Lightest of the light coverage=ELF Studio Tinted Moisturizer

Hey everyone!  The last couple of weeks have been really busy on my end, so I really, really apologize for the lack of posting.  Last weekend I had my first experience doing makeup/hair/costume design on a movie set- it was amazing!  Tiring, but worth it.  It was a senior film major's final film project, a guy who's a friend of my best friend (he produced the movie and asked me to work on it).  The girl I worked with is extremely talented with hair- she taught me how to "professionally" dye hair, along with other tips/tricks.  We also gave one of the actors a bloody gash on the back of his head with fake blood/q-tip cotton swaps.  I got very little sleep over the three days we shot the film (it's only 15-minutes in length), but I'm happy to have had the experience and hopefully will do it again!  

Anyway, that's a little of what has been keeping me busy.  My mom also came to visit me this week (it was my spring break), so that was a nice "break" from the craziness that has been my life as of lately!

I have quite a few things lined up for review actually- right now it's a matter of finding the time to take proper pictures and type up my thoughts.  I picked up this ELF Studio tinted moisturizer at Target a few weeks ago (I was so surprised to find it there, along with several other new Studio line products!) and have been using it on and off ever since.  

ELF Studio Tinted Moisturizer in Porcelain

From ELF's website, "This lightweight and hydrating formula is breathable and provides anti-aging sun protection with UVA/UVB SPF 20. Achieve even skin tone and naturally radiant skin with this moisturizing sheer tint of color. The smooth formula enhances your complexion with the nourishing key ingredients Aloe, Cucumber and Vitamins A, C & E."

Price: $3.00/0.7oz

Packaging:  This comes in a squeeze tube, which is my preferred style of packaging when it comes to face makeup.  I find it travels easily, it's fairly compact, there's no worry about it spilling/cracking open, and you can control how much you dispense.  No hair-trigger pumps or glass jars to fumble around with.  In the reviews I've read about this TM online, a lot of people complained about the packaging looking half-empty from the strip on the front that shows the color.  Some also said it feels like there's hardly any product inside.  The tube I picked out at Target looked full from the color strip, and it's such a lightweight formula that the tube probably isn't going to feel heavy (even if it's filled completely).

Color:  There are a total of 7 shades; I chose the lightest shade, Porcelain, which I just noticed is for "very fair skin skintones with yellow undertones."  Online in my shopping cart I had picked the next darkest shade, Nude, but I'm glad I ended up purchasing it in Porcelain!  Although I consider my skintone to be a little darker than "porcelain" (I'm about a NW20/25 in MAC depending on the season), this shade didn't seem too light to me from the color on the tube.  Nude definitely looked too dark.  As you can see from the swatches below, it has a lot of yellow in it- too much for my liking.  Fortunately the coverage is so light that it's forgiving, otherwise this would be a bigger problem (I also have some redness in my face that I like to cover, so the yellow-ness helps cancel it out).

Texture:  The consistency is a mixture between a liquid and a kind of mousse, if that makes any sense at all!  It's really lightweight and feels moisturizing on my skin.  It's almost on the runny side, but to me that just helps make it easier to blend in.  I actually like the texture of this, especially having dry/sensitive skin.  It's a contrast from the $1 ELF tinted moisturizer, that is creamier (rather than like a liquid) and thicker. 

Coverage/finish:  Being a tinted moisturizer, you can't expect the coverage of a foundation.  This is probably my most common mistake when trying them out; I want some coverage, just not the feeling of a foundation.  This doesn't really cover anything in terms of spots, pimples, or discoloration.  It cancels out a little of the redness in my cheeks (which I think is mainly due to the yellow undertones), but that's about it.  And because my skin is currently really, really bad due to stress and lack of sleep, I need something that will actually cover breakouts.  Until my skin clears up, I could see using this as a base for my Bare Minerals mineral powder foundation.  Otherwise, you may like this if you have good skin to begin with and just want something to use as a base for the rest of your makeup.
As far as the finish, it's dewy and moisturizing.  I find it looks more "finished" topped with a powder, which is what I do most days anyway.

Pros:
-Affordable
-Lightweight texture
-Feels moisturizing
-SPF 20

Cons:  
-Very little coverage
-Hard to find an exact color match


My pros outweigh the cons above, but I really don't like this.  Maybe when my skin clears up I'll get more use out of it, but right now I'd rather just not wear anything in terms of face makeup.  The coverage is so light that I can hardly tell the difference.  That is specifically because of the state of my skin, though, so I think it's still worth a try if your skin isn't in need of much help.

Have you tried this?  I'm also interested in the ELF Studio Flawless Finish foundation, but it's been out of stock for forever!  I want to place an order but about half of what I want isn't stocked.  So frustrating.
Thanks for reading, like always! :)