e.l.f. Cosmetics is quickly becoming one of my favourite drugstore makeup brands. Although their Poreless Primer can sometimes prove to be a mismatch for my combination skin, I regularly use my trio of No Budge Shadow Sticks and I have stopped reaching for my Tarte Shape Concealer in favour of their new Camo 16H Concealer that retails for a quarter of the price. Their prices are middle of the road, they’re a little more expensive than Revolution but stand their ground against brands such as Rimmel, Maybelline and L’Oreal; whose prices have been steadily creeping up over the years. The packaging is simple, understated and chic, and yet doesn’t feel cheap. As soon as I saw Jeffree Star’s first impressions video of e.l.f. trending, I decided to stock up on a few products I’d been eyeing-up before they sold out completely. Love him or loathe him, there is no denying the influence he has in the beauty industry. I’m still waiting for a restock of the Poreless Putty Primer (a supposed dupe for the Tatcha Silk Canvas primer) as it’s been completely sold out since his video praising it over a month ago.
I picked up the e.l.f. Cosmetics Flawless Finish Foundation in Pearl (£7.50 | here), the High Definition Powder in Sheer (£6.50 | here) and the Jelly Highlighter in Bubbly (£6 | here) in Superdrug during a 3 for 2 promotion. The foundation comes in a frosted glass bottle with a pump; my kind of packaging. It has an artificial scent which is not my favourite and I could definitely do without and contains SPF 15. The shade Pearl is one of the fairest shades and has neutral undertones. It’s very light and I have to warm it up with my Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow. It’s thick but not too thick that it takes an age to blend out. I need two pumps to cover my face and I blend it out using my BeautyBlender. It covers all my discolouration and pores and wears nicely throughout the day. It’s matte and a bit drying so it actually works perfectly with my e.l.f. Poreless Primer as it adds a bit of moisture to balance things out. If you’re looking for an affordable, full-coverage, matte foundation at the drugstore I really can’t fault it.
The High Definition Powder in Sheer is a translucent snow-white powder. The tub comes with a sifter and powder puff. There’s a sticker on the sifter which I found difficult to remove. The whole thing came off but I managed to grab it before the entire tub tipped over; so be warmed! If you like the Vichy Dermablend Make-up Setting Powder, this is a fantastic dupe and costs nearly a third of the price. It’s lightweight and mattifying. It sets my makeup perfectly and doesn’t leave a white cast.
The product I was most excited to try was their new Jelly Highlighter in Bubbly. I’ve been tempted by jelly-type products from Farsali, Revolution and ColourPop in the past, but always opted for a pressed powder formula instead. The highlighters are available in three shades: Dew (bronze gold), Cloud (rose gold) and Bubbly (white gold). The texture, as you can imagine, is wet and wobbly. You don’t need to dip your fingers in, just gently swiping your finger across the surface gives you more than enough pigment to work with. This is one of those products that swatches absolutely beautifully, like opaque liquid gold, but I found it very difficult to apply. Looks can be deceiving, that’s why I never really trust online swatches. What’s the point of all that pigment if it doesn’t blend or fades throughout the day?
I tried applying the highlighter with a wet BeautyBlender but it sets incredibly quickly. If you don’t act fast enough you’re left with harsh lines, plus if you blend too vigorously it can lift the foundation underneath and add a cakey-looking texture to the skin. I find dabbing a little on with my finger and quickly blending before I put my setting powder on works best. When you get your application technique spot on, it gives a dazzling highlight that really is beautiful. e.l.f. also suggest adding a small amount into your foundation for a dewy glow, which I probably won’t be trying but at least the option is there if you’re feeling more adventurous than I am…
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