So on to E.L.F. As it just seemed rude not to I treat myself to £30 worth of products and received free p+p. I was amazed to get an email just a handful of hours after ordering to say that my order had been dispatched. Because I ordered Friday I knew I wouldn't get them til Monday, and like I said the nice postman left the package under the doormat so I didn't have to get is re-sent to me. Hip hip hooray!
One of the things that I read in their FAQ's page struck me again when I received my packet -
"we'd love to put mirrors in our compacts or have the same great containers as Nars or Stila, but we’re about something different: namely giving women the chance to try anything they want without the commitment to a major spend". Perhaps this was written a while ago but the two white basic compacts that I bought both had mirrors and the studio line products all came in very Nars-esque packaging......trust me I'm not complaining as it obviously hasn't effected the price.So like I said I spent £30 and tried to go for a wide range of products that really excited me when I saw them. There was also one other - that bronzer - that I had to get just because of the hype.
That Bronzer - let's start with that product shall we. This seems to be the one that everybody is raving about at the moment. And quite frankly who can blame them. Great sturdy packaging, tons of product, doesn't flake, shimmery but not glittery. I also like how the four colour blocks can easily be used separately (for instance as a blusher, highlighter, and shader) and well as being brushed all over as a bronzer. I went for the Golden Bronzer (also comes in Cool and Warm) as I have a light warm skin tone and felt this would work well rather than looking muddy and fake. I've also used the colours separately as eyeshadows - it's an all round fantastic product and deserves the attention its been getting.
Translucent Matifying Powder - I've had a lot of problems with powder compacts of late. Ever since I can remember I've used Rimmel's translucent powder (there has been the occasional mishap into other brands but I've always come back with my tail between my legs) but as of late the packaging seemed to get even flimsier and I was only getting halfway through before the product would break away and crumble rendering pretty much useless. So I bought a different Rimmel powder with sturdier packaging but the same problem is starting to occur. So, while I wasn't really needing a powder just yet I decided to add the E.L.F. into my basket. And man was I disappointed when I opened the compact....it doesn't look translucent at all (because I'm so pale, any hint of colour to my powder just make me look orange). However after a week of using it first thing in the morning and for at least one re-application during the day I can say it is a perfect colour match to my skin. It comes with a dense sponge applicator which is great for applying powder as it stops it clumping and while the amount of product does look tiny is doesn't flake so should last quite a while.
Eyebrow Kit - my final product from the Studio range. Strangely they offer 3 different kings of eyebrow product - that just seems an awful lot for one small Internet cosmetics brand. The others are Eyebrow Lifter & Filler, a double ended pencil, and Eyebrow Treat & Tame, a double ended mascara. I'm not much good with kohl and don't think a mascara would look good on my blonde quite thin brows so went for the powder. I will admit I went by the image here rather than the description as it wasn't until I opened the compact I realised it was a po
wder and gel combo. I went for light (also comes in medium and dark) which is a minky powder and standard brown pigmented gel. The little brush is surprisingly useful and I'm glad I bothered to try it out as usually I just throw them straight in the bin. I do find I have to be very light handed when it comes to the gel but the product goes on easy (probably quicker than my usual application of Chanel eyeshadow) and stays all day without smudging or clumping.Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 - now for the budget range at £1.50 a pop. I have to say I am very disappointed in this. Firstly the bottle is incredibly small (the FAQ's page states "all products are full sized just like any other cosmetic company" and so I didn't bother looking at weights), 12g to be precise. I would expect at least double from a product such as a tinted moisturizer and will probably only get 4-5 full face applications from the bottle. Don't get me wrong, I'm not bitching about the price and don't feel I've been ripped off, I just think it jars against the rest of the range where you get a substantial amount of product. I went for the lightest colour, Tone 1, but have found it's still a little too dark (perhaps better with a little tan) but the consistency to me does not match that of any other tinted moisturizer I have used. In fact I'd say my regular foundation is more moisturizing. A bit of a dud I feel, and since they only offer this type of foundation product plus a heavy duty stick, I doubt that the company put much focus into their formulations.
Nail Polish - OK, I'm just gonna get both the bad reviews out of they way in one go. Quick and painless like ripping off a band aid. There wasn't a hue range of colours to choose with what
their was mainly being in the pink spectrum. There where a couple of stand out colours, their new colours Chocolate & Navy being stand out ones that unfortunately I already have in Barry M. So I decided to go for a basic Nude. I wish I hadn't. I wish I'd gone for something with a deeper pigment such as Blush so that it would have actually come up on my nails. Nude is basically Clear but looks prettier in the bottle. However it is damn hard wearing, I'd just make sure to choose something with a much deeper richer pigment when I make a future purchase.All Over Color Stick - as with their foundations E.L.F. offer two highlighting/3-in-1 products the other being Shimmering Facial Whip. I wanted this to be something I could cart around with me for during the day so went for this thanks to the better packaging and ease of application. I love this!!! When I re-purchase from this site, which at some point I most definitely will, I will be buying this in more than one colour. This time I picked up Lilac Pearl which acts as a great highlighter so I would also pick up something darker to work as a blush on its own (they actually only offer 4 colours in total - Lilac Pearl, Pink Lemonade, Persimmon & Toasted - so the likelihood is that I'll collect all of them).
Eyeliner & Blending Brush - because they where a low price I also decided to try out some of their brushes. My eyeliner brush needed replacing and while this one isn't angled like any others I have use before I'm getting on pretty well with it. I'm finding the blending brush to be a little rough and cheap feeling but it does apply blush amazingly so I'm glad I got it just to find out whether it would be a useful tool for me but will probably replace it with a better quality MAC one. These tools would also be perfect for someone who's just starting to wear make-up and wants to experiemnt or someone who wears it rarely.
Custom Eyes, Lips & Face - I was very excited to find that E.L.F. offer blank compacts that can be filled with your own selection of eyeshadow, blush and lipstick. A lot of companies offer this but at a much inflated price. Here a compact and four products will set you back just £7. I went for two compacts - the first with two eyeshadows (Pink Ice and Moondust) and two blushes' (Shy and Glow). I would definately repurchase the shadows plus more...they are the consistency a love, shimmery but not glittery and leave a lovely wash of colour on the lid.
I love love love Shy - this is my perfect blush. Glow is a little orange for me but will probably work with a tan and blending. I will definately be buying Shy in the full size solo compact as soon as I'm out. Did I tell you I love love love it?For the lips I chose Peaches (fleshy nude), Icing (pale pink), Nude Blush (mink pink) and Crimson (raspberry). The consistency is quite sheer but still with a strong pigmentation and as long lasting as you would expect. At the moment all of the customer lip products are half price at 75p so the full palette only cost £4.50. I would probably repurchase Peaches and Crimson and would probably try out some of the other colours (like the polishes they mainly stay in the pink section of the spectrum). I would be even more likely to purchase if the colours could be bought in full size tubes so hopefully that's something they will move into.
Right, one ridiculously long (but hopefully useful or atleast enjoyable to read) post. I found a few star products here which I am very happy with (namely the Golden Bronzer, Translucent Powder & Shy Blush) with only a couple of no-go's. I'd definately recommend this brand to anyone irregardless of whether they are a make-up nut or not. I also think E.L.F. would be great for gifts...I'd be over the moon with a colour palette where the giver had spent the time picking colours and products they thought would be just right for me.
OK, I need another cup of tea and Charlie is wanting some attention.
Speak soon
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Great review :)
ReplyDeleteI've been considering buying from their website for ages now & as soon as i get some money, I will make a purchase. :)
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