Elizabeth Arden Flawless Finish Sponge-on Cream Makeup Review

I was excited about getting to review this product. I haven’t had much luck with Elizabeth Arden products in the past but was open to giving this one a go. I also was a wee bit concerned about this type of foundation as I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Moisture Mist Beauty Cake foundation either.

I must say I do adore the packaging of this. The lovely gold packaging with the mirrored lid and red door is very classic. I think having the sponge in there is lovely too as it makes it easy to take on the go and not worry about forgetting a brush or it getting dirty. It is reasonably bulky though so maybe not one for travelling with if you are trying to reduce the size of items. I do also wonder whether you can get refills of the foundation as it seems like such a waste to chuck out the beautiful packaging when you are finished.

The foundation does have a slight smell to it, but nothing offensive. This also doesn’t have any SPF in it - although I would never rely on foundation alone for this. I also just have to mention that the shade selection is a bit poor with only appearing to have eight shades in the NZ market - none of which were quite pale enough for me (but I’ve tried to ignore that in my review as my face shade isn’t your problem). I do find this cream product a strange one to use a sponge with as with these sorts of products they seem to work better once they warm to your skin and then they blend better so often I like to use a brush to get a more sheer application. I did find with the sponge provided that I got a nice medium coverage that didn’t look cakey at all. I think my favourite part though was that it still looked like skin and had some luminosity which is impressive for this type of foundation.

Overall I actually quite enjoyed this foundation despite my initial misgivings about it. So if you can find a shade that suits you I definitely think it would be worth a whirl.

I was really excited to trial this foundation as my skin has changed dramatically over the past year while being pregnant, I develop pigmentation spots on my cheeks and forehead and then after giving birth my skin lacks radiance and appears rather dull. I normally use Dermacol make up cover in shade 208 but I have been looking for something with a more natural finish and is quicker to apply.

I choose the shade Vanilla Shell which is probably a tad too dark for my porcelain skin but as the shade selection in NZ is limited it looked to be the best match by going off swatches on the Elizabeth Arden website.

The foundation is very creamy and light in texture which makes application easy especially on my skin which is currently dry. It can be applied in two ways depending on the type of coverage you wanted. I mainly applied it dry rather then damping the sponge as I need fuller coverage. The packaging of the foundation is very stylish. It comes in a gold and silver compact with the Elizabeth Arden logo on the front. The compact has two compartments one houses the foundation and mirror and the second contains a sponge. The things I like about the packaging are firstly the mirror, it makes applying make up on the go easy and secondly the air vents at the bottom of the compact keep the sponge fresh. The thing I think could be improved on is the feel of the packaging which is rather plasticky considering the price and the fact it does scratch easily.

The foundation states it contains " Micronized Diamond Power" or real diamonds which are suppose to help blur fine lines and other imperfections. I found that this foundation helped conceal redness on my cheeks and it did blur some fine lines around my eyes which gave a lovely radiant glow to my skin however it didn't cover much of the pigmentation I have on my forehead which is the one thing I was hoping this foundation would do. In my opinion I would not consider this foundation to be "flawless finish" as the name suggests.

It is a nice foundation and I like the concept of the compact with a mirror and sponge but it didn't quite live up to its name especially considering the higher end price. For me personally I wouldn't repurchase this as it didn't cover my pigmentation spots which my usual foundation does and it costs half the price.

If you are after a compact foundation with a natural looking finish and lasts a good eight hours and are not worried about full coverage then this could be for you. I would advise to get colour matched in store though.

The product is an absolutely beautiful mirror finish box with a red door on it and gold trim. Upon opening you will find the foundation cream and under this a thin application sponge. I was pleased with that the shade matched my skin when after applying as I wasn't sure before. It looked a little darker than it really was. Application with the sponge provided was not great. It was too thin and small to be of any use yet I thought I would give it a go. The issue I had was that the cream was clinging to my dry patches on my face and the finish was anything but flawless. I tried a second time with my beauty blender with that same results. To give it another chance I tried again to get a great finish and used my fingers with the same results. I wasn't thrilled. I try to give a product the benefit of the doubt and make it work but it wouldn't. I will probably try a few more times to apply this product in a way that it will work for my skin but so far no luck and I wasn't happy with the results, which is a really pity.

I was intrigued with this trial product. I'd never used a cream foundation before and nor have I used a product from the iconic Elizabeth Arden brand. The colour I chose was Beige.

When it came I admit to being a bit apprehensive. The colour of the product in the pan looked very Donald Trump bronze rather than beige however readers do not let this fool you.

The product comes in a gorgeous red and gold two layer compact with the iconic red door on the lid. It screams luxury. It also comes with an applicator sponge and can be used wet or dry.

Appearances can be deceiving however, when I applied it it was a perfect match for my skin. I applied it with a damp sponge and it glided on smoothly and gave me a light but full coverage with a dewy finish.

I loved how the application was so easy. You can apply it dry but this didn't work so well for me and I did try it with a brush and also a beauty blender but ultimately the sponge that came with the product was the best.

While wearing it I have had 3 people comment on how amazing my skin looks so this is a keeper for my and I will almost certainly repurchase when i've finished it.

The price is representative of a luxury brand but it is actually cheaper than the current foundation that I use, I think this will last longer as well, so per use is probably better value.