Review: CoverGirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation + SPF20

Note: If you can't find a shade that's dark enough for you in this range, please see this post, which explains that the new CoverGirl Queen Collection All Day Flawless Foundation + SPF20 is almost identical to this formula, and available in many shades for deeper skintones.

Back in the middle of February, I posted a teaser on Facebook about how much I was loving this foundation. I had just purchased it from Rite And and had only used it once, but it was literally love as first swipe. I wanted to write this review immediately after trying it, but that wouldn't be accurate or reliable. So, I waited. I tried it with different moisturizers underneath. I tried it with different concealers and setting powders. I just had to make sure that what I was experiencing wasn't a fluke. Before wildly raving about this product, I wanted to be absolutely certain that this product worked in all occasions. Luckily, since February, we've had both cold and very hot weather here in San Diego, so I even got to test it in different temperatures. 

Now that I've put it through the most thorough testing that I can possibly give to a foundation, I am officially declaring this my new Holy Grail Foundation. Keep reading to find out why!

CoverGirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation + SPF20 in 825 Buff Beige

(retail: around $10, 1.0 oz)

This foundation comes in 14 shades. From the CoverGirl website:

All-in-one foundation with a long-lasting formula that fuses primer, concealer, and foundation in one easy step! The 3-in-1 formula provides a flawless look that lasts all day long.  

All day, longwear formula 

Primer, concealer, and foundation in one

Smooth, flawless finish

Keep reading for my full review...

From the Ulta website:

Ingredients:

Active: Ensulizole 3.0%. Inactive: Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Propylene Glycol, Talc, Dimethicone, Aluminum Starch, Octenylsuccinate, Sodium Chloride, PEG/PPG-18, Pvp, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethylene, Copolymer, Trihydroxystearin, Arachidyl Behenate, Methicone, Silica, Synthetic Wax, Sodium Benzoate, Hexyl Laurate, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate, Ethylene Brassylate, Behenic Acid, Polyethylene, Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide.

I love, love, love that this product comes with a pump applicator.

Let's jump right into some before-and-afters:

Clean face, no makeup (just moisturizer)

As you can see, I have some redness, broken capillaries, dark circles, old acne scars and large pores.

 After applying CoverGirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation in Buff Beige

In the above pic, I applied this foundation with just my fingers. Notice how my broken capillaries (which are the hardest thing ever to cover) are completely concealed. The darkness under my eyes isn't completely gone, but it's good enough for me to feel comfortable walking out of the house. All of my redness is also gone, as well as my old acne scars. Without any setting powder, this product does have a very matte finish, and the shade Buff Beige is a bit lighter than it appears in the bottle (however I still find it to be a good match for my NC20 skintone since it doesn't leave my skin looking too pink.)

After applying setting powder on top of the foundation

If you're not a fan of the matte finish of this foundation, I highly suggest using a setting powder that contains a soft, subtle shimmer/sheen such as Physicians Formula Super BB Powder, which is what I used for the above picture. I think it's a perfect combination with this foundation because it takes away some of the matteness and gives the skin a slightly more natural look.  If you use an oil-control setting powder with this foundation, just be prepared to see a very matte finish on your skin.

And here's a picture you'll probably remember from some previous reviews (taken on a different day):

In this photo, I'm wearing both CoverGirl Outlast Stay Fabulous foundation and Physicians Formula Super BB Powder. (Click here if you'd like to see what other products I used for this look.)

Texture and consistency: Unlike other long-wear foundations, the consistency of this product is much lighter. You don't feel like you're coating your skin in a thick, suffocating liquid during application. It spreads easily across the skin, and you have a nice amount of time to blend before it sets. After it sets, you can still go back and build for more coverage without it becoming cakey. 

Coverage and finish: I've tried so many products over the years that claim to be a primer, concealer and foundation all in one but nothing--I repeat--nothing has ever lived up to that claim as well as this product. The coverage is simply outstanding. For me to be able to walk out of my house without even a drop of concealer on my face is a miracle, but I've lost count of how many times I've applied this product after my moisturizer, slapped on some setting powder and walked out of the house feeling confident. The finish is obviously matte, so if you prefer a matte finish to your foundations, you'll probably love the look of this product. But if you prefer a slightly more natural finish, I suggest using a setting powder that has a soft shimmer/sheen to it.

Staying power: Again, I've tried so many products over the years that claim to have a built-in primer, but never have I had a product live up to that claim better than this one. I have absolutely no need to wear a separate primer when using this foundation, and let me remind you that I have extremely oily skin. I have tested this product in both cold and hot weather, and every time I wear it I am astounded by the fact that I can touch my nose at the usual time that I would normally feel some oily breakthrough (after about three hours of wear), and NOTHING. My face feels like I just applied this product. Fresh and oil-free. In cooler weather, I can go an entire eight hours before I start to see even a slight bit of breakthrough shine, and even then it's minimal. In warmer weather, I can easily go five hours before I even start to thinking about using a blotting sheet. Transfer is minimal--I have tested this by applying this product to my skin (no setting powder) and I allowed it to set on my skin for about a hour. Then I took my sleeve (while wearing a black shirt) and lightly brushed my sleeve across my cheek. The result was a very, very soft, light mark on my sleeve and that's it.

Fragrance: To me, this product smells like a much softer, diluted version of Revlon ColorStay foundation, but it also has a pleasant, "clean" note to it that makes it feel fresh during application. A few minutes after application, I can no longer detect the fragrance.

FINAL VERDICT: If you have oily or combination skin, I think you might fall in love with this foundation (but my pal Stephanie of Aquaheart's Obsessions, who has dry skin, loves it too, so don't rule this one out if you have dry skin!). This foundation lives up to its claims to be a primer, concealer and foundation all in one bottle. It gives my skin a truly flawless look, covering my flaws better than any other foundation I've ever tried. Staying power is beyond awesome, especially for my super-oily skin. I can't believe that I can confidently skip concealer when I use this foundation (totally unheard of in my world) but if I want to look extra pretty, I do use a separate concealer for my undereye darkness (by the way, I find that, regardless of concealer, it's best to apply your concealer first, followed by this foundation. If you try to apply concealer on top of this foundation, you can encounter some issues with blending due to the matte finish). The only fault I have encountered with this product is that, after about five hours of wear, sometimes this product can have a tendency to settle into some of my fine lines and accentuate them a bit, so I suggest using a good moisturizer beforehand to combat this. Also, using a silica-based setting powder (like e.l.f. Studio Tone Correcting Powder for example) can really help minimize this in the under-eye area. Also, if you're concerned about SPF (which we all should be) I would recommend using a separate suscreen and/or moisturizer with sunscreen when you wear this product (I always try to go with SPF30, personally). Other than that, this product is my new Holy Grail foundation, which really says a lot because I have been a powder foundation girl for about the last 20 years. If you're looking for true, all-day wear and excellent coverage, I would certainly considering giving this one a shot. I give it my highest recommendation.

Have you tried CoverGirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation + SPF20? I would absolutely love to hear about your experiences with it!