Nearly Caked

I almost never use drugstore face products. It's not brand snobbery, its practicality. Don't get me wrong, I try really hard to seek out more wallet friendly solutions but the products are always either too pink, too dark, or too heavy. It says a lot about the Revlon Nearly Naked range that I even managed to talk myself into the purchase.

 

I saw this in Rite Aid about two weeks ago and the name "Nearly Naked" drew me in immediately. If I look for anything in my base products it's a barely there appearance. I hate looking made up more than anything and any product that claims to make me look perfect without making me look like I'm wearing slap is instantly on my radar. I still passed on this at first because I had been burned so many times in the Rite Aid aisles that I wasn't ready to take the plunge again.

 

The other day my self control gave out and my curiosity and I walked out with foundation and powder in tow. (Along with Essie's Butler Please which is going back because it is the same as Sally Hansen Pacific Blue. I knew it!)

 

I am pleased to report that I am really genuinely enjoying using this. It reminds me a whole lot of the formula of Chanel's Vita Lumiere Aqua foundation. I sampled the Chanel maybe a year ago and really loved it but ended up with something similar from Shiseido that had a higher SPF because Summer was fast approaching.

 

Ther shade range in this (as with most Revlon formulas) is quite large and I found it quite easy to come up with a good match in 120 Vanilla. I think I might have been able to go a shade or so darker given that the formula is so forgiving, but this definitley works. It helps that the corresponding powder in Light is a bit too dark, but the lighter shade, Fair, was way too pink.

 

The few reviews I saw before I bought this really praised the powder as being soft and creamy and lovely, which it is. I do find though that I prefer the foundation on its own. On my normal to combination-oily skin this lasts about 7 hours until it begins to break down around my nose and chin and lingers on my cheeks and forehead until I choose to remove it. If I use the powder on top I find it looks a bit heavy and then I end up spritzing with a bit of toner and the product breaks down faster than it would have on its own.

 

All in all I think they are both really nice, inexpensive, base products that are worth a second look. I can't say that I will repurchase the powder but I think the foundation stands a good chance of being something I can rely on in the long haul.

 

Have you guys tried this formula yet?

xoxo

Molly