the budget buy: elf moisturizing foundation stick review

I have wanted to try out a stick foundation for a few months now, but couldn’t bring myself to spend money on a product I didn’t think would work for my combination skin. Since I wasn’t willing to spend a ton of money on a stick foundation but wanted to test one out, I decided to take a trip to the drugstore. When I saw that Elf had a foundation stick, I knew this was the one I wanted to try.

The Elf Moisturizing Foundation Stick (0.49 oz, $3.99 cdn) came out in 2014 and claims to provide an easy gliding, hydrating and natural looking finish with an abundance of natural ingredients and antioxidants listed. The foundation comes in three shades – ivory, natural and nude. 

Packaging

The pull off cap and twist tube is made of a matte plastic and looks quite sleek. One thing I really like about foundation sticks is that they are travel friendly and not messy. The Elf stick in particular feels durable enough to be thrown around from one bag to another without any worries of leakage.

Product

The foundation stick applied smoothly and felt like I was gliding on a thick cream. The first time I applied this, I used a foundation brush to buff it into my skin but noticed that it was applying unevenly and super patchy. I took my beauty blender and dabbed overtop the foundation which created a much smoother and more lightweight appearance. I’m actually really happy with how it applies with my beauty blender!

The foundation lasts about 7 hours for me and was surprisingly less drying than I expected. I always use my Tatcha Beauty Papers to blot my t-zone mid-day, but with this foundation I didn’t use my blotting papers at all. (I used my HD pressed powder to set my makeup in the morning). When I asked my husband if he noticed anything different, he couldn’t tell the difference between this $3.99 foundation vs. my Ultra HD Make Up For Ever Liquid Foundation that retails for $52!

This foundation is fragrance free but definitely puts out a chemically smell if you intentionally try to sniff it. I’m not super sensitive to scents, so I didn’t notice the chemical smell while applying the foundation.

I have heard that the ivory shade doesn’t work as well as the natural and nude colours. It comes off as patchy and doesn’t get absorbed into your skin very well, so it literally just remains as a layer on top of your skin. However, if you’re lucky enough to colour match to the natural or nude shade and have combination to dry skin, I would recommend trying out this foundation. It is quite hydrating, so oily skin types might not like that extra boost of moisture.

This product is a great value. If you’re looking for a foundation stick with an affordable price point that hydrates and provides medium to full coverage, you should absolutely try this out!

march finds

Happy Easter Weekend! I figured after a week away from blogging, my first post back would focus on all the new items I’ve picked up in the past month. Unlike last month’s finds (here), which focused more on Korean skincare, this month had a good mix of high-end skincare products as well as drugstore brand favourites. Some of the items purchased have already been reviewed, while a few will be posted this coming week.

Although the NYX store opened up in Toronto many months back, I had yet to step foot in it. Queen Street used to be my old stomping grounds back in my university days, but recently, I don’t have much reason to head into the downtown core. A couple weeks ago, I finally made the trek down and spent an unhealthy amount of time browsing around the NYX store. This was my first time trying anything from NYX so I stuck with my “when in doubt” products.

NYX Tango withBronzer Powder – When Leopard Gets a Tan ($13 cdn) is a beautiful mix between a bronzer and blush. I picked this because I have nothing like this in my collection and let’s be real, how adorable is this packaging AND name?! This swatches like a dream and works wonderfully on my skin tone. I will be posting a full review within the next couple of days.

I’ve been less bold with my lip choices recently and have stuck to nude pinks as my go to colour. I know NYX is known for their velvet matte lip products, but I was in the market for a no mess, no fuss product that didn’t need much prep work. The moment I swatched the Jumbo Lip Pencil ($6 cdn) I knew I had to take it home with me. It glided on like a dream and has an incredible lasting time. At this price point, I will definitely be back for more. Another lip product I picked up and have been using all month is the Tarte Rainforestof the Sea Quench Lip Rescue ($23 cdn) (review here). I absolutely love how hydrating this product is and the packaging is so freaking cute!

The Real Techniques BlushBrush ($12.99 cdn) has been something I’ve wanted to try but I haven’t had the opportunity to pick up. I finally bought this a few days ago so I haven’t had much time to play with this brush. I’ll be sure to post a review as soon as I have had enough time to test it. Physically, the brush is solidly built and the hair on this brush is extremely full and soft. I’m hoping I have found a replacement for my sigma blush brush!

Tony Moly Egg Pore ($23 cdn) is a product that has been out of stock on the Sephora site for months now. I lucked out and found this at a local Asian beauty store and have been using it two to three times a week since opening it. This scrub helps smoothen and hydrate my pore problem areas, like my nose (in depth review here).

I know there are quite a few people that don’t use face mists, but this is a refreshing step that I love to do – especially during the winter months. This Shiseido Ibuki QuickFix Mist ($32 cdn) is a unique mist that hydrates well and smells divine. Find out why this mist differs from others in my review here.

The Boscia Sake Balm ($58 cdn) is the first botanically-based skincare product that doesn’t break me out. This product has an odd consistency (similar to Jello) that aims to brighten and hydrate the skin. I have been using this every morning as part of my skincare routine since purchasing this at Sephora. Read about this quick absorbing moisturizer here.

What new products have you picked up this month? Let me know down below!