The ultimate impression on ELF Cosmetics, does the quality follow the hype?
Overall spend - £15.75
This is the first time i had ordered with ELF cosmetics UK, after hearing commentary about the cosmetics line worldwide. I was being a bit sceptical and refraining to buy products at such a cheap price as i was self conscious, that it would harm my sensitive skin (being very naive, i know :))
I have never purchased affordable make up over the internet before, (affordable being brands such as Collection, Sleek, Maxfactor etc) and have always been wary of the colour not actually matching my skin tone.
To be frank, i have looked at the ELF website several times, countless amount of times but never got round into ordering merely placing items into my basket. This time round i finally done it, completed a transaction. To my luck elf was doing a promotion whereby if you spend more than £15 you are entitled to free delivery.(they still have the promotion and 50% off with a minimum expenditure of £30)
I ordered Concealer in medium, Eyebrow treatment in Dark, A sponge brush, a concealer brush, Eyeliner in Ash which comes with a sharpener and blotting paper.
Complete honesty, i thought ELF would communicate more efficiently then they did, i had placed my order on the 5th of Feb 2014 (straight away was provided with a confirmation) and on the 11th feb 2014, i received an email stating it has been dispatched. Maybe I'm being too fussy but i do require a step to step email in regards to my order as i have previously received for other retailers.
Receiving the package!
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| Excuse my poor quality and my shadow (oops!) |
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| Yes this was the filling of the box, glorious shredded cardboard |
The products laid bare
The question to be taken into account is what was my first impression.. honestly i was abit annoyed with the way my items were packaged. fair enough i only spent £15.75 on 6 items but abit of TLC would of been appreciated, infact even if it was bubble wrapped i would of been pleased, and not to open the box with shredded cardboard and a whiff of damp paper.
Concealer:
This retailed at £3.75. I chose the shade medium in the complete coverage concealer (a bit of a tongue twist), i would perhaps say the shade medium varies from Macs NC30-NC35. The packaging on the concealer was very niche and reminded me of the quality of Nars, but i would say that Nars cover has more of a velvet feel. However superb for only £3.75. |
| Doesn't it remind you of the Nars packaging excluding the four windows. |
The consistency of the concealers are impressive, its creamy but only when applied with your fingers. On the contrary, it glides on very smoothly. The colours are a variation however in my case only 2 colours apply
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| from left to right |
The concealers blend in fantastically and i would say best applied with your ring finger (do not forget: Dab and not drag) with a primer on the concealers do last quite and provide medium coverage it is build able.
Overall: is it worth the price and would i recommend it?
I most definitely would and for £3.75, you cannot really go wrong.
*product code: 83312
Eyebrows:
Now this is one of my favourite aspects, eyebrows. The shade i had picked is dark in the eyebrow treat and tame and retailed at £3.75.
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| the treat side its to help the growth of the hair and the tame side is to maintain and add definition to your existing eyebrows |
The eyebrow filler appears to have a glittery residue and had only noticed through the flash. Whilst applied it actually does not show to have glitter in it, so i was shocked by this.
The eyebrow tamer blended in perfectly with my eyebrows and stayed on, my eyebrows did not look artificial and intact looked natural - LOVE this look.
The Treater on the other side, hmmm since i only received the item cannot really say much apart from it seems interesting and am looking forward to see if it meets up to the requirements stated.
Overall: is it worth the price and would i recommend it?
Yes i believe it is worth the price, i cannot at this stage say i would or would not recommend it as i have only tested it once.
*product code: 81203
Eye Pencil:
i have a collection of eye pencils and this is by far the cheapest one i have remember purchasing. Retailed at only £1.50 in the colour Ash. I like to add colour to my eyes as i believe it provides definition and also enhances your eye colour.
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| fantastic comes with a sharpener |
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| Shade ash: dark grey, gunmetal shade |
From the image, you can see that it is pigmented. i was not harsh with the pencil, the colour just glided on to my skin which i thought was fantastic. i believe the consistency is similar to No7. The colour is absolutely amazing and cannot wait to wear this regularly. after swatching the item i had tried to remove it with a wet tissue, it didn't rub that easily i had to be quiet forceful and yet there is some residue left. I believe this is a good sign as it shows that infact it may be long lasting.
I have not tried this on yet as i haven't got round to it but am looking forward to trying.
Overall: is it worth the price and would i recommend it?
Yes from what i could see and the pigmentation definitely worth it and whether i would recommend it still remains a mystery as i have not tried it yet.
*product code: 1005
The other items:
i had additional purchased two brushes (sponge smudge brush and flawless concealer brush) and professional shine eraser. The packaging of the brushes were impressive, as it came protected in a plastic pocket.
The items are retailed as follows:
- Smudge Eye Sponge Brush - £1.50
- Flawless Concealer Brush - £3.75
- Professional shine eraser - £1.50
The smudge sponge brush is practically a sponge on a wand, allowing you to blend. cannot really go wrong there especially for the price purchased at. I would personal use it for blending eyeliner below my eyes or eye shadow.
The flawless concealer brush, in comparison to the sponge brush and the price aswell. i was very disappointed. The bristles on the brush were harsh, and this specific brush is meant to be an upgrade of the classical elf, and regarded as the studio range. The bristles were not soft on the skin, did not blend out that great and all honestly did not like the application.
The shine eraser, i have tried one for the 50 sheets provided (fantastic for the amount you pay, as i paid nearly £4 for a boots brand one) i can honestly say it does tame the shine, especially on my oily t-zone. there is no powdered residue left on the area and just mattifies it straight away.
Overall: is it worth the price and would i recommend it?
The smudge sponge applicator is worth the price and would recommend it
The flawless concealer is not worth the price as you are wasting your money for harsh hair and no actual use, better off investing into a better one which would not be harsh and therefore would not recommend it
the shine eraser is definitely worth it and 100% recommend it.
*product code: 1808 (sponge brush)
*product code: 84024 (flawless concealer brush)
*product code: 1706 (professional shine eraser)
My first impression- for the price i paid not bad, if i could i would return and exchange the flawless concealer brush. would i be purchasing some of the items again? most definitely. its a bargain and you cannot go wrong for the price.
Thank you for reading my blabbation (blabbing)
If there is any more reviews or beauty topics that you would like commentating on please let me know. If you like i will do a swatch and review on the MAC lipsticks i have and Provide my opinion on them.
I hope this was helpful and until next time.
Thank you xxx
** I have not in any way been sponsored or paid to review these items, i paid with my own money and thought i would share my opinion with the public interested in buying similar items from ELF cosmetics***
