It all started with a trip to target. After casually browsing the makeup section, I notice a brand that has all items for either $1 or $3. All I could think of was "uuhhhhhhhh, these things are probably terrible." After going to target a few more times (and starting to hear about them online) I decided to finally give them a try. I started with a contour eyeshadow brush, which I immediately fell in love with it. I the got the shimmering facial whip, the brow kit, the tinted moisturizer and the contouring brush & bronzing powder set, a lipstick and the BeautyBook: Bright Eye edition, I decided that I hadn't tried enough items to really gauge how much I liked them as a makeup company. I decided I had to buy more stuff.
I took advantage of one of their online sales and, after much deliberation, decided to do some shopping! From the website and Target combined I got the following items:
- Nail polish in Metal Madness
- Blending eye brush
- Stipple brush
- Contour eye brush
- Blush brush
- Eyeliner brush
- Eyeshadow brush
- Custom palette compact
- Custom eyeshadow in Ivory
- Custom eyeshadow in Moondust
- Custom eyeshadow in Mocha
- Custom eyeshadow in Dusk
- Eyelid primer
- Liquid eyeshadow in Cream Dream
- Liquid eyeshadow in Posh Pewter
- Lipstain in First Date
- Lipstain in Fashionista
- Lipstick in Gypsy
- Pigment eyeshadow in Innocent Ivory
- Pigment eyeshadow in Golden Goddess
- Lip definer & shaper in Nude
- Cream eyeliner in Black
- Mineral Infused Face Primer
- Tinted Moisturizer in Porcelain
- BeautyBook: Bright Eye Edition
- Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder
- Shimmering Facial Whip in Spotlight
- Dramatic Lash Kit
- Eyebrow Kit in Light
- Eyeliner pen in Black
The Really Good:
My most favorite purchase is the cream eyeliner. It is super creamy and glides on really well, so it doesn't drag your eyelid as you're trying to apply it. The custom eye palette is wonderful as the shades have great color payoff and it's small enough to fit in my purse. The eyelid primer so far has been very comparable to the Urban Decay Primer Potion while costing significantly less than the $18 price tag the UD one has. I wore it outside with the wind making my eyes watery and my makeup didn't smudge at all.
The Good:
The eyeshadow pigments have been great in color and pigmentation, I have just never been the biggest fan of loose powders ( I will end up making a huge mess every single time). The shimmering facial whip is a great highlighter for the cheeks, and can be used to add a bit of light to your skin if you're not planning on contouring your face. Eyeshadow palettes that cost $5 are usually something to be weary of, but I've found good color payoff and variety of colors to play with in the BeautyBook. Contouring is made easy and shimmery with the blush & bronzing powder kit; the colors are lovely and it's not shimmery enough to make you look sweaty. The face primer has a velvety soft feel to it, and it seems to even out the skin texture fairly well. Another plus side to it is that it is colorless, so you don't have to worry about it matching to your skin. The lip definer & shaper is very creamy, making application very easy. It also has the benefit of not being overpowering with color, so the definer gives you a good base to apply colored lipstick over while the shaper helps outline the shape of your lips by creating a gentle contrast.
The "Doesn't Stand Out As Bad Or Good So Get It If You Want Something Cheap":
Tinted moisturizers don't provide a lot of coverage, so this one from e.l.f. seemed to keep my skin looking moisturized while I was wearing it but I could never tell how well the "tinted" part of it was doing. Maybe it was ninja good, and I just never noticed it. In any case, I have no complaints about it, and my skin was never irritated due to wearing it. The nail polish has been as durable as other brands I have used, I just don't like the texture as it looks rough. I don't know if it's the same texture for all the different polishes, but I don't see myself using it very often. The eyebrow kit isn't bad, I personally prefer using eyebrow pencils over wax to fill in my eyebrows as my skin seems to take on the color better. If I use anything that requires a brush, no matter how much I fight it, I always end up with a line of no color in my brows that won't be filled.
The Bad:
The one lipstick I tried was in the shade Gypsy. I love the color and I love the smell of the lipstick. I would love it even more if it wasn't such a hassle applying it to my lips. It's super think, so trying to apply it directly to your lips is a bit of a struggle. The lipstains also had very lovely colors, but had absolutely no staying power. I don't think they work the same way as other brands of lipstains do, since once they were dry there was still color rubbing off on the lipgloss wand. The eyeliner pen I really liked originally, but the more I use it the harder it is to use. The tip is so stiff, that it has slowly changed the shape of it to where I can only comfortably use it on one eye. On the other eye I'm lucky when I don't smudge it all over my lid when I try to wing out my eyeliner as it pulls so much on my skin. I guess if you never do any wings and just stick to eyeliner on your lashline it is a good, cheap alternative to the more expensive brands.
The "I Would Throw Out If It Weren't For The Fact That I Am Waiting To Burn Them In A Fire":
Although it may sound like I'm being a bit over-dramatic (which I never am), I'm not exaggerating my distaste for the following items. The liquid eyeshadows looked wonderful when I did swatches on the back of my hand, which is why it was so infuriating when I tried them on my lid and they pretty much disappeared. I tried them also with primer and eyeshadow base and nothing could keep them from being terrible. At least there was product in the package because when I attempted to try the fake eyelashes I got a little puff of air where the glue should have been. Let me repeat that because I still have a hard time believing it; there was no glue in the glue tube. Not only that, but there was so much glue on the lashes to keep them in the tray that I almost wasn't able to remove them.
Overall I'm very happy I gave e.l.f. a chance to impress me with their products. For how much they cost, I have been glad to discover several products I'd buy time and time again. There are now a few items I'm really looking forward to trying out such as the eye transformer and the high definition powder.
Skincare tip of the day: sometimes sticking to "oil-free" products can be good but it's good to remember that some products require oil based makeup remover to take them off. Always use an oil-based makeup remover when taking off waterproof makeup and anything else that may be giving you issues. Baby wipes and towelettes will not take all of your makeup off, so don't trust any brand's BS that their towelettes will "erase 99.3% of your most stubborn makeup, even waterproof mascara, in one easy step."
FOTD (Face Of The Day)!
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| I still hate my computer's camera. |
If you'd like to know what products I used for this look, let me know!
Did you try their mascara? I was looking at some of their mascaras since that's the most frustrating thing to buy for me.
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