Pixi Illuminating Tint & Conceal

Do you go through phrases when it comes to your makeup? Last month, I went though a "foundation" phase. I was really sick with mono and as a result did almost nothing when it comes to makeup and skincare - I washed my face once a day and completely ignored it the rest of the time - and my skin was clearer than ever. Boy, did that ever make me re-think my skincare routine. Anyway, after I started to feel better, I started wanting to wear makeup again and realized I didn't really have any sheerer foundations/tinted moisturizers that seemed "just right."

After reading an abundance of glowing MUA reviews, I decided to give Pixi Illuminating Tint & Conceal a try and bought it at Target (for $30 - ouch!). It sounded pretty cool - a tinted moisturizer that covers unevenness, leaves you looking "dewy," and comes with its own built-in concealer on the end. But let's just cut to the chase: I was majorly disappointed, and am now kicking myself for buying expensive makeup at Target, where the return policy sucks.

The good: the concealer ROCKS. I was surprised by how much I liked it. I tried applying it with a brush, with my finger, and even by applying the little ball of solid concealer directly to my face and then blending it in with my finger. However I applied it, I loved the results. It didn't emphasize dry spots, sink into lines under my eyes, melt off, rub off, or anything else undesirable. It's just a good concealer. If Pixi were to sell the concealer separately in stick form, I'd definitely buy it. Additionally, the coverage on the tinted moisturizer was impressive, though I'd consider it more of a light foundation than a tinted moisturizer due to the extra coverage. The color match on shade No. 1 was good for my skin, which is impressive for a drugstore product with only three shades.

The bad: THE SPARKLES! This "Illuminating Tint" is 99% illuminator, 1% tint. And I said it had good coverage, so imagine what that means in terms of sparkle factor. At least from my perspective, the amount of shimmer in this makes it completely unwearable as anything but maybe a highlighter on cheekbones. I wore it once and will never wear it again: even in the bathroom mirror at home, I could see sparkles all over my face, as well as all over my hands after I'd used them to apply it and blend it in. I looked like a 10-year-old on sparkle steroids. I decided to let it go and give it a shot anyway, though, just for the day. I got in my car outside, looked at my reflection in sunlight in my car mirror, and actually started laughing. I really try hard to put myself in others' shoes in addition to my own when it comes to reviewing products, but I genuinely can't fathom how this could look like anything but sparkle city on anyone who wears it.

I've also tried Revlon PhotoReady foundation, which has been lambasted by many for having "Cullen-esque" shimmer, but let me tell you - on me, PhotoReady was practically matte compared to this stuff. The picture to the right is of a model from a trend show last year. See how shimmery her cheekbones look? Pretty, right? Well, now imagine her whole face looks like that - that's how I looked. For that reason, I really can't recommend the tinted moisturizer part of this Tint & Conceal duo.

The tinted moisturizer had good lasting power, too, but given how much I disliked it, I'm not even going to pretend I see that as a plus. However, I do think this makes for a great cheekbone highlighter, so if you happen to be on the market for a new concealer and highlighter, it might be worth your consideration. Maybe.