I never thought I had overly dry or overly oily skin, but when my tinted moisturizer kept leaving grease pits (and often a dreaded patch of acne) on my face by end of day, I knew I needed to reconsider.
With all of the prepping and priming I do to get my face ready for foundation, all I really wanted was a non-complicated, stay-put, inexpensive, go-to foundation. That's all. So, after a lot of Internet research (seriously, it became an obsession) and some visits to the Product Reviews page, I narrowed down my choices to the following two.
Let's call it the "battle of the drugstore foundations" between Revlon Colorstay for Combo/Oily Skin Makeup with SoftFlex SPF 6 ($11.69) and Max Factor Lasting Performance Stay Put Makeup ($7.99). To see my comparison chart and the winning choice, read more.
| Details | Revlon | Max Factor | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consistency | Lighter texture, more watery | Creamier, more blendable |  Max Factor |
| Coverage and Finish | Medium to full with a non-heavy matte finish | Medium to full with a semi-matte to matte finish | It's close, but Max Factor's finish was more natural |
| Price | $11.69 | $7.99 | Prices will vary by location, but for the low cost and value, it's got to be Max Factor |
| SPF | SPF 6 in most shades. Some mysteriously don't include the protection | None |  Revlon |
| Longevity | Claims a whopping 16 hours. Although I didn't count, there was little to no slippage. | Claims 8 hours. Long lasting, but some appearance of oil by end of day. | Revlon |
| Color Selection | 20 shades | 9 shades |  It's a tie. Although the Max Factor shade looked a little richer on me and less ashy, Revlon has more choices. |
| Availability | Easy to find | Harder to find | Revlon |
| Overall | Will it be Revlon? | Or will it be Max Factor? | It's a super close call on this one. And although Revlon is a little more expensive, it's longer wearing, easier to find, and comes in more shades. Winner: Revlon |
Et Vous
Charles Tyrwhitt
Tomas Maier
And they both fail for brown people since they both consider dark tan/roasted almond to be the end of the spectrum. So much for drug store brands...
1i use revlon, best foundation ever for me.
2Since I have tried the Bare Minerals...I will never go back!
3That stuff is amazing!!!!
i SWEAR by Revlon ColorStay...It's amazing. I like to mix the Dry Skin and Normal Skin formulas (weird, i know but it's beyond perfect for my skin. i have an obsession)
4I use revlon, yea!
5I'm a BE girl too Lovely!!
6Thanks, Bella! I have been looking for a cheaper foundation recently.
7BE all the way... I'll never go back to drugstore foundation!
8I'm a Bare Escentuals convert too! There's nothing else like it...I tried the newer drugstore versions of the mineral foundations and they just don't compare.
9I use revlon color stay also!
10Thanks so much for doing this, Bella!!
11Bella, you have a very similar skin tone to mine, could you tell me which shades you used for both?
12I have dry skin, so I stick to tinted moisturizer...not a fan of mineral foundation OR these liquid ones.
13I love the Revlon Color Stay personally. Also, I don't find it to be more expensive than the Max Factor kind because both Walgreens and CVS run buy one get one free on Revlon products all the time and Revlon also puts out a lot of coupons for $1-2 off any product. They also sometimes come packaged as two bottles for a lower price per bottle at Walmart and Target.
14I've been trying to look for a foundation that won't melt off during the day. Thanks for putting out the pros and cons of each product.
15Exactly what I was thinking lonelyheart.
16I'm back onto colorstay since they changed the formula. The original seriously would not budge just to wash it off, but it was drying for me. I now use the medium beige for dry/normal skin and it's amazing coverage.
17Hey Emososays17,
18For Revlon I used Ivory, the lightest one — but I probably should have gone with the next shade up (Buff) since it was a little ashy. For Max Factor, I used #4, Fair Ivory. I should have gone a shade down to #3 though, but they were all sold out! Go figure. Let me know how it goes for you!
I m a big revlon fan!!!
19Definitely Revlon. I have used it for years as my foundation.
20I only do tinted moisturizer and maybe a little concealer.
21I always thought of trying Revlon Colorstay, for my oily blemished skin. Now your comprasion and review has me convinced, it's going to be my next buy! =]
22Thanks Bella! I only used to use Laura Mercier, but with the economy lately, I have been considering trying a drugstore brand, and now I know what to try!
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