Sephora Collection Press Play Foundation Touch Up Pen

When I first spotted the Sephora Collection Press Play Foundation Touch Up Pen, I knew I had to have it in my life.  I've side-eyed Bobbi Brown's Foundation Touch-Up Sticks for years but had never pulled the trigger due to the price.  At $16, this seemed to be a decent compromise.

Here's the basic info:  the Sephora Collection Press Play Foundation Touch Up Pen is a synthetic fiber, fillable pen with a click mechanism that pushes the foundation/BB/CC of your choice through a thin tube into the brush head.  You can then use the brush head to blend out the foundation.  This is touted as the perfect tool for mid-day touch-ups.  For us ladies with 16+ hour days between leaving and coming home, perhaps an economical way to make mid-day touch-ups.

After a few days of testing it, I'm left with a distinct mix of emotions when it comes to the Sephora Collection Press Play Foundation Touch Up Pen.

First, the good.

At $16, it's affordable.  If one wanted to invest in several of these with different liquid makeup products in each, it's not rough on the wallet.

It's customizable.  Whereas I drooled over the Bobbi Brown stick that matched my old HG foundation, not everyone has a perfect color match in that line or particularly likes a stick foundation.  This allows you to take your favorite product with you.

Each click dispenses a small amount, which is excellent.  This is truly meant for touch-ups.  You don't get a face-sized amount with one click, you get enough to cover about half a hand.

This photo shows the width of the line of foundation you get with one click:

Here's the dispensing mechanism:

The synthetic brush is shockingly effective as a blending tool.  I wouldn't want to do my entire face with it, but it would work well in a small area- just as designed.  I'm a huge brush snob, so for me to enjoy this inexpensive synthetic brush is a bit out of character.

A close-up of the brush head:

Now, the not-so-good.

Look carefully at the size of that reservoir.  The fill line (which is essentially required in order to get it to function properly, as I learned from testing) is about 90% up.  It's a foundation hog!  If you're not sure if this product really will work for you, it could be an expensive endeavor.  In that photo, the ends that fit into each other are both facing the bottom of the image.

The refillable reservoir is also held in place by screwing it into the body of the pen.  It doesn't feel substantial to the touch, and I can easily envision a scenario where those small plastic grooves become stripped with usage and the two pieces separate in your bag.  The grooves are inside of the main body; the reservoir is smooth.

Speaking of the plastic body, there's no "hard click" with the lid.  I didn't attempt to break it, but I have my reservations about this will hold up in a purse.  If one of the major upsides to this product is portability, how much is lost if it needs to be within (preferably) a plastic bag or something else that you wouldn't mind getting foundation on.

Overall, I like the concept.  At $16, it's not hard on the wallet and worth a try. However, I'm still cautious about the durability of the product and protect my handbag and makeup cases accordingly.

The Sephora Collection Press Play Foundation Touch Up Pen retails for $16, and is available exclusively at Sephora.