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New Pacifica Alight Clean Foundation ($16) and Liquid Cover Full Coverage Lasting Concealer ($13)

Pacifica Beauty just released a new foundation and concealer line! The foundation is available in 30 shades for $16 and the concealer comes in 12 shades for $13. Both products are formulated with clean ingredients that are meant to improve the appearance of the skin over time. They’re available at Ulta and Target. Here’s what their website has to say:

Alight Clean Foundation

▪Anti-shine, satin finish

▪Non-comedogenic, dermatologist tested

▪Formulated without silicone, parabens, phthalates, talc, BHA, BHT, petroleum and drying alcohols

▪ Key ingredients- Hyaluronic acid (supports skin moisture), Coconut water (Balancing), Rose Leaf Extract (Antioxidant properties)

▪ Immediate results- flawless, seamless coverage, skin feels clean, radiant, healthy looking skin, pore free appearance, lasts day to night

▪After 6 weeks of use skin looks more healthy and feels smoother

Liquid Cover Full Coverage Lasting Concealer

▪Demi matte finish

▪Silicone free

▪Can be used to conceal blemishes and dark circles and to contour and highlight

▪ Formulated with hyaluronic acid to help eliminate creases and support hydration

▪ Infused with coconut water, alpine rose, iris, seaweed

Onto the review! My skin is normal so I can wear most foundations without issue but I tend to prefer a medium coverage, liquid foundation with a satin or dewy finish. Which pretty much describes Pacifica Alight perfectly. In my opinion this formula is going to work best for normal to dry skin.

Fyi the last two foundations that I reviewed (L’oreal infallible fresh wear 24hr and Catrice hd liquid coverage foundation) were geared more towards oily skin.

As mentioned in the intro, the Alight foundation and concealer are 100% vegan and formulated with skin friendly ingredients, like everyone’s favorite: hyaluronic acid. One of the main ingredients in the foundation is squalane. Squalane is an oil that mimics the sebum that our skin produces, which allows it to absorb rapidly. It’s lightweight, non-greasy and rarely causes acne or allergic reactions since it’s naturally found in the body. Squalane and hyaluronic acid pair nicely because hyaluronic acid is a humectant that draws in moisture and squalene is an emollient which seals moisture.

The foundation contains just under an ounce of product (.9oz) and comes packaged in a tall glass bottle with a plastic pump. While the packaging is attractive, the bottles are too tall to be stored upright in Alex drawers. Sigh. Not a deal breaker by any means but still an annoyance for me. The shade range for the foundation is pretty comprehensive but I think that the concealer range should be extended a bit. The naming system makes it easy to find your shade (NF= Neutral Fair, WD= Warm Deep etc) but I’d suggest reading the shade descriptions provided by the brand for additional insight.

Although the fountain does have a dense consistency, it doesn’t feel heavy or cakey. The ingredients mentioned previously allow the product to absorb into the skin as opposed to sitting on its surface. For me it applies a bit better with a sponge but a brush works too.

My favorite part is the satin finish which gives the skin a healthy, radiant glow. I’d say that its finish is comparable to TF Born this Way, L’oreal True Match Lumi or Armani Luminous Silk. I’d consider the coverage to be medium but buildable. It evens out my complexion nicely but I have to spot check a bit with concealer. I was having issues with undereye creasing and wear time when I used my go to powders, which are the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder and the Lancome Absolue Powder

After some trial and error I found two powders that played nicely, By Terry Hyaluronic Hydra-Powder and It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Silk HD Anti-Aging Micro-Powder. The primary ingredient in both powders is Silica. I’m not an esthetician and I’m sure as shit not a chemist so I can’t offer a scientific explanation but I can attest that I experience little to no creasing and a longer wear time when I set the foundation and concealer with these powders. I wouldn’t consider it be an exceptionally long wearing foundation but when set with the right powder, I get a solid 8 hours of wear time before I notice some fading around my nose.

While my skin is normal my undereye area has a tendency to be a bit dry, especially during allergy season, so I really appreciate the moisturizing ingredients in this concealer. There’s nothing worse than itchy eyes paired with a dry concealer. The finish is a very flattering demi matte that sets perfectly with either of the powders that I mentioned above. I can’t emphasis enough what a difference those powders made. I’m pretty sure that Pacifica has a setting powder too and I’d be very curious about whether Silica is one of the primary ingredients. So I love the Pacifica concealer for my dark circles but I prefer something that’s slightly heavier for covering blemishes.

Recap:

➕ The good:

▪First I like Pacifica as a brand. Their products are high quality and affordable and the entire line is vegan and ingredient conscious

▪ I love the idea of makeup that’s actually good for my skin.

▪I like that the foundation has a radiant finish and that the concealer doesn’t dry out my undereyes.

➖ And the not so good:

▪I don’t like that the bottles are too tall for my Alex drawers.

▪Also there’s not an exact match for my skin (which is light medium with neutral yellow undertones) so I have to mix two shades. Not a big deal for me since I have the whole line but still worth mentioning.

▪I had issues with creasing unless I used a certain powder

Overall I like this foundation and I hope to try more Pacifica products in the future! I would recommend the foundation if you have normal or dry skin and you like a satiny finish. Click here to check out my previous foundation reviews!