I think it's safe to say I've become a bit of a foundation-aholic the past couple of months. I used to be the type of girl who would find a base they like and stick to it, but just recently I've been testing and trying lots of new ones to add to my makeup collection; it's good to have variety there - my skin doesn't always call for the same coverage every day and I find it refreshing to have a bit of a choice. Hardly surprising then that I got caught up in the hype that is Revlon's Nearly Naked foundation. Being a fan of light, sheer bases I knew I had to try it. Do I like it? Yes. But there's a few things I have mixed opinions on..
First off. The shade range. I've never tried any Revlon foundation before (I know, shocking..I've had their Photoready foundation on my wish list for donkeys..) so I wasn't sure where I would be in their shade spectrum. After much debating I settled on '150 - Nude' as I'm usually one or two shades darker than the lightest available. However, in the morning when I decided I would give it a whirl, it became apparent that the colour was a touch too dark (my fault, not Revlon's!). I can usually get away with a shade lighter or darker but it was a struggle getting it to blend seamlessly because of the pink undertones to that came through once applied on my more yellow-toned skin. Feeling a little bit annoyed with myself for picking the wrong shade (we've all been there, done that and got a replacement bottle), I thought I'd grab a lighter one. Every store I went in had '130 - Shell' as the next shade down, so I grabbed it and crossed my fingers. It does match a great deal better, as it seems a little more neutral with the undertones, but it's possibly a touch too light. What a kerfuffle. I tend to wear the lighter shade as I find it blends better into my skin, and mix it with the darker shade in some areas if I think I need to. This said, I find there's quite a bit jump between the 2 shades and I can't seem to find a middle-ground?! I don't think there is a '140' but if anyone has found one, do let me know as I seem to be smack-bang in the middle here. That was probably my first and only little gripe.
I find it gets messy very quick due to there being no pump, but to be honest, I can look past this. It doesn't effect the foundation in any way and if I over-pour I simply just tip a little back in - it's actually very handy as you can see exactly how much is left and rest assured you can get every last bit out once you're running low. The foundation itself is lovely. Now, I shall be honest here and say it didn't blow me away when I first started using it. There was no 'crikey me I think I've just found my new holy grail' moment but I did like how light and easy to blend it was and I didn't put it straight back in the drawer. I've been reaching for it a lot just recently over my slightly heavier foundations. My skin has been a little on the dodgy side due to various reasons the past couple of weeks, and I've found it covers any blemishes well without drying around them and making them appear worse. Some might think that having a few blemishes would mean a heavier foundation, but for me I find a lighter base works better when I'm having a bad skin day - as it doesn't exaggerate the dodgy bits. It helps to mask them and smooth out the skin, and also doesn't appear obvious that you're trying to hide something because it doesn't look 'caked on'. You do need a primer if you want it to last (for reference I use Loreal's Studio Secrets Resurfacing Primer and it works very well with it). The first few times I wore it without a primer, it faded pretty quickly within about 3 hours, but if I make sure I prep my skin beforehand and dust a little of Mac's MSF over the top to set, I get a good 5-6 hours wear out of it albeit a little wear around my t-zone. After application it gives is a very natural, satin-like finish.
It feels very, very light on the skin which is what I love about it. It's an absolute dream to apply and blend (I use a Real Techniques Buffing brush and it works a treat!) I do agree with the claim that it looks almost undetectable from your real skin, and it feels completely weightless. I would say it has a little more coverage than a couple of my BB creams, but not much. If you're an Estee Lauder Double Wear girl then I'd stay well clear of Nearly Naked! But if you're in the market for a lightweight, subtle foundation that feels like you're wearing nothing on your skin, I'd really recommend it. Yes, there are a couple of things I'm not so sure on, but nothing major and I can see why there has been a lot of hype surrounding it. It's really grown on me and I've been wearing it daily the past fortnight - it's been a little saving grace for me and my skin just recently and the only gripe I have is with the shade range for me personally but then again, I'm always awkward. I'm glad I have it in my foundation drawer and for summer I'm sure I'll be reaching for it a lot more! It wasn't instant love but it's getting there - once you learn to work with it I have to agree with the masses and state that it's a very good little foundation that does what it says on the tin (or bottle..)
Have you tried Revlon's Nearly Naked?
What were your thoughts? Yey or Nay?
What were your thoughts? Yey or Nay?
