Hello everybody! Now when it comes to makeup, e.l.f (eyes, lips, face.com) were the first drugstore brand that I saw talked about ALL over YouTube a couple of years ago and I became very intrigued! It seemed like a cheap but good quality makeup brand, perfect for beginners to makeup and students! I think some of their products are fantastic and fast forward to now, with a good few hauls later I want to share with you the products that ticked my boxes, and the ones that left me feeling disappointed.
I only ever buy e.l.f products during their 50% off sale, and when I do I always share it on instagram because there are some real bargains to be had! Generally each product from the studio line costs around £3.75, but with 50% off you can work out that you’re paying less than £2 for things that are worth more! I would just like to point out that some of these products that HAVE worked out well for me, but may not do so for you, and vica versa!
I’m going to mix this up, starting with a few HITS
1. E.L.F Make-up Mist and Set
I absolutely love this spray, and for a long time I had the MAC fix+ but kept using this one over MAC! Not only is it a refreshing mist to the face, it gets rid of any powdery-ness too. I don’t normally set my makeup with powder, but I always set my under-eyes with my favourite Ben Nye banana powder, and the mist and set helps to smooth it out. It also keeps my face looking dewy, and feeling refreshed. As for a ‘setting spray’ I wouldn’t quite label it as one as I don’t notice a significant lasting effect when I wear this, but the promising ingredients (green tea, cucumber, aloe and vitamins A,C &E) as well as the finishing effect of the spray make it worth using!
2. Matte Lip Colors
I have this in three shades; Rich Red, Coral and Natural. Firstly the packaging – easy and convenient for travelling with the twist up function so no need for a sharpener, and the matte black exterior makes it look sleek. I also like how the colours are at the end of the pencil, making it a bit easier to pick up the correct shade straight away! Now moving on to the product, these are in-between matte and cream, and blotting after application is important. The red shade is gorgeous, a true red in my eyes and I also like using this as a lipliner (and base) for other red shades. The coral shade is lovely for this time of the year, especially with a gloss on top and overall for under £2 these are a steal!
3. E.L.F Angled Eyeliner Brush
I have raved about this brush so many times, and that’s because I used it every single day when I became obsessed with gel liner! It’s still my favourite eye liner brush, and the angled element to it, gives you a lot of control with the liner and I like the length and thickness of the brush too. I own two of these, and always recommend people to pick one up during the sales!
4. ELF Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick
Possibly the worst lip product I have ever purchased in my life, the gloss stick in coco loco, this jumbo stick type lip product, is full of glitter. Yes – GLITTER. I understand a bit of shimmer, but when applied to the lips this just looks bizarre. It has a pink/coral undertone but the insane amount of glitter/shimmer makes it unwearable for me. I also purchased this in another shade, which I ended up throwing away, so clearly I wasn’t impressed with the product as a whole not just this shade. I only kept this pencil for THIS very post!
5. ELF Studio Blush – Tickled Pink
When I first purchased ELF products, the blushers were what I was most excited about. However now I’ve tried other drugstore blushers, I think there are better alternatives for a decent price - aside from Mellow Mauve (reviewed here). So on to this shade, although it would probably work ok for fairer skin tones, I find this chalky and seriously lacking pigmentation. To get a decent amount of colour, I have to layer this up so many times, and it doesn’t even last long! I’d highly recommend looking at the pink shades available from MUA if you’re wanting to try an affordable shade, which actually has pigmentation!
Hit AND a Miss??
6. The Contouring Blush and Bronzers
The contouring blush and bronzers are some of the most spoken about products from the ELF line, and frequently compared to NAR’S laguna and Orgasm blusher. I now own that NARS duo VERY EXCITING! But anyways have owned the original and the darker version for over a year and reached for them both less than 5 times. I think that if you can’t easily access Sleek, then these are worth a try if you’re looking for a drugstore contour and highlight shade. The original…does the job. However what always puts me off is the shimmer in the bronzer (as this is a big contouring no-no). It doesn’t transfer that much on the skin but I still much prefer a truly matte bronzer and if you can get your hands on Sleek, then just go for that its faultless in my eyes and lasts for ages.
Moving on to some more HITS…
7. ELF Warm Bronzer
I first saw this on The BeautyCrush’s channel years ago, and I should have listened to Sammie from the start! This is probably my favourite drugstore bronzer for warming up the face. It consists of 4 shades, and the only way I use this is by swirling my Real Technique’s powder brush in the middle and then doing the ‘3’ shape on both sides of my face. The shades with the mixes of brown tones, the warmth of the pink and the glow of the yellow gives the most beautiful glow and warmth! It also has a decent sized mirror which is useful for travelling ^_^ By themselves the shades aren’t the most pigmented, but that’s what makes them blend together nicely!
8. Mineral Lipsticks
These are only £2.50 with the 50% off and they are also some of my favourite lipsticks. Comfortable, pigmented and they also have a decent lasting time on the lips too. I like the sleek packaging, and the range of colours too. I featured Runway pink in my spring lips favourite, I ADORE party pink which has a subtle golden tone to it in a very classy way. ‘Rosy Raisin’ is a brilliant nude shade for my skin tone! The brighter/darker colours are lovely too and honestly two good quality lipsticks for a fiver?? YES PLEASE!
9. ELF Flawless Concealer Brush
Finally, this is one of my favourite brushes ever. I love this for gently buffing in concealer around the nose and right on top of a blemish as it doesn’t disturb the base underneath, the head of the brush is super fluffy and soft and the size means it can blend in product in awkward places that a larger brush can miss!
These HITS are products which I reach for often and if all my stash went missing (I’m getting nervous just thinking about that!) I would definitely pick all of these up again! I don’t have as many misses as most people, because most of the time I do review everything I buy, but sometimes products just don’t work for everyone!
I hope this post has been helpful to anyone wondering what my ELF favourites are!
Let me know what your hits and misses are down below ^_^
Thanks for reading!
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