TSABD Edit: e.l.f. Cosmetics Darker Foundation & Concealer Shades + More!

Welcome back to another TSABD Edit!

e.l.f. recently had a 50% off sale for Black Friday and though their stuff is already priced pretty low, that 50% off definitely came in clutch because I wanted to get a few things to review especially since it looked like they finally had real deeper shades.

Man, oh man are looks deceiving :/

e.l.f. Beautifully Bare Foundation Serum SPF 25

Official description:
This weightless silky formula melts into skin for a radiant and youthful-looking glow. The luminous, dewy finish helps boost suppleness and minimize the appearance of pores and fine lines for flawless coverage. This Broad Spectrum UVA/UVB SPF 25 formula is designed to help revitalize color and radiance to skin. Infused with Vitamin A, C, & E, Grape Seed Oil, Pomegranate Oil, and Goji Berry to help brighten, restore, nourish and protect the skin.

How to use:
Shake well before use. Pump several times until product releases. Apply a small dot of product in the center of the forehead, chin, and cheeks. Blend the product working outwards using the Blending Brush, fingers, or a sponge to blend into skin. Reapply for buildable coverage. For slightly fuller coverage and a custom-blended shade, mix with the Flawless Finish Foundation

I was so hyped for this because I love a serum foundation but that hype quickly died down once I pumped a little of the foundation out of shade “Deep.” In the container it looks all chocolate-y and deep—like it might be slightly too dark for me but maybe something I could still review. The packaging isn’t even frosty to say that maybe that would throw me off. This thing is like 3-4 shades LIGHTER than what you see in the bottle *eyeroll*

And the undertones run pretty cool so on me it was too light and too cool-toned which made me look sickly. I couldn’t even really test it because the color was so off that it would be hard to judge it fairly. Like the color seriously made me look like I had some sort of high quality flu…lol. The texture feels really good though and it appears as if it would be pretty awesome had it been a good match. Usually serum foundations are more flexible and can work for a number of skin tones, but this one won’t. It’ll match some people though, but chances are it may not match most of us with darker skin.

Oddly enough though, the Dark/Deep shade swatches the way it looks in the bottle. I wonder why Deep is so off.

Dark/Deep

Deep

Price and where to buy: $6 at elfcosmetics.com. See elfcosmetics.com for in-store locations.

e.l.f. Flawless Finish Foundation SPF 15

Official description:
Our best-selling foundation! The lightweight and oil-free formula blends in naturally for a beautiful semi-matte finish with SPF 15 sun protection. The liquid foundation restores uneven skin textures and tones, for visibly brighter skin.

How to use:
Using a foundation brush or sponge, blend the formula onto the forehead, nose, cheeks, chin, jawline, and upper neck.

For long-lasting performance, apply primer before application of foundation.

For sheer coverage mix our Daily Hydration Moisturizer with the foundation. Or for added glow, mix our Beautifully Bare Natural Glow Lotion with the foundation.

This one was better in color—meaning it actually looks like it would match those with dark chocolate skin tones (if I had to guess around NW55/58 or Cover FX N120 but remember that there is NO universal foundation guide in the makeup industry).

I also couldn’t really test this because the shade was so much darker than my skin tone, BUT the formula feels amazing.

I do notice that there are shades Coco and Espresso which I don’t have because I believe they were sold out at the time and the computer swatches made it seem like they were too light anyway.

But then just now I noticed they have additional swatches of Coco and Espresso that look promising, but after what I experienced with the other shades, I’m not holding my breath…lol. If I come across them in the future when they’re back in stock, I might get them and swatch them.

If I’m going by this computerized swatch, Coco looks too light for me and Espresso looks too cool-toned.

e.l.f. Cosmetics Lightweight Concealer Stick

I got these in the two deepest shades: Dark/Deep and Deep. Dark/Deep was a touch too light for me to use as highlight and Deep was too dark for me to use as a regular concealer and was closer to a contour shade for me (though I would want something a little darker to contour—see what I typically use here—I’m back to using the Cover FX N120 cream + N120 powder though).

The concealer feels amazing though–it glides on the skin like butter. I also love that it didn’t settle into the few lines I have near my eyes. It has buildable coverage but not every concealer is going to be for everybody (i.e. some of us require certain coverage amounts, finishes, and textures). I think this one is pretty nice to brighten up areas and cover a few blemishes but it’s not going to completely camouflage. Also the lack of deeper shades means it’s not very ideal for many of us—there’s a HUGE gap in between Dark/Deep and Deep. I don’t have a shade that really would work for my coloring even though I LOVE the formula and coverage for me. I did test out the Dark/Deep (in the house because it was too light/bright for me…lol) and had it on for over seven hours and didn’t experience any creasing or a ton of fading. Lovely product, needs WAY more shades.

e.l.f. Makeup Mist & Set

Official description:
The ultimate must-have, the Makeup Mist & Set Spray is designed to hold your face and eye makeup in place all day and to revitalize makeup color with just a few sprays. The formula contains aloe, green tea, cucumber, and vitamins A, C, and E to soothe and hydrate the skin. Spray on your brush or sponge prior to makeup application for extended hold and vibrant color.

How to use:
Hold the bottle at arm’s length and spray a light layer of mist over your makeup with eyes closed.
Let the formula dry naturally or blot with a tissue to help speed dry.

Beauty Tip: Prior to application of products on your sponge or brush, spray your tool with the Makeup Mist & Set for extended product staying powder and more vibrant color. Your highlighters, foundation and powders will never be the same!

I LOVE how sleek the packaging on this looks. Like it fits right into my beauty product packaging aesthetic easily. I only got this because it seemed to be a top selling product for the brand—I used to use makeup sprays regularly but since I’ve been working from home for the last seven years, I don’t wear makeup as often as I used to where I need it to last (when it’s hot out, I use the techniques I mention in my Stay Beat in the Heat post and video).

But I tested it out and it actually works very nicely to control shine but since it’s late fall and temps here are in the 40s and 50s, I think this spray was a little too much for me even with my oily skin. When the temperatures start to drop, my skin doesn’t get as oily as it would when it’s like 60 degrees or hotter. Plus I don’t mind a little shine. I would probably appreciate this spray more when it’s a bit warmer out OR use it the way the Beauty Tip above described. They also have a Matte version (which I can’t see me needing right now if the “regular” one was a bit much for me) and an Illuminating version.

Price and where to buy: $3 for regular size; $6 for Large at elfcosmetics.com. See elfcosmetics.com for in-store locations.

e.l.f. Blush in Berry Merry

I was also excited about this especially since the e.l.f. Blush Palette turned out to be pretty amazing. I was a little worried though because from ordering online it seemed like the single blush shades looked pretty muted, but I decided to get Berry Merry since it seemed more pigmented than the others. When it comes to blush, the darker your skin, the brighter you want the blush color to be (see Blush Basics for Dark Skin for more info and 50 Shades of Blush to see swatches).

I really love Berry Merry. It reminds me of NARS Outlaw blush: it’s a berry-pinky shade with slight golden shimmer. You can layer it if you want more intensity (or spritz some of the e.l.f. makeup spray on your brush to get the pigments to show up more). I was also surprised to see that it lasted on me for over eight hours—there was some fading of course, but I was surprised it lasted. It may not last as long on me in warmer weather though without doing some warm weather makeup tricks, but shoot, for $3 it’s good (and I got it for $1.50…lol).

Price and where to buy: $3 at elfcosmetics.com. See elfcosmetics.com for in-store locations.

Overall I love the price range and the packaging on everything I got is really sleek (aka I wouldn’t feel like an overgrown teenager), but the shade range could be MUCH better. I am happy to see how dark some of the shades are though and for quite an affordable brand, it’s nice to see something all of us can try without breaking the bank so I hope e.l.f. gets on the good foot and makes more shades.

I also picked up the e.l.f. Beauty Shield Antioxidant Armored Setting Powder but completely forgot about it so stay tuned for a future post on it. Make sure you’re subscribed to the blog so you don’t miss it.

See more e.l.f. Cosmetics posts, swatches, and reviews here

See more drugstore makeup posts, swatches, and reviews here

See more foundation posts, swatches, and reviews here

Do you have any e.l.f. Cosmetics product faves? Tell me all about it in the comments!