Almay • TLC Truly Lasting Color • Foundations

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patriciabain on 5/24/2012 10:47:00 AM more reviews by patriciabain

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

This is definitely the best foundation I've ever bought. I'm a drugstore makeup person, since I don't have money for the higher-end stuff, and this was amazing!

I bought this in buff, and it matches my skin tone perfectly. It covers well without feeling too thick and gross on my skin. It didn't irritate my sensitive skin or give me break-outs. And finally, it lasted!

It says 16 hours, and I don't generally wear foundation for that long, but it definitely lasted all day for me. I put it on early in the morning before I went to volunteer for a children's musical. I was stuck in a hot room for several hours curling hair and putting makeup on energetic little kids, and my makeup didn't budge. It stayed the entire day until I took it off that night. I have absolutely no complaints about this makeup. I love it.

It doesn't seem to go on well with my makeup brush, so I use my fingers, and that seems to work pretty well for me. I also like that it has a pump instead of just coming out of a bottle. I always feel with open bottles that they may be a bit more prone to getting germs in them.

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violetbutterfly1629 on 5/15/2012 12:55:00 PM more reviews by violetbutterfly1629

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Straight   Eyes: Brown    

This is one of the few foundations that I LOVE. My skin is very sensitive that most foundations break me out. Most of the time I use BB cream, but if I wanna wear foundation, this is the one I turn to!

It gives medium coverage, but it can be build to full coverage with a little more, especially if you're just spot treating a pimple, acne scar, or dark circles. I have neutral undertones, but I'm more on the warmer side and I got the shade 160 Naked and it's a little pink on me. But the next shade is too dark for me. So all I do is add some bronzer to warm up my face and voila! I'm good to go!

The packaging is AWESOME! It has a pump! Enough said!

Overall, 4 out of 5, only because it's a little pink on me. Other than that, I highly recommend this foundation!

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*TOP REVIEWER* PeachFuzzz on 5/6/2012 11:42:00 PM more reviews by PeachFuzzz

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Hazel    

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE!?!?!?! uh..right infront my nose. How could I miss this foundation. I have been looking at buying it but thought meeeehhhh it's just another drug store foundation that doesn't do anything but give me grief. WRONG! This foundation looks awesome on my oily,nasty, acne pron, big pore, did I say oily yet? Yeah, so oily that you could fry up some eggs and call it a day.


CON: SHADE SELECTION IS AWFUL! I took the advice of a previous reviewer and mixed sand and buff...pretty decent shade for my NC30-35ish skin. I just hate that i have to buy two but that is such a minor issue and the cost is much better than the foundations i have been purchasing. ALMAY please please please! make colors for us yellow skinned people!


Try it my fellow oily, greasy, acne-pron people!

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

kloghopper on 4/27/2012 4:38:00 PM more reviews by kloghopper

Age: 30-35   Skin: Oily, Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

For reference: I'm NC30, and oily (mainly T-zone, well actually my I-zone.. forehead, nose, and chin!!). It seems like every foundation I try shows oil within a couple of hours, or slides off my face by mid-day.. oh joy, right?

I have tried many liquid and mineral foundations over the past decade. About 6 months ago I got Almay TLC in the color Sand. This shade is not yellow enough for my complexion, so I also bought Buff to mix a teensy bit in with Sand. This seemed to work pretty well.

This foundation is the first one to keep me SHINE FREE all day. There is still oil going on, but you cannot see it. I only see the oil on the blotting sheet afterwards. Amazing. :) I do set it with powder (I started with Bare Escentuals mineral veil but now am using Black Opal's Oil Blocking loose powder). I do not use a primer, but rather do a light dusting of the powder on my face before applying the foundation.

Here's the thing... If I wear this everyday I break out a little. But as long as I give my skin a break once in a while, then it's fine. Also, sometimes I mix TLC with other regular foundations which helps both foundations wear even better. TLC is rather thick and hard to spread on its own, but mixed with Almay's Clear Complexion foundation (as an example) it's much easier to apply!

I highly recommend this foundation to those with oily skin! I only wish I had found it sooner!

UPDATE on 12/8/12: So I did some research and found a foundation matrix online (temptalia.com maybe?). Apparently my NC30 color match in Almay TLC is Neutral and NOT Sand. I guess I don't need to mix two afterall. Neutral is not as warm toned as I would like, but it blends surprisingly well. It will be much easier just using one bottle!! Yay. :)

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

MTMB7 on 4/6/2012 1:22:00 AM more reviews by MTMB7

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

If you have oily skin & have a problem with foundations sliding off or having a huge oil slick, then give this a try. Several foundations, even more matte or powder based, have just turned to grease within one hour after application. During the summer, foundation does not last on my face at all, & this does. This is a 16 hour foundation, & before this I tried so hard to love Revlon Colorstay 24 hour foundation, as it's been raved about but it just would not look good on me. I felt like I was applying paint & it was way too thick. It even smelled like paint to me. Almay TLC is a lighter, easier to apply formula than most long-wear foundations. I found it's best to apply with a stippling brush. I use an Alicia Silverstone one from K-Mart that I love. I am usually always Ivory. I was Buff in this because the Ivory had a lot of pink undertone, and the color matches me well. Other things I like It has SPF 15, and the bottle is more sanitary with a pump and glass container. The only complaint I have is the price. For a drugstore brand, this was $12, which seems kind of steep to me.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

fangkid on 3/30/2012 5:47:00 PM more reviews by fangkid

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Olive, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Black    

I never write review before but I have oily and acne prone skin that makeup never stays on, not even mineral makeup. I got bored and was briwsing around CVS and found this foundation so I gave it a try. I got the darkest one they had in warm 280.

CONS: It was a shade too light for me but I can get away with it if I put some on my neck. Also it would be perfect if it was a tiny bit more yellow. It was not easy to spread.

PROS: NO MAKEUP Keeps my skin matte. This one DOES!!! I am so happy! My face stays matte all day long. It's hard to believe.

I am happy although the coverage was on the light side I did not care much cuz I am not that self conscious about my acne (They are pretty bad too) but to have my face matte all day is really something! Oily face makes me feel icky so this prevents that.

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Margie23a on 3/21/2012 10:11:00 PM more reviews by Margie23a

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Blue    

I am a fan of Almay and used to wear their long wearing foundation many years ago. I picked this up last week at CVS and found a wide selection of colors to choose from. I loved the pump bottle which makes it easy to control how much foundation you use. The color was just right for my skin and blended beautifully. However....it has very little coverage and ZERO staying power. Halfway through the day it was basically gone. I mean, I have tinted moisturizers that have better coverage than this. I was really dissapointed and returned it this morning. At $14 a bottle (this includes tax) I thought it was a little overpriced anyway. Glad some people have a good experience, but also glad CVS takes back anything!

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woooooosha on 3/14/2012 2:47:00 PM more reviews by woooooosha

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

This used to be my HG foundation. I'm upset that as of lately (within the past year or so) it seems to have been reformulated. I'm very sad, because now it breaks me out... it was the only foundation in the world that did not break me out. I'm not sure if I'm the only one who has noticed a change.

The finish seems different, almost cakey, so I have no idea what they did to it. Perhaps it's my imagination, but in any case I can no longer use it.

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liladriana07 on 2/24/2012 4:50:00 AM more reviews by liladriana07

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Cant believe i havent reviewed this already. I tried their acne foundation but it was much too neutral for my fair very yellow skin. I was browsing through CVS, looking for a decent foundation, when I saw this. Hm....it looks yellow. Good enough for me. It matches pretty well which hard to fathom. I say the texture is pretty thick and viscous, like jelly or gel. It offers light coverage but it holds a nice sheen. Def repurchase.

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deamber on 2/23/2012 6:48:00 PM more reviews by deamber

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Tan   Hair: Blond, Curly   Eyes: Grey    

This foundation is amazing!! I was a MAC girl, I've been using MAC since forever but I started to brake out like crazy which was odd for me. I noticed that while wearing MAC pressed powder plus foundation my face looked oily within an hour and by the third hour my blush was down my chin. I also noticed small bumps around my face. It was horrible so I decided to switch to Almay which is hypoallergenic, oil free, won't clog pores and problem solved! I can put my make up on early in the morning, go to work, go out and still look dry and perfect! My acne is clearing up which I'm so happy about! The only thing is that it doesn't cover dark spots very well so I just dab a little of Almays smart shade concealer on them and I'm set! I just finish with the TLC Powder and I'm set for the whole day. I no longer have small bumps, my face looks really smooth and most importantly I don't have to blot every hour on the hour. LOVE this stuff!

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*TOP REVIEWER* BatFat on 2/16/2012 5:25:00 PM more reviews by BatFat

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Tan   Hair: Brown, Curly, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

IMHO, it's just meh. Medium coverage, my skin doesn't feel great In it, limited color range. I really like the pump, it hasn't broken me out yet but, not sure I'd buy it again.

I used a sale + coupon on it so the price was nice for a ds foundation. I have the shade called beige and it's a touch off for my skin and all other colors were too dark or light, when I mix in a bit of darker foundation it is better. My biggest problem with it is that it never feels like it has set on my skin even if I use a setting powder.

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rawrio on 2/6/2012 9:41:00 AM more reviews by rawrio

Age: 19-24   Skin: Very Dry, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I'm surprised at these bad reviews! Having eczema, it has taken me a very, very long time to find a foundation that does just that, coverage without interfering with my skin condition. This foundation feels light and airy and ideal for those seeking light coverage. It doesn't irritate my skin at all, even when I have flare ups. It just sits nicely on top and doesn't burn or anything. I also love that it evens out your skintone while staying true to the texture of your skin. The pump has some resistance to it which is great in avoiding a big globby mess in your hands. I wouldn't say the staying power is worthy of its title, but it does fade gracefully.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

MUAddiction on 1/26/2012 12:12:00 PM more reviews by MUAddiction

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I love this foundation. It lasts on my oily skin forever and it doesn't break me out (which says something because I have extremely breakout prone skin). Also, the packaging is awesome and very hygienic. I have tried other more expensive brands and always end up coming back to this one. At about $13, it's a little more than I would like to spend on a drugstore foundation, but it's well worth it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

crookshanksxox on 1/23/2012 2:54:00 PM more reviews by crookshanksxox

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette, Curly   Eyes: Blue    

I was running low on foundation, and decided to pick this one up as it is long-lasting as well as oil-free. When I applied it the next day, I was disappointed with the coverage. It seems like it should have full coverage, since it is a thick and creamy texture, but it just fades to nothing when applied to your face! I had to dab it on with a brush and then use a ton of concealer to hide blemishes and redness. Once I saw the staying power, however, I was willing to live with the bad coverage. It stayed on all day, and my skin, which usually gets oily after a few hours, was completely matte, even after 12 hrs! I was amazed, although the more I wore it I realized that I didn't really like the powdery, false finish it gave. It also seemed to dry my skin out. After a week of wearing this, my skin broke out worse than ever. Usually I never have reactions to products, so I don't know what happened here, but my pores were completely clogged! I stopped using it and now my skin is fine. The only good thing about this foundation is the lasting power, and I won't be buying it again!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* glowing500 on 1/22/2012 11:30:00 PM more reviews by glowing500

Age: 36-43   Skin: Oily, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

LOVE me some Almay TLC. This beats Revlon Colorstay hands down IMHO. I don't need to touch this up as it lasts all day, I have to touch up Colorstay in the afternoon. The coverage is awesome, good but not heavy & cakey. I apply it with an ELF powder brush and the results are natural looking & it also has a pump (Yeah)!

It's a little pricey for drugstore so I try to wait for sales. Almay does not seem to go on sale as often as Revlon so if it's on sale I grab it. If you are looking for a natural looking, long wearing foundation, check out Almay TLC. This is a highly under rated and under loved foundation.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

DabbieGirl on 1/22/2012 10:20:00 PM more reviews by DabbieGirl

Age: 30-35   Skin: Oily, Tan, Warm   Hair: Brown, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I've been trying out tons of different foundations lately. With my skin type I need STAYING power....but I also don't want it to look (or feel!) like I'm wearing a mask. I picked up Almay TLC and threw it into my rotation of all the different foundations I've been trying about 3 weeks ago. To my surprise this stuff is great! It does have a thick consistence and is best applied w your fingers...also a damp makeup sponge helps spread it. The days I happened to put this on and then went for my touch ups through out the day I was amazed. It still looked even, smooth and my oil had not broken it down. I even wore it on a day where I thought it wouldn't hold up (volunteering for 3 hrs) and it held up beautifully! I recommend checking it out. :)

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dpet0153 on 1/21/2012 11:37:00 AM more reviews by dpet0153

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Wavy   Eyes: Green    

I was looking forward to trying this liquid foundation, but I was really disappointed by it. First of all, it is very hard to blend. It has an odd consistency, it feels slightly gummy and thick, it's hard to describe. It looks weird when you blend it with your fingers, I usually blend my liquid foundation with my fingers and it looks fine, but I tried using a liquid foundation brush and it still didn't look right. I like a really natural looking finish to my foundation, and this just didn't give me that. It looked uneven, and it didn't look good after wearing it for a while, even after setting it with the TLC powder. It just didn't blend into my skin well at all, even though the shade was right. It was the slightest bit cake-y. If these qualities don't matter to you, I will leave you with the good things about this foundation: the shades seemed pretty good, and the lightest one matched my pale skin decently, and it didn't really clog my pores. and. I'll probably still continue to try more Almay foundations and concealers, but this one was a dud for me.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* Peaches1027 on 1/6/2012 8:26:00 PM more reviews by Peaches1027

Age: 44-55   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Black, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I purchased this is Neutral, which is almost identical to the color I use in the Rimmel Lasting Finish Line. Neutral should have been a perfect match, but it was way too dark. It looked okay when first applied, but then it oxidized and got very dark. I decided to give it another chance, so I repurchased it in Buff. Buff is so light, it looks like I am applying white cream when I put it on my skin. However, it oxidizes and darkens within a few minutes and is a very good, although not perfect, match. I apply this by smearing it on my T-zone, and then I use my fingers to pat it into the skin and blend it out. The coverage is medium, but very natural. It sinks into my skin and makes my pores look smaller. I don't need concealer with this foundation. This lasts and is almost difficult to remove. I am keeping the darker Neutral shade to use in the summer. I paid $14.00 for the Neutral, which is a lot for a d/s foundation, but I got the Buff on sale for $3.45. I love the pump. Overall a great find, and I definitely recommend it.

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Ykay on 12/27/2011 10:22:00 AM more reviews by Ykay

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I've been using this foundation for about a month or so now. And i've noticed it has very sheer coverage. I have sensitive-combo skin and when using this my skin was itchy and my eyes burned ! As for the lasting power, it really does last a long time, infact, its kinda hard to get all off. And the packaging is awesome i love the pump. But unfortunately the foundation is just bad on my skin very matte finish and on the dry spots on my face it looks bad along with caking around my nose :( so i wont repurchase but i will keep the bottle!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

OClovaa949 on 12/20/2011 10:56:00 AM more reviews by OClovaa949

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Oily, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

This product doesn't get enough attention if you ask me! I LOVE this foundation. Super light weight and good coverage. I can't believe it looks this good and it does stay on some time compared to other drugstore foundations.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No