Good morning class,

Today I’d like to chat about what is probably (it’s a hard decision) my favourite foundation of all time. It’s not the foundation I wear most days because I think other foundations perform a little better or last a little better for school, however all things considered this one is my fave!

e.l.f. is not a little known brand. Extremely cheap, with a $1 range in the U.S., e.l.f. is taking the world by storm with their affordable makeup and cult favourites. Recently in 2014 they started selling their products in New Zealand at Kmart which has been fantastic. e.l.f. was one of my favourite brands when I first started becoming more interested in makeup. It meant I could experiment with different types of products without breaking the bank. My first makeup “haul” was a HUGE haul from e.l.f. which I got a family friend to bring over from the states. Since then I’ve been a big fan. I find their products can be quite hit and miss, but for a couple of dollars… is it really a big deal?

Definitely my favourite product by e.l.f. is their Studio Acne Fighting Foundation. I get a few spots (mainly on my chin), not hard-out acne but I still look for ways of getting rid of it. My skin has a few blemishes and redness from acne scarring so I do look for foundations with a medium to full coverage. The Acne Fighting Foundation contains Salicylic Acid, Witch Hazel, Tea Tree (which I know are good for acne) as well as Aloe which has soothing properties and Camphor Tea (which I’ve never heard of before but after a quick Google search I found it’s apparently good for skin, although not specifically for acne). It retails for around $6 US and can be bought off the e.l.f. website if you’re in the U.S., however if you’re in NZ it’s a little bit more difficult to come across. Usually I’d buy e.l.f. products from Kmart or iHerb, however for some reason they don’t stock this foundation so I buy from Beauty Joint and ship it to NZ from there. Beauty Joint ships internationally too so if you’re somewhere else in the world you should be able to buy from there also! In NZ $ I worked out that the foundation would be around $19 including shipping if bought from Beauty Joint and you bought nothing else. It’s $7.99 US on there for the product alone.

My foundation is in the shade Porcelain which is the lightest shade. It’s not uber light which sucks if you’re super duper pale, but it’s light enough for me! It’s not a giant bottle, but then again it’s pretty cheap so it balances out. In a foundation I like medium to full coverage, a light colour that matches me, suitable for oily skin, long-lasting and one that doesn’t break me out. This foundation ticks most of those boxes for me.  It’s amazing coverage for a drugstore foundation. I would compare it to Estee Lauder Double Wear regarding coverage. It doesn’t stick to the face and doesn’t last quite as long as Double Wear does, but it’s still pretty amazing. It is definitely a medium to full coverage. In fact I’d almost say it was a full coverage. It blends really well and settles into the skin nicely, although I do recommend setting it with a powder! It lasts really well, as I said it’s not quite as long lasting as Double Wear, but if it’s been set with some powder and has a primer underneath then it will definitely last on me all day. Obviously it doesn’t break me out and I use it to calm my skin when I’ve got lots of break outs but I still want a full face of makeup. It doesn’t go too oily, but it does transfer a little bit in the T-zone or around the nose and chin. I usually blot it with a bit of powder during the day which seems to counteract this.

 

Okay so here’s a photo of my skin before I applied anything on my skin. In fact, I had literally just woke up. I don’t think I even cleaned my face yet. Oops!

 

As you can see, the old face is taking a beating at the moment. I’ve fully broken out and to be quite honest I’m not sure I quite enjoy seeing my face that close up. Sorry if it offends you!

Anyway, I applied my Za Moisture Gel moisturizer and The Body Shop Instablur primer. Then I wet my beauty blender and applied about a 20c coin worth of the e.l.f foundation over my face. The foundation is quite thick in consistency which I like. It doesn’t feel cakey or thick on the skin though which is great! It just feels like it’s going to be of a nice coverage, and a little goes a long way.

 

That’s a weird pose of just the foundation on my face. I haven’t done any other makeup yet. As you can see it’s covered all my blemishes really well. I’m not wearing any powder or concealer here, it is literally just the foundation. (Ignore the gross pimp on my chin please!). It has a really nice matte finish which I love.

 

Here’s a photo of my full face of makeup. I’ve added in concealer under the eyes, powder to set the foundation, brows, eyes, lips, highlighter, blush and a bit of bronzer. To be honest it hasn’t really changed the finish of the foundation too much, just made it a little more dewy. Honestly though, you’d never be able to tell how bad my skin is at the moment just from looking at this photo. Also none of these photos have been edited at all! The lighting wasn’t amazing because there was a big thunder storm happening outside but I’m pretty happy with the way it’s represented the foundation.

Overall, it’s not the best performing foundation ever in the entire world, but it’s absolutely amazing for the price, and for that, it’s my favourite. It’s perfect for a working day, especially if you’ve got some acne or break outs and you want to wear a full face of makeup!

What is your favourite foundation? I’d love to know! I love trying out new foundations, and I’ve got another three new ones to haul and review for you in the coming weeks! Would you like to see the new MAC Prolong Wear Waterproof foundation, Makeup Forever HD foundation, or the L’Oreal Infallible 24 Hour Matte foundation first? Let me know in the comments below AND tell me what I need to try next!