Friday 27 January 2012

ELF High Definition Powder Review


I never thought I'd be doing a review on a face powder, after all powder is just powder, right? Well, while doing a bit of online shopping I ended up on the e.l.f. website and this just sort of "fell" into my shopping basket and now I have to admit that my once ever so trusty Rimmel Stay Matte has been banished into my handbag for on-the-go touch-ups, whereas this has become my go-to face powder.

Let's start with the packaging, shall we?


The powder costs £6.00 for which you get a generous 28oz of product. The packaging is black and sleek and belies the low price tag, as it looks a lot more high end. The thing I love the most about the casing is that it has a screw top lid, which means no accidental product spillage if you want to transport it in a bag or case.


Inside you get a powder puff which I personally don't use, but it's great if you want to carry this powder around with you and touch up on the go. Underneath is a classic plastic grid that prevents too much powder from spilling out at once.
The one issue I have with the packaging is that it is the kind of rubbery matte material that seems to attract dirt and fluff like a magnet, as you can probably see on the above pictures!

You can apply the powder with the powder puff included, but I prefer to use a kabuki brush. It applies very, very evenly and gives a wonderful matte, almost air-brushed look. It doesn't clog pores or highlight dry patches or that peachy fuzz you get on your face like some powders do.


It lasts for ages and ages and I only need to touch up after about 6-7 hours, which beats the shit out of having to powder up every 1-2 hours like I used to! I do recommend using a highlighter with this, as skin can look a little too airbrushed sometimes and a bit flat. Either dust a powder highlighter over the top on places such as cheekbones, cupid's bow and brow bones, or apply a cream product underneath. However, if you opt for the second option be prepared to be generous with the glow - when I say this product is mattifying I really mean it!

The powder is a clear white, which is meant to be translucent, though I can see it giving off a bit of a white sheen, so I'm not sure if this would work as well on dark complexions without making them look ashy.

I've heard a lot about people having trouble with HD powders showing up as white patches in flash photography, but I had no issues with that whatsoever. On the contrary, it seems to be a lot more forgiving than other powders which seem to disappear as soon as a flash goes off.

My only bugbear is that this is only available online from the ELF website (you can find it here) and though I'm sure I will repurchase this powder once I run out, chances are it won't be the only thing I order.

EDIT: This product had a nasty little surprise in store for me right after I reviewed it. Read all about it in this post.

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