The face wants what the face wants... feat. Maxfactor Face Finity All Day Flawless 3 in 1 Foundation

I like this foundation. I like this foundation a lot. So much so that I'm starting to feel awful pangs of guilt every morning when applying it as part of my everyday make-up routine. I'm doing the dirty on my beloved Revlon ColorStay and I just can't seem to stop myself!

When Maxfactor first released their Face Finity All Day Flawless 3 in 1 Foundation I wrote it off as being a bit of a gimmick, and I assumed it wouldn't suit my skin type (combination that turns into shine central come midday). I'm not sure where I got this idea from, but I recently purchased a bottle and it has totally exceeded my expectations, hence the serious case of make-up adultery I've got going on. 

Maxfactor Face Finity 3 in 1 Foundation, £11.99

The reason I've always loved Revlon ColorStay so much is because it gives full coverage and a matte finish. Maxfactor Face Finity does both these things but in some ways it manages to do them even better than ColorStay. It has a fairly thick, creamy texture, thicker than ColorStay, but it's super easy to blend and doesn't drag on the skin at all when applying. In my opinion it gives a slighly higher level of coverage than ColorStay, in that it seems to cover blemish marks and dark circles even better and makes the skin look more even prior to applying concealer and powder. It gives a very even finish and a very matte finish, which is what I like in a foundation. 

Face Finity lasts a little longer than ColorStay, in terms of not needing a powder top-up for at least five or six hours after first applying. I tested Face Finity's 'All Day Flawless' claim yesterday when it was particularly humid outside; after walking home from the shops my hair was stuck to the back of my neck, my top was clinging to me, but my face was still matte and my make-up hadn't budged. Woohoo! Top marks from me, as I'm usually a slave to the face powder during hot weather. While ColorStay has great lasting power, it can start to tire by the end of a long day, becoming a little patchy in places, unless I set it with the matching face powder. I haven't had this problem with Face Finity so far. Perhaps this is because of the 'primer' included in the foundation, as there is definitely a difference. It does feel like it 'sticks' well to the skin when applied. 

As for the concealer claim, while Face Finity does do a good job of evening out my skin tone, calming down the appearance of blemishes and dark circles, I still need to use a separate concealer to cover problem areas fully. This doesn't really bother me as I like using my MAC concealer pot and I use a concealer brush to target individual spots and blemishes. I reckon if my skin was clearer I could get away with wearing just the foundation, as it does provide great coverage, but for the moment this isn't really an option (my skin is a work in progress!)

Maxfactor Face Finity in 'Light Ivory 40'

The one slight downside of Face Finity is the limited colour range. I picked 'Light Ivory' which is the palest shade available, but it isn't quite a perfect match; I could do with a shade *slightly* lighter, especially come winter. It doesn't look noticeably odd or mismatched, but it's something that bugs me a little. On the plus side, Maxfactor foundations tend to have pink undertones which is in contrast to many of the 'ivory=yellow' high street foundations I've encountered in the past! On the colour front, Revlon ColorStay wins as it really is a perfect match for my fair skin and I know I can apply it without every worrying about having to be extra careful when blending around the hair line and jaw line. 

As far as packaging is concerned, Maxfactor Face Finity comes with a pump which wins out over Revlon ColorStay in terms of ease of use. Things are a lot less messy with a pump! Both foundations are housed in sturdy glass bottles, and although they're a little heavy they look and feel quite expensive, which is a nice little plus.

I still can't quite believe I'm saying this (oh, the guilt!) but Face Finity has become the foundation I reach for every morning, even more so than my bottle of Revlon ColorStay. Which makes my previous review of Revlon ColorStay a little awkward... Check out the title of the post to see why! What can I say? The face wants what the face wants! Aside from the minor colour matching issue, everything about Face Finity is perfect. From the texture to the excellent full coverage to the matte, long lasting finish, I'm totally hooked! Out of all the full coverage high street foundations I've tried so far, this is the clear winner. I just wish it hadn't taken me so long to give it a go!

Visit Maxfactor's official website here