Read ALL about my review process including how I take swatches, photos, and more here.
Black Opal of foundation stick fame and of well—nearly everything for women of color at the drugstore fame—recently launched new Black Opal Pore Perfecting Liquid Foundation and sent over some samples for review consideration.
Official info:
Keep them guessing with picture poreless skin. This lightweight, oil-free liquid foundation seamlessly blends to provide flawless coverage with a high definition finish. Exclusive poreless technology helps minimize the appearance of enlarged pores, controls excess oil and renews skin natural radiance. Oil, fragrance and paraben-free formula. Suitable for all skin types, including sensitive.
Black Opal Pore Perfecting Liquid Foundation comes in 12 shades and I have just about every shade but I am missing a few. My closest shade is Carob (see my other foundation matches here) but I’d definitely add some dimension to my face through either highlighting and contouring or a bronzer because wearing it on its own looks a little flat. The finish is nice—a natural matte and medium-ish coverage where your skin still looks like skin but you’ll need reinforcements in the form of concealer if you have any blemishes (dark spots, darkness under eyes, etc) to cover. Wear is also great—I have oily skin and no excessive oiliness (though I would need to see how this works out for me in summer where it gets super humid here).
(EDIT 8/18/16: these are the shade descriptions via the Black Opal site)
Champagne Beige: beige with red undertones
Kalahari Sand (I don’t have this shade) light tan with yellow tone
Heavenly Honey: light tan with red tone
Truly Topaz: a dark tan with golden undertones
Beautiful Bronze: light brown with red tone
Hazelnut (I don’t have this shade) medium brown with yellow tone
Carob: a medium dark brown with yellow tone
Black Walnut: dark brown with neutral undertones
Ebony Brown: a dark brown with reddish undertones
Au Chocolate: medium brown with red undertones
Nutmeg (I don’t have this shade) light brown with yellow tone
Suede Mocha: medium brown with red undertones
(shades are in the same order they appear on the Black Opal site)
(I was testing a bunch of other makeup at the same time I took these pics so I look a little crazy…lol. I have the foundation on in both pics. No concealer anywhere and set with Cover FX Matte Setting Powder)
Bottom line: Great drugstore foundation with a good shade range for women of color. It also reminds me of the NARS All Day Luminous Foundation in finish but of course you need way more than one drop of this Black Opal foundation. And of course ingredients and technology between the two may differ. So basically I’m NOT saying they’re the same but if you’re on a budget Black Opal Pore Perfecting Liquid Foundation can get you a similar look.
See my review on the NARS All Day Luminous Foundation here.
Price and where to buy: $10.95 see blackopalbeauty.com to purchase and in-store locations.
The finish looks very natural! If I didn’t know any better I’d think you weren’t wearing anything at all lol
Thanks for the review, I’ve been wanting to try the NARS All Day Luminous Foundation, but I may just start with this! Now if I could only decide what shade to go with, I may be Truly Topaz but without being able to sample drugstore foundations, I hate guessing what to order…sigh
Nice review. I am wondering if Carob would be a match for me, what is the next deeper shade that Carob?
Author
Hey Meli!
Hard to tell because the shades deeper than Carob also change in undertone. But the shades I have listed are in the same order (typically from lightest to darkest) as it’s shown on the Black Opal site.
Pls how is this foundation on oily and acne prone skin? Hope itz not so heavy. I use the stick foundation in topaz so would I use the same shade in liquid?
Author
I have oily skin so the review is based on my experience trying it out on oily skin :)
It’s oil-free so it might work well for acne prone skin—they have an ingredient list on their site—you should check it out and see if there’s anything in it you recognize that has also been in other products that have caused you to have breakouts.
Hi! I am using the black opal foundation stick in truly topaz and regrettably I have oily acne prone skin.it doesn’t last for long before getting oily. Would the liquid foundation be better and would I still use the truly topaz shade?
Author
Hey Nnennah!
I have oily skin and the stick foundation is better for me to use in the cooler and colder months. I could get away with using it when it’s warmer out, but I’d need to make sure I’m wearing a mattifying moisturizer and use a primer. Make sure whatever moisturizer you’re using is good for the weather (see my skincare posts for more info) otherwise using the wrong moisturizer can affect how your foundation performs. You might also need less of the stick than you might be using so try using less to see if that helps and of course set with powder whenever you use it.
I wrote both posts on the liquid and the stick a long time ago so I no longer have all of the shades—you can see my stick post (read the post here) and match it up with the swatches of the Truly Topaz liquid to see if they’re similar. Sometimes the different formulas within the same brand can make the same shades look different so I can’t say for sure if you’d be Truly Topaz in both.
The shades are not properly in order. Nutmeg is definitely not the second to darkest shade.
Author
As I clearly noted in the post, the shades are in the same order as they appear on the Black Opal website.
Hi quick question. The undertones you described for each shade don’t match the info on the website for example I think my shade would be Carob but according to Black Opal this shade has yellow undertones. I def have red undertones (I wear NW48) do you think I should try it out? I’ve been hesitating between Carob and Au Chocolat
Author
Hey!
At the time I had guessed the shade descriptions because they weren’t on the site at the time I did the review—only two or three shades were off from what I listed though and are now updated. I personally no longer compare MAC foundation equivalents because of a number of reasons mainly because not all undertones are represented or crossover to other brands leading too many folks to be wrongly matched at MAC (read more about why here: https://www.thestyleandbeautydoctor.com/2014/09/heres-review-process/) but I would guess that Carob wouldn’t be a good match if you definitely have red undertones.
I’d also look at Suede Mocha just in case Au Chocolate *might* be a teeny bit too light.
Also check out this post on why one foundation may not cut it for women of color: https://www.thestyleandbeautydoctor.com/2015/12/why-one-foundation-may-not-cut-it-for-women-of-color/
Keep me posted on how it turns out!
Hey, I love the post and I really want to get the foundation but I have some concerns. I’m using Revlon New Complexion one step compact makeup, it’s got a beautiful finish but it transfers. No matter what I do it always transfers. And I have an oily T-Zone so I’m worried about spending money on something that won’t last and will transfer. Does this particular Foundation transfer all over when you so much as touch your face or does it stay put?
Author
Hey Michelle!
I’ve tried a gazillion foundations even those that claim that they’re transfer proof and they still transfer…lol. Hey, it happens—you sweat or your oils press through and mix with your makeup, you touch your face, and then BAM. Transfer. I don’t transfer as much as I used to when I first started wearing makeup yeaaars ago because I make sure I don’t touch my face and if I do I wash my hands immediately. And I hug people on angles so I don’t get foundation on their clothes.
Make sure you’re also setting with powder to limit some of the transfer, but in life makeup will still transfer some and because we’re deliciously chocolate, it’ll be more apparent especially on things that are lighter in color. Just be more conscious of the fact that you have makeup on and you’ll experience it less no matter which foundation you’re wearing.
Can you please tell me what undertones are
in the Black Opal concealer Mahogany ?
Thank you
Author
Hey Ju!
I don’t have any of the Black Opal concealers. Did you try looking on their site to see if they have it listed?
Hello,
I tried looking, however, it’s not listed. :(
Thank you.