Review: Almay TLC foundation + Animal cruelty products.
Hi Everyone,
I’m going to do a foundation review today. But before I start, I wanted to do the other part of the story: animal cruelty companies.
While I was pondering about what I should do for New Years, I was checking out PETA’s list of animal friendly companies (you can see the complete list here or search by name here) and not-so-freindly companies (and that here). Many people have asked me why I would use animal tested products as a vegetarian and I don’t know why, but I simply thought that the two had barely any correlation. Just because I chose not to eat meat does not require me to cut out every single thing in my life that is related to animals. My choice of going vegetarian was more of a combination of reasons that related to my health, values and animal love. But! coming from a pro-animal background, I’ve realized that I was the biggest hypocrite. I’ve gone far enough to even pay expensive tuition to take an animal rights class (yup, that’s right. My school had an animal rights seminar that is classified under the political science department) and get educated on animal rights and here I am, using and promoting animal tested products.
So long story short – I decided to gear my efforts towards becoming an animal friendly person. I still have a truck load of products that are animal tested, which I am not going to get rid of. I’ve already paid a handsome amount of money for them so I am going to use them all up. The starting point is more or so now and I’m put a lot of effort into being careful from now on.
With all that in the background, I wanted to continue on to the review.
There were some companies I was pleasantly surprised about with animal testing (Almay, Wet and Wild [holla?!], and a bunch of other familiar names) and some I already knew about (most notoriously, L’Oreal and a lot of their subsidiaries). I didn’t read the list thoroughly, so Almay and Wet and Wild were the only two that had stuck to my mind.
While I was at Target the other day, I was browsing the beauty section with my mom and decided to pick up some products. I think I’ve already mentioned before, but I’ve burnt through a lot of cash for my business and I’m literally on the verge of personally going broke (T_T) so I have to cut back on a lot of things. I’ve never been interested in Almay, but decided to give Almay a try since they were animal friendly and easy on the wallet.
I blindly picked up the TLC foundation without reading any reviews about it. They were out of shade 160 (which I think is my shade), so I had to grab 140.
Image from Amazon (there’s a sale going on this foundation right now, some shades are as low as 1.99)
Here’s one thing that I noticed from the get-go. The foundation seems a bit sticky and weird in the tube. It seems like there are some separation issues going on. I had to shake it quite hard before I decided to open the package and use it. I don’t think it’s an issue with how old the foundation is (mine expires on January, 2014)… it’s just weird.
As you can see, there’s this weird separation issue going on.The coverage is medium, although I think the consistency is great for building up. I wouldn’t recommend using foundation brushes because it’s a bit thick like the revlon colorstay foundation. I have a lot of freckles and acne scars but this foundation isn’t all that great at concealing them on my face.
It’s also oil-free so I wouldn’t recommend this foundation for dry skin people. Even on my super oily skin, it barely creates a shine throughout the entire day. I have an issue with foundation melting around the corners of my nose, but this foundation holds up all day long. I even slept with it on once (a short nap), and when I woke up I wasn’t greasy at all. I think the 16-hour lasting is for reals. This foundation is meant for people who have to wear makeup for a very long time.
Here’s a before and after picture of the foundation.
same lighting, same position – only 1~2 minutes apart.
I used a pump and evenly spread it out with my stippling brush. If you want more coverage, you have to build up at least 2x or 3x. It evens out my uneven skin tone quite well, but freckles, etc. aren’t hidden well.
Also, when first applied the foundation seems whiter than in the bottle which eventually settles down a tad bit darker (oxidation) after a couple of minutes.
So overall here’s my pros and cons about the foundation.
Pros:
– Easy on the budget (anywhere in between 1.99 ~ 10.00ish).
– Great for oily skin people
– Animal friendly product
– Pump!! It has a pump!!! Such a big huge thumbs up for hygiene!!
Cons:
– Separation issue.
– Not good for dry skin people
– Some shades could have too much pink or yellow in them.
– Has a weird smell, a bit similar to revlon colorstay.
Here’s a video you can refer to for the foundation. I have one layer of it on and it’s about 7 hours after the application with no touch ups.
Anonymous
Oooh that separation really IS weird!! And thanks for the heads up;I had no idea foundations could go for such a low price! 🙂
kawaiikimuchi
I have the same plate ^^
and there are a lot worse foods you could eat haha (I like gyouza ;D)
Jamilla Camel
Thanks for the heads up! Good luck with your business! Hang in there!
Nohae
I've always had a "head in the sand" attitude regarding products I use and animal testing, preferring not to know because I was afraid I would not like what I would find out, so I'm glad you linked to the lists because I was able to see 4 of the 5 brands I'm using most in my regular skincare routine are on the "Do not test" list: Clinique, Payot, Dermalogica, and Lush. Only Elizabeth Arden I could not find on either list, their 8-hour lip balm is the best, boo. But 4 out of 5 is good!
Yulia
Nice review very informative and complete good job 😉 I think Almay is a good quality brand and not so pricey either, and now that I know it doesn't test their products on animals I like it even more.
Citrine
What a great deal you got, but I will be scared of buying things that cheap on amazon though. I bought a paul & joe blush there once and it came with a finger swipe…
P.S. I like your smokey eyes in the video!
The Girl Can Rock
Hi there, I use Revlon Colorstay foundation in shade 180 – Sand Beige so may I ask u I can u this product with your shade ? 140 – Buff ?
Thanks a lot