What it is: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Natural Dewy SPF 30 provides sheer to light coverage in a buildable, layerable, lightly hydrating formula that contains a combination of chemical and physical sunscreen ingredients. 

Price/Quantity: There are two sizes available. The larger one is $50 for 45 ml / 1.5 fl oz and there is also a smaller one that is $25 for 15 ml / 0.5 oz.

Availability: Laura Mercier, Sephora, Ulta, Kohl’s, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Amazon

Shade Range: 20 Shades. Looks like a pretty wide range from light to deep. Coverage is sheer to light so choosing a shade that’s a bit “off” will probably still be workable. The undertones for the lighter shades I was choosing from are somewhat “strong”. I could see the pink and yellow tones in them easily.

Packaging: Large squeeze tube with a twist off lid. There is no pump, so you have to gently press on the tube to dispense the amount you want. The product is not too liquidy or too thick, so it’s easy to control how much I dispense. I can leave it laying on its side on the counter while I apply it without worrying that the product will spill out.

Smell/Fragrance: It doesn’t smell fragranced to me but it does have a light version of a typical sunscreen smell. It’s less intense than a true standalone chemical sunscreen and I don’t find it bothersome. The last similar product I tried was the Elf Camo Hydrating CC Cream SPF 30 and I felt that one had a stronger sunscreen smell than this product does.

Expiration/Shelf Life: Mine has an expiration date printed on the top of the squeeze tube of 05/2026 and I purchased it 02/2025. There is no “after opening” shelf life printed on the packaging. 

Ingredients: These are the ingredients for the shade I chose. The four deepest shades have another ingredient list that looks mostly the same except for the pigments at the very bottom of the list.

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: OCTISALATE 4.5% (SUNSCREEN) OCTOCRYLENE 5.0% (SUNSCREEN) TITANIUM DIOXIDE 0.84% (SUNSCREEN) ZINC OXIDE 3.04% (SUNSCREEN) 

All shades except Brunette, Umber, Sable and Mahogany: WATER, DICAPRYLYL ETHER, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, POLYGLYCERYL-3 POLYRICINOLEATE, TRIBEHENIN, GLYCERIN, SILICA, MAGNESIUM STEARATE, SODIUM POTASSIUM ALUMINUM SILICATE, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, MAGNESIUM SULFATE, SORBITAN ISOSTEARATE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, PHENOXYETHANOL, ZINC STEARATE, STEARALKONIUM BENTONITE, POLYGLYCERYL-3 DIISOSTEARATE, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, POTASSIUM SORBATE, MICA, TOCOPHEROL, ASCORBYL PALMITATE, SODIUM HYALURONATE, ALPHA-GLUCAN OLIGOSACCHARIDE, POLYMNIA SONCHIFOLIA ROOT JUICE, MALTODEXTRIN, RUBUS IDAEUS (RASPBERRY) LEAF EXTRACT, ROSA HYBRID FLOWER EXTRACT, VITIS VINIFERA (GRAPE) FRUIT EXTRACT, LACTOBACILLUS. +/- (MAY CONTAIN/PEUT CONTENIR) TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), IRON OXIDES (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)

Source: Laura Mercier

Performance

Shade: I chose the shade 1C Cameo, which had a noticeable pink tone but was a good depth match. One shade lighter looked more like a true neutral but was too light for me. One shade deeper was a teensy bit warm and slightly too dark for me.

Application: I have been using my fingers for the vast majority of application and only using a brush sparingly at the end to blend out some tricky spots (like near the brows and the corners of my nose). It blends really easily and really well just with my hands. If I had to skip using tools completely that would be just fine.

If you’re using this as sun protection, I found it is possible to layer more over itself later in the day without it looking cakey. 

Texture/Consistency/Finish: It has the perfect “medium thick” consistency. It’s not too thin or runny and it’s not mousse-y either. If I squeeze out a dab on the back of my hand and hold my hand up vertically, it doesn’t run down with gravity. At the same time, it feels lightweight and easy to spread over the skin. Once it is completely blended out on the skin it leaves the skin with a slight tack, similar to the way a moisturizer would. It’s not a sticky, greasy, oily feel though. If you are incredibly sensitive to the way things feel, it might feel a bit “heavy”. I’m somewhat sensitive but I don’t feel it is bothersome at all left unset without any powder on top.

It is described as having a “natural dewy” finish and that is the perfect way to put it. It’s not shiny or oily looking but it adds a bit more glow than what my skin has by itself. Looks healthy and natural. 

This isn’t a blurring product and I don’t feel it emphasizes or enhances my texture or pores. The texture of my skin for the most part looks like it does without the product, but the color overall is more even which creates the illusion that the skin is smoother.

Coverage: Sheer to light with one layer. I can build it up to a light medium coverage with 2 or 3 layers. The product layers very well over itself without picking up or sheering out previous layers. The coverage this provides is more like a natural skintone evening effect instead of “covering”. It isn’t mask-like. It’s the type of thing that’s easy to wear if you don’t want to apply any other makeup at all whereas with a foundation, I’d feel weird wearing foundation by itself. It does provide a noticeable improvement though.

Longevity: I’ve worn this all day for about 4 days now. What I’ve noticed is that, without any powder, it will develop an intense glow, bordering on shine by the end of the day, but otherwise it stays in place. I haven’t noticed it gathering in lines or looking splotchy near the end of the day. Also haven’t

noticed any oxidation though that’s rarely been an issue for me in general. The level of glow/shine at the end of the day isn’t that bad and I don’t feel self-conscious about it. I’ve set it with powder on a couple of those days and that definitely helped tone down the shine and keep it toned down all day. It still developed more shine as the day went on but to less of a degree.

Pros and Cons

Things I like:

• Great for no-makeup makeup. Looks fine all by itself with no other makeup because of the lighter coverage and natural finish.
• Applies well with just my hands. Tools help but I can skip them if I want.
• Forgiving on texture (so far).
• Is not “too sheer”. Provides a noticeable improvement without looking “makeup-y”.
• It gets along well with my current favorite primer/sunscreen (Supergoop Matte Screen).

Drawbacks and other considerations:

• It has a slight tacky feel to it. Nowhere near as bad as, for example, Elf Power Grip primer, and not something I personally find irritating. 
• It might be too dewy for someone with oilier skin. (There is apparently a matte version of this tinted moisturizer as well.)
• Has a light sunscreen smell to it that is not as strong as other sunscreens, but is still noticeable.

Do I Recommend It?

Yes for someone with a drier or more normal skin type that likes super easy/natural looking foundation. If you live near a store where you’re able to get a sample of this to try first, I’d recommend that for someone that maybe has oilier skin or thinks they might prefer a higher coverage product. Personally I do not feel regret purchasing this one.

What it is: Supergoop Mineral Matte Screen is A VERY lightly tinted, mostly transparent, all mineral sunscreen (titanium dioxide 1.3% and zinc oxide 17.4%) with a slight matte finish and the feel of a slick silicone primer.

Price/Quantity: There is a larger size which is $40 for 1.5 oz (45 mL) and a mini size which is $24 for 0.68 oz (20 mL).

Availability: Supergoop!, Sephora, Ulta, Amazon, Kohl’s, Nordstrom among several others

Shade Range: 1 Shade. This is tinted but it’s not really a product to use for coverage. The tint mainly helps to discourage the look of a white cast on the skin.

Packaging: Flattened squeeze tube with a twist off lid. It feels like decent quality, and it is easy to remove the cap and put it back on. The product is not very liquidy and it does not spill out of the container if I leave it laying on its side with the lid off.

Smell/Fragrance: It does have a light scent which is not hard to smell if I go looking for it but it isn’t something I notice with normal use. The packaging says it contains “no synthetic fragrance” and I’d agree that it does not smell fragranced at all. The scent is like subtle dry earthiness and it dissipates very quickly.

Expiration/Shelf Life: Mine has an expiration date of 03/2027 and I purchased it in September 2024. I didn’t find an “after opening” shelf life indicator on the packaging.

Ingredients (from the Supergoop! website):

Active Ingredients

Titanium Dioxide 1.33%, Zinc Oxide 17.42%

Inactive Ingredients

Dimethicone, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Methyl Dihydroabietate, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, C9-12 Alkane, Glycerin, Iron Oxides (CI 77492), Ethylhexylglycerin, Water (Aqua), Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Silica, Stearic Acid, Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Hedychium Coronarium Root Extract, Lactobacillus/Arundinaria Gigantea Leaf Ferment Filtrate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891)

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT INGREDIENT LISTS MAY CHANGE OR VARY FROM TIME TO TIME. PLEASE REFER TO THE INGREDIENT LIST ON THE PRODUCT PACKAGE YOU RECEIVE FOR THE MOST UP TO DATE LIST OF INGREDIENTS

Performance

This product is not something that was ever on my radar. I only became aware of it shortly before I purchased it, though I know it was out for a while already by then. I don’t remember whether I was specifically looking for a sunscreen at the time or why I stumbled upon it but reviews sold me on it. 

You should know that I primarily use this product as makeup but I enjoy greatly that it offers me SPF 40 at the same time! 99% of the time, I hate having to wear sunscreen under makeup. It usually destroys the finish of a perfectly fine foundation and the vast majority of the ones I’ve tried feel heavier or greasier than I’d like. I generally tolerate sunscreen by itself just fine, but would rather not wear makeup over it.

If you handed me this product while blindfolded and asked me to guess what it is, I’d tell you it’s a primer. It does not feel or smell like a sunscreen. Makeup does not sit on top of it the way it does with most of my other sunscreens. Makeup sits on top of it as if it’s a silicone primer.

It feels slick and silky the way a primer feels but it doesn’t feel oily or greasy. It doesn’t totally matte out my face but it does tone down light reflection a bit. I notice the mattifying effect a bit more when I pair it with a foundation (it will tone down the finish of the foundation to have less of a glow).

It comes in one tinted shade, a light peachy nude, but it offers pretty much zero coverage. It’s not like a skin tint. The added color helps it give off less of a white cast on the skin. When I look at a before and after of this on myself, I can see the very slightest hint of a white cast but it’s incredibly subtle. Not sure how much more noticeable this might be on a deeper complexion.

I only started using this as the days began to get shorter and now, being wintertime, it’s difficult to tell how effective this is. I will say, if I knew I was going to be out in bright sun for quite a while, I probably wouldn’t use this by itself, and might choose another sunscreen over it just to *feel* that I’m using enough sun protection. I prefer SPF 50 or higher and preferably something with more coverage or in combination with a foundation. Over the years, I have noticed that if I wear a high SPF and a relatively high coverage foundation over top, I tend to end up with less dark spots / freckles. 

Pros and Cons

Things I like:

• Actually feels nice to the touch (not heavy/greasy/thick feeling)
• Hardly any smell
• Wears well under my go to foundations
• Helps smooth the look of pores
• Doesn’t add shine and sometimes mattifies a little depending what I pair it with

Drawbacks and other considerations:

• I’d feel more comfortable with a higher SPF when spending long periods of time in sunny conditions
• Doesn’t work with every foundation I pair it with
• Another couple of shades would be nice for deeper complexions
• Might feel too slick for those with very oily skin
• Not water resistant, so not the best choice if you are going swimming or to the beach

Do I Recommend It?

If you like silicone primers, yes. If you hate them, no. That’s exactly what it feels like and how it wears under makeup. I used to have much oilier skin when I was younger and I remember not enjoying silicone primers at that point, whereas I enjoy them much more now. If you are looking for something that will give your skin a matte finish, I’d recommend with caution. It does mattify A BIT but not as much as a powder. It works best as a mattifying product in conjunction with other mattifying products.

What it is: The matte version of the original Elf Power Grip Primer. It is a clear gel foundation primer with a semi-tacky finish that helps to smooth the look of pores and texture when worn under foundation. The sticky feel is supposed to help “grab” onto foundation and make it wear longer while the matte formulation is supposed to help keep shine at bay throughout the day.

Price/Quantity: There are two sizes available to purchase. The larger option is 0.87 oz for $10, and the smaller one is 0.5 oz for $5. Oddly, the smaller one is a better value.

Availability: Elf, Ulta, Target

Shade Range: These primers do not come in shades. They are all clear. However, there are 3 versions of the Elf Power Grip Primer: the original green one, the pink one with niacinamide, and now this one with a matte finish. 

Packaging: Both size options come in a squeeze tube with a twist off cap. Neither one comes with a pump like the original Elf Power Grip Primer in the larger size. Personally I have no issues with this packaging. It is not difficult for me to remove or replace the lid and I have very good control of how much product I dispense from the tube.

Smell/Fragrance: It has hardly any smell to it, but what I can detect is vaguely herbal. It has an ingredient called Lemon Myrtle Extract, which is where I’m guessing this scent comes from.

Expiration/Shelf Life: 12 Months after opening

Ingredients (from elf’s website): water (aqua), glycerin, silica, butylene glycol, peg-150 distearate, niacinamide, polysorbate 80, backhousia citriodora leaf extract, tocopherol, ethylhexylglycerin, caprylyl glycol, potassium laurate, ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/vp copolymer, peg-240/hdi copolymer bis-decyltetradeceth-20 ether, phenoxyethanol, disodium edta

Performance

Application: I’ve been applying this in sections rather than applying it to the entire face at once because it does start drying down very quickly. I’ll give it about a minute to completely set on the face before applying foundation over top. Some foundations are more difficult or time consuming to apply over this product compared to just applying them over clean moisturized skin. For example, matte finish foundations tended to require longer blending times to get as even an application than without the primer.

Texture/Consistency/Finish: It is a thick gel that spreads over the skin fairly easily and dries down to a slightly tacky finish. It’s not as sticky as the original primer and leaves the skin feeling simultaneously silky and tacky. Feels cooling and hydrating during application.

Longevity: I’m not convinced this is SUPER effective at increasing wear time but I do think it helps a little bit. My foundation still looks pretty decent even after a long day when I use this underneath.

Pros and Cons

Things I like:

• Smooths skin as well as the original green Elf Power Grip Primer.
• Not as sticky or shiny on the skin as the original.
• Seems to help some foundations last a little bit longer than without.

Drawbacks and other considerations:

• Doesn’t play well with some of my foundations. So far it seems to work best with thinner, more hydrating formulas. Heavier/drier formulas with more of a matte finish didn’t sit as well over this primer.
• It’s not really all that mattifying. It just doesn’t add shine.

Do I Recommend It?

Yes. It’s a nice product BUT if you are specifically looking for a matte look, I’d caution you to look for other options. The finish it gives the skin is more of a natural finish. On me, I find my skin still reflects light with a soft glow even with this on and being that it has worked best with thinner more hydrating foundations, I never actually end up with a matte skin finish. As long as you’re fine with that and the foundations you plan to pair it with sound like they might work together, I think it’s worth giving a try.

Where I think this product adds the most benefit is in solving a problem with the original formulation. The original one is awesome at smoothing the skin underneath foundation but for my preference, it adds too much of a glow and too much of a tack to the skin. Even powder doesn’t quite do enough to tone it down. This one gives me that smoothing effect under some foundations (not all) but I don’t have the issue with it giving me excess glow when I don’t want it. I don’t feel the need to use so much powder either to keep that sticky feel in check.

I’m still figuring out how well it improves wear time and prevents oil breakthrough with different foundations. So far it has only been *slightly* effective in combination with Urban Decay Stay Naked Foundation and Revlon Illuminance Skin Caring Foundation at helping keep my natural oils from breaking through the foundation. I haven’t noticed much increase in wear time with any other foundation so far.

Above, I am showing you what it looks like without primer (first quadrant), with the primer by itself (second quadrant), and with a couple of foundations over top (third and fourth quadrants). On the lower left I’m wearing Laura Mercier Real Flawless Weightless Perfecting Foundation over the elf primer. This combo works very well together. On the lower right, I’m wearing Urban Decay Stay Naked Foundation with the elf primer on only one half of the face. This combo was okay together but not as good as the previous one. I didn’t feel the elf primer added any additional matte effect to the skin (the right and left side of the face look pretty much the same) and it also didn’t add too much of a smoothing effect either.

What it is: Make Up For Ever HD Skin Setting Powder is a loose powder that is supposed to be blurring, mattifying, lightweight and undetectable, and it is boldly claimed to fight shine for 24 hours. 

Price/Quantity: $43 for 18 grams / $22 for 7 grams

Availability: Make Up For Ever, Sephora, Kohl’s

Shade Range: 12 Shades. 8 of them are complexion shades, and 4 are color correcting shades.

Packaging: I’m not sure what the mini size packaging is like but this larger one has a sifter that can be closed by twisting the black portion of the jar. The puff fits perfectly over the sifter so, if you hold the puff over the holes as you turn the jar over, a bit of powder will then coat the surface of the puff. I like this concept for keeping mess down and it does sort of work. It only really keeps mess down if you apply the powder using the puff this way but I personally prefer using a brush, so I still turn the jar over with the lid on to get some powder up above the sifter. That way I’m able to pick some up on a brush. In general, I find the packaging is pretty clean to use either way. So far, I haven’t had issues with powder “leaking” out.

Smell/Fragrance: Smells like absolutely nothing to me.

Expiration/Shelf Life: 12 months after opening. 

Ingredients: Mica, Kaolin, Silica, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Lauroyl Lysine, Caprylyl Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Squalane, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, [+/- Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499 (Iron Oxides)]. Source: Sephora.com

Performance

Shade Selection: This powder ends up coating the face in a way where the color is hardly noticeable. It’s nice to see a wide range of colors here, especially the color correcting ones. I’m just not sure the difference in color/tone will end up being all that noticeable unless a shade that is wildly different from someone’s skin tone is used. I bought mine from Sephora and went with the shade Light Vanilla. It was described as having golden undertones which made me a little hesitant, but with actual use, I really don’t notice any golden/yellow tone whatsoever. It ends up looking mostly like a pale neutral translucent shade on me.

Application: I prefer dusting this on lightly with a brush. Doing it this way gives me a much thinner application but still very noticeably mattifies. Even for the under eye and cheek area, this lighter application is plenty to remove any tackiness from my foundation to keep any sparkle fallout from eyeshadow from sticking to my skin, but it doesn’t look heavy. 

The puff can also be used for a heavier application that will help fight shine for a little longer than the brush method. I don’t really enjoy doing it this way because I feel it ends up looking much heavier and looks more like I’ve got an obvious layer of powder sitting on the surface of the skin. Even if I dust off excess, I still think it looks a bit too heavy. 

One thing I’ve tried doing for the sake of keeping shine away longer is using a brush to first apply a very light layer and then pressing over it with the puff (without any extra powder on it) to really sink the powder into the foundation. This kind of works and looks better.

Texture/Consistency/Finish: The powder does feel pretty fine once it’s all spread out on the skin. It may not look like it in the container, though, because it does kind of like to stick together in small clumps. It doesn’t feel like a silica powder — you know those ultra silky ones that flow almost like a liquid, and fly up into the air at the touch of a brush. It feels more like a traditional powder. Weightier, but still fine. It has a few skin conditioning ingredients a bit lower down in the ingredients list but I don’t find this to be like a “hydrating” powder. It feels like it’s more on the dry side.

Pigmentation/Color Payoff: Very sheer. I think if someone were to buy a shade that was a bit off, it probably wouldn’t be noticeable.

Longevity: This was the thing I really wanted to know about this powder. Does it actually last? For me, this falls a bit flat in terms of keeping shine away for long periods of time. I can go about half a day before I see shine coming through. I’ve tried this all week with different foundations and most days, I felt the need to reapply once midafternoon to get my skin back to a place I felt comfortable with. It certainly works better than some more “hydrating” powders I’ve used for controlling oil. Above I’ve shown this next the discontinued Too Faced Peach Perfect Powder, which I love for how smoothing it is, but it does nothing for shine control.

Pros and Cons

Things I like:

• Fine, lightweight texture. Lives up to the “undetectable” claim pretty well.
• Controls shine and oil fairly well but nowhere near what it claims.
• There’s a TON of product in here. It will last for quite some time.
• I appreciate the thought that went into the packaging design. Even if you don’t apply the product with the puff, it is nice that they included it and that mess is generally not a big problem regardless of how it’s applied.
• I can reapply this many times (so far I’ve tried about 3 times), without it building up to a point where my foundation starts to look cakey. This is actually a huge plus that sets it apart from lots of other powders I’ve tried.

Drawbacks and other considerations:

• It can look heavy if applied with the puff. I feel like this is very dependent on other factors though (what foundation you pair it with, how your skin is doing, etc.)
• The large size is really expensive for what it is. I have other powders I paid a lot less for that effectively do about the same thing.

Do I Recommend It?

This is another one of those products, where, yes, it’s a good product. It mostly does what it says, aside from the 24 hour claim (such things really should never be taken seriously). But I feel like it’s not really worth the price unless you really want the brand name, the logo, and the better packaging design. I don’t feel the powder itself is significantly better than lower cost options.

What it is: Laura Mercier Real Flawless Weightless Perfecting Foundation is a light to medium coverage foundation with a very fluid, highly spreadable formula and a natural to dewy finish.

Price/Quantity: $52 for 1 oz / 30 mL

Availability: Laura Mercier, Sephora, Ulta, Nordstrom, and many others

Shade Range: 30 shades

Packaging: Glass bottle with a soft-touch frosted finish, plastic cap, and a pump. The pump isn’t the easiest to control how much product I dispense. It works fine, it’s just that I feel like I can’t pump only a tiny bit out, if that’s all I need. I am able to twist off and remove the pump if I want to. For the most part the packaging has a nice quality feel to it.

Smell/Fragrance: Ultra low odor. I have to try really hard to detect any kind of scent from this and what I do get is an extremely faint chemical smell.

Expiration/Shelf Life: 12 months after opening

Ingredients:

ISODODECANE, ISODECYL NEOPENTANOATE, HYDROGENATED POLYISOBUTENE, HYDROGENATED POLYCYCLOPENTADIENE, HYDROGENATED DIDECENE, SILICA, POLYGLYCERYL-3 DIISOSTEARATE, HYDROGENATED STYRENE/ISOPRENE COPOLYMER, DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE, CELLULOSE, LAURYL PCA, THEOBROMA CACAO (COCOA) SEED EXTRACT, HYDROGENATED LECITHIN, CAMELLIA OLEIFERA SEED OIL, AQUA/WATER/EAU, PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRA-DI-T-BUTYL HYDROXYHYDROCINNAMATE, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, BUTYLENE GLYCOL. MAY CONTAIN/PEUT CONTENIR/(+/-): IRON OXIDES (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891). 

LauraMercier.com

Performance

Shade: I got the shade 1C2 Chiffon, and it is nearly a spot on match for me. I chose the shade in store and I’m glad I did because I don’t think I would have chosen the right one if I had purchased online. Neither neutral option seemed to work for me. It seems like all the undertones for the lighter shades lean in a yellow direction, but the cooler ones are just less yellow. So the neutrals seemed too yellow for me and the warm were like out of the question lol. Below are some comparison swatches for other foundations I have:

Application: My usual spreading the product over the skin with fingers first then blending with a sponge/brush works fine. The product moves with almost no resistance over the skin and blends out fast. It kind of has a tendency to streak and settle into pores because it moves so easily. As long as I stay aware of that and apply a thin even layer that is blended well, it’s not really a problem.

Using only a brush or a sponge to apply and blend out the product both end up giving me about the same result, and these methods also work fine. Using both of these give me a slightly higher amount of coverage, especially using a brush. I can get about medium coverage this way. Both of these also result in a slightly less natural/skin-like look though. The finish ends up looking good enough, just not that ultra natural look that almost looks like no-makeup.

It has applied fine over my go-to sunscreen, Australian Gold Botanical Tinted Face SPF 50. I’ve also tried it over a couple of primers and didn’t love the result. The ones I’ve tried so far are Milk Makeup Pore Eclipse Primer, and Elf Liquid Poreless Putty Primer. The sunscreen gives me the best look, helping to smooth the look of pores even more than with the foundation alone. Neither of the primers really help the finish of the foundation look any smoother on me. The foundation alone gives me a naturally radiant finish and the Milk primer seems to help tone down the dewiness of the foundation.

Texture/Consistency/Finish: Very fluid and lightweight and a bit hydrating/moisturizing. Not quite watery, but almost. It reminds me of what was in those cushion foundations several years back. I kind of like having a formula like that without the excessive packaging of the cushion compact involved. The finish is on the dewier/glowier side when left unset. It’s not ultra glowy but it’s definitely more radiant than a “natural” finish.

Coverage: Light to medium coverage depending on how I apply it. Using fingers to apply and doing a final blend with a sponge or brush gives me lighter coverage, a sponge gives me a bit more coverage, and the brush gives me the most. I can add very light layers to build it up but it’s not the best formula for trying to layer. I think it may be too fluid/liquidy and the coverage just doesn’t seem to increase very noticeably with additional layers. It also looks more makeup-y and settles into pores as I layer it. Using a brush to apply a heavier layer initially is my best bet for medium coverage.

Longevity: Most days it seems to hold up fine with an initial layer of setting powder over top. It will begin to develop a slight glow by midday but doesn’t get horribly shiny by the end of the day. However, I also wore it during some very humid days we had recently and I wasn’t able to keep shine under control very long with powder on those days. Every time I have worn it, it stayed in place and did not gather in lines/pores after many hours of wear. It has also consistently looked more skin-like later in the day than when it was first applied.

Pros and Cons

Things I like:

• I like how it seems to look better the longer I wear it. It looks more skin-like and less makeup-y as the hours pass.
• It doesn’t move during the day when I’m wearing it, even if I wear it for a long time. It doesn’t gather in pores, in lines, or around my nose even as my face gets more oily later in the day.
• It doesn’t transfer or rub off easily.

Drawbacks and other considerations:

• Didn’t work the best with primers (worked fine over my sunscreen though) – just tends to look less natural and gather in pores and on texture more when paired with a primer.
• A bit too glowy for me, which doesn’t help to smooth the look of texture. Finish is fine if I set it with powder.
• I have to use a lot of this compared to other foundations, at least 2 pumps to cover the whole face and up to 4 pumps if I want higher coverage.
• Not the most buildable formula.

Worth Buying?

There are too many things about this foundation that I don’t love for me to recommend it or say it’s worth buying. I think I’ve just figured out I prefer higher coverage foundations recently and this one is pretty light coverage and not super buildable. I don’t feel like I can safely grab for any primer or sunscreen and feel confident this foundation will get along with it. Even though it is lightweight, spreads quickly, and is light coverage, it is not quick to apply. I feel the need to spend more time than I want to for this type of product fussing with how it is sitting on the skin and how it is blended out. The one major plus that almost makes it worth it for me is how, once I get it applied how I want it, it doesn’t move and looks better the longer I wear it. That may make it worth it for some.

What it is: Loreal True Match Radiant Serum Concealer is a high-medium coverage concealer with a thinner more fluid consistency and natural-matte finish. It is supposed to also have skincare properties with hyaluronic acid for hydration and caffeine to help depuff the under eye area.

Price/Quantity: $15.99 for 0.33 fl oz / 10 ml

Availability: Ulta, Amazon, CVS

Shade Range: 24 shades

Packaging: Mostly a typical concealer container but the doe foot wand is a little more unique with one flat, broad side, sharper edges and a slightly pointed tip. The product doesn’t coat the wand too heavily but if I’m applying concealer to the face directly from the wand, I feel the need to wipe the small amount of excess product off on the neck of the container. The applicator has a soft fuzzy texture that feels comfortable and plush against the skin. The edges are not too sharp and the pointed tip isn’t too pointed but does offer a tiny bit more precision than a typical doe foot applicator. Brand new, the product came sealed with a small sticker holding the top and bottom portions of the tube closed. 

Smell/Fragrance: I don’t smell any fragrance at all but there is a noticeable alcohol scent during application. It’s not super strong but it’s enough that it isn’t easy to miss.

Expiration/Shelf Life: 12 months after opening

Ingredients: These are the ingredients for the shade C2 from the Ulta website. 

C2: Aqua/Water/Eau, Isododecane, Dimethicone, Alcohol Denat., Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Peg-10 Dimethicone, Niacinamide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Silica, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Isopropyl Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Diisopropyl Sebacate, Magnesium Sulfate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Bis-Peg/Ppg-14/14 Dimethicone, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Phenoxyethanol, Propylene Carbonate, Caffeine, Dipentaerythrityl Tetrahydroxystearate/Tetraisostearate, Silica Silylate, Tocopherol, Aluminum Hydroxide, Tin Oxide. May Contain (+/-): Ci 77891/Titanium Dioxide, Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499/Iron Oxides, Mica, Ci 77163/Bismuth Oxychloride. (F.I.L. N70031568/1).

ulta.com

Performance

Shade: I picked up shade C2. I use the Loreal True Match Super Blendable Foundation in N1 but the concealers in N1 and N2 were both sold out at the time when I ordered, so I decided to give the next closest option a try. I’m glad I didn’t get those other shades because C2 ended up be much lighter and more neutral than I was expecting. I’m guessing the other two would’ve been way too light on me.

Application: I’ve tried applying this with a small flat synthetic brush like I do with many other concealers. It works fine that way. If I lightly scrape excess product off on the neck of the bottle, I can also sweep the applicator directly across my under eye area and get a nice thin, even layer of it on the skin. I don’t normally use that method, but it seems to work well with this concealer. If I apply it that way, then I just quickly tap it out with my fingers and the coverage ends up even and well blended. I can add a second layer the same way if I want to build up the coverage and it layers over itself well that way.

Texture/Consistency/Finish: This has a thin, lightweight texture that feels very fluid when I first apply it but it dries down as I blend it out. It even has that faint alcohol scent that is sometimes present in thinner complexion products. In the container, if I look at it REALLY close under just the right lighting, I can see the finest bit of pearl in the formula. On the skin with actual use, I don’t see any pearl or shimmer whatsoever. I do not feel this actually looks radiant at all. Once this is applied and sets, it looks like a matte finish product. It sits closely to the skin which I like but it is dry looking and all the micro fine lines in my skin are visible because of it. The longer it sits on the skin, it’s as if the moisture in the product continues to dissipate, leaving behind the powder pigments. Over time, as I’m making facial expressions and the skin is moving, the powders kind of gather in those lines and give the surface of my skin a lightly “cracked” appearance. This all sounds kind of dramatic and it’s only noticeable very up close. From a normal distance, it’s not all that visible, but most of my other concealers don’t do this.

During a full day wear test (set with powder), I noticed that by the end of the day I had no creasing under my eyes and the dryness that I see when I initially apply the product went away. The skin looked more normal, more hydrated, and smoother but still matte. The cracked appearance went away and I no longer had the issue with the product looking like it had migrated into the fine lines of my skin. 

Coverage: High medium, almost full coverage. I’m surprised by how much coverage this offers for being a much thinner consistency. It works both for the under eyes and as spot concealer, though I think the consistency is more geared toward the under eye area. It is buildable to an extent but can lift previous layers of itself that have already dried down. The lifting issue happened more on my nose and when using it as spot concealer. I noticed hardly any lifting at all when I used multiple layers under the eyes.

Longevity: I have wear tested this only once (set with powder) and found it held up well till the end of the day. I didn’t have any creasing in the fold under my eyes and the coverage stayed strong. This is the type of concealer that dries down and sets so it doesn’t transfer or rub off very easily at that point.

Pros and Cons

Things I like:

• Very high coverage, really neutralizes dark circles. 
• Thin, lightweight feel. Doesn’t look or feel heavy even when layered.
• Stays in place well once it sets.

Drawbacks and other considerations:

• Says it’s supposed to be hydrating but I don’t find this hydrating.
• Not thrilled about the crackly, dehydrated appearance this has up close.
• Only going by one shade in my possession and the swatches on the product page, the shade selection seems kind of weird. 
• Alcohol scent and just having alcohol high up in the ingredients in general.

Do I Recommend It?

This is another product that I’m on the fence about. There are things I really like about this and if I were younger, it would probably suit me better. But I don’t think this is a good fit for someone with more mature skin. I also don’t think it would work well for someone with dry or dehydrated skin given how the moisture in the product dissipates over time as it is worn. If you’re younger and have more normal/oily skin, it might work well. Otherwise, it’s probably a safer bet to pass on this.

What it is: Elf Camo Hydrating CC Cream is a medium coverage foundation with a dewy finish that provides SPF 30 sun protection with a combination of chemical and physical sunscreen ingredients. It has an emollient texture contributing to that dewy finish but I do not see any kind of fine shimmer in the product up close.

Price/Quantity: $15 for 1 oz / 30 grams

Availability: Elf, Ulta

Shade Range: 30 shades

Packaging: Squeeze tube with a pump. The cap is easy to remove and stays in place. It gets a little bit messy inside the cap if you don’t wipe off excess foundation that collects at the tip of the pump. It doesn’t seem to be possible to remove or twist off the pump from the bottom of the tube. I tried for a bit but would rather not force it and break it. After using up a tiny bit of the product, it seems there is air in the pump so that when I press it, I am not always able to actually dispense product. By the time I get past the air pocket, the foundation kind of splats out with some force. It’s not a huge problem but could be a little messy and cause me to get foundation on things I’m not intending to.

Smell/Fragrance: It has a moderate sunscreen smell (and taste, if I get it too close to my mouth) that is obvious during application and lingers for a short time after. The scent does eventually fade though. I don’t see fragrance listed in the ingredients and I don’t smell anything fragrance-like over the scent of the sunscreen. 

Expiration/Shelf Life: There is an expiration date printed both on the box the product came in and stamped into the top of the squeeze tube. The expiration date on mine is August 2025 and I purchased the product in December 2023.

Ingredients:

Active Ingredients: Zinc Oxide – 6.3%, Titanium Dioxide – 6 %, Homosalate – 5%, Octisalate – 4.5%, Octocrylene – 3%

Inactive Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Panthenol, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Magnesium Sulfate, Acrylates/Polytrimethylsiloxymethacrylate Copolymer, Trehalose, Phenoxyethanol, Hydrated Silica, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Hydrogen Dimethicone, Aluminum Hydroxide, Triethyl Citrate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Tin Oxide, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tremella Fuciformis Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Niacinamide, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Canola Oil, Glycerin, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Beta-Carotene, Soluble Collagen, May Contain: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Yellow Iron Oxide (CI 77492), Red Iron Oxide (CI 77491), Black Iron Oxide (CI 77499)

elfcosmetics.com

Performance

Shade: I bought the shades Fair 120 N and Light 205 N. When looking at the swatches provided by Elf, both the cool and warm undertone options looked as if they might have pretty obvious pink and yellow tones, even though the depth of some of those shades looked like they might work for me. I opted to just buy the two lightest neutral options and mix them if necessary. In person, these two shades look like they truly are neutral. Light 205 N is a bit too dark on me but is a closer match than Fair 120 N. Although it’s a bit deep, it is still passable and doesn’t look pink/peach, orange/yellow at all against my complexion. I’m glad I chose the shades I did and purchased both because I think I’ll be happier using a combo of the 2 rather than settling for an imperfect match using only one of them.

Application: I’ve tried a couple ways of applying this and so far my favorite is dotting and evenly distributing it all over with one end of a damp sponge and then turning the sponge over to its clean side to finish blending the product out. I can go over some areas again using this same method to build up the coverage I want and a second layer sits on the skin just fine without looking too heavy/cakey. I can also use my fingers to spread the product out and then blend with a sponge, but that somehow results in less coverage and a finish that doesn’t look as smooth. Using a foundation brush to apply was my least favorite method (most uneven, least coverage) but I did find a brush helpful at times to smooth out areas where the product gathered in larger pores. I didn’t find pooling/gathering in pores to be a major problem in general with this product but it did happen a little bit on some parts of my face.

Texture/Consistency/Finish: It has an emollient, creamy feel but is not particularly thick or heavy. It leaves the skin with a bit of tack but not so much that my hair sticks to my face. I could skip powder and leave it unset and be fine with the way the product feels to the touch. The finish is very dewy overall. When I first apply it, it reflects about the same amount of light as my skin naturally does when I only have moisturizer on. It doesn’t necessarily add any extra shine, initially, and it doesn’t have any shimmer as far as I can tell. But after wearing it for a while, maybe an hour or two, it becomes more and more glowy as the oils in my skin combine with the foundation. At this point, my face looks unnaturally shiny. I prefer to set this product with a powder vs wearing it alone.

Coverage: One layer gives me light-medium coverage and I can build it up in spots up to nearly full. This is described as having full coverage but I don’t agree. Strong medium approaching full is about the maximum amount of coverage I can get with it. 

For the before and after shots below, I’m using the shade Light 205 N all over the face. I didn’t mix the lighter shade I have in or use any other complexion products.

Longevity: I’m still trying this out for wear time. All I can say for now is that when I set it with a powder, glow and shine break through that powder pretty quickly. I’m guessing I’ll need to add powder a couple of times over the course of a day. If applied somewhat heavily over an area with creases or lines, it will gather in those lines over time.

Pros and Cons

Things I like:

• Application is fast and easy. I feel like I could apply this quickly on a day when I’m feeling tired/lazy/in a rush.
• I like the coverage. For the amount of SPF, I feel I get more coverage than most other similar products I’ve tried.
• Oddly, I like that this has chemical SPF in it. Most of my sunscreens are mineral but I like using a combo of mineral and chemical when the sun is at its strongest.
• The undertone looks truly neutral for the two shades I chose.

Drawbacks and other considerations:

• I wish there was a neutral shade in between the two that I picked up to avoid needing both to match me correctly.
• The sunscreen smell is a bit strong.
• Questionable pump. So far it’s working okay but time will tell.

Do I Recommend It?

I’ve mentioned a few things that are probably off-putting but I somehow still really like this product. I haven’t tried a whole heck of a lot of foundations with relatively high SPF in them. The ones I have tried have either been too heavy/cakey or didn’t have much coverage. This one strikes a balance I’ve not found yet in another similar product. Even though it’s not super full coverage, the coverage it does provide is pretty high and I can see myself using this together with one of my tinted mineral SPF products later in the year as I need more sun protection. For the price, I think it’s good but make sure you’re okay with a glowy/dewy/emollient product.

What it is: NYX Pro Fix Sticks are a high-medium coverage creamy concealer in a stick that come in both skin tone and color correcting shades.

Price/Quantity: $9.00 for 0.05 oz / 1.6 grams

Availability: NYX, Ulta

Shade Range: 6 color correctors and 18 complexion shades

Packaging: These come in a slim twist up tube similar to a lipstick. The caps click into place and remove with a small amount of effort, and stay on well. I am able to twist the product all the way up and then completely retract it again. One of the photos above shows the product completely extended so you can get an idea how much is in the container. So far I’ve only swiped them on with a tiny bit of the product exposed past the plastic casing and haven’t felt it might break. I’d be cautious to avoid twisting it up too far though or using too much pressure when applying it.

Smell/Fragrance: There is a noticeable scent if I get up close and look for one but with normal use, I haven’t noticed the scent at all. It doesn’t smell like fragrance at all and more like a chemical smell. 

Expires After: 18 months after opening

Ingredients:

ISODECYL NEOPENTANOATE   • PROPYLENE GLYCOL DICAPRYLATE/DICAPRATE    •  SYNTHETIC WAX   • ISONONYL ISONONANOATE    •  OCTYLDODECANOL    • PARAFFIN   • CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE    •  SILICA    •  DIMETHICONE    • POLYGLYCERYL-3 DIISOSTEARATE    • CERA MICROCRISTALLINA / MICROCRYSTALLINE WAX / CIRE MICROCRISTALLINE   • LIMNANTHES ALBA SEED OIL / MEADOWFOAM SEED OIL   • STEARALKONIUM HECTORITE    • DIMETHICONE/VINYL DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER    •  LECITHIN    • ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE    •  ISOPROPYL MYRISTATE    • PROPYLENE CARBONATE    •  ISOSTEARIC ACID    •  ETHYLHEXYL PALMITATE  •  POLYGLYCERYL-3 POLYRICINOLEATE    •  POLYHYDROXYSTEARIC ACID    • PHENOXYETHANOL

nyxcosmetics.com

Performance

Shade: I picked up 5 shades in total. 2 are concealers and the other 3 are correctors. I have the concealers in 03 Alabaster and 04 Light and both are too light. 04 Light will work for me now as it’s winter and my skin is about as light as it will be for the year but I doubt I will be able to continue using it through next summer. I get the feeling the shades run light in general. I also have the pink, yellow, and green correctors. I like the depth/tone of the pink and yellow ones and find they work well with my complexion. I don’t think they are too saturated in their respective colors and blend out well enough to disappear into my skin fairly well. The pink corrector is only barely more pink-toned than the two concealers and could easily pass as just another concealer shade. On me, it works okay under the eyes but I find it more useful to use around the sides of my mouth where my skin looks a bit more yellow than the rest of my face. It helps to neutralize that yellow tone so that the area better matches the rest of my face. The yellow corrector is the most versatile for me and works well on the purplish tones of my under eye circles, reddish purple marks from acne scarring, and also helps to neutralize redness better on me than the green one. The green one is a bit too saturated for me and difficult to apply lightly enough. If I don’t apply it heavily enough, it doesn’t really neutralize redness but it’s so easy to go overboard and apply too much, leaving behind a fairly obvious green/grey cast. It is the only one that I feel the need to go back over with concealer to rebalance the skin tone.

Application: I have mainly used this with brushes. I very briefly tried just swiping the stick directly on the skin and it worked okay that way. It transfers fairly well with minimal dragging on the skin. It isn’t the most emollient concealer ever but it’s also not very dry. So far I am preferring the texture of this for the under eye area and to add coverage over larger portions of the face (like areas of redness on the cheeks) than for spot concealing. Coverage is pretty good and when a concealer and corrector is used together, I’m impressed with how well it evens the under eye area out. However, I don’t think it has enough coverage to be super effective as a spot concealer and the formula moves around a little too easily on the skin as well. I prefer products that dry down and really stay in place once they set for spot concealing. If I accidentally touch a spot I’ve covered, it can easily rub off. 

Texture/Consistency/Finish: Both the concealers and the correctors feel and apply the same, they’re just different colors. They are creamy and transfer pretty easily without being oily or waxy feeling. They don’t totally set but do dry down a little bit as they are blended out and have a semi-matte, almost powder-like finish and feel. Thy sit very nicely on my skin when my skin is well maintained and hydrated. For the demo photos, my skin was edging into being more dehydrated but I felt the product still looked decent. The pigment/powder that’s in them seems to be pretty fine and melds well with the skin so they don’t look heavy or dry even from up close. 

Coverage: High medium. It does build up and you can get full coverage but because it transfers pretty easily, I’m hesitant to call it reliably full coverage.

Here are some before and after photos using only the concealer in the shade 04 Light. I didn’t use any of the corrector shades for either of the two examples below:

Longevity: Under the eyes, the coverage and finish hold steady until the end of the day with only the very faintest bit of creasing in the fold under my eyes. I need to pay better attention to how it holds up as a spot concealer. My feeling based on how it applies is that it will probably stay on okay as long as I don’t touch it, but it is more prone to transferring when touched than a liquid concealer that completely dries down and sets.

Pros and Cons:

Things I like:

• It sits well on the skin even if my skin isn’t in its best condition.
• Effective amount of coverage for “everyday” makeup. It’s not too heavy/opaque but it actually does brighten and even the skintone noticeably.
• What creasing I do get is minimal.
• The pink and yellow color correctors are really nice to have in addition to the concealer shades to help even things out that a concealer alone might not do the best at by itself. 
• I like that the price is not very high. I don’t feel so bad about possibly buying the wrong shade as it doesn’t hurt the wallet too bad to just try again.

Drawbacks and other considerations:

• Although the price is not very high, there’s not much product in the component. For the color correctors the amount is probably enough to last a good long while but I feel it will be easy to use up the concealers quickly.
• I prefer this formula better for use under the eyes than for spot concealing.
• Not the easiest to blend out over larger areas with a buffing brush. Using a small flat brush (like a concealer brush or a lip brush) works okay for me though on smaller areas (around the eyes, small spots on the face).
• Complexion shades seem to run light. 
• The green is very saturated compared to the other two correctors and is more difficult to use.

Do I Recommend It?

I am liking the quality of the product, how it applies, how it wears, the price, and having it in stick format (just because it’s kind of convenient). That said, the small amount you get is a very big drawback for me. If it weren’t for that, I’d give it a glowing recommendation as long as you think the coverage and format is something you’d like. I’m especially happy to see some new correctors. I’ve noticed a lack of choices in this category for a long time and I think tones of the pink and yellow ones work really well for me.

Some Tips for the Color Correctors

• Use a small amount (less than the amount of concealer you’d use). It’s more of a way to cancel out color than actually add coverage.
• If you have a few different shades, experiment with them. You may find the recommended use doesn’t actually work for you and that’s totally fine. 
• Try using them under concealer or over concealer. You can kind of blend the color of the corrector into the shade of your concealer to tint the concealer.
• I definitely recommend using some small brushes if you have them to apply the product more lightly. You can dot the correctors directly from the stick onto the skin as well but they may apply more heavily that way.
• Green typically is used to cancel out redness. That can be from blemishes, healing scars, rosacea, or just naturally reddish cheeks. Green has always been tricky for me personally if it’s not just the right shade or if it’s too dark/saturated/blue-toned. If you get frustrated, try yellow, as that can also work for redness.
• Pink and yellow both work for me around the eyes. My dark circles are multicolored so I sometimes use both together around the eyes. For example the inner corner has some greenish veining and the pink corrector works well for that while the yellow corrects the purple in my dark circles more effectively than the pink one.

Where I Place The Color Correctors

For this demo, I am only using the correctors and no concealer. I used the pink one under one eye and the yellow under the other so you can see how they both kind of do the job. Personally, I prefer the yellow for that area. I used the pink corrector to neutralize some yellow tones around the sides of my mouth.

What it is: A matte finish, full coverage concealer that is supposed to be long wearing and transfer- and crease- resistant without feeling drying. Featured ingredients include hyaluronic acid, vitamin E and clay to help strike a balance between hydration and longevity.

Price/Quantity: $12.99 for 0.34 fl. oz.

Availability: Amazon

Shade Range: 16 Shades

Packaging: A standard concealer tube with a somewhat large doe foot applicator. I don’t feel that too much or too little product coats the applicator.

Smell/Fragrance: It has a very similar smell as the Revlon Illuminance Serum Tint (my review here) I recently tried. In the few days I’ve been using it, I never once noticed the scent until I went looking for one. It’s very mild and more like a fragrance than a chemical smell. 

Expires After: 18 months after opening

Ingredients: Aqua/Water/Eau, Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Zinc Oxide [nano], PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Bis-PEG/PPG-14/14 Dimethicone, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Sodium Chloride, Tribehenin, Butylene Glycol, 1,2- Hexanediol, Alcohol, Alumina, Boron Nitride, Caprylyl Glycol, Dimethiconol, Hydrogen Dimethicone, Methicone, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Mica, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Tocopheryl Acetate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Trisiloxane, Phenoxyethanol MAY CONTAIN/PEUT CONTENIR/PUEDE CONTENER (+/-): [Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Iron Oxides (CI 77492), Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891).] B02830

Performance

Shade: I have 015 Light, the third lightest shade with a yellow undertone. All shades are swatched on trendmood1 on Instagram and according to those, I thought the shade I chose would be more pink-toned. It also ended up being darker than I expected which turned out to be a good thing. I think the color works decently well on me. The yellow in this shade helps cancel out the blue/purple in my dark under eye circles. 

Application: I have used this both as under eye concealer and as spot concealer. For under eyes, I like applying this (and most concealers for that matter) with a small flat brush like a Mac 231. This creates a nice thin, even layer and then I pat it out with my fingers or a larger, soft pencil brush. Doing this has worked pretty well but I have sometimes had the product not want to stick to my nose, though not every time. The product dries down fairly quickly so that sometimes I feel like I’m running out of time to apply it completely before I need to pull a bit more out from the container to refresh. It dries to a matte finish but does not make the skin look excessively dry. I use a small eyeliner brush and a tiny pencil brush to use this as spot concealer. This method has worked as well with this concealer as it has with any other. I like this product more as spot concealer than for the under eye area because it is so high coverage. The matte formula with the fast dry down make this work well for that purpose. It holds on well to the spots I apply it to without easily rubbing off as I try to blend the edges. 

Texture/Consistency/Finish: It’s kind of thick and not runny whatsoever. As I spread it out with my fingers, it quickly dries down to a powder matte finish.

Coverage: Very high. I find the coverage a bit too heavy for use under the eyes if I’m not also wearing a full coverage foundation. Even if I use a light hand, it still seems to look out of place paired with more medium coverage foundations. My current go-to full coverage foundation is the KVD Good Apple Serum Foundation (my review) and I think it looks fine paired with that one. This is up there with some of the higher coverage spot concealers I’ve used, like Too Faced Born This Way Multi Use Sculpting Concealer, the KVD Foundation (I like using this for both concealer and foundation), and Loreal Infallible Full Wear Concealer. 

Longevity: This lasts about as well as I can expect any decent face product to last on me. So far creasing under the eyes has been minimal if worn alone and almost non-existent if I set it with powder. It stays on well enough as spot concealer to blend without rubbing off too easily initially. After a couple hours, it can transfer though as the oils in my skin begin to surface but as long as I’m careful to avoid touching my face too much, it stays in place pretty well without looking separated or increasingly cakey throughout the day.

Pros and Cons:

Things I Like:

• Impressive coverage
• Stands up well against creasing under the eyes
• Adheres well to the skin and hangs on as I blend areas I spot conceal
• I got lucky the color works well for me

Drawbacks to consider:

• This could look a tad bit smoother on the skin up close. It looks pretty good but if you are a stickler for EXTRA smooth looking concealers, it may be worth shopping around some more. Works fine on well maintained skin but if you slack on skincare or often have dry/dehydrated/flakey skin, this may not be forgiving enough.

Do I Recommend It?

I like this product but I’d recommend proceeding with caution. It’s not terribly expensive but there are other concealers that I think sit better on the skin even when my skin is not in the best condition. If you need something high coverage but is reasonably priced, this could work. If you’re willing to spend a bit more on something you can sample and know for sure will work well for you, maybe consider going that route.

Revlon Illuminance Serum Tint is a light-medium coverage makeup and skincare product in one. It provides a bit of coverage, evens out the skin tone and helps smooth out the look of pores and skin texture right away. It claims to also help even out skin tone over time with regular use thanks to ginger root extract and vitamin C. The texture of this is somewhat thick and sunscreen-y but it has a lightweight and hydrating feel with a natural-looking dewy finish. There is no obviously visible shimmer in this but it seems to have a subtle light reflecting quality to it. With a combination of chemical and physical sunscreen ingredients, it also provides SPF 15 sun protection. There are 16 shades and it retails for around $19.

I got shade 117 as the same shade in the Revlon Illuminance Skin Caring Foundation worked well for me. The shade is a good match between the two products.

The foundation is a tad darker in the swatches but I tried both products side by side on the face and could not tell the shades apart. 117 is slightly light for me which is usually a problem. Shades that are too light can exaggerate the look of skin texture but I don’t have that problem with this product. They called it a serum tint (something I didn’t really take that seriously/literally) but the way this sits on the skin reminds me a lot of a moisturizer so I guess it’s hydrating enough to combat the skin texture issue for me.

To apply this, I dot it on like any other foundation and spread it out with my fingers before doing a final blend with a sponge. Once blended out, it doesn’t look or feel heavy but does have a tiny bit more tack (before powder) than the Revlon Illuminance Foundation. It gives the skin a very natural looking, well-moisturized appearance and smooths over the look of pores a bit. If there is any fine shimmer in this I don’t see it at all.

The coverage I get from one modest layer is light but noticeable and if I build it up I can get about medium coverage without it looking cakey or heavy.

I’ve worn this a few times with setting powder all day and didn’t feel it got too shiny or oily looking after several hours. I can get away without any additional powder and still look decent by the end of the day but I’d say this ideally needs one extra powder touch up midday.

Pros and Cons:

Things I like:

• Looks natural and skin-like, but at the same time noticeably evens skin tone and smooths the look of texture.
• Shimmer-free, subtle glowy finish.
• Very hydrating. Gives the skin a well-moisturized, almost plumped look.
• Despite being hydrating, doesn’t get excessively shiny/oily throughout the day.

Drawbacks to consider:

• Pricey for Revlon. The foundation is a dollar cheaper and you get a smidge more product.
• Has a fragrance-like scent that is noticeable during and after application. It isn’t terribly strong and fades quickly but might bother those who are sensitive.

Do I Recommend It?

Yes. For me, it’s the way it makes the skin look healthy that sells it. In terms of coverage and finish, it’s not super different from the from the foundation. If you have the foundation already, I wouldn’t recommend running out to get this one too. I definitely don’t think they are different enough to warrant having them both. If you are deciding between the two, I left some of my comparisons on them below.

Revlon Illuminance Foundation vs Serum Tint

When I first saw this launch, I immediately wondered how this would be different from the foundation. The foundation already has a thinner, serum-y, buildable kind of formula as it is. With a couple of side by side applications, here’s what I’ve noticed.

Both products have a similar level of coverage. I am able to build up the foundation to a higher level of coverage overall ending up with a maximum of high medium coverage. The serum tint can go up to about medium when built up but seems to even out the skin more with one initial layer.

There’s not much difference in finish between the two. They both reflect light in a soft, diffused and subtle way that makes the skin look healthy without any obvious shimmer.

The look of pores and texture is smoothed over by both but the foundation has a bigger impact. The foundation looks really nice but I can tell I’m wearing makeup with it because the effect is so obvious. The serum tint smooths in a way that I find more natural and looks less like makeup.

Both are hydrating and feel lightweight once applied but the serum tint is thicker and leaves the tiniest bit more tack behind after application than the foundation. To the touch, the foundation feels like a foundation while the serum tint feels more like a tinted skincare product.

Neither one is scent free but the foundation has more of a faint chemical scent whereas the serum tint is more fragrance-y.

There is a small amount of SPF in the serum tint and the foundation has none.

What it is: Ciele Tint and Protect SPF 50 Tinted Serum Foundation is an all mineral SPF skin tint (12% Zinc Oxide) with light-medium buildable coverage and a natural-looking dewy finish. There are 13 shades to choose from and you get 1.28 oz for $44. Foundations are usually about 1 oz, so you get a bit more with this one. It can be purchased from Ciele Cosmetics or Sephora.

Packaging: Glass bottle with glass dropper and a plastic lid. The bottle is substantial and does not feel fragile. So far pulling the dropper out and putting it back does not seem to be making the neck of the bottle messy. 

Smell/Fragrance: This is fragrance free and mostly scent free except for a very faint chemical scent. I do not notice it at all with normal use but can detect it if I’m actively looking for a scent.

Expiration: Mine has an expiration date printed on the bottom which is May 2025 and I purchased it in October 2023.

Ingredients: Below are ingredients directly from Ciele’s website for shade 4. They list specific ingredients per shade as they vary slightly.

Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Lauryl PEG-8 Dimethicone, Titanium Dioxide CI 77891, Isododecane, Propanediol, Dimethicone, Niacinamide, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Isohexadecane, Trilaureth-4 Phosphate, Iron Oxides CI 77492, Dimethiconol/Propylsilsesquioxane/Silicate Crosspolymer, Caprylyl Methicone, Mica, Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate, Lauryl PEG-10 Tris(Trimethylsiloxy)silylethyl Dimethicone, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Phenoxyethanol, Bisabolol, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Caprylyl Glycol, Allantoin, Iron Oxides CI 77499, Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate/Polyhydroxystearate/Sebac, Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate/Polyhydroxystearate/Sebac, Aluminum Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Propylene Carbonate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, PEG-10.

Performance

Shade: Before buying this, I was torn between shades 3 and 4 and decided on the latter. Shade 4 has a warm-leaning undertone but does not look obviously yellow, peach or pink in hue. It is also a little darker than I usually go for in foundations or concealers. Being a light-medium coverage and having a very natural finish, I actually very much enjoy that this is slightly darker and warmer than my skin tone. I find using my lighter concealers and foundations over it gives me the perfect complexion match. Usually, I unintentionally end up using foundations that are a bit light and add some sort of cream or powder bronzer to help balance my skin tone. Using this is like going in the opposite direction.

Application: My go-to method for applying foundations in general is dotting it on my face with my fingers and then using a sponge for a final blend. It is super easy to blend it out using only my fingers but a brush or sponge also work perfectly fine and give me a similar finish and level of coverage. It spreads over the skin quickly and easily and blends out with hardly any effort. It’s one of the easier products of this type that I have used in terms of application. It also layers on itself beautifully.

Texture and Finish: With one light layer, it looks extremely natural on the skin. It has a glowy finish but it’s not too glowy – not shiny/greasy/oily looking. Just a nice pretty glow without any shimmer. Even up close, it is very difficult to tell there is any makeup on the skin. Adding a second layer and deliberately applying it heavily, adds a bit more coverage but my skin still looks very believably “natural” and not makeup-y.

Coverage: Light to light-medium. It is buildable but I personally apply a foundation over this to noticeably even out my skin tone. If you have significant redness, hyperpigmentation, dark circles, freckles, etc., those things are probably still going to show through but look a little more diffused. The combo of applying two layers and the color being ever so slightly deeper than my skin tone help even out my complexion so that my freckles and darker areas blend in well with the lighter areas of my skin. So, while coverage isn’t very high, the overall effect is decently impactful.

Longevity: I have only been using this for about a week so I don’t have the best feel for longevity yet. So far, it doesn’t seem to be making foundations I wear over it get oily/shiny much more quickly that they would otherwise. My skin does not feel any more greasy by the end of the day than it usually does without it. For reference I have combination skin that is tending closer to normal-to-dry as we are approaching winter in my part of the world.

Pros and Cons:

Things I like:

• Super natural looking. Just looks like skin.
• Applies and blends quickly and effortlessly.
• Buildable and remains natural looking even when layered.
• Feels hydrating and moisturizing but not too heavy or oily.
• When used under higher coverage foundations, gives my skin a slightly smoother look (like a primer).

Drawbacks to consider:

• A little expensive. I feel like it will probably last a decent amount of time though. I went through my Ilia Skin Tint in about a year and that one had less in the bottle. 
• As a standalone product, the coverage may be lighter than you expect if you are used to medium coverage foundations.

Do I Recommend It?

With the one caveat of only having been using it for a week or so and not having a good idea of longevity, I’d otherwise say absolutely yes. Especially if you are makeup lover and need a good SPF for underneath, this works super well. I will say, if you only really want a tinted SPF to get around issues with white cast and don’t care that much about makeup, I’d say check out the Australian Gold Botanical Tinted Face Sunscreen with SPF 50. That one works about as well when used alone for much cheaper but doesn’t look as nice underneath makeup.

How It Compares To Other SPF Tints

Below are three similar types of products I’ve tried and my thoughts on how they differ. 

Australian Gold Botanical Tinted Face Sunscreen SPF 50

• Leaves less of a glow on the skin
• Feels even more lightweight and seems to dry down slightly
• Lighter (almost non-existent) coverage
• Thicker consistency

Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40

• Feels slightly oilier, looks a tiny bit shinier
• Makeup sometimes sits more heavily or looks more obvious when applied over this product
• Smell is not very strong but is more noticeable with this product
• Coverage for both is about the same and they are both similarly buildable

It Cosmetics CC Cream SPF 50

• Much more coverage
• Much less natural looking
• To me this feels, applies, and looks a lot more like a medium coverage foundation rather than a thinner skincare type of product
• Thicker consistency

With all of the above considered, I like Ciele Tint and Protect the best out of them all. It is the most natural looking and plays the best with makeup over top.

Huda Beauty Fauxfilter Under Eye Color Corrector is available in 5 shades ranging from peachy pink to rich orange and can be used to increase the effectiveness of concealer at cancelling out dark under eye circles. It can also be used anywhere else on the face to neutralize dark spots or pigmentation issues. These are $30 for 0.3 fl. oz. / 9 ml and can be purchased from Huda Beauty, Sephora, and Kohl’s.

I chose Pink Pomelo, which is the lightest shade, and it is probably the darkest peachy pink under eye corrector I’ve ever purchased. It is definitely quite dark if I just use it by itself and I feel the need to brighten the area back up with concealer after using it. I have both purple and green tones to correct around my eyes. This does better at cancelling out the greens from veins near my inner corner. It helps a little with the purple under my eyes but not as much as other correctors I’ve tried. Using this together with concealer is a bit more effective than just using concealer alone.

Here’s a before and after using the corrector on one eye and not the other. I applied concealer to both eyes so I could see how much of a difference this corrector makes:

The texture is thinner and lighter than I was expecting but it’s also surprisingly pigmented. It’s not watery but it is more runny than a concealer and doesn’t have the dewy, tacky finish of one either. It dries down to a semi-matte, skin-like finish. That said, it’s also not drying and doesn’t leave the skin looking cracked or flat once it is set.

I need a very small amount to actually do the job of color correcting. So much so that I feel I’ll never actually get close to using up the whole container. I’ve tried it with Too Faced Born This Way Concealer (a more hydrating one) and Urban Decay Stay Naked Concealer (a bit more drying) and it has paired well with both. Neither combo results in much creasing in the fold under my eyes. The corrector doesn’t add any extra heaviness so the concealers still sit well on the skin.

The shade I chose seemed like it could make a beautiful blush so, just for fun I decided to try it. The texture works well that way, blending quickly and easily without disturbing my foundation underneath too much. It’s nice that it’s not shimmery/dewy/glowy and just has more or less the same finish as my foundation.

Pros and Cons

Things I like:

• Texture/finish is on point. Looks good, feels good, doesn’t interfere with concealers I’ve used it with.
• Doubles as a very natural looking blush on me.
• Packaging seems nicely designed. Squared sides make it so it doesn’t roll all over the place. Frosted finish keeps away fingerprints. So far it hasn’t gotten messy around the neck of the container.

Drawbacks:

• Expensive for what it is.
• Maybe one shade lighter/yellower would have been nice.
• Shade I chose doesn’t work to correct other issues like dark spots. To be fair, I usually don’t use correctors for that anyway.

Do I Recommend It?

I don’t think color correctors are a necessity. They are nice to have to boost your concealer but the enhancement is subtle. If you feel you need that extra enhancement and the price isn’t out of your budget, I’d say go for it. The quality of this is nice. I would recommend getting shade matched at a local store if you have that option though!

Some Comparisons

These two have a similar thin, lightweight texture. The one from Elf is darker, warmer, less pigmented and has a more noticeable paint-like scent. The Elf corrector is visibly too dark on me even when I apply concealer over it. I think it could potentially be just as effective for someone with a skin tone it works for, though.

Here are some other products swatched side by side to give you a better idea of the color. Left to right is:

• Huda Beauty Fauxfilter Under Eye Corrector
• Elf Camo Color Corrector in Peach
• Benefit Erase Paste in 1 Fair (discontinued)
• Too Faced Born This Way Multi Use Sculpting Concealer in Snow (the concealer I use most of the time)

Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Vitamin CC Eye Stick ($34 for 3.7g / 0.13 oz) is an eye cream and color corrector in one. It comes in three sheer shades to help neutralize dark circles and creates a hydrating base to apply concealer over.

What stands out:

• It is definitely sheer and hardly noticeable but it does work as a color corrector. If I apply it on one eye and not the other, then go over with concealer, I can see the difference it makes in cancelling out the dark circles.

• It is very balmy-feeling. The texture is thick but it melts easily enough on my fingertip. I prefer to apply it with fingers rather than applying to the eyes directly from the stick. I’m able to warm it up a little, apply it a bit more precisely and more gently. 

• It’s not super oily feeling but it can make some concealers crease more in the fold under my eye. The hydrating/smoothing factor makes it so my concealer looks much better. It reminds me a little bit of the Becca Under Eye Brightener but not quite as oily feeling. 

• The lid is a little difficult to remove.

• Very slight, hardly noticeable citrus scent.

• The lightest shade is not too light of a yellow, which I was afraid of when buying blind online.

Comparison to other products:

• Benefit Erase Paste is a discontinued product but was loved by many because it was especially hydrating for the under eye area. I’m including it here for those that loved and miss the product and are in search of something similar. Benefit is much more pigmented and is more of a true color corrector/makeup product. The Ole Henriksen Eye Stick is more of a skincare item that offers a hint of “coverage”.

• Becca Under Eye Brightener is most similar in texture and pigmentation to Ole Henriksen compared to the others shown. Moisture level is similar but Becca is slightly “oilier”. Opacity is also similar but I’d say Becca is a tiny bit more sheer. Both products have very fine shimmer that gives the skin a radiant finish but you can’t really see the particles individually. If you have tried and liked the Becca one, you might like this one.

• Elf is here just to show how light and yellow the shade “Banana” is. The Elf one is a little too light for me to use under the eyes but works much better to neutralize brighter redness from breakouts. It’s also noticeably more pigmented.

Was it worth the purchase?

Yes. My under eye area has been more dry lately and this really helps concealer look smoother and the added color correction is a great bonus. I tried it with a concealer that I never wear because it’s too drying on me and it made it usable for me.

Glow Recipe Strawberry BHA Pore Smooth Blur Drops ($32 for 30ml / 1 fl. oz.) is a combination product that can either be used as a step in your skincare routine or as a primer under foundation. It has salicylic acid in it to help keep pores clear and micro fine powders to help keep shine at bay. I liked the idea of being able to incorporate salicylic acid into my skincare route where I’m not using it at the same time as other products with ingredients that would interfere with each other. My intent was to mainly use it as a primer and get the skincare benefits at the same time.

What stands out:

• The twist off lid is on the bottom of the packaging so it stands upside down on its lid. This is fine except I can’t stand it up with the lid off. I find this kind of annoying.

• It has a thin consistency that dries down pretty quickly, so I find myself squeezing more product out 2-3 additional times to completely cover my face. It’s somewhat tricky to control how much comes out. I can see myself very quickly running through the contents of the bottle. It is not cost effective. 

• It leaves the skin with a mattified appearance and whatever makeup I put over it is noticeably more matte as well. The few times I tried it, it kept shine under control the entire day. I think this could be great in the middle of summer when I struggle with oilier skin but it almost seems too drying for the rest of the year.

• As a primer, I don’t find this very smoothing and it dries down so much that it makes foundation harder to apply over it. It hardly makes any difference in the look of texture/pores in the short term when used as a makeup product. 

• I don’t notice any smell or fragrance though fragrance is listed in the ingredients.

Was it worth the purchase?

No. I like the idea but it fell short. If it worked well as a primer, this could have been an excellent way to incorporate salicylic acid into my skincare routine without interfering with other actives. A similar type of primer is the Milk Makeup Pore Eclipse Primer, it is less drying and a bit more effective at smoothing the skin.

Kosas Dream Beam ($40 for 40 mL / 1.4 fl oz.) is a tinted mineral sunscreen with SPF40 that blends aspects of skincare and makeup. It has moisturizing ingredients and gives the skin a smooth and subtly glowy finish. Used as a foundation primer, it helps to smooth out the look of texture and pores and the subtle glow shows through foundation ever so slightly. It can also just be used by itself as your primary face sunscreen, leaving no white cast on the complexion thanks to the peachy tint.

What stands out:

• This isn’t the cheapest sunscreen/primer but I like the quality and the price is not outrageous.

• Packaging is somewhat unique, seems well designed. The lid twists off easily and there is a precision dispenser. The product isn’t too runny or thick and it is easy to squeeze out exactly the amount I want. 

• It is heavily scented. Heavily may be a slight exaggeration but it is very noticeable and it lingers after application. It is a rosy-floral scent. I’m not totally against fragrance in skincare but I’m glad I like the fragrance, otherwise the intensity would bother me.

• It’s slightly glowy with super fine shimmer particles. The individual particles are not really noticeable, meaning I don’t get a sparkly effect from it. The finish is a smooth, even glow that mimics dew from well moisturized skin. If you inspect super closely in the just the right lighting using a magnifying mirror, you MIGHT be able to pick out the individual shimmer particles.

• It feels very moisturizing and smoothing. It works great underneath heavier coverage foundations and is one of the more effective primers I’ve tried for minimizing the look of texture/pores. I haven’t used it for all that long but based on the texture, I imagine my combination skin would get along well with this most of the year. Some reviews I’ve read mention this feeling too oily for oilier skin types, so it potentially might not be a go to during the hottest summer months for me.

• Coverage is barely noticeable. The tint seems pretty neutral and very close to my skin tone. I wouldn’t use this in place of foundation because it just doesn’t even out the skin tone enough by itself.

• I read several reviews mentioning that this pills. I have only had this pill when combined with one other product (Glow Recipe Blur Drops), but have experienced zero pilling by itself or with any foundation I’ve used it with.

Was it worth the purchase?

Yep. I’m happy with it and I see myself reaching for this often for a quite a while to come. My favorite thing about it is how well it smooths the skin under makeup and isn’t too shiny/glowy under foundation.

KVD Good Apple Full Coverage Serum Foundation is a buildable coverage, natural-finish foundation with a relatively thin consistency and surprisingly hydrating feel. It comes in 40 shades and you get the standard 1 fl oz / 30 ml of product for $42. The glass bottle has a heavy, substantial feel to it and comes with a high quality metal pump that is very easy to control.

This caught my attention when it first came out because of the popularity of the Good Apple Foundation Balm (and because it claimed to somehow be full coverage but also serum-y in texture?) but I didn’t immediately run to try it out. On my last visit to Sephora, I gave this one a swatch and color matched myself, expecting it to feel much like other full coverage foundations I have tried. It had a surprisingly moisturizing, smooth, buttery feel to it that didn’t dry down too quickly, seemed to spread easily, and look decent on the skin, as far as I could tell from a quick in-store swatch. So, an unplanned purchase came home with me.

It has been almost 3 weeks since I started using it and I’ve tried it with my skin in varying conditions, over different primers/sunscreens and with different powders. I didn’t really go into too many different application methods, because the way I apply foundation works for me with most different foundations, but I’ll talk about how I apply it as well. 

When I bought this, I went with the shade 012, which seemed to match me very well both wet and once it dried down. I didn’t notice any oxidation or darkening as it dried when shade matching myself and I have not noticed that happening either as I’ve worn it the past few weeks.

Here are some comparison swatches to other foundations in my collection:

Application

The way I apply nearly any foundation is by working in sections. I will tap/dot it on in a small area and then pat it out with my fingers to get a nice even layer of it over the skin. Then I will give it a final blend with a damp sponge and sometimes a foundation brush as well if the sponge is not doing the trick. With some foundations, it isn’t necessary to work in sections but with higher coverage and/or more matte/drying formulas this method has worked the best for me, so I adopt it for almost every foundation I apply.

I don’t usually layer or build up coverage but my skin has been less even in tone in the past year, so I’ve been dabbling with building up coverage lately. To do this I’ll use exactly the same application method a second time over an area I’ve already covered. This doesn’t always work. Sometimes the second layer will look very unnatural or cakey and sometimes the second layer will lift the first layer and leave a patchy uneven mess of my complexion. Luckily with this foundation, layering has been delightfully easy.

I have found I can even use it as concealer. It works best as spot concealer on me which is awesome because I then know my “concealer” actually matches my foundation and it is one less product to have cluttering up my makeup table. It works fine as an under eye concealer too, offering plenty of coverage but looks a little bit more drying than other products in that area. I’ve definitely needed more hydrating concealers as I get older.

It has been pretty compatible with most other products I’ve tried it with. Primers I’ve successfully paired it with include Milk Makeup Pore Eclipse Primer, Elf Power Grip, Tatcha Silk Canvas, NYX Angel Veil, and Smashbox Primerizer. With the Elf primer being sticky, it seemed to require more effort/strength (lol) to spread the foundation over the skin, but it sat smoothly and beautifully over it once I got it there. With the Milk primer, I got even more pore smoothing but I did notice the foundation looked drier literally in the dots of my pores, which was only noticeable up close. It wasn’t bad enough to prevent me from using these two products together again in the future. 

I’ve used it only over two sunscreens. One is the Australian Gold Botanical Tinted Face Sunscreen SPF 50, which works amazingly well with the foundation. The other is the Equate SPF 50 Broad Spectrum Sunscreen Spray for Kids. The Equate sunscreen is one of the few products that didn’t agree with the foundation. The sunscreen pills all by itself, and adding foundation over top emphasizes that pilling. I can make it work with a thinner, lighter coverage foundation but because this one is so high in coverage, it kind of ruins the finish and creates a patchy look in areas where pilling is the worst.

Performance

Let’s talk a little bit about the finish and how this sits on the skin (texture and pores, especially). I would say this has a natural finish. It isn’t super matte and it doesn’t add any glow to the skin either. 

It isn’t super smoothing on higher texture areas and over large pores. I have other foundations that I think give me a smoother finish and are more flattering on those areas but most of them are lower coverage. I am happy enough with how this looks on the center of my forehead and on the inner part of my cheeks to be able to achieve the level of coverage this offers. It doesn’t make those areas look any worse than they would look without the foundation, it just doesn’t really do much FOR them either. The best thing I can do to make sure those areas look the best they can is to keep on top of hydration both by drinking plenty of water and using hydrating skincare products.

A single layer of foundation that isn’t applied particularly heavily will give me strong medium coverage. It noticeably evens out my overall complexion and gives me a more rested look. Applied this way, I will still see prominent freckles, dark spots, active breakouts, and the discoloration from healing breakouts. A second layer will noticeably fade the look of spots that are healing and lighter dark spots but I may still see active breakouts and dark freckles. If I want a “flawless” look, I will then use the foundation as a spot concealer over those specific spots. I do this with a couple of small brushes like an eyeliner brush, a small flat synthetic shader or lip brush, and a small pencil brush. Used as a spot concealer, it easily covers dark brown freckles and the redness of active breakouts in one or two additional layers and sits decently well over the texture of a breakout (see my chin, lol).

Wear Time

I need to reapply powder at least once to get through the day and keep shine at a comfortable level. This is supposed to be “transfer proof”, which is true immediately after application but once my skin gets oily, it easily rubs off. This has been the case for every foundation I have ever tried and so I do not take this claim very seriously. The amount that it gathers in lines or around my nose is very minimal and not enough to bother me. I have other foundations that require less or no maintenance at all but I find the coverage/finish/ease of use worth it.

All in all, I gotta say I’m very happy to have this foundation in my collection. I ended up using it exclusively for weeks on end and ignoring all my other ones, just because I was enjoying it so much.

Revlon Illuminance Skin Caring Foundation is a light to medium coverage foundation with a moisturizing formula and lightweight feel. It is said to have skincare properties with ingredients like squalane and hyaluronic acid, and is supposed to improve skin texture over time with daily use. It retails for around $18 and comes in 28 shades that appear to cover a wide range of skin tones.

I have tried a few new foundations recently and of those, this one has been the one I’ve reached for most often for its ease of use, natural look, and just because it plays nicely with my dehydrated and textured winter skin.

I most often wear this over a tinted mineral sunscreen and have found it applies and blends easily over it. One layer will give me light coverage but I can build up two or three layers without it starting to look thick and cakey to get more of a strong medium coverage. Once applied, I see a notable difference in the look of large pores and it leaves my skin with a subtle well-hydrated glow. There is no shimmer in this foundation so the glow just looks like my natural skin when it is in better condition.

I bought this online (never fun choosing a shade that way) and went with 117 Light Beige based on shade numbers on some previous Revlon complexion products I’ve used. It ended up working out to be just the right match. This shade is still fairly light for being 4 shades from the lightest available and it is very neutral. There is no obvious yellow or pink tone to it.

The product comes in a glass bottle with a pump and a clear plastic cap. The pump is good and I can pump out as little or as much foundation as I need. It isn’t difficult to use and I don’t find that it makes much of a mess of the inside of the cap. The consistency of the foundation is a tiny bit more on the liquidy/runny side, spreading quickly over the skin. Being a more hydrating formula, it is very slow to dry down and never really sets fully so I can apply it all over the face and blend it out at my own pace.

After wearing this many times in various conditions I feel comfortable saying this is decently long wearing on me but it isn’t a set it and forget it product. I have combination skin and even in winter I still get kind of shiny throughout the day. On average, I have needed to reapply powder once to maintain the foundations subtly glowy finish and keep my forehead from tipping into oil-slick territory. Even though it doesn’t really control oil, it doesn’t seem to worsen how shine develops over time on me. I see almost no gathering in lines, creases or on the sides of my nose by the end of the day and it doesn’t separate or break down.

I have used this when my skin was already doing well, which isn’t super helpful and doesn’t really put a foundation to the test. But I’ve also worn in at times when my skin was dehydrated and no looking so hot. This is one I feel comfortable reaching for on bad skin days because I don’t feel it makes me look worse.

The only con I find is the coverage is not as high as I’d like. If you have a lot of unevenness to correct or lots of redness, this may not do it for you by itself.

NYX Bare With Me Blur Skin Tint Foundation is a medium coverage, matte finish foundation that comes in 24 shades. Its main claim is that it’s supposed to blur not just the look of texture and pores but also discoloration and imperfections. It is supposed to feel lightweight, have buildable coverage and leave the skin with a shine-free finish without being drying. This can be purchased from NYX or Ulta for $14.

I initially bought the second shade from the lightest and found it was WAY too light on me but decided to give it a try anyway. Coverage was about medium and it sat decently well on the skin and didn’t emphasize texture too much given how light it was. Having high hopes that the correct shade might actually look very nice, I bought another one 2 shades darker.

It looks darker in the container than it ends up being on the skin. When I first apply it, it matches what I see in the container pretty well but lightens as I spread it out. I was sure I was going to need to mix it with the lighter shade I had to make it work, but the way it brightened up as I blended it out surprised me. If you’re interested in this, definitely go a bit darker than you think you need.

Application was easy and I didn’t feel the need to alter the way I normally do my foundation, which is by applying it all over with my fingers, not super carefully, and then going back in with a sponge and/or a brush to blend it out. The consistency is slightly on the thicker side but it doesn’t feel heavy or thick once applied to the skin. If I squeeze some out onto the back of my hand, it doesn’t run at all. It spreads out easily without drying down too quickly so I have plenty of time to blend it out. Once I buff it in, it has a matte finish and doesn’t leave much tack to the skin at all. I could skip powdering and be fine (though I still do powder anyway to help with eyeshadow fallout).

For the before/after below, I applied one layer of foundation over bare skin (no primers) and did not set it with any powder. It looks very matte but I wouldn’t say that it looks dry.

Attempting to build coverage, I can somewhat layer it without it looking cakey, but it starts to pool in pores when I do that. Because it never dries to an unmovable finish, I am able to easily fix those areas.

Now for the big bold claim on the packaging. Does this blur? Yes. Most foundations blur texture to some degree and this is up there with ones that do it well. Having a matte finish adds to the effect. Looking at the before and after, it seems to work best on areas with small-medium size pores and skin that is generally already smooth. When I focus in more on my forehead, I’ve got much more visible texture and it doesn’t work as well there. Yes, it smoothes the skin but don’t expect miracles.

This is not a very long wearing foundation for me. It starts to look oily about mid afternoon and just looks plain greasy by the end of the day without any extra powder throughout the day. It doesn’t break up over that time or gather in creases/pores much but it is easy to lift once it starts getting oily.

I have been on the hunt for a new sunscreen for a while. In my searches, this Australian Gold Botanical Tinted Face Sunscreen caught my eye more than once. I would consider this a lightweight moisturizer, sunscreen, and makeup in one product. It is a mineral sunscreen that comes in 3 shades that are sheer enough to span a wide variety of skin tones and is supposed to have a matte finish. The price is also attractive, hovering around $18 for 3 fl. oz. depending on where you buy it. You can get it directly from Australian Gold or from several retailers including Amazon, Ulta, and Target.

I often wear sunscreen underneath makeup but haven’t found many that work well for that purpose. In general, I find chemical sunscreens are oily feeling, no matter how much they claim to be “oil free”. And they usually cause my foundation to get very shiny and break down early in the day. Mineral based sunscreens I’ve tried in the past tended to cause my foundation to cake, gather in pores, and be difficult to blend.

This is one of the more moisturizing mineral sunscreens I’ve tried that is somehow also not greasy or shiny. It doesn’t feel uncomfortable or have a strong smell and has gotten along with the majority of the makeup I’ve paired with it.

The way I’ve been using this is either by itself or with makeup over it. It provides a little bit of sheer coverage with one layer but I can apply a second layer to get more noticeably evened out skin. It also smoothes the look of pores and texture. The result is very natural. 

Here’s a before and after of two layers of just the sunscreen by itself:

And here are a couple of pics wearing makeup over the sunscreen:

For reference, I swatched it next to some of my other foundations and concealers. The Australian Gold Sunscreen is the sheerest of everything here and is layered more than the others so you can actually see the color. It is one of the darker shades I have but this works out fine since it is sheer.

Does it wear well under makeup?

So far, I have tried this with several base makeup products including Nars Soft Matte Complete Foundation, Too Faced Born This Way Multi-use Sculpting Concealer, Essence 16h Cover & Last Powder Foundation, and NYX Bare With Me Concealer Serum. I love the Nars foundation but it does not get along with this sunscreen at all, probably because of the matte finish. However, all of the other products applied perfectly fine over it. I didn’t find that they were more difficult to apply over the sunscreen vs just on bare skin and they didn’t look much different either. It doesn’t seem to shorten foundation wear time or cause shine to develop earlier than it normally would.

How much coverage do you get from it?

This has very sheer coverage. One layer almost doesn’t look like any coverage at all, but does provide a tiny bit of texture smoothing. Two layers is my favorite way to wear it, giving me something similar to a light coverage foundation. The result looks just like my natural skin both in color and finish but just more even and smoother.

How’s the color? Does it oxidize?

I chose the lightest of the 3 available shades. The color is a smidge darker than what you’d typically find as the lightest shade of a foundation or concealer… so not “fair or pale”, but just “light”, if that makes sense. It has a somewhat strong peachy tone to it but is sheer enough that I think it would still work for a sizable range of fairer skin tones. I have not seen it oxidize at all. 

Is it really matte?

No. I think Ulta’s product description exaggerates by saying it gives a “powder matte” finish. Some of the reviewers mentioned that it gave them a matte finish. I maintained my skepticism about this claim and tried it anyway. 

It just has a natural finish. It doesn’t take away shine but also doesn’t add shine either. The product dries down a tiny bit within a couple minutes of application but never looks truly matte. I definitely like the finish of it better than most sunscreens I’ve tried though.

What does it feel like?

Lightly moisturizing. When this first touches the skin, it feels and spreads like a basic lotion. It is more gel-like than any of the other products I swatched above. It neither feels exceptionally water or oil based, just somewhere in the middle. It isn’t heavy or thick but I can tell I’ve applied something to my skin. There is no “powdery” or dry feel to this but once it dries down, it causes some friction if I rub my hand over where it’s applied.

What does it smell like?

This is fragrance free but it does have a very light scent to it that reminds me of clay. It isn’t something I noticed with regular use until I actively went looking for a scent.

Milani Conceal + Perfect Blur Out Powder is an airy, mattifying, loose powder that helps to diffuse the look of skin texture and control oil. It retails for around $13 and is available to purchase from Milani and Ulta.

There are 5g of product in the pot. Most of my other loose (and pressed) powders contain around 10g. Just by looking at the sizes of the powder compacts and containers I have, this one isn’t that much smaller, so I wonder if the weight difference might be due to the ingredients.

INGREDIENTS: Silica, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, HDI/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Dehydroacetic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopherol, Maltodextrin, Carmine (CI 75470), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499).

- From Milani's Website

I am by no means an expert in cosmetic ingredients but I do like to scan over them and do some light research to see what they are. There are some that I see time and time again (like silica) and they don’t really faze me but the second one listed is new to me. If you punch Polymethyl Methacrylate into Google, you will quickly find that it is a type of plastic (acrylic). It’s supposed to be “safe” and compatible with human skin.

The powder is VERY fine and flies up in the air as I go to pick some up out of the container. I am glad they included the fabric netting to control how much comes out of the pot. This netting is stretchy and flexible so I can press a brush or puff down into the pot to reach powder that is sitting well below it. I tend to remove sifters from loose powders but I don’t think I will be doing that with this one. 

Applying this to the skin, it has a super silky, and almost kind of dry, but still very smooth feel. It creates a surface with very little friction or tack. Using this to set under eye concealer helps any eyeshadow fallout to not stick to the skin as much as it otherwise might. It darkens my concealer the tiniest bit but not enough to be a problem. I’ve had other powders that darken much more.

The main benefit of this product is that it’s supposed to blur. So how well does it do that compared to other products? I think it blurs marginally better than most of my other powders. My favorite one was the Too Faced Peach Perfect Setting Powder (now discontinued). I went into this purchase thinking the Milani powder might be a decent substitute that is actually currently available.

So far, I am happy with the smoothing effect and pleasantly surprised at the added bonus of controlling oil as well. I will say that blurring is really best done using a combination of products and not just relying on one magic pill.

There are couple of potential downsides, though. Be careful not to apply too much. You may not even see any excess powder in real life but it can definitely show up as flashback in photos. The last “after” pic below is an example of this. If you end up over applying, just buff over the area to tone it down.

Another issues is that there is only one shade and that may be a problem for those with deeper complexions, if it shows up as much as it does on me. It is supposed to be translucent and it mostly is if applied lightly but it doesn’t take much to overdo it.

As a product, I like how this powder performs. It looks good, it lasts. But I find the idea of putting powdered plastic on my skin (and then washing it down the drain) kind of disturbing. I realize plastic is everywhere and something like this is such a small percentage of it. It’s just that makeup is in no way a necessity and I don’t see why overlooking that is okay in this situation. In hindsight, I wouldn’t purchase this again for that one reason alone.

Patrick Ta Crème Foundation & Finishing Powder Duo is a two-in-one product containing a medium coverage foundation and a translucent, natural-finish powder. It retails for $52, contains 0.42 oz of foundation (less than half of a standard size liquid foundation), 0.32 oz of powder, and comes in 24 shades.

The outside of the compact is a mirrored reflective surface and on the inside, the creme foundation has its own cover to keep powder out and prevent powder brushes from touching the foundation. The mirror inside is fairly large and I like the longer, vertical shape for being able to see my whole face easily at once. I’m not a fan of reflective packaging but otherwise I think the design is functional and keeps things simple. Even one less product on my desk is a little bit of a mental relief.

I would not have been drawn to this foundation were it not for the cream shadows in their Major Dimension II Palette. The way those sank nearly completely into the skin without looking powdery on texture made me curious to see if the foundation was at all similar.

As I run my finger over the surface, the foundation melts almost immediately and I am able to pick product up without having to warm it up at all. It has a lot of slip and spreads over the skin with hardly any resistance. The entire application process goes by in a snap.

I have mainly applied this with my fingers. I dabbled a bit with a sponge and a brush but went back to using fingers immediately after. The sponge gave me a much sheerer application to the point where I felt I was just wasting the product. Using a brush worked about as well as using fingers but I don’t prefer this method in general for most foundations because it tends to cause foundation to catch more on texture and emphasize it. I didn’t see that happen with this foundation, though. I still felt it was necessary to use a sponge/brush afterward to finish off the blending, especially to get the product out of my pores and looking as natural as possible.

Using the foundation alone, I am left with a noticeably evened out complexion and a glowy, bordering dewy finish. For the photos below, I also used this in place of concealer under the eyes, so you can get a better idea of the coverage. I thought it worked pretty well used that way and didn’t feel like I was missing anything by skipping concealer. There was a small breakout above my lip and it managed to tone down the redness quite a bit.

One thing I didn’t love was how it sat in my pores and on texture. This is something I struggle with, with almost all foundations. Some are more forgiving and easier to blend out almost completely. This one was less forgiving.

For many of the cream foundations I’ve tried in the past, it’s almost like I could see the powders (pigments?) gather in texture more visibly than with liquid formulas. I was hoping that wasn’t going to be the case with this one, but unfortunately, it is.

The powder is sheer and does not add any extra coverage and also doesn’t alter the color of the foundation once applied. It feels lightweight but not particularly finely milled. When first applied, it eliminates most of the glow from the foundation itself, but doesn’t control shine for very long at all. For normal daily use, I think the overall finish of the foundation and the powder together along with how they look over the course of a day, looks just fine. I don’t have any issues with some glow developing over time. But this isn’t one I’d reach for when wanting to keep shine away for long periods of time.

Below are before and after of just the foundation (no powder) so you can see how it evens out the complexion.

Wearing this to work in a “normal” way, just to look a little more evened out, I was happy with how it held up all day. It didn’t slide around, even though it does have a lot of slip, and I didn’t have any areas where it completely rubbed off and left me with zero coverage. It didn’t get so shiny by the end of the day that I felt gross. “Real life” wear: A-okay.

For use on camera, filming tutorials, that’s another story. I don’t like this so much for that purpose. It has too much shine alone (and the powder doesn’t last long enough) in studio lighting. Also, the way it sits on the skin isn’t great for close up photos.

There are things I like about this product, like the speed and ease of application along with simplifying two products into one. I think it wears well in “real life” if you are not needing it to look great up close and in harsh lighting. But, I’m super picky about foundations not looking like makeup sitting on top of my skin and that is enough for me to say you may want to pass on this.

I picked up a few things from Ulta recently and the Essence Pretty Natural Foundation caught my eye mainly because it has a surprisingly large shade range for the price.

Product Description

What it is: A lightweight light-to-medium coverage foundation with a matte finish. It claims to be hydrating but I don’t agree. It looks and feels more like a matte foundation.

Price/Quantity: $6.99 for 30mL / 1 fl. oz.

Shade Range: 36 shades on Essence’s website. Ulta carries 29. The shades go from quite pale to pretty deep.

Packaging: Squeeze tube with twist off cap. The cap is flat so I can stand the product upright. The bottom portion of the packaging looks like it is clear so you can see the color of the product inside, but it’s actually not. At least for the shade I chose, the color on on the outside of the packaging is a bit darker than what is inside. 

Smell/Fragrance: Barely noticeable floral fragrance. I struggle to smell it even when I try.

Expires After: 12 months

Ingredients (from Essence’s website): AQUA (WATER), CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, TALC, TRIMETHYLSILOXYSILICATE, PEG-10 DIMETHICONE, GLYCERIN, CETYL PEG/PPG-10/1 DIMETHICONE, ALOE BARBADENSIS LEAF JUICE, TROPOLONE, SODIUM HYALURONATE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE, HYDROGEN DIMETHICONE, SODIUM PHYTATE, PROPYLENE CARBONATE, ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE, PHENOXYETHANOL, SODIUM DEHYDROACETATE, PARFUM (FRAGRANCE), CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 (IRON OXIDES), CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE).

Availability: So far I have only been able to find this on Essence’s website and Ulta. CVS, Walmart, and Target carry Essence but I don’t see this product on their websites and I’m not sure if they carry it in store.

Performance

Shade: In the store I hemmed and hawed over which shade I thought would work best. The lightest one seemed obviously way too light for me, the second lightest seemed like it might work, and I thought this one might be a tad dark but actually also ended up being a little light for me. I could see the next one up probably being a decent match for me. 

Application: I have tried applying this with a damp sponge and with a brush. To use a sponge, I first apply and spread it out generally in the area I want to cover and then blend it out with the sponge. This gives me the most natural looking finish. When using a brush, I will squeeze a bit of product onto the brush or the back of my hand and work the product into the bristles before sweeping/stippling/buffing it into the skin. Either way works well. Using a brush gives me slightly more coverage and helps to get the product into the pores more. So far it works well with NYX Angel Veil Primer (better for oil control) and Tatcha The Silk Canvas (better for filling in pores).

One major thing to note is the way this applies to areas with large pores. It sometimes will emphasize them because it doesn’t easily go into them during application, instead sticking more to the outside edges. And because it dries quickly, once it is dry, it is difficult to blend the foundation into the pores. I either need to get the application right the first time or go in with a second thin layer. Using a brush seems to help this issue.

I’ve tried using this on days when I have exfoliated and after a couple of days of not doing so. It sits well on my skin either way and doesn’t cling to areas of dryness.

Texture and Finish: It has a very average consistency to it – not very runny and not very thick either. I can lay the tube on it’s side with the cap off and it will not spill out. It dries somewhat quickly to a matte finish during application. It doesn’t have a tacky feel so don’t think applying powder blush/bronzer/contour over top would be a problem. It’s very lightweight and I don’t feel it on my skin once it is applied. 

Coverage: Coverage is somewhere between light and medium depending on how much of it I apply. If I build it up I can get more medium coverage out of it. 

Longevity: I tried wearing this by itself and over two different primers. Every time I wore it, it held up well till the end of the day. I have somewhat of an oilier/combination type of skin and at the moment it’s less oily as we are heading into the winter months where I am. I can get away without touching up or powdering the entire day. Some shine will start to develop midday and of course get worse the longer I wear it but I don’t think it looks terrible. It stayed put throughout the day, not gathering/settling in areas with lines and not rubbing off too much when wearing a mask. I think being semi sheer helps with this.

Final Thoughts

Besides the pore issue, I’m surprised how well it works. I think it’s a nice product and it is hard to go wrong at this price. I have some much more expensive foundations I like less than this one. It’s not holy grail status but I’m pretty satisfied with it.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission when you make purchases through them.

Nars Soft Matte Complete Foundation is described as “a full coverage, natural-looking matte foundation that resists shifting shades throughout the day due to oxidation, and features comfortable 16-hour wear.” It comes in 34 shades and retails for $40.

There are 1.5 fl oz / 45 mL of product in the container which is 50% more than your average foundation. The bottle has a twist-off lid and you squeeze the product out – there is no pump. Keep in mind that the bottle sits upside down on its cap and has a pointed top. If you like to leave the cap off until you’ve finished applying your foundation, you will have to lay it on its side. I was able to do this without it spilling out, but just be careful if you do this.

This foundation is as liquidy as any other in the bottle but very quickly begins to dry. As it is drying, it continues to be moveable and blendable for a reasonable amount of time. After a while, maybe 5 minutes or so, it sets down completely and doesn’t move anymore.

Application is more work than most other foundations I’ve used. I have to spend more time blending because it thickens as it is drying. Using both a sponge and a brush to manipulate it and move it around has been working best for me. The more hydrated my skin is before application, the easier it is to work with and the better it looks on the skin. Once applied, it feels very lightweight.

The way I apply this, I get a strong medium coverage from it. If I’m willing to sacrifice a little on the natural-looking finish, I can apply it more heavily for fuller coverage. It is sort of buildable but it depends on how my skin is doing. On a good skin day, I can do a little building without it looking patchy/cakey but I wouldn’t go there on a bad skin day.

It has a true matte finish at first but quickly takes on a natural skin-like glow to it (within the first hour). I have more of a combination skin type and it’s currently still a bit on the oily side from the warmer weather.

Wear time is not great for me. By about midday, my skin’s oils will start to break it up and at this point it will also transfer if I touch it. The longer I wear it the less natural it looks on the skin. It will wear longer if I use a setting powder but it will also look more cakey later in the day. Touching up with powder later in the day is less of an issue.

The anti-oxidation claim is pretty prominent with this product so I will address it. I don’t typically have problems with foundation oxidizing on me probably because I don’t really care that much, as long as it’s not a crazy change in color. In Taylor Wynn’s review, she showed that it oxidized very slightly during application.

I think this foundation is good for photos or for the occasional full coverage look. Using it as an everyday foundation was a little hard on my skin. As the days went on, I could feel my skin becoming more congested and more textured.

On the day that I took these photos, my skin was neither in its best nor its worst condition. I got a very light sunburn about a week before this (tsk tsk, I know) and so I had some flakiness and extra texture going on. This foundation will cling onto those areas but for being a matte, fairly high coverage foundation, I think it’s one of the more forgiving ones.

Too Faced Born This Way Matte Foundation is supposed to be an oil-free, waterproof foundation with a matte finish and undetectable coverage that comes in 35 shades and retails for $40. It is boldly implied to stay matte and control oil for 24 hours.

The product comes housed in a glass bottle with a pump, much like their original Born This Way Foundation, but with a taller and slimmer bottle.

I chose the shade Snow because that is the shade I use in the Born This Way Multi-Use Sculpting Concealer. The concealer does not match me perfectly but it’s close enough. I also use the shade Almond from time to time but it has a fairly obvious yellow undertone on me that I knew would not work for a foundation shade.

They got the shade match about as close as I think you can. I appreciate them not making the foundation darker than the concealer, which a lot of makeup brands will do, assuming most people use a lighter concealer than their foundation. I don’t do that because it emphasizes the sunken-in-ness of my under eye circles.

It’s really unfortunate that the shade doesn’t match me better because that does affect the review, making it harder for me to review the product impartially. A shade that is too light exaggerates areas of dryness on the skin and looks more obvious if the product settles into pores. It also does absolutely nothing to neutralize any redness in the skin.

This applied best with a damp sponge. Using a brush caused the product to sit on the skin in a way that looked unnatural and emphasized my pores. I found that the product set completely a few minutes after application and could no longer be blended. One of the times I wore this, I realized that I hadn’t fully blended an area in, but because it was already fully set, I couldn’t fix it without removing the makeup and starting over again.

Even though this sets down all the way, it doesn’t have a dried-down feel to it. It still has a sort of light tackiness to it. Because of that you may still want to powder over top depending what you want to wear on top of it.

I would describe the finish as natural matte. It’s definitely not a dry, flat matte. The coverage level I got was probably light-medium, but it’s hard to tell when the shade is too light. Freckles, dark spots, redness, acne scarring all 100% show through because of the shade. It did not help smooth the texture of skin. On my cheeks, it doesn’t emphasize the texture if I apply it with a sponge but it does seem to accentuate the pores on my forehead. It was also not forgiving on any areas with dry, flakey skin.

As for wear time, the few times I did wear it all day, it didn’t stay matte for very long. It got just as shiny as a hydrating foundation would. Keep in mind my skin is currently fairly oily as we are still in summertime. There is almost nothing that will control oil all day long for me.

I’m going to leave this review as is for now – more of a first impression review – since I haven’t worn this product too extensively. So far, I’m not super impressed but I also don’t hate it. I’ll probably end up trying it with different combinations of base products and if my opinion changes down the road, I’ll update the post later.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission when you make purchases through them.

Product Details

The Menagerie Cosmetics Pastel Pup Palette contains a well balanced selection of matte pastel shades along with a black, a white, and one shimmer in their “tri-foil” finish. Their formula is talc-free, cruelty-free, vegan, and made in Newman Lake, Washington. There is a total of 24 grams of product and it retails for $36.

The individual shades can also be purchased as singles if you only wanted certain ones. The matte shades are $5 each and the Tri-Foils are $7 each.

Packaging

The palette is made of cardboard and has a slick, easy-to-clean surface. Inside, there is a pretty decent sized mirror, almost the size of the lid but not quite. I didn’t see any distortions in my reflection in the mirror. The individual shades are magnetic and can be removed from the palette but do note that there aren’t any labels on the back of the pans to help you remember where they go. There was just enough space between the pans and the wells in the palette to pry them out with a makeup spatula. The overall weight of the palette felt a bit heavier than I expected giving it a pleasantly well-made feel.

Formula Overview

Almost all of the shades in this palette are matte and there is a single shimmer in Menagerie’s tri-foil finish. The mattes adhered a bit more to the skin than a lot of other matte formulas I’ve used. They had a similar type of adherence as formulas like Makeup Geek’s deeper matte shades and the mattes in Natasha Denona’s Bronze Palette. Usually, this can make blending more time consuming, especially when the shades are deeper on my skin tone. However, being mostly lighter shades, I didn’t have any problems getting these to blend out. They were very buildable and didn’t dust away easily.

I want to briefly talk about the texture of the mattes and how they feel to the touch. The formula has a dryness and a drag to it that resembles how chalk feels on the skin. “Dry” is a word sometimes used to describe a formula that  has trouble adhering to the skin. This is not a problem with this formula. However, it does sort of look more dry sitting on the skin compared to other eyeshadows and slightly enhances the texture of the skin. I do love a very smooth, silky eyeshadow but I am guessing that part of the trade-off with the texture of this formula is better color payoff. I am okay with that trade-off, personally.

The tri-foil shade in this palette is one of 4 that the brand currently has available. Tri-foils are shades that shift between three colors, depending on the angle of the light. I didn’t get too much fallout from it and found it to have more of a sparkling finish than a metallic finish, even if I applied it heavily with my finger. The color shift was more on the subtle side compared to other eyeshadows I’ve tried that have a multichrome effect.

Some of these shades are pressed pigments, which is noted on Menagerie’s website, but I did not find that information on the packaging. The pressed pigment shades are Belly Slide, Cuddle, Snack, and Ice Cap. Pressed pigments can cause irritation in some people and stain the skin. They did stain my arm lightly during swatching but they did not stain my eyelid when I actually wore them. I didn’t experience any irritation.

Shade Selection

I like that this palette has a very well rounded selection of pastel shades. It is a great companion palette if you need transition shades for your more saturated colorful eyeshadows. You could also use it all by itself and have plenty of color variation for a look that feels complete. The inclusion of a white and black makes sense to me in this color scheme however the tri-foil feels like a little bit of an afterthought, albeit a pretty afterthought

Wear Time

Look #1 wore on me for 9 hours with only minor creasing and look #2 wore for 8 hours with no creasing. Look #3 started creasing on me after just a few hours so I decided to test a few more times and ended up having the looks crease around 6 hours in, which is pretty typical for me. I’m not sure exactly why this is the case since the ingredients listed for all the matte shades are incredibly similar. For all I know, maybe the variable was just my skin.

Was It Worth Buying?

Yep. Despite some of the nitpicking I did in this review, I’m still very happy to have this palette in my collection. I think its a good value, very versatile, and generally high quality.

Swatches

• Belly Slide was the hardest to blend out smoothly, as you can see in Look #3. It applied nicely with a shader brush but a blending brush caused it to look patchy.
• Snack darkened a bit as I blended it. Mixing it with a bit of Saddleback seemed to bring it back to it’s original lightness.
• Fishy seems slightly more sheer than the rest of the shades. It was buildable though.
• Sun Bathe deepened slightly when applied to the skin.
• Ice Cap is not super easy to distinguish from Belly Slide once on the eye.
• Snowball shifts from purple to blue to pink depending on the angle of the light. Applied with a brush, this had a little bit of sparkle fallout and applied in a way that resulted in more of a sparkling finish. I didn’t notice the shade-shifting of this very much when it was applied lightly with a brush. What I could see was pretty much just the light blue of the sparkle. Applied more heavily with my finger, I still didn’t see a whole lot of shifting from this shade unless I intentionally messed with the lighting in ways I normally would not. The shift is there, it’s just not very strong.
• Saddleback had good color payoff.
• Whisker isn’t the blackest black but it works really well as eyeliner. There was very little fallout as long as I tapped the excess off my brush.

Looks

Look #1

• Ice Cap – Outer lid/crease
• Ice Worm – Outer transition area
• Flipper – Inner lid
• Sun Bathe – Center of crease, outer lower lashline
• Belly Slide – Inner lower lashline
• Saddleback – Brow bone, inner corner
• Whisker – Eyeliner
• Snowball – Center of lid, applied with a brush

Look #2

• Cuddle – Inner lid/crease
• Snack – Outer lid/crease
• Fishy – Lower lashline
• Sun Bathe – Inner corner
• Saddleback – Brow bone
• Whisker – Eyeliner
• Wolfing (one of Menagerie’s singles) – Center of lid, applied with a brush

Look #3

• Whisker – Inner and outer lid/crease
• Saddleback – Center of lid, brow bone, inner corner
• Aquatic – Center of crease and transition area, center of lower lashline
• Belly Slide – Inner and outer transition area, inner and outer lower lashline
• Snowball – All over lid, applied with finger

Look #4

• Saddleback – Inner corner, brow bone
• Fishy – Inner lid, crease, and lower lashline
• Sun Bathe – Center lid, crease and lower lashline
• Cuddle – Outer lid, crease and lower lashline

Menagerie Cosmetics Violet Ink Palette Look #2

In this look I used Saddleback and Cuddle to complete a look I did with other products. Saddleback is on the brow bone and inner corner while Cuddle is used as a transition shade and along the lower lashline.

MOTD – 8.10.20

For this look I used Sun Bathe under the front part of my brow and Fishy as a transition shade. The rest of the look was completed using other products.

Product Description

What it is: A tinted, broad spectrum sunscreen with a dewy finish.

Price/Quantity: $46 for 1 fl oz / 30 ml

Shade Range: 18 Shades

Packaging: Heavy duty plastic bottle that actually feels more like glass or ceramic with a glass dropper. Dropper-style packaging can sometimes have issues with product gathering around the neck of the bottle. I didn’t find that this was a problem with this product.

Smell/Fragrance: Smells a bit like honey with a hint of clay to me. The smell dissipates soon after application.

Expires After: 12 Months

Ingredients (from Ilia’s website):

Active Ingredients: Zinc Oxide 12.0%. Aqua/Water/Eau, Squalane, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters, Isoamyl Laurate, Polyglyceryl-3 Ricinoleate, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Propanediol, Isopropyl Isostearate, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Methylpropanediol, Niacinamide, Sodium Chloride, Lecithin, Caprylyl Glycol, Silica, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Bisabolol, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin, Phenylpropanol, Sodium Myristoyl Glutamate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Aluminum Hydroxide, Polyhydroxystearic Acid. May Contain/Peut Contenir (±): CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 (Iron Oxides), CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide).

Performance

Shade: I chose shade number 3 called “Balos”. The color is lighter than I expected for the third lightest and as I blend it out, it lightens even further. It almost causes a white cast on me. I would suggest going darker than you think you need if you are interested in picking this up.

Application: I have tried applying this with my fingers, with a damp sponge, and with a brush. All three ways work for me, with some slight variations. Using my fingers and spending a sufficient amount of time blending results in the best finish. This gives me to the most coverage and smoothness. A damp sponge gives me a similar result with slightly less coverage. A brush gives me a bit more coverage but can cause the product to cling a little bit more to texture if my skin isn’t in the best condition.

Texture and Finish: The product looks fairly thin and runny when I drop it onto the back of my hand but once I apply it to my face, it feels heavy and difficult to spread over the skin with any kind of speed. I definitely need to take my time massaging it over the skin to get it evenly distributed and blended in. I really don’t enjoy how this feels on my hands if I use my fingers to apply it, though that could just be my own sensitivity to the way things feel. It has a thick, emollient feel, which potentially might be good for somebody with truly dry skin. The finish can be described as either very dewy (for those that enjoy a glow) or greasy-looking (for those familiar with oily skin). I’m in the latter camp and I don’t particularly enjoy the finish on myself. It leaves behind a tacky feel to the skin and remains that way all day. It doesn’t sink into my skin.

Coverage: Very light coverage. Attempting to build it up really doesn’t result in much more coverage. I have also found that this doesn’t play super well with other makeup applied on top. If I attempt to use concealer in conjunction with this, my base makeup ends up looking more “makeup-y” than I prefer.

Longevity: Surprisingly, the finish doesn’t really get that much shinier on the skin as my skin gets a bit oilier throughout the day. Nor do I see the product begin to look cakey or separated later in the day. These things only hold true, however, if I don’t apply powder, concealer, or other makeup on top. Once I do that, all bets are off. That is when I see caking and separating in the second half of the day.

Final Thoughts

In theory, this ticks all the right boxes for me but in practice, I found it wasn’t really the best fit for my skin type and preferences.

This could probably work well for a very specific customer: one with a true dry skin type that takes good care of their skin, doesn’t wear much makeup and isn’t very sensitive about the way things feel. Normal skin could probably get away with it just fine if you’re okay with the texture and finish of it. I wouldn’t recommend it to somebody with dehydrated skin as it can emphasize texture and flaking.

I’m a person that tends to be somewhat sensitive to the way things feel. I can definitely tolerate a certain level of discomfort if I’m looking for a particular outcome but for a product like sunscreen that I will wear all day everyday, it is especially important to me that the product feel comfortable on the skin. The thick, tacky, heavy feel is just too much for me to use this on the daily.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission when you make purchases through them.

Product Description

What it is: Maybelline Dream Radiant Liquid Foundation is described as a hydrating foundation that delivers medium coverage and a radiant finish.

Price/Quanity: $13 for 1 fl. Oz / 30 mL

Shade Range: 20 Shades

Packaging: Glass bottle with a good quality plastic pump that is easy to control. Something to note is that I’m not sure if you can remove the pump without damaging it. It doesn’t twist off. If you are somebody that likes to get every last drop out of your foundations, this might be an issue for you.

Smell/Fragrance: It doesn’t smell like anything to me and I don’t see any fragrance listed in the ingredients.

Expires After: 12 Months

Ingredients (from Ulta’s website, also printed on the bottle): Aqua/Water/Eau, Isododecane, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Cyclohexasiloxane, Peg-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Peg-10 Dimethicone, Cetyl Peg/Ppg-10/1 Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Chloride, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Silica, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter/Shea Butter, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Aluminum Hydroxide, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Propylene Glycol, Methicone, Soluble Collagen, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hexylene Glycol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Trisodium Edta, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, [+/- May Contain/Peut Contenir CI 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499/Iron Oxides CI 77891/Titanium Dioxide CI 77007/Ultramarines CI 15985/Yellow 6 Lake] D237038/1.

Availability:

• Ulta
• Target
• Walmart
• CVS
• Walgreens
• Amazon

Performance

Shade: I have the shades 20 Classic Ivory, which is just a touch darker than my natural skin tone, and 10 Porcelain Ivory, which is a perfect match for me. I would say both of these shades have very neutral undertones. For the demo photos below, I used 20 Classic Ivory.

Application: I am able to apply this equally well with a damp sponge or a brush. It spreads out super easily and blends out really fast. I feel like using a brush perhaps gives the skin a dewier, more radiant finish than using sponge, which is the opposite of what I would expect. When first applied, it leaves behind a lightly tacky feel that resembles what a gel-cream moisturizer or serum feels like on the skin, except it doesn’t seem to soak in or dry down completely. If you plan on applying powder blush or bronzer over this, I recommend setting the foundation to avoid any patchiness.

Texture and Finish: The texture feels lightweight, whipped, and very hydrating. It does not feel oily – the hydration feels more water based. The finish is lightly dewy. I wouldn’t say it’s incredibly radiant or shiny. I do not see any shimmery particles. The dewiness seems to come from the hydrating ingredients. If you set this foundation with a powder, the radiance will go away. It offers a slight smoothing of texture and pores on the skin, at least when it is initially applied. As my skin gets a little more shiny throughout the day, pores and texture naturally become more obvious. I wouldn’t say they look emphasized, though.

Coverage: The coverage is light and builds up to medium. I am able to layer this quite a bit without it looking cakey, but be aware that the more you build this up, the longer it takes to dry down. It doesn’t dry down completely but after a few minutes, it eventually feels less wet on the skin.

Longevity: I need to touch up with powder or a blotting sheet half way through the day, especially on a warmer day or if I’m more active that day. However, I don’t have any issues with it breaking up on me.

Worth Buying?

Yes. This is one of the more beautiful foundations I’ve come across in a long time. If you have dry, textured, more mature skin, and don’t need super high coverage, you might want to give this one a try. This foundation is very forgiving and super easy to work with.

Product Description

Claims (from Urban Decay’s website and the packaging):

“Find your naked truth with Stay Naked Weightless Liquid Foundation, our vegan, buildable medium coverage liquid foundation with a real-skin matte finish that lasts up to 24 hours.

We designed this lineup of 50 shades with 9 shade intensities, 3 mastertones, and 7 undertones to dial in your precise color match. Our waterproof, longwear foundation feels like wearing nothing, thanks to a breathable, flexible formula that moves with you (all day and all night, up to 24 hours!). It not only feels better, it even looks better with its stay-true color, which minimizes the appearance of pores—so you always look like you.

Urban Decay is 100% cruelty-free.” – from website

“Does not transfer” – on the box

“Does not contain animal-derived ingredients or by-products” – on the box

Price: $39.00

Quantity: 30 mL / 1 Fl. Oz.

Shade Range: 50 Shades

Expires After: 12 Months

Ingredients (from UD Website, also on packaging):

Aqua / Water / Eau, Dimethicone, Isododecane, Alcohol Denat., Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Butylene Glycol, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Perlite, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Nylon-12, Isopropyl Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Diisopropyl Sebacate, HDI/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Bis-PEG/PPG-14/14 Dimethicone, Magnesium Sulfate, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Dipentaerythrityl Tetrahydroxystearate/Tetraisostearate, Silica, Silica Silylate, Acrylonitrile/Methyl Methacrylate/Vinylidene Chloride Copolymer, Tocopherol, Moroccan Lava Clay, Aluminum Hydroxide, Glycerin, Empetrum Nigrum Fruit Juice, Isobutane, Potassium Sorbate, Methicone. [+/- (May contain/Peut contenir): CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 / Iron Oxides, CI 77891 / Titanium Dioxide, CI 77007 / Ultramarines, CI 15985 / Yellow 6 Lake]. D229751/1

Availability:

• Urban Decay
• Sephora
• Ulta
• Nordstrom
• Macys

Performance

Smell/Fragrance: No fragrance. I didn’t notice any smell with application. If I pump it out on my hand and actively look for a smell, there is a very faint mineral/earthy/powdery kind of scent.

Shade: 20NN is a decent shade match. It has more yellow undertones than I was expecting but once I blend it out, it looks fine. I didn’t notice any oxidation after I applied it or as I wore it throughout the day.

Application: When I use a brush to apply this, it pools in pores and looks terrible. For the best finish, I use my fingers to tap the foundation onto my skin and then blend it in with a damp sponge. This results in a much lighter coverage but a far better and more natural finish. I think the reason it looks so bad applied with a brush is that this formula dries down very fast. I recommend working in small sections rather than attempting to apply it all over your face and blend it all in at once. This isn’t a foundation I would turn to if I was in a rush or wasn’t feeling patient. It takes some work to get it to look good. I also need to go into this with well-prepped skin (exfoliated and very well moisturized).

Texture and Finish: The consistency is on the thinner side but I wouldn’t describe it as watery. It smooths the look of pores and leaves the skin with a natural matte finish. It’s not a dry-looking matte but it doesn’t add any extra glow to my skin either. “Weightless” is accurate. It doesn’t feel like anything on my skin.

Coverage: Light. On my skin, this is not buildable in the slightest. If I try, it ends up pooling in my pores and becoming patchy. Not sure if this is because of my skin type, my skincare products, or just the way this formula is.

Longevity: This lasts all day on me as long as I apply it well from the get-go. I do need to blot, but after about 6 hours on my forehead and 8 hours on my cheeks. It takes a longer time to get greasy looking than many of the other foundations in my collection. I don’t need to set it at all if I don’t want to. Powder blush, powder bronzer, etc will blend over it just fine. Choosing not to set this foundation will give it the best chance of looking good for a long time. If I do powder it, then as it gets oily throughout the day, that powder will begin to look cakey. It’s also not totally transfer-proof. Once it gets a bit oily, and I blot, a tiny bit of the foundation will come off on the blotting sheet.

Overall Opinion

This is a light coverage, long-wearing, matte formula with a thinner consistency. It’s not forgiving on textured or dry skin. In order for it to apply well, my skin needs to be in great condition (well hydrated, exfoliated, moisturized). It takes a lot of effort for me to get my skin into the condition it needs to be in for this to work, so this is not a good product match for me, personally. I think it would work best on someone with normal or slightly oily skin with very minimal texture, smaller pores, and someone who doesn’t need/want very much coverage.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission when you make purchases through them.

Product Description

Claims: Revlon Candid Foundation is supposed to offer medium, buildable coverage and a natural finish in a formula with “anti-pollution, antioxidant, and anti-blue-light ingredients.” It is supposed to be a hydrating formula without “oils, parabens, phthalates, synthetic dyes, and harsh fragrances.”

Price: $11 USD

Quantity: 0.75 fl oz / 22 mL. A standard foundation size is usually 1 fl oz / 30 mL.

Shade Range: 31 Shades

Expires After: 24 Months

Ingredients (from Ulta’s website): Aqua/Water/Eau, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Butylene Glycol, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Polysilicone-11, HDI/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Ethylene Brassylate, Laureth-7, Lecithin, Magnesium Sulfate, Maris Sal/Sea Salt/Sel Marin, Methicone, Mica, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Pullulan, Sclerotium Gum, Silica, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sodium Carrageenan, Tetrasodium EDTA, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Triethyl Citrate, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol. May Contain: Iron Oxides (CI 77491,77492, 77499), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891).

Availability:

• Ulta
• Amazon – Amazon is only “ships and sold from Amazon” for certain shades.
• Target – Target has different shades on different pages which is kind of annoying.

Performance

Smell/Fragrance: It says it’s made without “harsh fragrances”. I don’t see outright fragrance listed in the ingredients but I do see some plant extracts and I do smell something slightly fragrance-y in this. It’s hard to put my finger on what this smells like. The smell is very light though.

Shade: I first purchased shade 110 Porcelain which was the lightest shade on the display in the store. Revlon’s website describes this shade as “light with cool, peach undertones.” I quickly realized the shade was too light for me and purchased the shade 120 Buff which is described as “light/medium with neutral, subtle beige undertones.” I can’t really tell what the undertone of the lightest one is but 120 seems to have slightly yellow undertones.

Application: I have found that applying with a brush will give me more coverage but a less skin-like and more makeup-y look, especially if my skin is needing to be exfoliated. A damp sponge is definitely my preferred method of application with this foundation.

Texture and Finish: Natural finish. Definitely not matte or dewy. It doesn’t have any sort of “radiance” in the form of shimmer. After wearing it for a few hours, my skins natural oils peek though and then the skin will take on a more natural looking dew, but not oily looking. The texture has a thicker feel to it that borders on feeling mousse-y but it’s definitely not a mousse. It dries down nearly completely but leaves behind the very slightest tacky feeling. Once this is blended in, it feels super lightweight.

Coverage: Personally I think this is more of a light coverage foundation. I can build it up but the finish doesn’t look as skin-like at that point. The highest level of coverage I can get with it is medium.

Longevity: This is an average-wearing foundation. On me, it needs to be blotted at least once throughout the day. It isn’t transfer-proof so each time I blot I do lose a bit of coverage but nothing out of the ordinary from other foundations.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission when you make purchases through them.

Dior Backstage Face & Body Foundation has a number of highly sought after claims: waterproof, resistant to humidity and sweat, lightweight texture, and ultra-buildable coverage that looks natural both in real life and on camera. Dior suggests applying up to 3 layers to achieve the fullest coverage. It comes in 40 shades, contains 1.6 oz and retails for $40. It is available to purchase from Dior and Sephora.

After wearing this foundation several times I have found that it does need to be touched up after about 5-6 hours even if I all I’m doing is sitting at a desk. It will begin to look shiny at that point but it doesn’t feel greasy or heavy. It survives blotting without transferring and reapplying powder without becoming cakey. It continues for perform well until I remove it at the end of the day.

The shade I have is 1N. For some reason this foundation seems to lighten up in tone once I begin blending it into the skin. I can’t recall ever seeing another foundation behave that way. In the bottle it looks like it’s WAY too dark and orange for me. I actually almost returned it but decided to try it out anyway. I’m glad I did because this shade works well for most of my face, except for my jawline and neck which are a bit lighter.

It has a matte finish and softens the look of pores and texture. Using one layer, I get light coverage – it evens skin tone but freckles still show through. For the most part it sits nicely on the skin and looks very natural. One of my cheeks has some rather large pores and this pooled in them a little but I was easily able to blend it out with a damp sponge. This is typically a problem for me with any foundation. Applying a second layer affected the finish so that it looked less skin-like and natural. A natural finish is one of my top priorities, so personally I wouldn’t layer it when wearing this over bare skin.

Just out of curiosity, I tried applying this over the Dior One Essential City Defense SPF 50, which is one of my go-to sunscreens, and it actually looked really nice on top. The SPF acted as a nice smoothing primer and gave the foundation an even more natural appearance. It didn’t really look like I was wearing foundation. I also found that I was able to build up the coverage of the foundation a little more that way without sacrificing the natural finish. Applying it this way does seem to reduce the longevity of the product a little and I need to touch up more often. To me it’s worth it.

I have found that Tarte Shape Tape does not get along with this foundation. Applying the concealer over the foundation causes it to gather in pores and emphasize texture on the skin which isn’t really an issue if I use either one by themselves. Ulta Full Coverage Liquid Concealer and It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer worked well though.

So far the best method of application I have found is to spread it out over my skin with my fingers and then do a final blend with a damp sponge. This gives me the most natural look.

The one thing that is a downside is the packaging. If I shake up the bottle as they recommend, it oozes out and makes a mess when I go to apply it. I would suggest just shaking it up from time to time at night. That way it can settle back down into the bottle overnight to avoid the mess. Also, storing it upright rather than on its side can help prevent the product from leaking out of the top when you open it.