Every so often, a beauty product goes viral for all the right reasons — and recently, the Elroel Blanc Cover Cream Stick, an innovative color-changing foundation from Korea, has been making the rounds on TikTok and Instagram. Almost magically, its stark-white pigment blends away to match the wearer's skin tone virtually perfectly.
While it may seem that the white, almost chalk-like consistency would be too thick or caky for everyday wear, the result is actually ultra-glowy skin with beautiful, non-patchy coverage and a scarily accurate color match. In other words, the internet's glam-loving girls (me) are going positively feral for it.
I set out to see if the unique foundation stick is worth the hype, or if it's really just a gimmick that's simply too good to be true.
It costs $27 on Amazon and comes in six adaptable shades
Olivia Rose Rushing/Business Insider
The buzzy foundation stick comes in six adaptable shades, from their lightest "200 Fair" to the darkest "205 Deep." As is true with many Korean cosmetic brands, the shade range doesn't encompass as many hues as American ones (think Fenty Beauty's industry-shifting fifty foundation hues). Because of this, I can't say if this will work for those with the deepest complexions because I've only tested it myself.
I ordered shade "201 Fair." When I first opened the box, I loved how simple and sleek the packaging was. What's more, the ultra-soft built-in brush actually felt like something I would use — especially when traveling with makeup.
When I first applied it, the product felt a lot creamier on my skin than I expected. I immediately disliked its powdery floral scent, which at least comes from the jasmine and evening primrose oils rather than from added fragrances or perfumes, thankfully. Still, the heavy fragrance is my least favorite aspect of the formula.
Before and after blending out the color-changing foundation
The El Roel Blanc Cover Cream Stick swatches white, but blends away to reveal a near-perfect color match.
Olivia Rose Rushing/Business Insider
Elroel's foundation works by using microencapsulation technology, where tiny bits of pigment are literally encapsulated by the white mineral base. As the formula melts into the skin, the pigment blends with the base and creates a tinted foundation (so yes, it can take a good bit of blending).
Just like the viral TikTok videos, I couldn't believe how intensely stark white the color was swatched against my complexion, and I'm quite fair to begin with. That being said, it started to blend away pretty effortlessly, slowly but surely revealing an impressive color match that's hard to find in a foundation.
While I initially thought that the built-in brush would be a major win, I did find that it took much longer than I prefer to spend blending my base makeup. Because of that, I probably wouldn't use it again, unless I was traveling or in a pinch as it did a good enough job.
It matched my skin tone beautifully, but I just can't get past the scent
It goes without saying that the color match is almost exact, and with a surprising amount of coverage that doesn't require you to layer more swipes of foundation. And as many have noted online, the final result is a soft-matte finish with a pretty glow that appears healthy and nourished thanks to efficacious ingredients like niacinamide. In that regard, I totally understand the hype.
I also loved how this foundation worked well with my current product lineup, like my go-to cream-to-powder blush that's coloring my cheeks. Though honestly, despite its light finish, it was weighed down by the lingering powdery jasmine aroma.
The bottom line
The Elroel foundation stick does exactly what it promises: it swipes on white, blends into skin for a wow-worthy color match, and leaves you looking youthfully dewy. It never made my skin look too textured or caky, and overall, the formula is lightweight and wears well throughout the day.
That said, my main gripes are the limited shade range — especially for those with darker skin tones — and the scent, which is a personal preference but important to note. Because of that, it hasn't replaced my current foundation, though it might just end up being someone else's new holy grail.
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