I remember the time when I was so faithful to one foundation. I would go back and buy it over and over again, bottle after bottle, never questioning my choice because I though I didn’t really have one. Then I discovered the world of drugstore foundations, and I thought I was slowly becoming a foundation hoarder. But, Ladies & Gentlemen, I might stick to this one for a while. I’ll make a long story short: this foundation is a keeper. Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation offers “the lasting power of a primer, the coverage of a concealer and the blendability of a foundation in one.”

It comes with SPF 20 provided by ensulizole. I didn’t know much about ensulizole and here’s what I found: Sunscreen agent, formerly known as phenylbenzimidazole sulfonic acid. Ensulizole is the established name that must be used on sunscreen labels (Source: www.fda.gov). It is primarily a UVB-protecting sunscreen agent, providing only minimal UVA protection. Ensulizole protects the skin from wavelengths of UV light in the range 290 to 340 nanometers, whereas the UVA range is 320 to 400 nanometers (Source: United States Pharmacopeia (USP), http://www.uspdqi.org/pubs/monographs/sunscreen_agents.pdf). For complete protection, this ingredient (as well as many other UVB-protecting sunscreen ingredients) must be paired with the UVA-protecting ingredients avobenzone (also called Parsol 1789 and butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane), titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, or Mexoryl SX; outside the United States it can also be paired with Tinosorb. Because ensulizole is water-soluble, it has the unique characteristic of feeling lighter on skin. As such, it is often used in sunscreen lotions or moisturizers whose aesthetic goal is a non-greasy finish (Sources 1 & 2).

Key words here: it is often used in sunscreen lotions or moisturizers whose aesthetic goal is a non-greasy finish. And indeed this foundation is extremely light and provides a matte finish. Not only is the finish matte but it controls oil ALL-DAY-LONG. Ladies, this foundation is the BOMB.COM

The foundation is light, but does a good job at covering imperfections. I do need three pumps to do my whole face and I wouldn’t say that is is a full coverage but more so a medium to full coverage foundation as the first layer will  not cover all my blemishes. But it is buildable, and ends us giving me a flawless finish.

The application is streak-free, the foundation feels like nothing is on your skin, it dries to a matte finish and is long lasting. I used it without a primer and set it with my NW45 MAC Studio Fix Powder. I have spent 10 hours days  in this foundation without needing to touch  it up. Nothing.  Honestly I don’t have anything wrong to say about this foundation. I’m in love. I’ll even say this: this is Holy Grail material.

Now for the shade selection. The Outlast 3 in 1 comes in 14 shades. I was lucky enough to have the perfect shade to fit me in Soft Sable. Unfortunately it is the darkest shade so anyone over a NW47 in Mac, will not get their shade. It is a shame that we do not get the Covergirl Queen Collection (which caters to darker skin tones) in Canada. But if you’re in the US, here’s the link: click here

The bottle comes with a nice pump, and you know how much I dislike foundations without pumps.

It costs 12.49 CAD and as you know, drugstore foundations are sometimes on sale…I’ll definitely stock up on this foundation when the next sale comes.

Update: April 16th 2013 : I still LOVE this foundation and I got it on sale on well.ca for 6.95$. I’ll let you guess how many bottles I bought haha. Check it out here