Almay TLC (Truly Lasting Color) Foundation Review & Swatches

Almay TLC (Truly Lasting Color) Foundation & Revlon Colorstay Comparison Swatches!

Price: $14 per ounce

Currently Cruelty Free!

****UPDATE: As of February 2014, Revlon has announced that they are pulling their products from China for "financial reasons." This includes all Revlon & Almay products. While the companies have not officially declared  themselves Cruelty Free again, (I believe because the door to the Chinese Market is still semi-open), NOW IS THE TIME TO PURCHASE FROM ALMAY & REVLON!
Here's why; if Revlon & their companies are having discussions about how to proceed, they may very well decide to re-enter the Chinese Market which will lead to more animal testing. We, as consumers, need to make them believe that their decrease in revenue was caused by American consumers boycotting their decision to enter the Chinese Market. If we continue to boycott their products, they will fail to see the correlation. We need to purchase from Revlon & Almay as long as they are undecided about selling in China,, POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT IS A POWERFUL TOOL! Of course I understand that they didn't pull out of China because of a higher sense of morality, but saving lives for a selfish reason is still saving lives & we must keep that in mind & reward their decision, even if their intent was everything but admirable!****


This is a foundation which is really a behind the scenes type of product. You really don't hear much hype about it, but you don't hear much bitching either. If you look online you'll find a few reviews here and there, but for the most part, Almay TLC is really a wall flower. It promises 16 hour wear and has an SPF of 15, plus has been formulated with antioxidants and skincare benefits!

I got really nervous that they would be discontinuing this for Spring 2014 since they have a pretty extensive new lineup and obviously limited shelf space at stores, but it seems that the people who do use this have established enough of a fan base to keep this going.

It really is a very good product. It is a typical long-lasting foundation formula but doesn't get as drying or cakey as fast as some others. It is a great option for people who love Rimmel 25 Hour, or CoverGirl Outlast 3-in-1, Maybelline Superstay, L'oreal Infallible, and ir is almost identical to the old version of Revlon Colorstay!

TLC really does a fabulous job and is a steady workhorse but never gets much attention so I thought I would throw it some love, I think it's earned it. Afterall, it has a 3.9 rating on Makeupalley AND a BEST rating from Paula Begoun at Paula's Choice. How often does THAT happen?

Coverage wise this is very close to Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation and MAC Pro-LongWear Foundation. Although this consistency is slightly thicker than those, it is just as easily blendable and aside from a few small improvements, it is very similar to its parent company's (Revlon), version Colorstay.

Below I have swatched Almay TLC and Revlon Colorstay, both shades are "BUFF." Their formulas are incredibly similar, and I have compared the ingredients below. In the bottom photo, you can see that Almay lasts significantly longer than Revlon, and both do a very good job of keeping their color "pure," meaning little/no oxidation. I do prefer Almay's Buff to Revlon's as Almay's is less beigey dingy looking, and it does have a *slightly* less powdery finish.

Almay TLC (Truly Lasting Color) Foundation Swatches of Shades
Ivory, Buff, Naked, Natural, Beige, Honey, Warm,

Almay TLC (Truly Lasting Color) Foundation Swatches of Shades
Ivory, Buff, Naked, Natural, Beige, Honey, Warm,

Left Almay TLC Truly Lasting Color in Buff, Right Revlon Colorstay (New formula, Normal/Dry) in Buff
8 hours in

Almay TLC (Truly Lasting Color) 

PaulasChoice Rating: BEST

Ingredients:

Active Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide (3.3%), Zinc Oxide (2.3%) Inactive Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Cyclomethicone, Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Butylene Glycol, Boron Nitride, PEG/PPG 18/18 Dimethicone, HDI/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Talc, Nylon 12, Cetyl/PEG/PPG 10/1 Dimethicone, Phenyltrimethicone, Sodium Chloride, Trisiloxane, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Seed Extract (Sweet Almond), Laminaria Japonica Extract, Nereocycstis Leutkeana Extract, Macrocystis Pyrifera Extract, Magnesium, Potassium, Trihydroxystearin, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Extract (Lemon), Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Aspalathus Linearis (Rooibos/Red Tea) Leaf Extract, Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis) Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Methicone, Tribehenin, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Alumina, Silica, Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Palmitoyl Hydroxypropyltrimonium Amylopectin/Glycerin Crosspolymer, Sorbitol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, May Contain (+/-): Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, 77492, 77499)

Revlon Colorstay (New Formula, normal/dry)

PaulasChoice Rating:  Average

Ingredients:

Active Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide (4.4%), Zinc Oxide (2%) Inactive Ingredients: Aqua/Water (Water), Cyclomethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Cetyl PEG/PPG 10/1 Dimethicone, Polyglyceryl 4 Isostearate, HDI/Trimethol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Nylon 12, Phenyltrimethicone, Magnesium Sulfate, Isododecane, Boron Nitride, Methicone, Laureth 7, Malva Sylvestris Flower Extract (Mallow), Lilium Candidum Bulb Extract (Lily), Lactobacillus/Eridictyon Californicum Ferment Extract, Cymbidium Grandiflorum Flower Extract, Serica Soie (Silk), Tocopherol Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Ethylene Brassylate, Tribehenin, Bisabolol, Silica, Alumina, Isohexadecane, Polydimethylsiloxane/Polymethysilesquioxane Copolymer, Polysorbate 20, Polysorbate 80, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, May Contain (+/-): Iron Oxides (CI 77491, 77492, 77499), Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), Zinc Oxide (CI 77947)

               = Ingredients used in slightly different order and/or quantity

               = Ingredients in only one of the two formulas

-As you can see, the differences are very minor. Again, this isn't like some products which are identical to eachother, but they are very very similar. 

-Overall, Almay is the better performer and even better than the original Colorstay formula which was discontinued in 2013. The SoftFlex claims Revlon uses with Colorstay, would actually be better suited for TLC as that doesn't crack like Colorstay.

-Almay also includes several skincare benefits and antioxidants, but if those are important to you you will have to keep the clear bottle away from light. (You can buy bottles on ebay for $.20 each), OR, you can simply tape a piece of good quality paper around the bottle, or even tape which light can't penetrate, OR you can keep in in a drawer, or use a separate skincare regimen!

- If you are prone to break outs and are able to use Colorstay, you should be fine using TLC

******Note that this is for the normal/dry formula. If you use the normal/oily formula you are using an identical product to the normal/dry, except that they have added additional fragrance and rubbing alcohol to help resolve oil issues, which actually, triggers your skin to INCREASE oil production!******