Ellis Faas Skin Veil is a light, dewy foundation that has just a little more buildable coverage than the average tinted moisturizer. The biggest advantage of Ellis Faas Skin Veil is the consistency and finish: the way it feels and looks on skin. Most tinted moisturizers may be watery but they don't do that much for dry skin. Ellis Faas foundation definitely makes a difference in skin texture. The coverage, though, only goes so far. It evens out the skin, makes it look naturally healthy, but doesn't hide much under it. In fact, as far as I can tell, LMdB Peau Vierge, technically a tinted moisturizer, gives a slightly better coverage.
Still, Ellis Faas Skin Veil Foundation gives the face one of the most beautiful finishes I've ever come across. It's smooth, soft and incredibly natural while visually minimizing pores. Skin Veil does something even with the harshest light, making the face and skin just a little prettier. While it won't conceal hyper-pigmentation or zits of any size, it is a special foundation that works for me on decent skin days.
S104 is a good fit for me right now. A couple of months ago it looked too yellow, but apparently I haven't been as diligent as I should have been with my sunblock, so now it matches my not-quite NC35 complexion. I've been wearing it several times a week, either paired with Ellis Faas concealer (review coming soon) or bigger guns when needed. This foundation looks especially good with Guerlain Meteroites powder.
I have the sleek pen version of Ellis Faas Skin Veil Foundation. It is now also available in a normal pump bottle, which is a huge improvement. As portable as the pen can be (and it is), between the all the clicking one needs to do to get the product out, dealing with the cartridges (each pen comes with two), the crappy plastic brush applicator that gunks up like you wouldn't believe it and the fact you still must carry a foundation brush to apply it, the pen's convenience is questionable at best. Also, at $65 for 15ml this is extremely steep, considering you pay for sub-par packaging. The bottle, a 30ml for $90 makes much better sense. Still, from a price point of view, unless you're really opposed to the medium-to-high coverage of Lingerie de Peau I'd recommend you go with Guerlain ($57 for 30 ml and a higher SPF).
Who would like this foundation? People with dry or mature skin, anyone who needs more moisture than actual coverage and those who are extra picky about finish and texture and willing to pay for it.
Bottom Line: Beautiful but too expensive for what it is.
Ellis Faas Skin Veil Foundation Pen ($65) is available from SpaceNK and ellisfaas.com. The product reviewed here was a press sample sent for consideration by the company.
All photos are mine.
What an excellent review, Gaia. I felt like I had the product to play with in my hands. I honestly think your blog gets better and better.
ReplyDeleteGreat review. You've hit the nail on the head with the 'something with the light' description. I got hold of a sample of this, just enough to cover my face once and when I looked in the mirror I didn't get it. When I took a picture it was a totally different story and made my skin look radiant.
ReplyDeleteI'll be interested to hear what you think of the concealer. My tiny sample of the concealer has lasted much longer. I really like it for the undereye area.
I've had this foundation (and concealer) for some time now and absolutely love it. As you say Gaia, it makes the wearer look really healthy and pretty. Months ago, before I started my regime of retinol, vit c, and decent sunscreen, my skin might not have rejoiced quite so much at this foundation, but now that my skin has improved, I find it absolutely perfect. I've been alternating between the DiorSkin Nude and EF concealers to cover under the eyes and around the nose with this, and I must say I think I prefer the EF concealer by a nose, for reasons I'll save for your post on the concealer!
ReplyDeleteI agree that the brush system is a bit of a faff, but I find that the product is more readily dispensed than the eye pens. The bottle is my preference because I've never enjoyed applying any foundation with a brush.
By the way, you describe me perfectly ;)
I had heard they were going to fix the packaging... I'm reluctant to try the brand until they do. Everything sounds so lovely, but I know I would hate dealing with bad packaging.
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried the foundation (mostly because I can't check it out in person), but I took a risk with the concealer and really like it. Unfortunately, the 101 is too yellow, but the texture is outstanding. No caking, creasing, fading. Great stuff. And one lasted me a full year (3-4x a week).
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great review. There are so few of them on the foundation.
I purchased the Guerlain after reading a review of yours and I love it!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dain. It's been five years now and I'm still learning something new every day.
ReplyDeleteJane, I suspect this might be an excellent foundation for photoshoots, but since I haven't taken any pictures lately (hate the way I look in photos. Hate. Hate. Hate) I can't say with 100% confidence. I love it anyway.
ReplyDeleteDempss, the bottle is the way to go, for sure. More product and easy to use. I'm going to get one after the cartridges I have run out.
ReplyDeleteAdele, I believe the newly released bottle are the promised better mechanism. Not sure if the pens themselves are going to change in the near future, and in any case, they're not a good deal.
ReplyDeleteZP, I think that if you call a SpaceNK store they might be able to send you a sample. Their customer service is outstanding and the people in the NYC store are nice and very helpful.
ReplyDeleteAnon, I'm so glad to hear. I also got my mother hooked on the Guerlain.
ReplyDeleteGaia, I also love the EF foundation. My skin is a light olive, and in the winter, I can get away with S103 (for fair/medium complexions). In the summer, no matter how assiduously I apply sunblock, I need the new shade S103.5 (just recently released), otherwise I have to mix the S103 and S104 in about a 1:1 ratio; mixing is tedious. I love your reviews, especially of my favorite, Ellis Faas, I only use the foundation, concealer (I mix the S202 and S204 because the S203 is too peachy) and blush (S304)...I think I have the numbers right!
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