August 4, 2015

Cover FX Custom Cover Drops Review & Swatches

I purchased this item and I receive a small commission if you shop using the links in this post.

Cover FX Custom Cover Drops

Cover FX Custom Cover Drops ($44) is a new full coverage concentrated pigment foundation which can be used and customized with a variety of different products. The idea behind the Custom Cover Drops is to give you a way to customize you wish to wear your foundation allowing you to add a few drops of the pigment to serums, moisturizers, oils, primers, other foundations, tinted moisturizers, etc to create a custom foundation for your face.

I’ve deem myself a bit of a mad scientist! I love mixing, combining, and cocktailing different perfumes, lipglosses, lipsticks, etc to create new shades, new fragrances, etc…I think many of us also feel like we can’t find the perfect foundation match and we tend to combine different shades to create a perfect match that isn’t necessarily offered by our favorite bands! Cover FX Custom Cover Drops gives you that option to combine, create, mix, match, and cocktail with other products or foundations to create a custom shade or a custom formula and texture to your liking!

Cover FX Custom Cover Drops13

Cover FX Custom Cover Drops comes housed in a 0.5 oz dropper bottle and will set you back $44. I know, you’re thinking that’s super expensive but they aren’t joking here when they say this is a pure pigment so really this stuff is going to last you a very, very, very long time as it is very, very, very concentrated.

This is a product you’ll want to indulge in if you need full coverage as it is very pigmented but is adjustable as well depending on what you use as a mixing agent. I do think the formula can prove a tricky little substance to get down correctly as many times when testing it I failed to get it looking natural as you could really tell I had makeup on since it sat unnaturally atop my skin. There’s a learning curve here and I’d say it was a steep curve so you have to really work with this and get the consistency just right for the smoothest, most natural appearance and finish. I can’t stress enough that you really want to start out with the minimal amount and gradually build. Don’t underestimate how pigmented this stuff is! Try a tiny drop and work yourself up to more as needed. It’s very overwhelming and I got it more wrong than I did right no matter what mixing medium I used.

As I said this comes in a dropper bottle which is very helpful as it makes getting the product out easyily and cleanly but most important it gives you precise control over how much you’re using it. I will say, sadly, as great as the dropper it is the bottle has some misfortune because as you reinsert the dropper into it you’ll find the it causes some spill over around the ring of the bottle which can get very messy, very quickly. It’s also kinda wasteful! I’m not sure why but every single time I put the dropper back into the bottle the drops would rise and spill slightly over. It drove me nuts!

Cover FX Custom Cover Drops1

Don’t try to use the drops on their own, it’s not a good idea, believe me I tried. I find used on their own they really do provide super coverage but they look very, very unnatural so you do need something to mix them with for the best possible consistency. The concentrate is apparently coated with lecithin, which is similar to the skin which gives a smooth finish but that’s not the case when you’re using these unmixed as the the finish lays very unnatural atop skin.

Cover FX Custom Cover Drops swatches

Cover FX Custom Cover Drops Swatches Shade N35

I tried it with a few different product the first of which was moisturizer. This seemed the best way, most natural way to wear the drops. However, when you’re combining with moisturizer it shortens the wear in my opinion. I find the product fades faster using this method. It does mix well with moisturizer and it does make the finish smoother and a little more natural with this medium but I can get about four hours of wear from it tops using this method.

I didn’t love the idea of using it with a facial oil so I although I tried this out of curiosity it isn’t something I’d like wear outside as for me oils are most suitable for evening use not daily use. I got a little too much shine and my face looked greasy using this method. I also felt the product separated a bit from the oil when mixing.

Now by far the easiest way to wear the drops and the longest wear I got was combining with my own foundation. But this is kinda pointless since I desire lighter, more natural coverage and you’ll getting more coverage with this method.

I love the endless options and ways I can customize the with the drops but none of them quite worked well for me or the way I wanted them to work. I also felt the drops accentuated drier areas on my face and even when mixed with something like moisturizer the product still looked cakey, uneven, and less than smooth. If you really need full coverage Cover FX Custom Cover Drops might be the way to go but use with caution and a lighter hand!

For me?

I think it’s a skip.

This just weren’t what I expected and not quite as innovative as they sounded.

I purchased my Cover FX Custom Cover Drops at Sephora.com and they are also available at Sephora stores.

Tried ’em?

Do share your thoughts!

I purchased this item and I receive a small commission if you shop using the links in this post.

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • LauraTheRedhead

    You have skin like mine. I also tried mixing it with any and everything. the way I like to use it best, especially since it is Summer, I like to put a tinted moisturizer on (fave right now the balm one) and then get a small brush and just dot the Cover FX drops on my problem spots and then blend lightly. it looks amazing and wears long :)then I set my T-Zone with some translucent powder.

    • Isabella Muse

      Laura, that’s an excellent way to use it. I thought it mixed great with both regular and tinted moisturizer but it wore a little shorter using both mediums. I tend to not set with powder due to my drier skin so I prob could have prolonged the wear using one! However, I did find that it was hit or miss with the mixing. Sometimes it ended up looking so cakey and in your face no matter how little I used. It was a little bit of a learning curve for me! 🙂

      • LauraTheRedhead

        I am excited for the Marc Jacobs version of this for sure! I have super dry skin too. I use the Neutrogena Hydro-gel for extra dry skin mixed with Hyaluronic Acid Serum and my skin loves it!

        • Isabella Muse

          I am too! I’m hoping it’ll be more neutral ;-D I LOVE that hydro gel 😀 good stuff. Makes my skin so smooth and it’s very light!

  • Staci

    I have these. I’ve been pretty unimpressed with them as well. They do not mix flawlessly with everything as CoverFX claims. I use them in too dark foundations to try and lighten then a bit. Mixing them with sunscreen, mosturizer, serums, or oils hasn’t turned out good for me at all. I won’t buy again.

    • Isabella Muse

      I started using them in foundations as well but they make my foundation a little too pigmented :-/ I wish I could get the right combination down for lighter natural coverage as they are just a bit too heavy for me 🙁

  • Colleen

    I bought this about a month ago and I’m loving it! I like mixing it with my BB cream when I am looking for that light texture but with a little more coverage. I also have had good luck mixing it with my Murad pore minimizing sunscreen. But I agree, it does go on heavy if you aren’t careful!

    • Isabella Muse

      Colleen, great idea on adding more coverage to BB Cream likewise for tinted moisturizer.

  • Jenna

    I have dry skin also and I liked it mixed with primer! It didn’t accentuate drier areas like it did when I mixed it with everything else.

    • Isabella Muse

      I tried with primer too, worked ok, but the wear was a bit shorter for me! I used it with a hydrating primer though not a silicone.

  • Stacie

    I had the feeling about these. They are pretty cool in theory. Maybe I need to just play around some more with mine. I forgot I even had these… Sad, but true. I’m digging them out right now to give them another try. Stacie xo

  • TrishB

    I love mine so far, but with severe rosacea, I’m going for full coverage. I mix the N10 with Bobbi Brown Long Wear in Porcelain. The color is pretty spot on. I wish they made a paler shade that could lighten some of my too dark foundations. The Illamaqua white thins foundation pigments too much for my liking, so a concentrate of this kind would be helpful.

    • Phyrra

      Can I recommend Life’s Entropy White Foundation Elixir? Just 1 drop is enough to lighten things for me and it doesn’t change the consistency of foundations.

  • Lisa

    These were so hyped up, that it’s comforting to hear some others also didn’t have that great of an experience with them. I tried mixing it with moisturizer, and I found it impossible to get the kind of coverage I wanted. I tried mixing it with foundations that don’t provide enough coverage, like the Tarte Amazonian Clay foundation. That seemed to work really well–it looked beautiful on the skin. But every product I tried it with, and no matter how I prepped my skin or treated it afterwards this product only lasted around 3-4 hours on my skin. After that it started to break down in the most horrible hideous way, as though it were separating from the product I had mixed it with and sliding around on my face, settling into lines and pores and just generally looking like I had tons of product on. I tried different primers, setting powders, setting sprays. It didn’t matter. I tried mixing this stuff in with a super long-wearing foundation (the new L’oreal Infallible, whose formula I love but the shade selection is abysmal) — that was the best performance I got out of it, almost made it through a work day not looking like total crap. But that was a super long-wearing foundation to begin with, and I think adding the drops probably cut the wear time in half. Awful, awful stuff.

    • Isabella Muse

      I had issues with it breaking down weirdly on my skin as well. As it faded it started to look separated and uneven 🙁

    • HollieH

      Yes, this!! This was my exact experience too. It was frustrating and looked terrible once it separated on my skin. I could never find the right combo that worked. It now lives in the graveyard drawer.

  • Jenny

    I mix it with the cover fx mattifying primer or their calming primer and that works beautifully for my combo skin 🙂

  • Phyrra

    My current favorite mixes with the custom cover drops are Buxom Show Some Skin foundation, Paula’s Choice PC4Men SPF 30, and the Cover FX Illuminating Primer. I’ve found I really only need 1 or 2 drops because it does provide a ton of coverage. I feel like my skin is weird because it used to be combo oily, and after my rosacea meds, it became really dry. Now it feels like it is between normal and slightly dry, except my t-zone and eyes which are oily, and under my eyes which is really dry.

    • maddy

      Hi, Phyrra — I tried mixing it with Paula’s Choice Moisture Boost and Dry, and it separates and gets slightly slimy — Really struggle with this stuff! I’ve done everything suggested and it just doesn’t mix completely well and stays damp without ever really settling — even with a setting powder.

      I even tried contacting them via twitter — what useless customer service!

      In a way, though, I’m a bit pleased to see others are struggling with it — the customer service at twitter made me feel like I was the only person on the planet who could possibly struggle with these!

      I wonder what the difference is between the PC PC4Men and the Moisture Boost might be?

  • Stacy

    I am madly in love with this stuff right now. I actually use these to color correct my favorite BB Cream (Missha in the red tube). I love the formula and it works well enough, but it is a little gray for my skin. Adding a drop of the FX makes it perfect and gives that extra little oomph of coverage that I desire.

  • Katherine T.

    Ugh, this sounds like way too much work and time. I have a bunch of foundations and BB creams (many sample sizes) that I mix to get the right color/coverage

  • Jenny H.

    I bought these drops as soon as they arrived in my local sephora and was super excited to try them…but I don’t think I’ll rebuy once I’ve used my bottle up. Skincare products didn’t work well as a medium and I had better results with foundation or my Hard Candy Primer*, but even then the wear time was much worse with the drops than without. And once it started to break up it looked terrible. Really patchy in a very noticeable way.

    What really set me against these was the packaging. Considering how expensive these are, and how little you supposedly need, it drives me nuts that the packaging is so wasteful! So much of the product wound up covering the opening of the bottle. After a few months use my bottle is almost empty, even though I never used more than a couple drops a day. I use much more foundation on a daily basis, and yet it lasts me for much longer.

    It’s a shame, because I really wanted to like these, and I have had such a hard time finding a full-coverage foundation that works with my skin and comes in a shade light enough for me. Luckily I’ve since found a solution (Buxom’s foundation or NYX green CC cream, plus Hard Candy Glamoflage concealer for my scars or the Glamoflage foundation for when I want full coverage for my whole face). But I wish I had found it before I spent the money on the drops. 🙁

    *BTW, it’s slightly off-topic, but I bought the Hard Candy 12hr Primer based on your review, and I love it! First primer I’ve used in a long time that makes a noticeable difference, by hours, on the wear-time of my makeup. I’m almost done with my tube, better order a new one before I run out!

    • Isabella Muse

      Hey Jenny! Thanks for sharing you review! I had a lot of the same issues 🙁 sigh! Yay so glad you liked the Hard Candy primer!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂

  • Ryou

    Psst Musey, have you tried this with sunscreen? Those tend to wear long, not to mention they’re supposed to be the final part of your skincare anyway. The drawback is that if you use mineral-based sunscreen (active ingredients Zinc oxide and/or Titanium dioxide), it may lighten the color slightly due to the white cast of the ingredients.

    • Isabella Muse

      I have indeed Ryou but didn’t quite work out great. Separation issues!

  • Jeanine McAuliffe

    Well once again you saved me some money..I was super excited about these! I think Lorac makes some or some other company makes some..maybe you can review those next!

    • Isabella Muse

      hmm I never saw Lorac make this style foundation, is it something new upcoming maybe!? 🙂

  • Crystal

    i think this is also a skip for me. the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin enhancer can do it too, it has been around for ages, and due to its cream form it would most probably be easier to mix with any base… and can be used as a concealer as well.. xo

    • Isabella Muse

      I love the Senusual Skin Enhancer, one of my fav products 🙂

  • DivaDebbi

    Hi Is,
    I purchased and reviewed this about a month ago. I was interested in your take…I thought too thought it was a goopy mess and I found selecting my shade match at Sephora to be a challenge, nothing really was a match.

    No matter what I mixed it with, I wasn’t satisfied with the consistency or finish. Back it went! This is getting a lot of buzz, of course. Nice concept, failed execution in my book.

    Always love your honest reviews!

    xo
    DD

    • Isabella Muse

      Aw Debbi sorry you experience the same outcome as I did! Oh well, we win some we lose some in the beauty world eh? 🙁 xoxoxox!

  • Anna Fantasia

    Hello Muse,
    I purchased this during the point perks this week and have had all of the above happen. The best way I have found to apply it is on its own (and just a drop on the 4 sides of my face- for my nose I use the residue from around the lip of the bottle). I apply my moisturizer, sunscreen, and while the sunscreen is still wet on my skin I buff in the color with a foundation brush. This seems to work perfectly. When I mixed it directly with my moisturizer (I tried oil and cream consistency) and even my sunscreen, the pigment would break down and separate after several hours of wear. I’m happy with the longevity and the coverage now. And I can still see my freckles, which is a good test of whether my face looks too made up and unnatural.
    Hugs 🙂

    • Isabella Muse

      Anna, thanks for the tips! I’m going to try your application method 🙂 xoxo!

  • Rachel

    I didn’t love this one. You put it perfectly; it sat unnaturally on top of my skin. I tried 2 different CFX primers, cera ve moisturizer, an Olay serum, and a sunscreen before I gave up and returned it. I think I should just stick with my trust It Cosmetics CC.

  • Maggie

    I feet the same way as you Muse. It would work great for me for 2 hours, and then everything would separate. I think I’d much rather use concealer–at least it would fade rather than separate and leave a giant cakey mess.

  • Laura

    I’ve had the same problems mentioned with the FX. In the end, I think it really works best when attempting to bring a bb/cc cream to your skin tone. I find my SS enhancer much easier to work into other products.

  • Kathy

    I have these drops and I really like them. I have very oily skin that is very cool and pink, so it’s hard for me to find a good foundation.

    I have the P30 drops and mix them with my MDSolarSciences tinted SPF to increase the coverage a bit and they work very well for me. It’s probably similar to adding it to a BB cream as others have already mentioned.

    I do think it makes the product slightly more dry, so I could see why it might not work as well on a complexion that is more dry. Oily peeps might find this to be a great product though!

    I haven’t had the packaging problem and I’m thankful for that!

  • kiwikiwidragon

    Have to say, I used one drop, to bump up my Asian be cream/baby choux combo and it broke the good coverage and made it appear almost dry. Plus the packaging sucks in the worst way, I tried to leave a review on the cover fx site and even though I left polite and constructive comments about the two issues I had (packaging and dryness) my review was deemed inappropriate. Should have returned it. Serious over hype

      • kiwikiwidragon

        Yes, they emailed me and said it was inappropriate. It never made it to the website. I can only guess because it was negative and not glowing like all the other reviews.

        • Isabella Muse

          that’s odddddddddddd! gosh, can’t a person express their opinion on a product purchased with their own money!?

  • Liz

    I love the idea of this product but basically had the same issues as you did when I tried the recent sample I received from Sephora. The only thing I think it’s really good for is improving the color match on my It Cosmetics CC Cream, which is a bit too light in medium and a bit too dark in tan. But, I still find it less messy/costly to mix the 2 CC shades together than to use the drops, so it’s a skip for me, too. On a semi-related note, have you heard if It Cosmetics might be adding more color options for the CC cream in the future?

    • Isabella Muse

      oh that’s great news! It Cosmetics color additions is def a plus thanks for sharing Liz 🙂

      • Liz

        I was actually asking if you had heard whether It Cosmetics might be adding more CC colors…I didn’t mean to go starting rumors, was just hoping/wishing!

        • Isabella Muse

          oh gosh sorry! I’m tired I read you had heard 🙂 I haven’t heard that! If I do will def let you know 🙂