20121202 Sunday FOTD!

It's finally time for that long awaited verdict on e.l.f. cosmetics! I bought a lot of things from them recently (they've had so many sales in the past two months that I couldn't resist), and I wanted to give a definitive recommendation about what's in and what could be better with the often buzzed-about cruelty free line.

FACE:

E.L.F SHEER TINTED MOISTURIZER IN TONE THREE.

SEPHORA MATTIFYING POWDER IN D50

E.L.F. MAKEUP SETTING MIST

LIPS:

E.L.F. LIP STAIN IN CRIMSON CRUSH

BEAUTIQUE LIP LINING PENCIL IN WINE

C.O. BIGELOW ROSE SALVE

EYES:

ARDELLE FALSE LASHES IN DEMI-PIXIE

E.L.F. LENGTHENING AND DEFINING MASCARA IN BLACK

E.L.F. LIQUID EYELINER IN BLACK

E.L.F. ESSENTIAL 83 PIECE STUDIO SET, SHADE B2 (PICTURED BELOW) USED ON INNER CORNER OF LOWER EYELIDS.

 

      Looking back on this I now realize that my eyeliner was smudged on my left eye! I didn't rub or anything so I don't know what happened with that. But anyway, I'm really pleased with how a lot of the product performed! For the face items, I love my TM to death but I can only use it if my skin is having a dry spell (Winter coverage only ordeal) other than that it's too dewy for me. It looks good at first but after a few hours my skin will be bogged down with both moisture from the TM and my own oily-ness. As for the color, I'm pleased with it! I thought it'd be too light but it worked out just fine, and this product was just a dollar so I'll definitely think on buying it again in the future. Now here's to the bread winner: the makeup mist and set spray. I'm not into heavy setting sprays (I find that if they're too wet that they create wet, splotchy discoloration in my foundation; I work too hard for that to happen!) but this one is wonderful. It wastes a bit of the product with each spray but I think that can be regulated with half pumps. On top of makeup, it keeps your coverage smooth and long lasting, but underneath your makeup it can double as a primer! That's what I generally use it for when I want a smoother finish to my tinted moisturizer. It also helps to minimize the appearance of cakey-ness in powders! This spray is three dollars and can be found at K-mart or on eyeslipsface.com.

       The lip stain pen is a product that I had some inhibitions about using. It was very dry when I opened it and the color doesn't spread at all. It's a felt-tipped pen with a cap insulation and while I'm madly in love with the design, the color performed poorly and the amount of product in the pen is a bit.. Alarming to say the least. Still, as you can see from the picture, the color is build-able (I'm wearing about five layers of stain here). One thing that you should know if you buy this lip stain is that the pen will make any dehydration problems you have very obvious, so use a lip conditioner or have a cup of hot tea before you put it on. All in all, it's a dollar, and cheaper than they alternatives offered by Revlon and Benefit: use at your own discretion.

      As for my eye products, I've nothing but good things to say! I'm very impressed with the mascara. I has a short wand and the bristles are appropriately short and rounded. If you want to get the full length detail on each lash, then this is the mascara for you. It's even short enough for use on the lower lash line, so go for it! I use this mascara now even more than my full exposure by Smashbox! It's  good all around and just one dollar. The wand in the eyeliner has changed to a thinner brush, and that allowed me to regulate how much product it picked up from the pot. I'm really glad that was changed, it was something that I'd pointed out in my review of the eyeliners that can make using them a bit of a hassle, but not anymore! Later I think I'll get into the other colors, but I'm pleased with my black liner for now. Still love my studio eyeshadow kit. I'm using mostly neutral colors now because I want to try something different: I usually use a lot of color and liner to create my looks, and avoid neutral/nude/brown hues, so this Fall I'm taking the dive! What I really want now is a good, played down smokey eye look made with neutral hues (but I'm still praying on the whole red shadow thing..)

 Overall, I'm going to give E.L.F. cosmetics a big thumbs up! I'm partial to their mineral and studio items, but, they've really got something good going on. With all the sales they've been having recently, it's really easy to get into their collections without spending a lot of money. I will be reviewing the products listed here in full detail through December, but please remember that experience is the best review that you can benefit from!

E.L.F. Essential Foundation Brush!

This is my first experience with a foundation brush. I wanted to go for a brand that I already had a history with liking the products, so when I found this brush at a dollar general on a chance, I had to have it! I've been using it for about three weeks, and I've learned that I do not like it at all. But I'm going to let you guys be the decider in this bout, because I don't know the first thing about a foundation brush.

Durability.

       I've washed it about five times already and it still hasn't begun to shed. Not even a little bit. In terms of durability this brush is without a doubt a safe bet because the bristles don't fall too quickly and they won't get misshaped from abuse, but they're almost to stiff to use properly.

Price.

       I paid one dollar for it, but I believe the msrp is something like one dollar on their e-shop as well, so things pan out.

Performance.

Well, here's where the problems ensued for me. Let's have a look at the product description:

"e.l.f. Essential Foundation Brush

Achieve an ultra smooth, poreless finish when applying foundation, tinted moisturizer, or other creamy face product. The tapered bristles are designed to contour your face for a seamless, flawless finish. Makeup Artist Pro Tip: For best results use upward brush strokes.

All e.l.f. professional makeup brushes have been designed and tested by our professional team of makeup artists. Each brush has been ergonomically designed to fit perfectly into your hand and facilitate a flawless finish with every application."

Actually, this brush sucked up more makeup than any brush I own and left me with a bit of a streaky finish each time that I used it. I generally found myself going back over this work this a blender and powdering it. One thing I really did like about it was that the bristles were very smooth and didn't stab my face. But the brush felt like a big acrylic paint brush to be honest; I'm sure that there isn't really a difference, except that perhaps I can acheive better coverage with the paint brush (granted I'd pay about six dollars more..)

Packaging.

Voila.

It comes in a transparent, plastic envelope with a paper tucked neatly inside. Not at all intricate.

Overall.

   Overall I'm slapping this product with three stars. It's probably very good to someone else but for me I just don't like it that much. I think that generally, they make very good tools; I'm using their tweezers right now and oh my gosh they're the best! But this brush will just be one of those things that I'm glad I didn't spend like 50 dollars on and ended up hating it.