I have been trying out a new foundation and concealer these past couple days and although my initial impression of it was “this is cakey as heck!” I am quickly growing to love it.
I stumbled upon these products while looking at an e.l.f. email that promised they could find your perfect foundation match. Of course, I was intrigued. I clicked and was taken to a short questionnaire that asked the amount of coverage you wanted, the finish (matte, semi-matte, luminous/glowing), and your skin tone.
I picked medium coverage (my skin has been a bit problematic lately), semi-matte, and light. This is the one I was matched with! It’s the acne Fighting Medium Coverage Foundation in Buff. It’s only $6 at Target but only comes in a few shades (Buff is the second lightest). That was the first downside to this. I was surprised with how dark it looked compared to my skin even though it was supposed to be on the lighter side. I went back and got the Porcelain shade which I was worried would be too light because I would never use the word “porcelain” to describe my skin tone but luckily it was a perfect match. I am keeping the darker shade for in the summer. I think it’ll match really well once I’m tan.
While I was there I picked up a concealer too. The first trip to target I got the Beautifully Bare Lightweight Concealer Stick in Fair/Light ($3 Target) but it wasn’t doing the job. It was too thick and it settles into the fine lines and didn’t cover my blemishes very well. So I exchanged it for the HD Lifting Concealer in Fair ($3 Target). This is way more effective at covering blemishes and really does give you a lifted wide awake look. The only downside is that the color of the concealer stick was much lighter and looked better when used for highlighting than the HD Concealer does which is more of a yellow base instead of a whiter base. Regardless I’m happy with my final purchases.
When I tried the foundation for the first time I was happy with how it looked. But as the day went on I could tell it was really just sitting on top of my skin and looking shiny as opposed to blending in with it and looking natural. I fixed this problem by setting it with a translucent face powder which I don’t normally do because the powder tends to accentuate my dry skin but the consistency of the foundation off set it really well and it lasted all day. It blends well when used with a beauty blender and has a nice amount of coverage without being too opaque.
I also got a lipstick which I loved…sorta… I liked the feel of it, it felt like lip balm and was hydrating, it was just the wrong color choice for me! I picked up the e.l.f. Moisturizing Lipstick ($3 Target) in Red Carpet. It was way too dark for my thin lips and light skin, at least for my liking. I ended up giving it to my sister who has more of an olive skin tone and thicker lips. It looked really nice on her! I would recommend it if you’re looking for a lip friendly lipstick that won’t dry out your lips. I plan on going back and getting a light pink shade.
