Revlon Nearly Naked Liquid Foundation Makeup

Hola my beauty lovin' babes!

I have ANOTHER Revlon foundation review for you today!! Revlon seems to be pumping out some really fantastic products lately, and I was super pleased to see another foundation in their line of hits. I did a little bit of research before picking up this foundation, but not as much as I usually do, as I was super intrigued by the whole "naked" concept and my shopping compulsion just overcame me.

As most of you probably know by now, my combination skin (lately) has been more on the oily side, as opposed to being truly "combination" in nature. I figured that the Nearly Naked foundation would be a bit of a gamble, since 'skin-mimicking' foundations tend to lean on the more dewy, or glowy, side anyways.

I picked my foundation up from Shoppers Drug Mart for about $15 CDN. I haven't really seen this foundation anywhere else yet (I've been avoiding shopping lately as we're trying to save money), but I would imagine that it ranges anywhere between $10-$17 CDN, depending on where you buy it. The bottle contains 1 fl oz (30 mL).

Photo credit: www.revlon.com

My shade is Vanilla, which is the lightest warm shade available from the line. There are 16 shades available, all split up into the "warm" and "cool" toned foundations - so virtually anyone can find a match. Revlon offers an interactive online tool to help you choose your appropriate shade, in addition to providing a little card on the display that will also help you determine which color to pick.

I don't particularly love the generic packaging. The sleek rectangular bottle and white cap make it different from every other foundation I own, but it's not really outstanding. Additionally, I hate the fact that there isn't a pump included with this foundation - it would be a nicer alternative to the open mouth that you have to dump foundation out of. Sigh de la sigh. This can get incredibly messy, very quickly.

As far as foundations go, I feel that Vanilla is as perfect a match as I'd ever find at the drugstore. I actually have more neutral undertones in my skin, but to counteract the pinky-redness in my face, I purchased the warmer foundation to cancel out and better conceal this.

The foundation has an SPF of 20, which does create a bit of a white cast across my skin in flash photography, but it's nothing too overwhelming. I think that powdering the skin definitely helps downplay the white cast as well.

The foundation itself is incredibly liquidy - in fact, its even more runny than Revlon ColorStay. I'd have to say it's as runny as my NARS Sheer Glow foundation was - and that's saying something. Revlon boasts that the coverage is buildable, and I would definitely agree. If you're applying a light first layer, the coverage is definitely sheer to light. If you use more product and a heavy hand, you can definitely achieve a light-to-medium coverage. Applying a second (or even third) layer will give you a very respectable coverage of the medium-to-full variety, depending on what all you need covered up. For my own purposes, I tend to go with a light layer around my face to even everything out, and then I go in with a little bit extra product on my brush to build additional coverage in my problem areas (cheeks, around the nose, chin, etc.).

Upon application, I find that this application is fairly tacky. It's not that it takes a while to set, it just feels sticky on my skin. Usually this is remedied by applying a powder to the shiny and/or tacky areas. I do find that towards the end of my 8 hour day, my foundation does tend to feel a little tacky, especially in my oily areas, but it's nothing a little powder won't fix.

I've tried several different ways to apply this foundation to my bare skin including my Real Techniques Buffing brush (wet and dry), my beauty blender sponge (damp), my Real Techniques Stippling brush, and my ELF Studio Powder brush. By far, my favorite way to apply this foundation is using my Real Techniques Buffing brush (dry). I feel like it gives me the coverage I want on the first go, and allows me to easily and efficiently buff the foundation into my skin. It doesn't seem to leave too many brush streaks behind in my foundation, which is a huge plus. Additionally, it makes building up the coverage incredibly easy. If I'm building up several layers of foundation, I'll usually roll a damp sponge over my face to ensure there aren't any weird streaks or marks left in the foundation from the bristles of my brush.

The longevity of this foundation is incredible. I'm not 100% sure how it manages to outwear the Revlon ColorStay on my skin, but it does! I can apply this around 8:30 am, and when I get home in the evening around 6:30 pm, it still looks EXACTLY the same as it did when I left the house in the early morning. It wears off beautifully in any event, not leaving any harsh lines or obvious 'bald' patches on my face. It wears off gradually, just fading slightly throughout the day. In fact, the most wear and tear I see is around my nostrils, but that's about it. The only other thing I notice is that my T-zone is slightly more 'dewy' than it was when I left the house in the morning. It's nothing that can't be remedied by a little powder, but it's not obnoxious or glaringly obvious... it just doesn't look quite as fresh as it could. For this reason, if I'm planning on being out later in the evening, I'll pack a powder along just to touch up after work.

At 9 o'clock am in the morning, in natural sunlight.

At 9 o'clock in the morning, in direct sunlight.

An up-close picture of my foundation at 9 o'clock in the morning.
Direct sunlight.

At 5 o'clock pm in artificial light.
On the left: no flash, On the right: with flash.

The left half of my face is clean, and the right half has foundation on it.
See how natural it looks!?

Another huge plus to this foundation is the fact that it increases the wear time of my blush and bronzer/contour astronomically. I look in the mirror at the end of the day, and I'm actually surprised because I can still see blush on my face... in fact, it looks almost as good as it did at the beginning of the day.

One of my favorite aspects of the Nearly Naked foundation is the way it sits weightlessly on my skin. I literally cannot feel this foundation at all. I get the coverage I want, without feeling cakey or weighed down by my foundation. Even when the end of the day rolls around and my face feels less than fresh, I still don't feel the nagging weight of my foundation. It's a comfortable, flexible wear - it is the picture of 'minimalistic.' 

Nearly Naked doesn't break me out at all. In fact, I've noticed that since using this, my skin has been happier and less 'upset' in general. Maybe it's my diet or something, but I've had fewer zits, and my complexion in general has been more even and smooth. 

What can I say? I'm in love.

I'd highly recommend this to everyone, except maybe those whose faces mimic the McDonald's deep fryers. Your skin might not fair so well with this foundation, but I'd say that anyone with dry to combination/oily skin could utilize this foundation and love it.

I cannot sing the praises of this foundation enough. I am so pleasantly surprised with this foundation. I am actually excited to get up in the morning and plop this on my skin. I love looking in the mirror and seeing my flawless skin look back at me. 

Definitely 5 out of 5 stars.

Let me know: have you tried the new Revlon Nearly Naked foundation!? What do you think of it...?

Revlon ColorStay Whipped Creme Makeup

Hola beateous babes! I'm here with another review on the Revlon ColorStay Whipped Creme foundation. Now you guys know that I raved about the original Revlon ColorStay Liquid Foundation, so I definitely had to give this version a try, especially after reading/seeing the stellar reviews.

Is it just me, or is Revlon putting out a lot of stellar products recently...!?

Each jar contains 23.7 mL (0.8 fl oz) of foundation goodness. It costs anywhere between $15-$20 CDN, though I paid approximately $16 CDN at my local WalMart. Depending on where you want to purchase this product from, you may end up paying almost twenty bucks for one jar - if you're penny-pinching, you might want to check this out at WalMart before you pick it up from somewhere like Shoppers Drug Mart.

I picked this up in 150 Buff, which is the same shade that I use in the original liquid formulation. This foundation is available in 12 shades, ranging from Ivory (being the lightest shade) to Caramel (being the darkest shade). Overall, the variety of shades isn't stellar, but it's definitely respectable considering it's a drugstore line. I find that Revlon has some of the most 'realistic' shades for foundation out of all the drugstore brands. While other brands sell very pink or very yellow shades of makeup, but Revlon seems to have a good collection of yellow-based, pink-based, and neutral-based foundation.

Blended.
Left: With flash. Right: Without flash.

Swatched.
Left: With flash. Right: Without flash.

I find that the ColorStay Whipped foundation color actually matches my skin tone better than the original ColorStay Liquid foundation. The liquid version tended to be too white on my skin, making me look rather albino - though it's still an awesome shade for me in the dead of winter!

The texture and consistency of this foundation is cray-cray! I've never experienced anything like this before. It's fluffy and light, very mousse-esque, just as Revlon's website describes it. I love and appreciate the light-weightedness of this foundation, as it sits just as lightly on the skin - giving you the illusion that you're not wearing any face makeup at all.

This light and fluffy consistency also allows one to build up the coverage of the foundation with each layer that one applies. You can build this up to full coverage by applying thin layers of foundation - I find that, personally, I can build this up to 'full' coverage within 2 to 3 even applications. One layer of foundation leaves me with a very natural, but flawless finish - one that evens out skin tone and texture in one pass.

The packaging is pretty retardando, not gonna lie. Unfortunately, I can't really think of a better alternative considering the texture and consistency of the foundation itself. The foundation comes packaged in a solid glass jar, very reminiscent of Chanel and L'Oreal foundations. One beauty guru on YouTube commented that you could bludgeon someone to death with the heavy duty glass jar, which I definitely agree with. While the packaging is impractical, it is sleek and very minimalistic. The shade name is featured in a little sticker on the lid of the jar, which makes it incredibly easy to pick out which shade you want to use when (if you're someone who has to own several different shades at one time). I tend to scoop a bit of foundation out of the door with my index finger, and place it on the back of my hand to apply with either a damp sponge or a stippling brush.

Onto application techniques, tally-ho! I've only used two techniques to apply the foundation, considering the strange consistency and awkward packaging: a stippling brush and a damp beauty blender sponge. I initially heard that the best way to apply this foundation was with a stippling brush. So I whipped (haha!!!) out my Real Techniques Stippling Brush, plopped some of the foundation on the back of my hand, and went from the back of my hand and started stippling and buffing this into my skin. I find that using this technique, the finish of the foundation leans more on the full coverage side of things. With a damp sponge, I also stipple this all over my face, but find that this allows a more natural and less opaque finish. I think I prefer the latter technique on a daily basis, when I need less coverage and can get away with a less flawless finish.

The finish of this foundation is matte, but what I'd call a 'natural matte.' It's not shimmery, dewy, or glittery, but it isn't flat either. It looks real and flexible on the skin, "like my skin but better" and not at all mask-like. I do feel that in some areas of my face (under my eyes, on my forehead and cheeks) I need to powder the foundation to keep it from looking too glossy as the day wears on, but I don't find that this foundation exacerbates my oiliness throughout the day the way some foundations can.

I don't find this foundation particularly cakey or heavy on the skin. It can cling to dry and oily patches in an awkward and obvious fashion, which is why I wouldn't recommend this foundation to those with excessively dry or oily skin types. In my case, having combination skin and all, there are some days when I cannot bring myself to put this foundation on - because I know it'll cling to my dry patches too much, or it'll just slide off of my oily areas in a matter of minutes. But most days I find it gives me the perfect amount of coverage, with minimal effort and ease.

The claims that this foundation lasts 24 hours are iffy for me. This definitely has a significant wear time - I can usually wear it anywhere between 6 and 10 hours looking fresh. I still have foundation on my face around 15 hours, but it's definitely looking like it's seen better days. One thing I find incredible is the way in which this foundation wears. Upon first application, I find that this foundation looks a little heavy and somewhat unnatural, but as it wears, it takes on a more natural and even appearance which I love! This includes the way it wears at the end of the day - instead of wearing off in patches, it wears off evenly, slowly revealing more and more of your real skin underneath, but not in an obvious or gross way... BONUS!! Some days, when my skin is more moisturized/oily, I notice the tendency for this foundation to 'slip around' on my skin a little bit more than actually settling. For myself, it's imperative to have as dry and matte of a face as possible before applying the foundation. I think a primer would work wonders for the longevity and application of the Whipped Creme Foundation, but I haven't had any success with primers yet to give you any sort of recommendation on this end :)

All in all, I am really loving my Revlon ColorStay Whipped Creme foundation. There are some aspects of it that I'm not in love with (such as the packaging, the cost, and the way it wears on my oily/dry patches), but overall the pros definitely outweigh the cons.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Tell me: what's your favorite drugstore foundation, and why!?

Revlon ColorStay Liquid Foundation (Combination/Oily Skin)

I picked this foundation up from London Drugs for $18.99 CDN, but you can find it for around $15-$20 CDN, depending on where you buy it. This liquid foundation is available anywhere Revlon cosmetics are sold - I prefer picking mine up from WalMart, just because everything's cheaper there... haha. One bottle of this foundation holds 30 mL (1 fl oz) of liquid goodness. The color selection is stupid (stupid good, that is...) - with about 20 shades available from the lightest of light shades to very dark. There are also two formulas available from Revlon: Combination/Oily, and Normal/Dry. 


My review is on the Combination/Oily version.


According to Revlon.com, this foundation provides medium-full, lightweight/weightless, flawless coverage for up to 16 hours? 24 hours? There's a bit of a discrepancy... the website says both 16 hours and 24 hours... my guess is that this will wear 'nicely' for 16 hours, but you'll still have remnants of it 24 hours later. Meh. I don't know that I'd want to wear foundation for 24 hours anyways. This foundation also has an SPF of 6 - whoot whoot!

For the Combination/Oily Skin formula, it's formulated to be oil-free, which helps control shine and mimics flawless skin. I will caution you, some people find that Revlon's ColorStay foundation breaks them out - wear it cautiously. Be attentive to your skin's reaction to the foundation... stop using it if you notice a rash, or an increase in your acne after use. I haven't noticed myself breaking out from the foundation... but your skin can freak out over time - so just be attentive :)


The packaging is... meh. A sleek glass bottle with a twist-on black cap. The glass is transparent so you can see the color of the foundation inside, as well as being able to tell when you're running low and need to repurchase. This foundation lacks a pump with which to dispense the product, so you're left with a wide gaping mouth in which you need to dump foundation out onto the back of your hand and work off of there. Revlon could've stepped up their game on this one, except if they did this foundation would be more pricey than it is now. You win some, and lose some.

My shade is 150 Buff. It's the second-lightest shade in the line. I picked up Buff because it appeared to have a more neutral-base, in comparison to the more pink-toned, 110 Ivory.

No flash - natural sunlight.
Left to Right: NARS Sheer Glow in Siberia, Revlon ColorStay in 150 Buff

With flash.
Left to Right: NARS Sheer Glow in Siberia, Revlon ColorStay in 150 Buff

Mostly blended in. With flash.
Left to Right: NARS Sheer Glow in Siberia, Revlon ColorStay in 150 Buff

Mostly blended in. No flash - natural sunlight.
Left to Right: NARS Sheer Glow in Siberia, Revlon ColorStay in 150 Buff

The foundation has a little bit of a scent, which I am undecided on. I don't really love the scent, but it isn't noticeable forever, so I guess it can be overlooked.


It dries speedily, so you do need to work quickly when apply it. I prefer to use a damp Beauty Blender-esque sponge, or a dampened brush (such as the Real Techniques Blush brush). In a pickle though, I would use my fingers. Because this foundation sets so quickly, I don't feel that I need to use a powder afterwards to lock it in. It blends fairly easily... some areas on my face take a little bit more work than others (around my hair line and eyebrows for some reason), but it's by no means difficult to achieve a 'flawless' finish.


This foundation barely transfers... a true test for me of transferability, is when you blow your nose into a kleenex - do you get a bunch of foundation that transfers onto the tissue? Also, when you touch your face, do you see foundation residue on your fingertips afterwards? With my NARS Sheer Glow foundation, I get a lot of transferring. This foundation, barely. It really clings to your skin and sets in for the long haul. A HUGE plus for me.


For my skin, I feel like I get a really natural finish. You can barely tell I'm wearing makeup, which is a BIG BIG plus. I have a lot of the 'peach fuzz' hair on my face, so I have to be super careful with foundations that they don't cling to the fuzzies and exacerbate them. Additionally, my skin has been in super turd mode lately where it's uber oily all the time, so my NARS Sheer Glow foundation slides right off and looks cakey and unnatural. It dries to a matte finish, though on my skin it looks semi-matte (a slight sheen, but nothing that looks oily or greasy). This is great for oily skin because it won't aggravate the oiliness, and will stay put longer.

The Revlon ColorStay feels weightless on my face, which is a huge selling point for me. I refuse to wear a foundation if I can feel it on my face all day long. I want to be comfortable in my foundation, which the ColorStay delivers on. To the touch, you can't even feel the foundation on the skin. 


Powder products blend effortlessly over top of this foundation - you don't get any weird clinging or cake-face-ness with powder blushes or bronzers. Bonus!!


As for the color match, in the bottle this looks almost dupe-able to my NARS Sheer Glow in Siberia, though it doesn't make me look as flat and colorless as the Sheer Glow does. This is a better match in some ways to my neck color, so I don't look so white face>off-white neck. I would say that in most lights, this is a perfect match, but in others it looks a little too peachy. I anticipate that this will be a near perfect shade for me at the beginning of summer, but a little too dark for the winter when I'm whiter than an albino... haha.

Left to Right: NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Siberia, Revlon ColorStay Foundation in 150 Buff,
NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Fiji

I don't notice this oxidizing on my face at all during the day. It appears true to color at the end of the day as it did in the morning when I first put it on, which is a total plus.


This foundation photographs really nicely too. The SPF is so low, I don't know that it really creates much of a white cast when you use flash photography - so don't avoid it for that reason. My skin appears flawless in photos, and definitely not cakey or chalky.


Now I know you're all wondering if this actually does last 16 (or is it 24?!) hours... In regards to the longevity of this foundation, it holds up pretty well. I put this on at 11:30 am yesterday morning and by 11:30 pm last night, it was still looking pretty decent in comparison to any other foundation I've ever used. There was significant wearing around my nose and mouth - where I tend to touch my face the most, in addition to having to blow my nose a lot since my allergies were really bugging me. However, the foundation around the outer part of my face (forehead, the back of my cheeks) was perfect. Just like it was when I put it on in the morning. It might have faded a bit, but the foundation was still there, and was looking funtabulous. Even the wear-and-tear around my nose and mouth area was pretty decent - it was a gradual fading/rubbing off of the foundation, but because of the cling of the foundation, it didn't wear off in patches, or unevenly. You could definitely see my skin poking through, but the remnants of the foundation on my face gave me the hint of added coverage.


I'd say, overall, this is probably THE best foundation I've ever used - hands down. The color is perfect, the formula is wonderful, and the wear-time is probably the best selling point here. When I wear foundation, I want it to last - I don't want it transferring or smudging off an hour after I apply it. I want it to increase the wear-time of my blushes and bronzers. I want an affordable alternative that is easily accessible. I HIGHLY recommend this foundation to anyone who is looking for an affordable, long-wearing, lightweight, flawless foundation. 


5 out of 5 stars.
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What is your favorite drugstore foundation!?!

L'Oreal True Match Super Blendable Foundation

This retails from anywhere between $9 and $16 CDN - depending on where you buy it and whether or not it was on sale that day. This is sold wherever you can purchase L'Oreal Paris cosmetics from. It comes in a 1 fl oz/33 mL bottle.

It is available in 18 different colors, ranging in cool (C), neutral (N) and warm (W) shades. It contains an SPF of 17 and claims to give a 'natural' finish via the micro-fine optical pearls which diffuse imperfections. It is marketed to all skin types, and has sheer to medium coverage. According to L'Oreal's website, it is "formulated with Precise Match Technology so you can control coverage and fine-tune it. Ultra-pure formula contains no oils, fragrances, or pore-clogging fillers, so all you see is beautiful, radiant, flawless skin." It also claims to be non-comedogenic, non-acnegenic, dermatologist tested and oil free.

The product comes in a round glass bottle with a silver twist-off cap. There is no pump, just the opening of the bottle to pour out the desired amount of product for your application.

The foundation is very runny, which makes it easy to apply a little (for sheer coverage) and build it up.

I bought this product on a whim last summer after hearing Kandee Johnson rave about how much she loved this foundation. I was looking for a dupe to my expensive NARS Sheer Glow Foundation, and thought that this would be a great place to start since it's supposed to give a natural, true matching finish to one's makeup that is buildable. Plus the SPF in it was appealing, especially for an 'everyday' foundation.

I originally purchased N1 - Soft Ivory, but quickly exchanged it for W1 - Porcelain. N1 was too dark for me when I got it home, but W1 was pretty close to my skin tone - still a little yellow for me, but doable; especially if I didn't overapply or underblend. But still - it claims to be a 'true match'... and it fell short, especially on my pale skin.

Upon application, however, I noticed that the foundation had almost a shimmer to it. After blending, it looked like my face had been hit with a glitter bomb. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but my pores looked very exaggerated and large. My face appeared constantly shiny - and not just the 'oily' shiny, but the "I-have-sparkles-all-over-my-face" kind of shiny too. BLECH. It was probably all of those doggone "micro-fine" optical pearls - I wonder what L'Oreal's idea of "micro-fine" is...??

It was very blendable, like the name boasts though, so that wasn't a let down.

The foundation was extremely thick feeling on me - it did not sit lightly on top of my skin. I could feel it weighing down on me the entire time. It felt thick, tacky and waxy - like it was clogging off my pores with every minute I left it on. I can only assume this was a function of the SPF in it.

It didn't last at all on me. Within two hours (tops) the foundation had melted off my skin, transferring with every stroke of my hand or touch of my clothes. It was horrible. This was even after I had prepped my skin with a foundation primer and finished by setting it with a translucent loose powder.

The coverage was buildable, but because of it's crappy longevity, it didn't last long enough for me to really notice the effects of the coverage. It barely lasted long enough for me to get out the door...

For me personally, this was a bust. I didn't like the packaging, the formula, the finish, the price tag... I don't doubt that this works ingeniously for others out there, don't get me wrong. I just think it was a total waste of money and time for me. This ended up biting the garbage can after a few uses. It definitely wasn't worth keeping, since I knew that it was too uncomfortable and couldn't last long enough to even expend the effort.

Also, it's hard to find your 'true match' when you can't test the foundation in your drug store. At my store, only a few of the shades had testers available, and none of them were in my general shade range - so it was total guestimation for me (hence the reason I had to return my first bottle).

I wouldn't necessarily recommend this product to anyone. I didn't have a funtabulous experience with it, and so I wouldn't go running out and tell all of my friends to buy it. However, Kandee Johnson, as well as several other makeup artists and gurus, have sung the praises of it - so if it works for them, why wouldn't it work for you? If you end up hating it, you're not out that much money... but it's still a waste of time, effort and money. Personally, I just don't see the point, and wouldn't want anyone else out there to experience the disappointment that I did...

2 out of 5 stars.
* *

Have you tried L'Oreal's True Match foundation? How about any of their other "True Match" products?? What did you think of them??

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation

I bought this 1 oz bottle at my local Sephora for $42 CDN. It is available for purchase at Sephora stores, www.sephora.com and anywhere NARS products are sold.

My 'winter' shade is the lightest available Siberia; my 'summer' shade is Fiji. Siberia is the lightest shade available out of 15 shades. Siberia is "light with neutral balance of pink and yellow undertones." Fiji is the fifth lightest shade available. It is "light with yellow undertones."

This is a liquid foundation marketed toward normal, normal-to-dry, dry, and very dry skin types. As evident by the name "Glow," this is a dewy satin-finish foundation. It is not shimmery or glittery, but leaves the skin with an obvious radiant, luminous sheen. This would not be an ideal foundation for those with oily skin, as it will exacerbate the shininess of the oily zones on the face.

Also evident by the name, this is a sheer, light-weight foundation with buildable coverage. It is marketed as having a weightless finish by enhancing, without masking, one's natural complexion. It claims to hydrate the skin while improving skin's radiance, brightness and texture.

I personally adore this foundation. Mostly because it's the best match for my skin I've ever found. Because I am so pale, it's nearly impossible for me to find a perfect match for my skin tone. I have pink and yellow undertones, and it's very difficult for me to find a foundation that's a combination of both.

The square bottle is made of a heavy frosted glass. There is a black velvety square cap that sits loosely on top of a smaller circular cap. The large square cap is just for aesthetics - it proves to inhibit the safe and secure sealing of the bottle, so I recommend just popping the square lid off and leaving the smaller circular one on to cap off the bottle. I have had one too many close calls with keeping the square lid on to make the bottle 'look pretty,' and having the cap loosely screwed on and almost losing valuable product this way. Also, this foundation does not have a pump - it would be so much more convenient and efficient to have a pump dispenser instead of having to pour the foundation out of the bottle opening.

I got matched for this foundation by one of the Sales Associates at Sephora. She did a beautiful job of matching my skin tone and showing me how to use the foundation appropriately.

I apply this foundation with a couple of apparatuses. First, and my favorite method, with a damp 'beauty blender' egg sponge. I don't have the 'real' Beauty Blender egg, but a knock off that I purchased for $10 at London Drugs. I dot the foundation around my face, and use the sponge to stipple the foundation. The damp nature of the sponge allows for an even, sheer application of foundation - I am able to build the coverage if I so desire, without making the foundation look cakey or streaky. My second favorite method is with the use of the Quo Precision Foundation Kabuki brush. Once again, I dot the foundation around my face, and buff into the skin with circular motions. This method allows for a little more coverage than the previous method, but also prevents streaking and cakiness.

The foundation feels so weightless and light on my skin, it's very hydrating. It does not aggravate my dry patches, but it can cling to them and make them somewhat more noticeable depending on the severity of the dry patch.

The coverage is really nice. It goes on fairly sheer - enough to even out one's skin tone. It is buildable though. One can go from sheer to medium coverage with a couple of light layers of foundation. It is definitely not for those who desire a full coverage face full of 'paint.'

In regards to its longevity, this foundation holds up pretty well. It's not infallible, however, and with exertion, sweat, and time, the foundation will exhibit signs of wear. Most of my wear is on my t-zone - the oiliest parts of my face; this wear can be reduced, however, by setting my foundation with a powder. It lasts better than your average drugstore foundation, but it's not outstandingly long lasting.

I LOVE this foundation. It gives me a natural looking finish with sheer coverage on a 'good skin' day, and a medium-coverage flawless finish on a 'could-be-better' skin day - a radiant glow from within my foundation. It doesn't overly cling to dry patches or aggravate my dry skin. It's hydrating, smooths the appearance of my skin, brightens and evens out my complexion. And best of all, I've found matches for my skin tone.

One of the downsides is the cost. $42 for a bottle of foundation is not an easy pill to swallow, by any means. But the foundation goes a long way, and the bottle lasts me quite a while. I've had my bottle of Siberia for over a year now, and I still haven't made it halfway through.

I would definitely recommend checking this foundation out - especially if you are normal to very dry skin and want sheer to medium coverage. If you have the money to drop on trying this product out, it's a definite must have. There is a decent range of shades - something for everyone, for every combination of undertone :)

Because of the issues with packaging and the price, I wouldn't go so far as to give this a 5/5 for stars, but it is an amazing product and definitely worth the hefty price tag. So...

4 out of 5 stars, it is!
* * * *

Have you tried this foundation? Do you love it? Do you hate it?
I've also heard that the Neutrogena Healthy Skin foundation is a dupe for this. Would you agree/disagree?