Almay • Line Smoothing Makeup • Liquid

Where To Buy?

Jayjay2012 on 12/8/2012 5:35:00 PM more reviews by Jayjay2012

Age: 44-55   Skin: Sensitive, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I find it hilarious that Almay list ingredients on their website and they cherry pick only about 5 of the most natural such as cucumber and aloe, rosehip etc. along with nice natural looking pictures. It was quite odd that there were only about 5 that they actually listed, clearly not enough to make up a foundation so I was glad to see MakeupAlley give you the full story. FULL of parabens, aluminium and a whole host of nasties. I will be staying away and have to laugh at their lame attempts to conceal the truth about their ingredients, it doesn't exactly engender any kind of trust in this brand, I would have more respect for a company that at least has the decency to list ingredients in full and not try to deceive its customers.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

jcwjewell on 9/19/2012 3:54:00 AM more reviews by jcwjewell

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I've been using this foundation for a few months and I like it a lot. I like my foundation to have moisture in it and have a dewy finish. It feels pretty lightweight to me. It covers my blemishes well and blends easily. I use my fingertips and a wedge to apply it. I set it in loose powder. Looks fresh all day with only one touch up of powder. :)

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

heyevangeline on 8/22/2012 5:47:00 PM more reviews by heyevangeline

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Other, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

This is my current foundation, I only picked it up because my local beauty supply was out of Revlon Colorstay Foundation. When it comes to this foundation it is mainly ideal for dry to very dry skinned people. When it comes to color selection I'd say to pick a shade lower than what your skin color is, I say this because I picked up 220 Neutral and it matched perfectly but then it turned a shade darker a couple hours later and looked extremely awkward. Overall, this is a nice day to day foundation, it is extremely hydrating, looks flawless, doesn't clog my pores or settle into any fine lines. It is a light-medium coverage and doesn't really transfer. I will repurchase!

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* Matillyrose on 8/10/2012 6:15:00 PM more reviews by Matillyrose

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

Very moisturising, applies easily and I liked the way it felt on my skin.

Just didn't give me enough coverage, a little too sheer for my liking. If you use this foundation with the Line Smoothing face powder, coverage is a little better.

As for line smoothing, I don't think so. The high level of moisture plumps your lines and creases up for a while but that's about it.

One thing I really did like about this product is the sun protection, I wore this all day to a Athletics Carnival, forgot my hat and sunscreen, so could only rely on my foundation for protection and I didn't get sunburnt. I am very photo sensitive due to Lupus I always get burnt so that was impressive.

I will give this a go in Summer when I don't wear quite so much full coverage for pale skin and see if I like it better.

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

215katrina on 7/6/2012 8:12:00 AM more reviews by 215katrina

Age: 44-55   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Green    

I'm 47 with dry sensitive skin (and rosacea in winter). This makeup is great, my skin feels better after it's been on all day. It keeps from getting dry even if I set it with powder in the summer. It would be nice to find it in a squeeze bottle but I will continue to buy it either way. It would not be good for normal/oily skin, it would probably sit on the skin and be shiny.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* deliberateangel on 1/13/2012 7:00:00 PM more reviews by deliberateangel

Age: 30-35   Skin: Very Dry, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Coarse   Eyes: Hazel    

This is a real basic foundation. It's a light coverage and a little sheer. Its moisturizing and a little dewy. I really like the shades available.
But I prefer medium to full coverage and I wasn't too impressed with feel and consistency. There are other comparable at the same price that offer more like anti aging serum and such. I think it's a little pricey, I found it for $10.50 at Walmart for what it is (basic foundation).

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

jiee on 11/14/2011 12:14:00 AM more reviews by jiee

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

This was my very first foundation. It's really good for someone who just started using foundation. It has light coverage (almost too light) and it blends really well. It moisturizes your skin very well, but it's not greasy at all. I use it as a tinted moisturizer. I just had it ran out. I would definitely repurchase it.

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

JessyxLin on 5/10/2011 8:03:00 PM more reviews by JessyxLin

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Love this foundation! It provides medium coverage if you have acne but smooths out unevenness and uneven tones. The texture is a little oily at first but quickly fades into a natural feel. They have a good range of colors in many different undertones for a very reasonable price. But beware the packaging! The bottle is heavy glass and the top can get looser with use. It may and most likely one day become loose enough to spill inside your bag!

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

ChanelLove07 on 5/9/2011 4:43:00 AM more reviews by ChanelLove07

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I really like this foundation, it has light coverage but it's buildable to a medium coverage. It really evens out my skin tone and gives me a really nice glow on my skin. I have the color 140 Buff and it matches me perfetly. Im in the color 150 Buff for Revlon colorstay and they are pretty close.
It gives a really nice and natural look, and doesn't look cakey at all. The only thing i dont really like about this foundation is the packaging.

NEW REVIEW after 3 Months use:
OMG wow im in love with this foundation, it is one of the best foundations i have ever purchased. I usually use Relvon colorstay, but i feel that its a bit heavy for everyday use. I use the Almay line smoothing foundation EVERY single day and i get compliments on my skin. HG product. Love Love Love IT!

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

braisinhussy on 4/30/2011 11:46:00 PM more reviews by braisinhussy

Age: 30-35   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Blond, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

I really like this foundation. I wear it most days. This is the only foundation I own that does not make my dry skin look flaky. I find its claims of "line smoothing" to be overly ambitious, but it keeps me moisturized all day.

The reason I gave it a 4 is mostly for the packaging. I don't like the heavy glass bottle (can't cut it open to get at the dregs of the product), and I don't like that it doesn't have a pump. To apply, I shake the bottle, dip a clean flat foundation brush into the lid, draw a few lines of foundation on my face, and buff it in with the Sephora 55. I'll do some more smoothing with a damp sponge if I'm feeling particularly dry that morning.

I've gone through two bottles, and I imagine I'll buy another in a couple months. Good stuff.

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

SarenaW on 1/14/2011 1:34:00 AM more reviews by SarenaW

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Green    

This foundation is one that I always come back to. It gives light, sheer coverage while being slightly moisturizing. I would consider it to be a between a tinted moisturizer and a foundation. The lightest shade matches my very pale skin, something that is incredibly hard to come by with drugstore brands. While the the packaging has room for improvement, for the price you really can't complain. I'd rather a company spend more money on the product than the packaging anyways. Although this product is advertised for more mature customers, I think it is also very suitable for teens who want to even out their skintone while still looking natural.

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

*TOP REVIEWER* ccjcjl on 12/30/2010 12:28:00 PM more reviews by ccjcjl

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Black    

I bought this in the shade BUFF. Please read on for comparison with REVLON Colorstay fdtn in Buff, ALMAY Nearly Naked Liquid fdtn in Buff, ALMAY TLC fdtn in Buff, and more! For the actual review, please scroll to near the bottom. =)

I waver between NC15 and NC20, and I have yellow undertones (Asian). Most foundations look too beige, peachy, pink, or orange. I'm not acne-prone anymore but do get the additional pimple and my skin is normal/comboish/dryish (in that order), but I use a lot of moisturizers and sunscreen which compromise the lasting power of makeup that I apply.

This color is different from Almay's Nearly Naked in Buff. The Nearly Naked is slightly pinker. Revlon Buff is just like the NN Buff, except a hair lighter. Almay's TLC is the darkest of the bunch, but seems like it would fit a NC20-25. I found it to have too much yellow, but no orange.

This product is the fruit of 2+ years of foundation searching. I'm limited to DS and Ulta, and I've tried Sally Hansen's Ecru Beige (just like Revlon's Buff, but pinker), Maybelline's Mineral Power and Rimmel Lasting Finish (both were pink city), Ulta brand foundations (choose between light and pink or dark and yellow), and BE Minerals (just say no!), in addition to the ones mentioned previously.

Almay Line Smoothing Makeup (blue cap) in Buff is just a hair too pink but melts with my skin after half an hour or so. Consistency is similar to Revlon CS, not thin but not like a gel either. It's fairly easy to spread, but work quickly or otherwise it might cake. Coverage is medium at best, light if applied thinly. It covers fairly light eye circles, evens out skintone, and blurs out old acne marks, but has zero coverage for existing pimples. Skin doesn't feel tight after applying, slight moisturization. It didn't crease on my undereyes with medium coverage, but I have shallow crinkles and creases. The finish is surprisingly natural (lightly moisturized and not quite dewy), and I can't feel the makeup on my face. Lasting power is at least a few hours, no touchups, but I used a powder (non-oil absorbing) to set it. At application it was slightly too pink for my skin (just a tiny bit), but it sort of changed and fit my skintone perfectly. However, it did NOT oxidize further than that. It caked slightly on my nose but proper exfoliation would fix that.

Overall, a great everyday foundation for light/medium to medium coverage, definitely a step up from tinted moisturizers.A good pick for normal skin, and those with dryish skin (like me) can make do. I can't vouch for any line smoothing properties because I don't have any, but it won't worsen slight eye crinkles. Great color match for warm pale skintones. Please don't depend on this for SPF and use a separate SS underneath. Will update later with additional info!

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

*TOP REVIEWER* ex0ticbarbie on 12/22/2010 7:05:00 PM more reviews by ex0ticbarbie

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

I found this foundation on sale for only $3 so I decided to give it a try considering I've heard great things about Almay. I'm glad I only paid $3 for this because I absolutely hate this foundation. I always apply my foundation with a brush so that it doesn't look streaky and trying to get this foundation to come out of the bottle was a pain in the butt. It is extremely thick and I had to literally shove my brush into the bottle if I wanted to get any foundation on it. It blended really nicely and application felt nice, however the end result was horrible. My face looked extremely cakey and when I looked at myself in the mirror it looked as if the foundation just spread apart and clinged onto my imperfections. I looked as if my face was cracked or something, it was very strange. I won't be repurchasing this, I hate it.

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

*TOP REVIEWER* FedoraJane on 12/8/2010 3:42:00 PM more reviews by FedoraJane

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

I'm pleased I decided to use this and experiment with it, because I found that it is a WONDERFUL product when understood and applied properly.

The texture is the main thing to be aware of it - it feels like Cureal. But the texture doesn't remain lotion-esque, rather, it kind of morphs through three stages. During the initial stage of application, this formula is very 'wet' at first and will slip like a TM. I apply it with fingers. But it will soon set into a blendable veil that allows me to slide the pigmentation where I need the most coverage with a brush. Don't apply powder immediately, let it set itself first. Apply the powder when you can run your fingers without it feeling damp.

The longevity on the skin is pretty impressive with a good powder and it seems to be able to multi-task weather. I have worn this in both Arizona heat and Wisconsin winter cold and it neither melted from my sweating and it actually seemed to protect my skin from the dry, cold wind. It will fade around the cheeks without proper powder touch-ups though.

I think part of the negative reviews are due to this being marketed improperly. I would say this is more suited for young skin than mature skin. While it seems to sit well on 3D imperfections like acne and mild scarring, I can imagine the slipperiness of the initial blending would lead it to gather in wrinkles.

My only big complaint is the bottle, which is a big enough of an arse-pain for me to subtract a lippie. Still, I will keep rebuying this as it's almost HG at this point.

PS,
Skip the cool-toned shades and only grab the Neutrals. I use Buff, which is very light.

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

April316 on 12/5/2010 12:26:00 PM more reviews by April316

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

When Maybelline discontinued on of my favorite foundations, I tried to find something else. I decided to try this foundation - it was on sale and they had a foundation shade that was light enough for me. I'm sorry to say that there is nothing line-smoothing about it at all. In fact, it made lines more noticeable. Plus, the packaging is horrible - the bottle they packaged it in made it hard to get the foundation out!
I would not buy this again, nor would I recommend it to anyone who is trying to minimize fine lines.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

bombshellz on 9/25/2010 10:08:00 PM more reviews by bombshellz

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

I got this from an outlet for about $6, although I would have preferred the clear complexion, there was none:(. I have this in 140 buff and I LOVE THIS FOUNDATION! I have pretty dry skin and it does feel hydrating on my skin and my skin looks dewy, which I prefer. It doesn't look chalky, which most foundations do on my skin and it feels like your wearing nothing. There is a scent but it smells soooo good! The yellow tone in buff makes this the PERFECT match to my skin. Also the consistency is perfect, its thick enough to cover, thin enough to work with a bit and looks great all day
Down sides:
-I would prefer more coverage
-comes off pretty easily (you can't touch your face, or it'll rub off)
-No pump, sorta messy, kinda hard to get out, but I use my foundation brush to get whats on the lid.

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

*TOP REVIEWER* OmToast on 9/18/2010 5:51:00 PM more reviews by OmToast

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Coarse   Eyes: Hazel    

I am of neutral-cool fair complexion with pretty good skin. I don't wear foundation daily -- just when I'm particularly red or blotchy (thank you, hormones), or if I'm going out and/or want a little extra gravitas. I picked this up (in Buff, which is pretty seasonally universal for me) because moisturizing foundations are generally light, and I previously liked the (apparently dc'd) Almay Nearly Naked liquid. To be honest, I can't really tell a huge difference between Line Smoothing and Nearly Naked -- both are fairly moisturizing (or at least non-drying) with sheer coverage. Line Smoothing seems to be a creamier consistency, however, which makes it a little more miserable to apply. On dry skin, this is a disaster -- totally exacerbates lines and dry patches and is hard to blend. However I love this mixed 50/50 with my BWC daily moisturizer and applied to a damp, freshly washed face. Takes a couple seconds to work out the streaks, but once that's taken care of it seems to sink in nicely. Definitely a sheer makeup for people who just need some minimal perfecting -- I can't imagine this being great if I actually needed coverage -- but still want their skin to look like, you know, skin. As mentioned, the bottle is stupid for such a thick creme, and I also happen to think that circa $14USD for such a small bottle of drug-store foundation that doesn't do anything spectacular and needs to be turned into a tinted moisturizer for best results is, frankly, too expensive. Nevertheless, I do like the results and so I would likely purchase again, based on that. I sincerely doubt, however, that I will *actually* repurchase this particular foundation once I finally run out of my current bottle (it'll take a while). I just basically think it worthy of a re-buy.

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

marusie on 6/10/2010 11:13:00 AM more reviews by marusie

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I managed to find a color that matches my skin very well (surprisingly beige, even though I am very fair skinned). However, this product is still too drying. Also, when I apply it it precipitated and creates rolls of it around hairline and eyes. Yikes! I used Borghese tinted moisturizer before (~$30) and never had this effect. I have to scrub these precipitates with a tissue. What's the point of using the foundation that you have to clean off? The bottle does not have a pump, so you have to shake it upside down to get enough on your finger. I will not buy this product again

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

donna01010 on 5/11/2010 4:58:00 PM more reviews by donna01010

Age: 44-55   Skin: Normal   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

This product contains erythrulose which is a self-tanning product. I wrote Almay to find out why they put it in a foundation. I received no response. I called Almay and no one returned my call. I refuse to use a foundation that tans my face gradually, especially when the lable doesn't tell me so. This ingredient takes a couple days to change skin color and most people remove foundation at the end of the day. However, I am not going to take the chance of using a product that might tan my skin. The whole purpose of this website is to avoid tanning and I don't like the tanned look. I will not re-purchase. There are not any other redeemable qualities about this product.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* Zetaflickan on 12/29/2009 5:17:00 AM more reviews by Zetaflickan

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Grey    

First of all, this in one of the very few foundations that come in a shade that is light enough for me, and not yellow.
It has a very nice natural light coverage, still need concealer for undereyes, but the skin looks even and not covered in makeup. In the summer and fall, I did not use it as much, as it would tend to make my skin look dry. Maybe I'm moisturizing better now, or it could be that I don't use any powder over it, but it is looking very good these days. Yes, it dries to a natural matte natural finish on me, no powder needed. Sometimes I can feel slight discomfort from something in the formula (the sunscreen?) as I apply it, but it is very slight. In a way I want to give it a 5 because of the pale enough shade and natural coverage, but I feel that it could be a bit more long lasting.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No