Does Elf Halo Glow Liquid Filter Work on Oily Skin?

I haven't purchased a new foundation since the pandemic began.

I get a decent amount of makeup sent to my house regularly. As a beauty content creator, PR packages are typical. Brands want to send out their newest eyeshadow palette or lip gloss collection to anyone who is going to use it and share their thoughts with their audience. Unfortunately, when there is an oversaturation of eyeshadow palettes, and lip products, there is less of what is used in almost every single look, foundation.

I was running out of my complexion products, and decided to blindly try the first new drugstore foundation I saw at Target. I noticed the large pink display in the cosmetic aisle and vaguely remembered some of the comments my other beauty influencer peers made about the product: "sheer finish, glowy, mimics healthy skin, and may be a dupe for the prestige brand, Charlotte Tilbury."

So I forked over the $14 and took the Elf Halo Glow Liquid Filter in the shade Medium home to try.

According to the Elf Cosmetics website, you can "Wear Alone, Over Or Under Makeup, Mix With Foundation Or Use As Highlighter. Enriched With Skin-Loving Ingredients Like Squalane & Hyaluronic Acid."

As someone with oily-combination and textured, acne-prone skin, here are my thoughts on all of those claims:

You can wear it alone.

For a few hours. I applied this with no primer or powder on top and it was very glowy, to the point where my face looked borderline greasy. Usually with an ingredient like hyaluronic acid my face feels hydrated and as a result produces less oil. While I do feel like it didn't feel slippery or greasy, it did look it. I don't think I would wear this alone again.

Over or Under Makeup?

I don't really understand the appeal of wearing products under makeup. It was something I used to be really into when I was a teenager to achieve that "glowing from within" look. Now at 23 I feel like it was a scam to get people to use more product. Just apply your products on top of your foundation and use less. You can even use a sponge to really press it into the skin and blend the edges. You use less product and achieve the same look without layers and layers of product. That being said I don't really see a need to wear this over my makeup either.

The Best Way to Wear it (in my opinion)

I love to apply this product to the high points of my face, almost like highlighter, and apply foundation around it. Blend the liquid filter in first, and then whatever is left on the brush or sponge can be mixed in with your regular foundation. I love the lightweight feel it gives while giving an even and healthy looking glow. This method is why the Elf Halo Glow is now one of my holy grail complexion products. I think the trials were worth the end result. I simply can't do my makeup without it anymore! My friends compliment my skin every time I use it, and I hardly use highlighter anymore.

I also do think that this can work for someone with my skin type. I have a relatively oily t-zone and the rest of my skin is dry. Using this primarily on my cheek area makes my skin look balanced. The hyaluronic acid also makes my skin feel good. I definitely recommend this product to anyone who would like to supplement their base routine with something that adds a little more shine. However, I personally would not use this product to replace my foundation altogether.