elf Halo Glow Powder Filter Review, Swatches, Look On Oily Combo Skin

elf Cosmetics has seen major success from their Halo Glow line. Their newest member is the elf Halo Glow Powder Filter. I am testing it five different ways on fair, oily, combination skin that is acne prone. This detailed review contains swatches, photos of the trials, and so much more to help you make a buying decision.

Details & Claims

When it comes to where to buy this powder, your options are broad! All major retailers that carry elf Cosmetics have the powder both in-store and online. The currnet comprehensive list is Amazon, Ulta, Target, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, and elf themselves. However, most of them outside of elf do not carry all 12 shades.

This is one of the most expensive products from the brand, which is stirring up a lot of chatter. For $14 you do get 10 grams or 0.35 ounces of product, plus a mirror and a velour powder puff. That is decent! The rest of the packaging is basic drugstore – cheap but not flimsy.

The elf Halo Glow Powder Filter claims to be lightweight and ultra-fine pressed to give you light buildable coverage. It is a finishing powder, not a setting powder. Yes, there is a difference! I will break this down during my review to follow. It should blur your pores while reducing the look of excess oil. You should get a soft-focus glow.

Further, this powder should be crease resistant. It can be used on its own or to refresh your look with long-lasting wear.

elf’s instructions on how to use the powder provide a few options. It can be used at the end of your makeup look as a finishing touch. Or, you can use a fluffy powder brush to get an airbrushed look. It can also be used as a touch-up during the day. They also recommend pairing it with the Halo Glow liquid to get an “effortless glow.” Do note that out of my five trials to follow I do not try the touch-up method. I never touch up my look so it feels disingenuine to do that now.

Swatches & Shades

The swatches are of the shade fair neutral cool. I love that the shade names clearly explain the undertone!

Review

I have been testing elf Cosmetics products (basically, everything that they sell) for 10 years! I have fair skin. My skin type is oily combination that is acne prone. I get the most oil and sebum production in my t-zone, more specifically on my forehead and on and around my nose. I have large pores on and around my nose as well.

I have put the elf Halo Glow Powder Filter through five extensive wear tests! I am going after elf’s claims and use cases, plus I made my own. I will also demonstrate washing the velour puff. For each trial I am using tried-and-true products as a control group. None of them extend makeup wear. I use a basic setting spray and hydrating primer serum. I use their provided velour puff for application, unless otherwise noted.

I have general points to cover on this product. The powder itself is very soft and finely milled. It does not blur anything – my pores are on full display. However, it does give a soft-focus effect to the entire face.

There is no glitter or shimmer in this product. It comes across as finely milled, almost non-dectable peralized pigment. The result is a luminous, lit-from-within type of glow that is healthy.

This product is long wearing! I have never had it fade, flake, get heavy, or do anything else bad. It is a great option for a no-makeup-makeup look, worn alone, over an SPF, or over a glowing liquid.

The included velour puff feels and performs like any on the market. It is not special, but a nice included extra. This is an example of you absolutely should use the included applicator! You can also use any puff that you own, as well as a powder brush.

As you can see below, the puff snugly fits two fingers to give you control. The puff will not be slipping off of your fingers during application.

Below I have a chart covering the key details.

These are the quantitative measurements of performance:

Packaging

• Durability: 8/10 (Sturdy, but basic drugstore quality)
• Ease of Use: 9/10 (Velour puff fits the fingers well)
• Convenience: 8/10 (Compact size, mirror included)

Application

• Ease of Application: 9/10 (Smooth, blends easily with puff or brush)
• Buildability: 7/10 (Medium coverage, slightly heavier with 2+ layers)
• Control: 8/10 (Velour puff gives precise application)

Finish

• Glow: 9/10 (Subtle, healthy glow, no shimmer)
• Natural Look: 8/10 (Skin-like finish, not cakey or heavy)
• Soft-Focus Effect: 8/10 (Soft-focus effect but no blurring)

Longevity

• Wear Time: 9/10 (Holds up well throughout the day with general wear and tear)
• Oil Control: 9/10 (No oils break through except in the sunscreen trial)

Worn Over Halo Glow Liquid

My first review trial is wearing the powder over the Halo Glow Liquid Filter, as the brand is pushing this application in their marketing campaigns. I applied one layer of the liquid with a sponge, then concealer, and finally one layer of the powder.

It fully set the liquid with no tackiness. My boyfriend commented that it looked like my skin, but better. The finial result is very skin-like, not heavy or cakey anywhere. You would swear you are not wearing powder! That is what sets it apart from the competition, as other powders end up wearing dry and cakey to give you this same effect.

If you have read my elf Halo Glow Liquid Filter review, then you know that I liked it but with some issues. I can get away with one layer, but two layers give me what I lovingly call the greasy salami effect. The product does not make me oily, but as a combo skin gal, I feel uncomfortable showing off a shiny complexion.

The powder tones down the glow to a manageable level so that my skin still looks fresh and healthy! This makes the liquid so much more wearble for oily/combo skin! My liquid has been seriously neglected – you should see how much dust is on top of it! I will now be reaching for it more to rock this combo. Chef’s kiss.

I want to note that I am wearing the lightest shade of each product. Sadly, they are both just a hint too dark for fair skin, even though they are sheer and buildable. I can see this on my neck but I tried to blend everything the best that I can. In this trial I did not try to build up coverage, so no comments on that.

End of day wear essentially looks the same as initial application! There is minor wear and tear but no oils have come through and nothing has broken down or worn off. While elf does not peddle this product to any one skin type, it is definitely a helping hand for combo skin!

Worn As Powder Foundation

For this second trial I am wearing the powder as an actual powder foundation. The reason for this is elf has it categorized under Foundation on their website. I went in with my primer and concealer, then attempted to build up coverage with this powder.

It has buildable to medium coverage. It will cover redness from acne but also lets a bit of your real skin peek through, which adds to a natural appearance. One layer of the powder is nice, but, I went for a second. It will start to look heavier in terms of it looks like you are wearing powder. But, it is not bad! Your look will be less “no-makeup-makeup-y” and that is ok. It is still lightweight. All products layer well over top.

My trouble areas are my upper lip and chin. Makeup tends to get a heavy appearance in those areas, and sometimes break down. In this trial I had a bit of a heavy look on the right side of my upper lip and lower mouth on inital application. Setting spray helped a lot here to generally melt all of the products that I am wearing into my skin. Additionally, it warms up to the skin well throughout the day.

The fine pearl pigments are more noticable when worn as powder foundation. They might emphasize texture on specific areas that you are concerned about. This is also what gave me some of that trouble that I mentioned in the above paragraph. The key is do not build it up on your trouble spots.

Either way, the glow is still natural and lit-from-within. The end of the day wear test again gives no oil production, minor wear and tear, and it all holds up. Some of that heaviness on my upper lip and chin came back, but again it was not as bad as what it could be.

elf does have a powder foundation, and, sadly, I could not make it work for me. You can see that in my elf Camo Powder Foundation review. This finishing powder is definitely a level-up!

Worn As Setting Powder

My third trial is using this powder as a setting powder, applied with a brush. I am wearing it over their Camo CC Cream foundation. Now, hold up a second! There is a difference between setting and finishing powder.

A setting powder is used to actually “set” your makeup in place all day for long-lasting wear. It can also help to control oil, and be used for the baking technique. It focuses on functionality.

Finishing powder is applied on top of your completed look, at or near the end, to blur and to create a smooth and flawless finish. It is not meant to extend wear time, as it is more for aesthetics. They generally give a soft focus look.

That is right, I am testing this powder for a non-intended purpose. Camo CC Cream claims a natural finish, but it leans more on the matte side, which is why I specifically selected it for this trial. I find that the powder adds a nice, luminous and healthy glow. That means this powder is a great option to add luminoisity to or revive a foundation that is too matte.

I see no difference in using a powder brush or velour puff. Yes, it looks like I am wearing powder or makeup. Again, it is not a bad thing. I applied one layer and tapped the excess off. The lightweight aspect still rings true.

It fully set the foundation with no tackiness. All products layered well over top.

At the end of the day, like a broken record, I see normal wear and tear, and no oil came through. Now, both the Camo CC Cream and the powder are long-wearing on their own, so it is not fair to comment if they extend the wear time of each other.

I do have an elf Camo CC Cream review, and at that time, I did not like it so much. I love it now, as my technique and skincare has drastically changed. The added touch of the powder makes me like it more and gives me extended wear options!

Worn Over Sunscreen

I was thinking that this powder is an excellent candidate for a no-makeup-makeup look, or the “clean girl aesthetic” that is forever trendy. So, for my fourth trial I am using it to set the Whoa Glow sunscreen.

I have to tell you, this look worked so well. My boyfriend said he was unsure if I was wearing makeup or not. He could not decide! If you would like a tutorial for this look, please drop a comment and I am happy to provide.

I did one layer of powder over the sunscren, and the powder is virtually undectable. Now, this sunscreen is very glowy. Similar to my remarks on the Halo Glow Filter, it is a lot for oily combo skin. The sunscreen also has the tendancy to make me a bit oily. You can see more in my elf Suntouchable Whoa Glow SPF 30 review.

Again here, the powder tones down that glow slightly to make the sunscreen more wearable on combo skin. It is enough that the finish looks like you are wearing nothing more than really good skincare.

Everything held up at the end of the day, but I did get oily on my forehead only. That is the fault of the sunscreen, and the light layer of powder did not keep it at bay. It still looked fresh and did not break down, so I was not mad.

Worn As Finishing Powder

The final trial covers the real purpose of this powder, and that is worn as a finishing powder. I am pairing it again with the Camo CC Cream, and my setting powder is the Halo Glow Setting Powder.

I applied the Halo Glow Setting Powder in my t-zone, under my eyes, and on my laugh lines. I applied the Halo Glow Powder Filter to the high points of my face (cheekbones, bridge of the nose, center of the forehad, and chin).

Given my issues with heaviness in certain areas, I was very scared to wear two powders! Finishing powder is never a step in my routine. I was pleasantly surprised that the final look was so good! The luminosity again is subtle.

I have read a lot of chatter about this powder being a dupe for popular, high-end ambient lighting powders and such. I have not tried those so I cannot comment on them. However, I understand how those work and that idea definitely applies to this wear trial.

The end of day wear results are the same with no oil coming through and general wear and tear.

Cleaning The Puff

After this five day wear trial it is time to clean the puff! Below you can see the before and after. In following my how to wash makeup puffs tutorial, I hand washed it in the sink with warm water and a bar of soap. I wet it, lather the soap, massage it with my hands, then squeeze as I rinse. You can see that the puff is almost back to its new state! There are a few spots of product remaining. This was easy and effective.

Amanda’s Review: ★★★★★

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the elf Halo Glow Powder Filter provide coverage, or is it sheer?

The elf Halo Glow Powder Filter does provide some coverage. It is sheer and buildable up to medium coverage. It will cover some redness and trouble spots, but still allow your skin to peek through.

Will the elf Halo Glow Powder work for oily skin types?

The elf Halo Glow Powder does work for oily skin types! It does not allow oils to come through. Plus, the glow that it provides is soft and lit-from-within so that you never look greasy.

Can the elf Halo Glow Powder be used alone?

The elf Halo Glow Powder can be used alone. You can wear it over your skincare as a finishing touch, or build it up to be more of a powder foundation. It provides a soft-focus effect that controls oil production.

What Reddit Users Say About The Powder

Shop The Powder

This is my new favorite powder, as well as my first finishing powder! I know the price point is turning a lot of people off, but it fills a hole in my collection which makes it worthy of my cash and I will use it again. How often do you use finishing powders? Until text time, let your true beauty shine.

Discover More elf Cosmetics Complexion Reviews: