Revlon have become somewhat fabled for their foundation. Their Colorstay foundations are undeniably some of the best available on the highstreet, but whenever Photoready crops up, it’s always a bit of a ‘love it or hate it’ product, so I was interested to see that they are expanding their photoready line to incorporate a new ‘Airbrush’ mousse foundation, face primer and eye primer/brightener.
I managed to get my hands on a sample of each last week so I thought I’d give you my two penny’s worth.
First up for the foundation. I’ve never really understood the appeal of mousse foundation and this product has cemented that feeling. The packaging is cheap and rather unappealing (and as it’s Revlon, the price tag doesn’t match at £12.99) I’m always willing to overlook packaging, especially with foundation, but this product really doesn’t have many redeeming factors.
The first pump makes you think that the dispenser may be out of control as it deposits far too much onto your hand, but once you’ve broken the ‘seal’ it actually becomes quite easy to dispense the required amount onto the back of your hand before application.
The consistency is thin (think cappuccino rather than chocolate mousse!) and turns into a liquid when you start to blend it into the skin. Although the pigmentation is pretty good and a little goes a long way, it’s awful to blend, clings to dry patches and tends to sit on your skin rther than blend seemlesly into it like a good foundation should… not a good look.
The most common criticism of the original Photoready has to be the shimmer, and they’ve kept it in there. Love the glitter, or hate the glitter, this foundation really doesn’t have any other redeeming qualities so I’d steer clear if I were you!
OK so the bad news came first… moving on to the Eye Primer + Brightener. This little click up brush pen is a lovely little product. The consistency is light and easily blended so it wont leave your eye area feeling caked in concealer… it definitely brightens up the eye area, but in terms of acting as a primer for colour, I’m not so sure. To me this is more of a concealer and doesn’t act as a base for colour. Don’t stick to the eye area, this is also a great, subtle way to highlight your cheekbones too.
Overall it’s a lovely product and I’d recommend it for those who are looking for ‘no makeup’ makeup. The one downside is the price. I think it’s a little steep at £9.99.
Last but not least, by far the best product of the three is the facial primer. This slightly pink-toned brightening primer leaves your skin looking and feeling beautiful. It’s got a hint of that silicone-y slipperyness, but this disappears in a few seconds to leave your skin looking plumped and mattified.
I’d compare this to Nubo’s Voile primer (which is over 3x the price for 1/3 of the product!) It’s the best high street primer I’ve used and I’d thoroughly recommend this one. If you’re on the market for a new primer, make sure you check this one out when it hits the shops March. It’s £11.99 and worth every penny if you ask me!
Overall… a mixed bag from the Revlon Photoready line! All three products will be available in Boots nationwide from March.