e.l.f.’s New Lip & Cheek Stain Is Sheer, Long-Lasting, & Only $6
Usage Guide
Overview
Our team tests thousands of beauty products, at every price point, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Many are fine, some are good — and then there are the ones that are great. My latest impressive beauty discovery comes in the form of e.l.f. Cosmetics’ new Sheer For It Blush Tints, and you’re about to see why.
Available in nine shades and priced at just $6 each — meaning you could theoretically buy the entire lineup for less than the price of a single luxury blush — Sheer For It is a lightweight, buildable cheek tint designed to deliver anything from a barely-there wash of color to a more saturated flush. The range spans soft pinks, berry tones, warm browns, and vibrant reds, with a sheer finish that can be layered to your desired level of intensity. It’s the kind of low-commitment, high-payoff blush that makes a strong case for keeping one in every makeup bag. (Sounds too good to be true, but then again, it’s what we’ve come to expect from the editor-beloved brand.)
Ahead, three Refinery29 editors put e.l.f.’s Sheer For It Blush Tints to the test to see whether this $6 cheek tint is actually worth the hype.
Shade(s) tested: So Petal, Cherry Cola
“I’ve tried countless lip and cheek tints in my day, so when I tell you I audibly gasped when I swiped on e.l.f.’s Sheer For It, that’s saying something. This feels like a true, watery stain, but packs an impressive amount of pigment. One layer dotted onto cheeks and swiped on lips lends a kiss of color, but after I let that dry, I was able to layer this stuff on really well; two coats left a visible pop of color, and three rendered it as bold as a powder formula. But because it’s so lightweight, three layers still felt like I was wearing nothing. I will say, these set pretty quickly, so my preferred way to apply them was to dot and blend right away since you do not have a lot of play time. I don’t typically love pink shades on me, but So Petal (a cool, mid-tone pink) was surprisingly flattering on my olive skin. Then there was Cherry Cola, a burnt reddish hue that is more of what I typically gravitate towards. As the name suggests, the color payoff mimics what your lips look like after eating a bowl of cherries – flushed but not in a makeup-y way. Both shades lasted all day (even through sweaty workouts and heat waves) and didn’t transfer or disappear after eating or drinking. Consider me seriously impressed.” — Karina Hoshikawa, Senior Writer
Details
Shade(s) tested: Left On Red
“Confession: liquid tints scare me a little. I like to take my time when applying makeup. And some formulas dry far too quickly for me to blend them out evenly, leaving me with pinches of color rather than the plump, juicy, and defined cheeks I’m after. This, however, boasts just the right consistency, meaning it doesn’t lock onto skin as quickly as the others, so I can take my fluffy brush — or a finger, if I’m so inclined — and tap it into the rest of my makeup without panicking. Left On Red lends my light olive skin the perfect natural flush, like I’ve been outside in the cold and my cheeks have become wind-dappled. Rather than swipe, I apply a few dots over my cheeks and use a dense fluffy brush (with a little primer on the bristles first) to make the final result more uniform. I also dust a touch of translucent powder over the top to diffuse. And the staying power! It’s second to none. Other cheek tints either make a hole in my foundation base or disappear within a few hours, but this one clung on until I removed my makeup at the end of the day. I use it on my lips, too.” — Jacqueline Kilikita, Beauty Director
Shade(s) tested: Mauve Actually
“At first glance, this liquid blush looked genuinely intimidating. Between its ultra-fluid, watery consistency and deep Onyx hue, I was terrified it was going to splash everywhere and ruin my white top the second I pulled out the applicator. Thankfully, the wand holds onto the formula well, no messy drips in sight.
Because of how rich the pigment looked in the bottle, I started cautiously with two tiny dabs on each cheek. Once blended, however, it seemed to completely disappear into my deep skin tone. Realizing just how sheer and buildable the formula is, I decided to be much more generous. Layer after layer (I ended up doing about four rounds), my skin seemed to absorb it almost like a hydrating moisturizer. As I continued building the color, a soft, subtle rosiness began to show through. Despite how deep the shade appears in the bottle, the formula applies much sheerer than I expected, which gave me plenty of control over the intensity. I preferred building it up for a more noticeable flush, but the lightweight texture made layering easy without feeling heavy on my skin.
Don’t let the dark initial shade intimidate you: for deeper complexions, a heavy hand and multiple layers are key to getting the color payoff to pop. To finish the look, I tapped a bit onto my lips over a brown lip liner, and it created the most flattering, natural rosy flush. If you’re looking for a versatile, multi-use flush of color that’s easy to layer into your routine, grab it—you won’t regret it.”—Alexis Bennett Parker, Shopping Director
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Source
Originally published at www.refinery29.com.