their prices. For a couple bucks more I can get MAC or go to Sephora. Drugstore makeup has gotten too expensive, except for a few brands that are either geared toward teens or sold in beauty supply stores. (Helloooo Jordana!)
18Colormesticky, that's how I feel too. If a Revlon lipstick is almost $10, I'd rather pay $14 and get to try things on at MAC, you know?
19I love the Colorstay lipstick in Nude Cashmere. It really does last hours and hours if applied to bare lips. Sometimes I'll apply it on top of gloss or chapstick and the result is even more flattering. The lip glosses are great too - I loved the colors and the square tube packaging but they dried my lips out pretty severely.
My best friend has worn Colorstay foundation for years and she loves it! She's going to be wearing it at her wedding in a few months.
I kind of see them as an "older lady" brand too. But you know? I think if they really tried hard they could turn old lady into "glamorous" or "sophisticated"...who wouldn't like that?
20Street Wear!! I loved that, they had some great nail polish and eyeshadow colors...and they had this one lip gloss that i totally loved. They should bring back a line like that, brighter, trendier colors to attract younger customers, cause I'm with everyone else who says it seems kinda "old lady"
21I tried the Custom Creations and really loved it. I seriously can never find a foundation that actually matches my skin and (it took a few tries)I got mine to blend very well. Its a little drying if you already have slightly dry skin, but mix it with dab of moisturizer and it really is perfect.
22Ah, good to know, Sugar917. It's good to know that it's not just a gimmick.
23I love drug store makeup, I think its just as good most of the time as department store makeup. Revlon makeup is mostly junk though. and overpriced for a drugstore brand. The claims they make about their makeup are blatant lies. Their mascara is the worst I have ever tried. Their nail polish is the only thing that is good in my opinion. And their lipsticks are nice only if you can get them on sale 50% off or more.
24ive never needed this stuff....but it is cool.
25i think their limited edition line is really cool ^^ the advertisements for it are great! i bought a lot of revlon stuff awhile ago cuz i hav tons of $5 off coupons. I am not too crazy about their mascara, but their lipgloss, concealer and foundation are actually okay. I love love love their blush from their first limited edition. It's a really really nice rosy colour! One thing about revlon that i dont relli like is their packaging. It seems so old-fashion. Their limited editions have pretty nice packaging though!
26It's not a brand that I really wear, although I do have a few bottles of the nail polish lying around somewhere.
Bella, I think you suggested a Revlon blush a few months ago that was similar in color to Nars Orgasm. I tried it and liked it, actually. The first thing I think I've ever really worn from them!
27Oh, glad you liked it, Liltandweave. I like it a lot too... so pretty and easy to wear.
28Revlon's Toast of New York was my second grown up lipstick (the first was Rum Raisin from Fashion Fair, mom bought it.) It was a great color that looked good on a wide range of skin tones.
I actually like the concept of this new foundation. I think you'd only have to spend a few minutes adjusting it once, and then leave it at that setting. Unfortunately, I prefer mineral powders. I've seen theirs at Walgreen's, but I haven't tried it yet.
What I never understood is their supposedly limited edition collection that included something called Sugar Sugar lip topping, Diamond Dust and some other sparkly, sheeny, metallic items. I'm not sure who they were appealing to with that. I call it the Drag Queen line.
29HOW CAN ANYONE BUY THIS WHEN THERE ARE NO LONGER TESTERS...I WON'T
30BUT ANY MAKEUP...THAT I CAN'T TRY ON MY HAND.....COLORS ALWAYS LOOK DIFFERENT IN THE PACKAGES.....THAT'S WHY MAC...SEPHORA , ETC ARE THE WAY TO GO....
I remember Street Wear! I loved that stuff in high school. They should have brought that back instead of the make-up for older skin...most older women that I know have used the same brand of make-up for years and therefore they are less likely to try something new. If you want to get lifelong customers, you need to market to the younger group, and Street Wear did that. After they stopped selling it, I don't think I ever bought anything Revlon again because it was more expensive than CG and I could get pretty much the same stuff, if not better from them.
They need to change their packaging and displays and market to the younger crowd. I also agree about the mix it yourself foundations - I can go to the prescriptives counter and have that done, and it is perfect and you don't have to waste likely half of the foundation in the bottle. It's a good idea in theory, but when you think about it, why spend money on something you're only going to be able to use half of?
The limited edition line is the only thing that looks modern. Revlon, make your products more modern and young and your stock will go back up!
31Drugstore makeup, overall, is just WAY too expensive. I've wanted to buy some Revlon things I've seen in the store, but, it's almost the same price as Clinique, and other nicer lines. If they lowered their prices, and cut the gimmicky stuff, focusing more on quality, simple products, I'd be game!
32Cindy Crawford. Wine With Everything. That's the Revlon that I used to buy as a teen. I don't know if they could ever get me back -not unless lipstick makes a hard core comeback, or their prices drop so that there is signficant difference in price b/t drugstore and department store brands. Gotta admit though, this posting is drumming up a little nostalgia . . .
33I like their nail polish, but otherwise I don't really use their products. However, they sponsor the Revlon Run/Walk 5K for Breast Cancer Research in Times Square, which I participated in last year and hope to again this year. Because the registration money goes to charity, I don't know how Revlon profits from it, but they do a good service to coincide their brand with a nice event.
34Yeah, the whole custom creation foundation thing...I mean...what's the difference in buying a bottle with two shades and finding the right color, and just buying one bottle of the right color?
They make GREAT nail polish. And I really loved their illuminating line, which I've totally forgot the name of at this point.
35Oh, I forgot...I do have on one of their Colorstay eyeshadow quad things today...and I actually really like it.
36I actually just bought their custom creations foundation and I kind of love it. I use the darker blend for my cheeks and nose and forehead and the lighter ones around my chin and neck. I also anticipate it being really useful once the seasons change. I know my skin changes from darker to lighter very quickly so one foundation should work really well.
37Bella I forgot I did buy that blush you were talking about and I love it, I layer it with another natural colored one from Almay but I love it and use it every day.
38Revlon is one of the few cheaper makeup brands that does not test on animals. Sure a big chunk of the public unfortunately doesn't care about that, but for those that do, they should advertise that.
39I also did not know that Revlon was doing so poorly. I agree that they should focus more on the whole Old Hollywood style, which I personally am a huge fan of. I'm not really a makeup person and I've just recently got into the eye makeup thing... I don't really have any interest besides wanting to look cute lol
They should try to make it a high-class drugstore brand. Kinda like Target!
40I use every shade of my Custom Creations foundation. Women don't realize that your skin tone changes with the seasons [Mine goes through 3-4 transitions between summer and winter!], and I've bought three different foundations in a months time, just to find a temporary perfect match. My range for the custom creations right now is Medium/Deep in No. 5, but I'm going to get the Deep range soon, for when my skin gets tan. Its a great foundation, and I even reviewed it in my blog:
http://thepuffreports.blogspot.com/2008/02/puffys-foundation-hunt.html
and before you all whine about the price of drugstore brands like revlon or physician's formula, remember that they use higher quality ingredients, and they don't test on animals. did you guys know that in New Zealand and Australia, revlon have their own counters? yep, prices are totally pushed up there on ALL cosmetics. what WE consider drugstore here is practically high end there.
and remember this: when you buy custom creations, you're paying $11 for five shades of foundation. FIVE. that sounds like a damn good deal to me.
41i'm a student, i can't afford high priced make-up i love revlon because the stuff that works really works, in general i avoid buying eye shadow from anyone though
42I loved their limited edition cosmetics, like Diamond Lush eyeshadow or Just Bitten (although I realized very quickly, red lips are so not me). I couldn't find most of their products in drugstores in Canada; they were mostly sold out! (Well where I live anyway...).
Thats kind of sad, I always go to the Revlon section when I'm at the drugstore...
43I love Revlon! It's actually my favorite drug store brand. I have two of their colorstay eyeshadow quads, two of their LE a floral affair blushes, a couple of lipsticks (great pigment!). Some things I was let down by were the Bedroom eyes "liner", it was a major mess. Also, their soft on the eyes LE shadows, so sheer you could barely see the differnce btw the colors. My sister in law bought the sugar sugar lip topping and wrote the company how much she hated it and they sent her her money back lol. My fave product that I use almost everyday though is their LE Diamond Lust shadow in Champagne Buzz. I even saw it in Allure a few months ago. I use it as a brow bone highlighter and I pat it on over my neutral cream shadows too add a little sparkle and set it. My shadow usually doesn't crease if I do this.
44*difference*
45Revlon is too expensive for me, so I haven't tried many products.
46I've tried their lipsticks though, and they're a little too dry for me. I like Rimmel, Covergirl, and Maybelline for lipcolor and Prestige for eye makeup.
I didn't know Revlon was going downhill. That suprises me.
I must agree, I love Revlon's lip and nail products but now after reading this I'm skeptical about getting their mascara and skin products. All drugstore products are similar, however I've thought Revlon was one of the better quality brands. After using Covergirl and others, I found that I've liked Revlon best but like I said, I'm not sure if I should get something besides their lip and nail products.
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