Tags
concealer, cruelty free, foundation, review, stila, Stila Stay All Day Foundation & Concealer, vegan beauty
I am always on the lookout for a long lasting, vegan-friendly, hydrating, medium-full coverage foundation and I snapped up Stila’s version while in Sephora a few months ago. Stila is one of my favourite cruelty-free cosmetic brands so I thought I would love this foundation but I am still not sure.
Let’s start from the beginning.
The design of the bottle is easily one of the WORST make up packaging I have ever come across. No pump- just an awkwardly shaped spatula that distributes way too much foundation and leaves messy dollops on the rim. The texture is thick so you can re-scoop spilt and excess product back into the bottle but do you really want too? Horrible.
You also get a little foundation brush when you purchase this, which is cute. It doesn’t really make the whole spatula-debacle any easier thou and since I use my fingers when applying makeup, it’s kinda useless.
Once you get over the ordeal of actually getting the foundation out of the bottle and onto your face, the thickness subsides and it does glides very easily onto the skin. I find the coverage to be fairly sheer and light, perfect for the weekend. It’s pretty easy to build up to a fuller coverage, however the more you apply, the grosser it feels- think that heavy, weighted down foundation feeling.
It actually settles quite nicely. It has ok staying power, better than most but for a foundation that claims to stay all day? Meh. It is matte satin and settles into a dewy finish that can be easily touched up if needed, like going out straight after work. Without a bit of a touch up the staying power isn’t that great, especially if I didn’t build up to a heavier coverage in the mornings.
Unfortunately, I found that if my skin was dry, by mid-afternoon the foundation had flaked and caked a little over my dry patches. My skin needs to be super moisturised otherwise it is just not working.
I have tried the foundation over a couple of different primers to see if it affects the hydration foundation and I have found that oil based primers (eg. the OCC skin primer) seem to work better with the product than a lotion or crème based primer.
The cap flips up to reveal a creamy concealer and handy little mirror. Surprisningly, I loved the concealer. Great coverage, creamy texture, non flakey and long lasting. Kinda wish Stila would just sell the concealer on its own without the foundation.
In summary, I don’t feel this foundation is for me. I am not a fan of the spatula and I would rather my foundation work if my skin is feeling extra wintery dry AND if it is feeling normal. I will continue to use this but not as my regular, day to day foundation- perhaps on the weekends or out to a dinner if I am after a light, dewy glow, over an oil-based primer. I will not be re purchasing this.
Paint It Black 
Reblogged this on Just Nora.