When I saw the ELF Acne Fighting Foundation the first thing I thought was dude, I bet this is a dupe for my Clinique Acne Solutions Liquid Makeup. So, I put these bad boys to the test in an ultimate dupe showdown!
The first thing I will compare is the shade range:
The first swatch is the Clinique:
First is just a swatch of the foundation, and the second is the foundation blended in with a sponge.
First, we have Clinique:
You can barely see the second swatch, but trust me, it’s there.
Next, we have ELF:
You can definitely see the second swatch in this picture. The shade is a bit dark for me.
Clinique: 16 different shades, cool and warm undertones, grouped by color groups. There is also a questions hotline to help you shade match. Sold in Sephora, so you are able to have someone help you color match, and test out in store.
ELF: 5 shades (7 online at ULTA). Still, that’s half as many as Clinique. It might be hard to shade match as it is mostly sold online and you most likely won’t be able to test in store
Winner? Clinique!
Price:
Clinique: $28.00 at 1.0 oz
ELF: $6.00 for 1.21 oz (you can buy about 4 bottles of ELF for $24)
Winner? ELF!
Packaging:
Clinique: A rounded square tube, with the Clinique logo and product name printed in white. The cap is mirrored. The bottle is lightly frosted. The bottle is essentially a squeezy tube. The shade name is a sticker on the bottom of the bottle.
ELF: The packaging is taller and skinnier than Clinique’s. The front is ELF’s logo is black. The bottle is taller and skinnier than the Clinique one. The bottle is also a squeezy tube, however, this one is a bit harder to squeeze out product.
Winner? Clinique!
Formula (lightest shades)
Clinique (Shade: 01 Fresh Alabaster): Natural finish. A little sheerer. Doesn’t cover my redness as well as I’d like it to. The shade matches me pretty well.
ELF (Shade porcelain): Natural finish. More full coverage. Covers my redness. Shade is too dark for me. It might be a good summer shade for me.
Winner? Clinique!
Ingredients:
These foundations have 9 ingredients in common. However, they are in different orders. Click here for a table of all the ingredients. The common ingredients are highlighted.
Tally:
ELF: 1
Clinique: 3
Overall, it really depends on what you want and how much you want to spend. If you need a good cheap foundation, go for the ELF one. If you want to splurge on a foundation with good ingredients, go for the Clinique one.
Whomst Am I? 