e.l.f. 2-Way Cake Foundation: Rosy Beige

I bought this mostly because of the good reviews on GT, and because I've always liked the decent quality that ELF products have for their super low price. It is slightly unsettling that this product isn't on their local or international website, but since I've been cycling this with my Etude powders for almost four months now without any freaky face mutations, no worries~!

Price: P250.00
Location Bought: Watsons SM Megamall
Approximate Date Bought: February 2010

Packaging: My biggest gripe about this two-way cake is the plastic they used to package it. Ugh, cheap! :P But then again, you get what you pay for. Actually, not really - why are their studio line blushes packaged with better looking plastic, and yet they still retail for the same price?

The compact is one of those types that have the powder up top, and the sponge at the bottom.  It is quite hard to get to the sponge compartment with the compact sitting upright like this; I usually have to flip the compact upside down to get to it.

I switched out the icky default sponge that came with this
for one of Etude's sponges. Would you believe the default
sponge kept SQUEAKING on me, even with feather-light
application strokes? Blech.

Below is the reason why I NEVER bring this with me when I go out. Those "breathing holes" for the sponge look unhygienically HUGE. I am the sort of person who just dumps things into her bag, what if I toss something potentially dirty (like a dusty library book for my research) right next to this? Maybe I'm just a paranoid hygiene freak, but the bacteria from that potentially dirty object could easily transfer to the sponge through those holes!

Colors: Rosy Beige is the mid-level shade among the foundation's colors. It matches my skin (medium-light with yellow undertones) pretty well. Speaking of skintones, I really need to visit a MAC counter to get my shade swatched. I still don't know what kind of NCwhatsit I am! XD (Maybe I'll go when they release Venomous Villains. Is it just me, or are they starting to make more collections to appeal to their cartoon-loving, comic book-reading fans? I just read that they'd be releasing a Wonder Woman collection early next year! Have you seen her new pants-based outfit? I rather like it, except for the boots.)

Formulation: The powder is smooth, scentless, and provides excellent coverage, but it feels rather heavy on the skin - especially during hot weather, which is why I didn't use this all throughout last summer. Now that the weather's much cooler, it's back in the cycle again!

There was also a warning on the box (which I've unfortunately already thrown out, so please just check out ELF stalls if you'd like to see for yourselves. sorry :( ) not to put this on after being exposed to direct sunlight. THIS SHOULD TOTALLY BE PAID ATTENTION TO. I was extremely curious when I bought this, so after walking across an open parking lot in the blaze of the noontime sun, I tried it on. The result? The powder oxidized on me seconds after application, turning my whole face a disgusting shade of orange. When applied to skin that hasn't been heated up by the sun, however, the powder behaves well and stays the color it's supposed to, even after exposure to sunlight afterward.

Actual Usage: The first shot shows my nose area without the product. Shiny nose! The second shot shows it with the product. If you look closely, the powder has a tendency to cake around the sides of my nose, but the shine has been replaced with a lovely, velvety finish. (I should have blended more, but I left it like that to remind you dear readers to BLEND BLEND BLEND when using this powder.) The third shot is just me zooming the camera out to show how the finish looks from a slightly farther angle.