Elf baked highlighter blush gems review

As a cruelty free brand where all cosmetics are vegan, e.l.f. is one of my favorite budget friendly beauty brands. I’m a sucker for highlighting products. I feel like everyones skin needs some highlighting of some sort! This baked highlight caught my eye. I picked up the shade Blush Gems because it was different than any highlight I had recently seen.

Claims: “Create a radiant glow with this illuminating powder that highlights the skin with a sheer wash of shimmering color. Infused with Vitamin E, Jojoba, Sunflower, Apricot and Grape to nourish and hydrate the skin. The long-lasting baked shimmering color can be applied wet for a vibrant effect or dry for sheer pigmentation.”

Ingredients: Mica, Talc, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Nylon-12, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Paraffinum Liquidum (mineral oil), Dimethicone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Rosa Canina (Rose Hip) Fruit Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491 , CI 77492 , CI 77499), Tin Oxide (CI 77861)

Pros: Cruelty free and vegan. Comes in three shades for different highlight colors. Baked powder formula is tightly packed to reduce spillage issues.

Cons: The pigment is very sheer on a brush, so it’s hard to tell how much you are applying.

The Verdict: The shade I got is Blush Gems – a bronzy rose tone. I loved the rose gold shade of this bronzer! It was so pretty and super flattering! It took me a couple of tries to apply the correct amount. Since it was so sheer on my brush, at first I didn’t think any color had deposited onto it. Apply very lightly at first until you get used to the formula. It’s much easier to build up this powder than have to take some away. The powder was easy to blend and wore well through the day. I would definitely buy this shade again and am interested in trying out the others.

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Hi! I'm Tashina and I created Logical Harmony with the goal to help make cruelty-free beauty easy. I also love to create fashion and lifestyle content too.

The Studio Baked products are one of my favorite lines by e.l.f. Though I don’t consider them to be as perfect as the Studio Baked Eyeshadows, I often find myself reaching for the Studio Baked Blushes.

Packaging

The blushes are packaging in a satin, black compact with a clear, plastic lid. It is the same style of compact that is used for all of the Studio Baked face products. It’s a no-nonsense packaging that is a single layer with no additional brushes or mirror.

Box packaging for the e.l.f. Studio Baked Blushes

The packaging is sturdy enough. It’s better quality than what you would expect from a $3 product, but the plastic is still on the thin side. The clasp is strong, though still easily opened, and you don’t need to worry about the compact popping open in your bag.

Comparison of various e.l.f. Studio Baked face products

One of my main complaints with the packaging is how easy it is for the printed label to rub off the plastic. It doesn’t take long for this to occur either. Most of my Studio Baked Products have lids with nearly unreadable labels at this point. You can particularly see it on Peachy Cheeky if you look at the photos.

Comparison of the e.l.f. Studio Baked face products to the Baked Eyeshadows

All of the baked face products—blushes, bronzers and highlighters—are substantially larger than the Studio Baked Eyeshadows; 0.21 oz for the face products versus 0.12 oz for the eyeshadows. Blush and bronzing products typically cost more than other cosmetics, so I’m guessing the eyeshadows subsidize the face products.

Formulation

The baked blushes have a decent consistency, and you can choose to apply them dry or wet. Unlike with the baked eyeshadows, I find it strange to apply them wet. I’ve tried using brushes and cosmetics sponges, but neither feel comfortable to me. I always wear the blushes dry.

Studio Baked Blushes in Passion Pink, Peachy Cheeky and Rich Rose

All of the blushes have a shimmer finish, though there is no glitter. When applied wet, the colors have a near metallic finish.

There also isn’t a scent to the product, and all shades contain mineral oil and methylparaben.

Studio Baked face products: Baked Blushes in Peachy Cheeky and Rich Rose, Baked Bronzer in Maui, and Baked Highlighter in Blushing Gems

Unfortunately, the color payoff is poor for all shades. The lack of color payoff can be good in a way, since there’s less of a need to worry about accidentally applying too much product.

Shades

All of the baked blushes have a marbled appearance. So far, there are only four shades, though two of them are light enough to be used as highlighters.

Despite how vibrant the shades are in the swatch photos, there isn’t nearly so much payoff when using a blush brush.

Swatches of Passion Pink, Peachy Cheeky and Rich Rose

Passion Pink

Or as I invariably call it, Pink Passion. A pale, baby pink with darker pink mixed in. It’s on the cooler end of the spectrum than the other two I own. Even when using wet, Passion Pink is more shimmer than color.

Studio Baked Blush in Passion Pink

This shade works better as a highlighter. I feel I need to preface my review by stating that I am super duper pale. Like I sometimes have problems finding face products light enough to match my skin tone. I mention this because I have difficulty applying enough product for Passion Pink to show up on my skin. If I can’t get to show up, I doubt most others will either.

It sort of reminds me of the Too Faced Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush in Candy Glow, except that one is actually visible on me.

Peachy Cheeky

This is my favorite of the blushes I own. Peachy Cheeky is a warm peach shade, as the name indicates. This gives me a natural-looking flush and it is difficult to apply too much.

Studio Baked Blush in Peachy Cheeky

I have warm undertones, so I’m not sure how well it will work for those with cool undertones. I also find it occasionally can be difficult to apply enough to look like you’re actually wearing blush.

Rich Rose

This was the first Studio Baked Blush I bought because the other shades were always sold out when I attempted to place an order. It’s more of a bronze than a rose. In fact, I don’t see a whole lot of rose in this at all.

Studio Baked Blush in Rich Rose

Unfortunately, this shade is too dark for me, the color is off for my skin tone, and it just doesn’t look good on me. I think you need to be a couple of shades darker than my skin tone (I usually wear the shade Porcelain in the e.l.f. Studio line) to wear Rich Rose effectively.

Images

Final Thoughts

Pros: Pretty shades, economically priced, lots of product for the price tag Cons: Pigmentation issues, shimmer/metallic finish, lack of widespread availability, limited shade options, contains mineral oil & methylparaben

While I do recommend the Studio Baked Blushes, based both on quality and price, I have some issues with pigmentation and the small range of shades. The lack of color payoff is definitely my biggest complaint. If you want decent pigmentation you’ll need to use the product wet, but then you’ll have to deal with a pronounced metallic finish, something many will not want.

Though I doubt it will happen, I would love for e.l.f. to expand the Studio Baked Blush line at some point in the future.

Which Elf highlighter is best?

The best e.l.f. products for 2023 are: Best highlighter – E.l.f. halo glow liquid filter: £14, Boots.com. Best blush – E.l.f. putty blush: £6, Boots.com. Best primer – E.l.f. power grip primer: £10, Boots.com.

What are the ingredients in Elf highlighter?

Skim through.

Does Elf have a liquid highlighter?

Beautifully Bare Liquid Highlighter with Vitamin E Illuminating 83104.