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Foundation Stick 250 dupes and alternatives Essence

Deep · Warm undertone

Closest shade match is the equivalent shade, scored on colour, depth and undertone only. Closest overall alternative is the most similar foundation overall, scored on shade match (55%), finish and visual result (25%), wear and performance (15%) and skin suitability (5%).

Filters, 3 applied

Coverage

Finish

Formulation

Skin type

Preferences

Fragrance-free3No drying alcohol2Vegan1Cruelty-free1Oil-free0With SPF0Mineral0

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Only showing matches with medium coverage, in liquid form, without coconut oil.

  • 8 matches have no formulation listed and are not shown.
  • 2 matches have no ingredient list listed and are not shown.

Closest shade match: NARS Light Reflecting Foundation Timaru

The equivalent shade: scored on colour, depth and undertone only.

Your shade
Essence
250Change shade
Depth and undertone: Deep · Warm
Finish and coverage: Matte · Medium coverage
The match
NARS
Timaru
Depth and undertone: Deep · Neutral
Finish and coverage: Natural · Medium coverage
Shade match
81out of 100
Colour
83
Depth
98
Undertone
65
Medium confidence· Digital matchWhy it matches
Best price
$55SephoraSephora
Costs $48.01 more

Your shade $6.99 at Ulta Beauty

SephoraView at Sephora

Closest overall alternative: Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation 14

The most similar foundation overall: shade match 55%, finish and visual result 25%, wear and performance 15%, skin suitability 5%.

Your shade
Essence
250Change shade
Depth and undertone: Deep · Warm
Finish and coverage: Matte · Medium coverage
The match
Hourglass
14
Depth and undertone: Deep · Warm
Finish and coverage: Natural · Medium coverage
Overall match
72out of 100
Shade (Shade match)
80
Finish (Finish & visual result)
70
Wear (Wear & performance)
40
Skin (Skin suitability)
100
Medium confidence· Digital matchWhy it matches
Best price
$60SephoraSephora
Costs $53.01 more

Your shade $6.99 at Ulta Beauty

SephoraView at Sephora

More matches

Show
Overall alternativesShade matchesRanked by the overall match: the most similar foundation on shade, finish, wear and skin suitability together. Each row leads with its overall match; the shade match is beneath it.

Ranked by the overall match: the most similar foundation on shade, finish, wear and skin suitability together. Each row leads with its overall match; the shade match is beneath it.

  1. #3 · Clinique

    Acne Solutions Liquid Makeup Foundation

    WN 125 Mahogany
    Shade match 70
    $39Ulta BeautyUlta Beauty(product price)Costs $32.01 more

    Matches: Same matte finishSame medium coverageClaims a blurring effect

    Differences: Slightly cooler undertoneNot marketed for normal/sensitive skinContains drying alcohol

    Score details
    Shade match
    70
    Finish & visual result
    89
    Wear & performance
    40
    Skin suitability
    60

    Close colour · Matte · Medium coverage

    Ingredients (not scored): 3% ingredient overlap

    Differences: Slightly cooler undertone · Not marketed for normal/sensitive skin · Contains drying alcohol

    Medium confidence· Digital match

    View match

Looking for a concealer in your shade?

The closest shade to Essence Foundation Stick 250 (Deep · Warm undertone) in each concealer range, compared on measured colour, depth and undertone. Price never changes the order.

Closest concealers

  1. Tarte Shape Tape Full Coverage Matte Concealer

    55W rich warm

    Tarte Shape Tape Full Coverage Matte Concealer, shade 55W rich warm

    • Close colour
    • Deep · Warm undertone

    $32

    SephoraView at Sephora
  2. Rare Beauty Liquid Touch Brightening Concealer

    540C

    Rare Beauty Liquid Touch Brightening Concealer, shade 540C

    • Very close colour
    • Deep · Cool undertone

    $24

    SephoraView at Sephora
  3. Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Long-Wear Blur Concealer

    15 Deep

    Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Long-Wear Blur Concealer, shade 15 Deep

    • Close colour
    • Deep · Neutral undertone

    $36

    SephoraView at Sephora
  4. NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

    Cacao

    NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, shade Cacao

    • Slight colour difference
    • Deep · Warm undertone

    $36

    SephoraView at Sephora
  5. NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer

    Cacao

    NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer, shade Cacao

    • Slight colour difference
    • Deep · Warm undertone

    $36

    SephoraView at Sephora
  6. CoverGirl TruBlend Undercover Concealer

    Bronze

    CoverGirl TruBlend Undercover Concealer, shade Bronze

    • Close colour
    • Deep · Neutral · neutral pink undertone

    $11.99

    Ulta BeautyView at Ulta Beauty

Concealer shade colours are sampled from retailer swatch images, so check the shade on the retailer page before buying.

Why the closest shade match works

NARS Light Reflecting Foundation in Timaru, against Essence Foundation Stick in 250. Every attribute compared, with its share of the score.

ComparedYour shade250Closest shade matchTimaruScore
Shade match55% of overall81
Colour83#865145#8b4c3aClose colourColour difference 3.3 (0 is identical)
Depth98DeepDeepSameDepth difference: 1.0
Retailer descriptionDeep tanDeepSome differenceRetailer descriptions one depth band apart
Undertone65WarmNeutralSome differencefrom retailer shade descriptions
Finish & visual result25% of overall · 3 of 4 compared70
Finish56MatteNaturalSome differenceNatural finish rather than matte
Coverage100MediumMediumSameSame medium coverage
Skin-like finishnot comparableNot listedNot listedNot claimed by eitherNeither product lists a skin-like finish
Blurring40Not listedClaimedSome differenceThe match claims a blurring or smoothing effect; your product does not list it
Wear & performance15% of overall · 2 of 5 compared40
Longevity40Not listedLong-wearingSome differenceThe match claims long wear; your product does not list it
Transfer resistancenot comparableNot listedNot listedNot claimed by eitherNeither product lists transfer resistance
Settlingnot comparableNot listedNot listedNot claimed by eitherNeither product lists not settling into pores or fine lines
Colour stabilitynot comparableNot listedNot listedNot claimed by eitherNeither product lists colour stability (no oxidation)
Comfort40Not listedClaimedSome differenceThe match claims a comfortable, lightweight feel; your product does not list it
Skin suitability5% of overall60
Skin type60Combination, dry, normal, oily, sensitiveNormal, dry, combinationBoth marketed for combination/​dry/​normal skin
Overall match 71/100Shade match 81/100Medium confidence· Digital match

Weights are each part's share of the overall match and each attribute's share of its part; an attribute neither product lists is not comparable and its weight goes to the others in its part. Confidence reflects data quality, not similarity. Price and ingredients are not part of either score.

How scoring works

If you switch

To NARS Light Reflecting Foundation in Timaru.

Same or better

  • Same medium coverage
  • Claims a blurring effect
  • Claims long-wearing
  • Claims a lightweight feel

Different

  • Small colour difference on the swatch
  • Neutral rather than warm undertone
  • Natural finish instead of matte
  • Not marketed for oily/sensitive skin

Ingredients (information only, not scored)

2 shared ingredients; weighted similarity 4%. Ingredients only affect results through the filters.

AttributeYour shadeClosest shade match
Basemoderate siliconeWater-based, no silicone
FragranceNot listedNot listed
Drying alcoholNot listedNot listed
SPFNot listedNot listed
OverlapUnknown-based vs water-based; silicone moderate vs none
View full match

Why the closest overall alternative works

Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation in 14, against Essence Foundation Stick in 250. Every attribute compared, with its share of the score.

ComparedYour shade250Closest overall alternative14Score
Shade match55% of overall80
Colour70#865145#905b46Close colourColour difference 5.0 (0 is identical)
Depth87DeepDeepSameDepth difference: 5.4
Retailer descriptionDeep tanDeepSome differenceRetailer descriptions one depth band apart
Undertone100WarmWarmSamefrom retailer shade descriptions
Finish & visual result25% of overall · 3 of 4 compared70
Finish56MatteNaturalSome differenceNatural finish rather than matte
Coverage100MediumMediumSameSame medium coverage
Skin-like finishnot comparableNot listedNot listedNot claimed by eitherNeither product lists a skin-like finish
Blurring40Not listedClaimedSome differenceThe match claims a blurring or smoothing effect; your product does not list it
Wear & performance15% of overall · 3 of 5 compared40
Longevity40Not listedLong-wearingSome differenceThe match claims long wear; your product does not list it
Transfer resistance40Not listedClaimedSome differenceThe match claims transfer resistance; your product does not list it
Settlingnot comparableNot listedNot listedNot claimed by eitherNeither product lists not settling into pores or fine lines
Colour stabilitynot comparableNot listedNot listedNot claimed by eitherNeither product lists colour stability (no oxidation)
Comfort40Not listedClaimedSome differenceThe match claims a comfortable, lightweight feel; your product does not list it
Skin suitability5% of overall100
Skin type100Combination, dry, normal, oily, sensitiveNormal, dry, combination, oily, sensitiveBoth marketed for combination/​dry/​normal/​oily/​sensitive skin
Overall match 72/100Shade match 80/100Medium confidence· Digital match

Weights are each part's share of the overall match and each attribute's share of its part; an attribute neither product lists is not comparable and its weight goes to the others in its part. Confidence reflects data quality, not similarity. Price and ingredients are not part of either score.

How scoring works

If you switch

To Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation in 14.

Same or better

  • Same warm undertone
  • Same medium coverage
  • Claims a blurring effect
  • Claims long-wearing
  • Claims transfer resistance
  • Claims a lightweight feel

Different

  • Small colour difference on the swatch
  • Runs slightly lighter
  • Natural finish instead of matte

Ingredients (information only, not scored)

4 shared ingredients; weighted similarity 6%. Ingredients only affect results through the filters.

AttributeYour shadeClosest overall alternative
Basemoderate siliconeWater-based, high silicone
FragranceNot listedNot listed
Drying alcoholNot listedNot listed
SPFNot listedNot listed
OverlapUnknown-based vs water-based; silicone moderate vs high
View full match

Where to buy

Closest shade match

NARS Light Reflecting Foundation Timaru

Best price
$55SephoraSephora
Costs $48.01 more

Your shade $6.99 at Ulta Beauty

SephoraView at Sephora

Closest overall alternative

Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation 14

Best price
$60SephoraSephora
Costs $53.01 more

Your shade $6.99 at Ulta Beauty

SephoraView at Sephora

How these matches are scored

30 similar shades scored two ways: the shade match on colour, depth and undertone; the overall match on shade match, finish and visual result, wear and performance and skin suitability. Ingredients are shown for information and used by the filters only. Prices are shown next to every match and never change a score. How scoring and confidence work.

Shade colours are sampled from Beautler’s processing of retailer swatch images and are a digital approximation. Prices and stock were last checked when the product was imported; the retailer page is the source of truth.