Choosing the right foundation can be a hit or miss affair. Countless numbers of women must spend years searching for the holy grail of foundations, the one that really will make your skin appear ‘flawless’.

While this claim is wearing a bit thin now, we can live in hope. Anyway, it's there again, promoting a new addition to the Revlon range with its Beyond Natural skin matching makeup.



However, it's not the promise of flawless skin that makes Revlon's Beyond Natural foundation stand out among the cluttered store shelves. It's their new gimmick which says their foundation will adjust to match your exact skin tone on application. This could come as a huge relief for those of us who can never find the right color to match our skin.

The skin matching ability is down to Revlon's patented micro-color beads technology. Along with these wonder beads is, of course, the promise of a ‘flawless’ finish to cover imperfections and even out your skin's appearance.

It comes packed in a plain pale pink squeezy tube, nothing fancy. And despite the skin-matching ability, it seems you still have to choose something close to your own color. You have a choice of five colors: light, light-medium, medium, medium-deep and deep. It contains an SPF of 15 which is an essential ingredient in most daytime skincare products. Being quite light skinned, I opted for the ‘Light’ color which is what this review is based on.

Applying foundation can be tricky. Some of them are so thick you really need to use a moistened applicator sponge or brush so it doesn't end up looking like a mask. However, the instructions on this product tell you to apply using your fingers which can make it easier to give a more precise coverage. It comes out of the tube completely white. However on closer inspection you can see tiny brown dots, which I imagine must be the microparticles. Its texture is very light and quite runny, so if you just hold the tube upside down, the liquid will drip out.

Once it's smoothed it onto the skin the color changes from white to a more natural skin tone which, as promised, blends into the natural skin tone. It doesn't leave any sign of the dreaded 'tide mark’ around my neck either. So the skin matching magic does work on my skin tone at least.

It tends to sink into deeper pores so takes a bit longer to blend into these areas. But once it's on, it looks smooth and natural and even gives a nice glow without appearing shiny. What it doesn't do is give a flawless coverage. This is possibly because it's quite a light foundation, so it doesn't cover up blemishes or brown spots. It's probably more like a tinted moisturizer with regards to coverage.

Revlon do suggest using a primer underneath the foundation. Primers can help make foundations last longer as well as helping reduce the appearance of skin imperfections such as age spots. So it might be a solution if you have these problems. However, the foundation lasts well throughout the day without the need for a primer.

Revlon's Beyond Natural foundation falls into the budget priced market, costing as little as $6.99 on Amazon. Price isn't always a reliable indicator when it comes to choosing a foundation and you can find some remarkable products that are quite cheap. Considering the low price of the Beyond Natural foundation, I would have to say it provides good value for money. Even better, I've received comments on how good my skin looks when I've worn this product, something that hasn't happened with any other foundation.

If your skin has many blemishes or uneven skin tone, then Beyond Natural’s light coverage probably won't be enough. The skin matching technology is clever and quite fun to watch and may take some of the guesswork out of trying to find the right shade for your skin. It's a good choice for warmer months when a lightweight foundation is easier to wear. Overall, if you're looking for a durable, long lasting but lightweight foundation that's easily affordable, then Revlon's Beyond Natural skin matching makeup is a great buy.