Review: New Revlon Age Defying Cream Makeup SPF20 with DNA Advantage

When I first saw the display for Revlon's newest foundation and tried the tester on the back of my hand, I knew that I would eventually have to make a purchase. So a few weeks ago when it was on sale at CVS, I used some Extra Bucks and picked up the shade Bare Buff (second-to-lightest shade in the range) for about $5 (retail price at CVS is $13.99).

Revlon Age Defying Cream Makeup SPF20 with DNA Advantage in Bare Buff

(retail: around $13.99, 1.0 oz)

I think the shade Bare Buff is a pretty good match for my NC20 skintone, although perhaps a tiny bit more on the pale side than my actual skin. As you can see, this bottle comes with a pump dispenser, which is ALWAYS a plus (I'm talkin' to you, Colorstay!).

The ingredients (click to enlarge):

Let's start with the positives:

I LOVE that this foundation contains SPF20.

I also love the texture of this foundation. It's not too thick, yet not too watery. It spreads onto the skin effortlessly and the first time I applied it (using my fingertips), I got SO excited because it really seemed like it was going to be a nice, full-coverage foundation that wouldn't look too heavy on my skin. Also, the scent is not strong or overbearing--it smells kind of like a non-scented lotion, if that makes sense.

As you can see, it's got a creaminess to it and, after blended onto the skin, it really seems to minimize fine lines and imperfections. Take a look at it on my hand, in two forms of light:

If you enlarge the above photo, you can really see how it gives the skin almost an airbrushed quality, without settling into the fine lines on my hand. It does the same thing when applied to my face; it really makes my skin appear smoother and practically flawless, especially after I apply setting powder.

Looking at the pic above (on the right), which was taken in full sunlight, you can see that this foundation seems to give the skin some luminosity and sheen. Nice, huh?

Well, all that changed when I caught a glimpse of myself in my rear-view mirror, in broad daylight. Here's what I discovered:

Shimmer. And TONS of it. Here's a closer look at the back of my hand (it was SO hard to capture the shimmer in photos, but I assure you that it is extremely easy to see with the naked eye):

If you look toward the lower half of the above photo, the camera caught (and magnified) the shimmer particles (they look green in this photo). In real life, the shimmer looks silver in color, and it's actually very dense. In other words, when I wear this foundation, I have shimmer EVERYWHERE. Around my lips, on my nose, under my eyes...everywhere.

When I look at myself in the light of day, it's as if I used the Revlon Colorstay Mineral Finishing Powder (which you know I love) over my entire face. I'm sorry, I love a little sparkle and shimmer on my skin, but I only like it when it's strategically placed in certain areas such as on the tops of my cheekbones, above my eyebrows, etc. NOT on every nook and cranny of my face.

Moving past the high shimmer content, this foundation let me down in another way as well. After about an hour on my skin, it suddenly seemed to go from a medium-to-full-coverage foundation, to a sheer coverage foundation. Once it had time to interact with the natural oils of my skin, it seemed to fade and make the flaws on my skin more visible. So...if you're a full-coverage-loving-girl like myself, and you have oily skin, this might not be the one to get you through the day.

FINAL VERDICT: Sadly, the new Revlon Age Defying Cream Makeup SPF20 with DNA Advantage is not for me. At 40 years of age, I'm pretty sure I'm in the target demographic for a foundation with the words "Age Defying" in the title, but a product packed with shimmer is not something I look for when I want my skin to appear younger-looking. This much shimmer seems to actually draw attention TO the imperfections in my skin--the very thing I'm trying to disguise. Yes, I love the texture of this product and I could even handle the fact that it goes from full-coverage to sheer-coverage within an hour of application if it continued to make my skin appear smoother. But when I walk outdoors and see this much sparkle, I'm afraid that's all I see. It's nice that the shimmer in this foundation is only apparent outdoors, so if I were to be spending the day inside, I could wear this. But honestly, why bother, when there are so many other great foundations on the market (including Colorstay) that don't have these stipulations?

Have you tried Revlon Age Defying Cream Makeup with DNA Advantage? If so, what are your thoughts?