Review -- e.l.f. Pressed Mineral Foundation

I'm a big fan of e.l.f.

They make a lot of pretty fabulous products that are super budget-friendly and they're always having sales on top of that, so you can score a ton of items without your wallet hurting too much.

But as much as I love e.l.f., I've never had much luck with their face products -- the foundations, concealers, tinted moisturizers, etc. have always been too dark for my super fair skin or I wasn't a fan of the formulas.

There have been a couple of exceptions, though -- like the Studio Moisturizing Foundation Stick. I like that a lot on days when I'm in a hurry to get my makeup on.

Still, I decided to give the e.l.f. Pressed Mineral Foundation a try because I'd heard some good things about it.

And e.l.f. describes it as a hydrating powder, which, to someone with dry to normal skin, is pretty much music to my ears.


The powder foundation comes in a black plastic compact with a decent size mirror on the inside and really soft little sponge.  It contains 12 grams of product, which is a considerable amount. Most of my other pressed powder foundations seem to have between 9 and 11 grams of product.

e.l.f. Pressed Mineral Foundation

e.l.f. Pressed Mineral Foundation

e.l.f. Pressed Mineral Foundation in Fair

The powder itself has a very smooth texture. It does kick up a bit of product when you run a brush through it, but it blends into the skin very easily and feels almost creamy. I wouldn't really call it hydrating, but it doesn't accentuate dry patches like so many other powder products, which is a big win in my book.

In terms of coverage, I would call it light to medium. It's not going to cover everything without the help of a good concealer, but it can even out your skin quite nicely.

I typically use it as a finishing or setting powder over a BB cream or tinted moisturizer. It's thin and smooth enough to layer nicely over other face products without getting cakey or patchy, which makes it pretty versatile.

As far as shade selection goes, I purchased it in the lightest shade, Fair, and I find that it's a good match for my very fair skin. It does lean slightly towards the pink end of the spectrum, though, so if you have yellow undertones, you may want to try the next shade.

e.l.f. Pressed Mineral Foundation in Fair

At just $8, I think it's a really nice budget-friendly alternative to the bareMinerals Ready Pressed Foundation.

Have you tried the e.l.f. Pressed Mineral Foundation? Are you a fan? What's your favorite pressed powder foundation?