Quick Review: Sunday Riley Influencer Foundation (Dark Skin) + Makeup Shayla x Colourpop Perception Palette

Heyyy youuuu guuuuys! So I’m here with a quick review. Between traveling to L.A. to film a beauty segment (it’ll air on June 1st—I’ll tell you more details as soon as I know I’m in the clear to share…lol), juggling a few projects, and trying to maintain order in this apartment, I am a little backed up on beauty. I have a new project I want to start in June so I need to get some of this stuff out of my to-do list, so expect a couple more of these quick reviews really soon. Subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss it.

It’s kinda cool how I decided to pair these two products together for the same review post—I mean, Influencer foundation and an eyeshadow palette collab from one of the biggest digital beauty influencers—you see what I did there, right?

Sunday Riley Influencer Clean Long Wear Foundation

(samples sent for review consideration)

Official description:

Which skin type is it good for?
* Normal
* Oily
* Combination

What it is:
A clean, long-lasting foundation with medium to full coverage—formulated with your skin’s health in mind.

Solutions for:
– Redness
– Uneven skin tone
– Oiliness

If you want to know more…
The Influencer Clean Longwear Foundation redefines the line between skincare and makeup. It provides clean, natural-looking, long-lasting coverage that doesn’t dry out as the day (or night) goes on, with a satin-matte finish that stays fresh looking even through workouts or humidity. It’s available in 20 perfectly buildable, medium-to-full coverage shades that expertly conceal redness, pores, and dark spots without ever looking cakey. With just one pump, get perfectly even skin with ultra-natural coverage. For fuller coverage and more concealing power that never cracks or creases, layer as needed—without worrying about clogging your pores. No matter what your desired coverage, you are always in control: you still look like you.

Great for all skin types, The Influencer controls oil, but never dehydrates your skin for a fresh, healthy-looking, shine-free complexion. Canadian willowherb, northern truffle extract, and bisabolo give soothing effects, so that even the most sensitive skin looks its best. Pores are instantly minimized for the ultimate smooth canvas. You’ve trusted Sunday Riley with your skincare, now trust them with your foundation!

250 – tan with golden bronze undertones
260 – tan to deep with warm golden undertones
270 – deep with neutral undertones
280 – deep with warm golden undertones
290 – very deep with neutral bronze undertones

I was initially expecting this to blow my mind, then I was expecting not to love it at all because the darker shades looked so grey, and then I wound up loving it. I was scanning through the description to see if perhaps these are one of those formulas that adjusts to your undertones (didn’t see that anywhere) because I was amazed at how grey the swatches looked, but it didn’t look like that on my skin. You definitely don’t want a foundation that’s supposed to make your skin look better to be greyish in undertone (watch: Are You Wearing the Wrong Foundation?) because that can make you look sickly—the total opposite of skin looking good.

I liked how this made my skin look more radiant while evening my skin tone. 280 was my closest match—I have neutral undertones though (270 is too light and 280 too dark), but it worked out okay. It performed well, I did have to do some touching up throughout the day (I have oily skin) but I would also say this would be better as a cooler weather foundation for me—so maybe 55 or below in temperature.

Sunday Riley Influencer Clean Long Wear Foundation video demo

(there’s no sound on this video, so feel free to watch from almost anywhere)

Sunday Riley Influencer 280 from Danielle Gray on Vimeo.

See more foundation reviews here

Bottom line: If you’re a Sunday Riley fan who likes the skin-like foundation look, you might want to give this a whirl. I would get a sample first though (hopefully Sunday Riley has more shades out on display in Sephora—when I went they only had the lighter shades). The deeper shades DO seem to look greyish when swatched, but it turned out okay for me. *BUT* just because it wasn’t greyish on me, doesn’t mean the undertones won’t be off for some people. Try before you buy (or hold onto your receipt in case you need to return it). Also if you really love the foundation and want to make it work, try using a bronzer to warm the perimeter of your face to help get more balance.

Otherwise, if you’re looking for a lightweight foundation with medium coverage that also has better color options for darker skin, I have the EveryHue Beauty tinted moisturizer review coming up soon. Subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss it. For more lightweight foundation options for darker skin, check out this series.

Price and where to buy: $42 at Sephora (plus up to 4-8% cash back when you use eBates)

Makeup Shayla x Colourpop Perception Eyeshadow Palette

Official description:

Your eyes are the canvas, let this palette do the work. The perfect mix of matte & metallic finishes and range of richly pigmented shades make it easy to create any look. Transform your look from a soft day time slay to a bold and fierce night out look with one palette.

Unbothered: metallic ivory with a peachy flip
TF: metallic true gold
Titus: metallic gunmetal
Stallion: matte black with blue glitter
Spill the Tea: metallic warm taupe
Diva: metallic amber
I.E.: metallic olive
14: metallic navy
Strut ‘n Slay: metallic rosy copper
Culture: matte soft brown
Sassy: metallic eggplant with a teal flip
September: metallic pinky violet
Revenge: matte red brown
Thic: matte vibrant orange
Played Out: matte chocolate brown
Shade: deep matte purple with violet glitter

I got this because I really like following Makeup Shayla and also wanted to support a black girl makeup collab, but I also loved the colors and knew the palette would be a good addition to my makeup stash. If you watch my Youtube, you’ll know I SEVERELY downsized my makeup stash and am much more cognizant of how much and what makeup I buy now (this is obviously different for the makeup that brands send me for review consideration which mostly gets given to family and friends if opened, and donated to charity or set aside for giveaways if unopened). I LOVE that there are a fair amount of neutral colors, but I also love the pops of color that force me to stop doing the same eyeshadow looks all the time…lol.

I tested the eyeshadows on their own without primer and they hold up pretty well. Of course you’ll want to wear a base or primer underneath to ensure they last all day.

There is some fallout particularly with the shimmery shades, but this palette is $23 for 16 shadows so I can deal…lol. (If you can’t deal and you want vibrant colors like these, check out brands like MAC or Make Up For Ever to create a custom palette with good quality bold colored shadows).

I’m more of a minimalist when it comes to makeup packaging (see my stash here) and I prefer simple, clean looks. I love that the design of this palette gives me simple and chick with the black case, and it still gives off some fun vibes with the purple logo.

Bottom line: If you don’t already have similar colors in your stash and don’t mind a little fallout, this is a great buy.

Price and where to buy: $23 at Colourpop.

See more eyeshadow reviews and swatches here

Would you try either of these? Have you already? Tell me all about it in the comments!