My E.L.F. Cosmetics Haul/Review part 1

Hello to all my fellow make up aficionados!

I had never heard of ELF until recently, I've had my dealings with budget cosmetics companies in the past and I know you can find some useable and some unusable products for as little as a pound, so I'm never one to stick my nose up at a low price. In fact, because I have never been one with disposable income and I am currently a student, NONE of my make up is particularly high end, save for the odd piece found left in a nightclub bathroom or on the bus(!)

I heard about ELF from various YouTubers I follow and I thought I'd check out the website, thinking, "If these YouTube stars are using it then it must be fairly expensive," then I saw the £1.50 price tag on most of their stuff and my jaw dropped. As soon as I had some money I spent £20 (not including shipping) on ELF products, 2 from the £3.50 Studio line and the rest from the £1.50 basic line.

Messing about applying the tinted moisturiser.

The ELF basic foundation brush                          


I needed a new foundation brush. My old one, from QVS, had lost its handle. I snapped up the £1.50 elf foundation brush and I was really disappointed. It's about as big as my thumb, and it doesn't spread product on my face very well. I get streaks when I try to use it. I just don't think it's big enough. I will try getting one of the more expensive ones, like the angled foundation brush from the studio line or the bamboo brush from the mineral line, in my next purchase, and tell you what I think next week.

The ELF basic eye blending brush


Blending brushes are a must have, especially when you like to use dark eyeshadow. I was pleased with the £1.50 elf blender, it does the job and whilst it does have a few fallouts, it wasn't really bad. I'm noticing a trend in elf selling very soft brushes, which is always a good point - you don't want to damage the skin with a rough brush.

ELF basic tinted moisturiser SPF 15 in Ivory

My Mac camera keeps flipping the pictures,
so sorry the writing's backwards!

I've never used a tinted moisturiser before, I was always obsessed with flawless coverage and 1940s inspired porcelain skin. Now I don't always go out with my face like Dita Von Teese, and I've started wearing make up for everyday looks (I used to be a bit of an all or nothing girl,) I've seen the benefits of wearing a sheer cover base especially when it both moisturises and has SPF in it - I'm not a teenager anymore and I need to plan for my skin's future. Also, being in my mid twenties has calmed down my skin. I no longer need quite such full coverage as my skin isn't constantly pre or post breakout. I still need to even out my skin tone, I get a lot of redness down the side of my cheeks and jaw, and I have terrible bags and dark circles under my eyes. The elf basic tinted moisturiser is good for evening out my skin tone, but it is very yellow in its undertone, whereas I am more pink. Elf doesn't seem to think that pale people are able to be pink. All their lightest toned moisturisers have a yellow base. The other problem I have with it is the smell. It smells like candied oranges, and that can be quite pleasant, but I don't want to be smearing it all over my face. I expect it to be all sticky and I keep thinking my face will end up covered in bees or ants because of the sweet smell. Aside from the fact that my face could probably do without whatever they've added to it to make it smell like that, I think it smells really cheap. Like make up designed for a child to use. I didn't find it moisturised my skin much either.

I will be trying their studio line moisturiser to see if it is any better. I'm currently trying to decide whether to use Nude for the sake of my pink undertone or to go for Porcelain in case Nude is too dark.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments. I'll be buying more stuff from elf tomorrow.

From left to right: Glow, Shy, Innocence

ELF Natural Radiance basic blushers

I tried three of Elf's basic line of blushers, mainly because I only have two blushers in my entire collection so I needed to expand. The shades I got were Innocence, Shy, and Glow. Innocence is a really nice very light pink with a shimmer to it, and sometimes I use it as a highlighter. Shy is a very pink baby pink, which I love. Glow is more of a peachy bronze colour for when you want to look a little sun-kissed. I like the blushes themselves, but the packaging is terrible. It takes a long time to get the hang of getting the pots open, and the area isn't big enough to get your brush in properly. Elf form the powder into a cute rippled surface so you get crumbs flying in every direction when you sweep your brush across the surface, so it's messy to use. I do really like the colours though, and it's very build-able on the skin, so I will be getting these again.

It doesn't look that dark, does it?

ELF Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder in Sun Kissed

I think I failed with this bronzer. I had been using a Max Factor bronzer from about 2 years ago for contouring and I thought I should update it or at least have a choice, and I thought that sun kissed looked lighter than the one I've been using, but I should have picked Luminance because Sun Kissed is just far too dark for me, and it's very shiny. I look like I've been gilded when I wear it. The colour payoff is great so use a very light hand when using it.

ELF basic Eyelid Primer

This works really well. It feels a little greasy at first, but it kept my eye make up in place all day.

ELF Clarifying Pressed Powder in Ivory

Again, the Ivory is the lightest colour and very yellow in its undertone, but I like the powder.

ELF Studio Cream Liner in Midnight

I really like this liner, but the brush that came with it was too thick and too soft to give a good line. I would go over a line only to end up taking the product back off with the brush instead of putting more on. Use a different brush, and it works really well and stays on all day. Be warned, it is really hard to smudge and it's really hard to correct mistakes. 

ELF Studio Daily Brush Cleanser

I needed something to clean my brushes in between deep cleaning, and I was getting sick of using my facial cleansing wipes as a stopgap. This cleanser is definitely something you want to use daily, after every use, because it won't clean deep down in-between bristles, so it's more prevention than cure.

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So that's my haul and my thoughts. I like the Elf brand because they are inexpensive and they stock the things I've always wanted to try but never had the money for, but whilst I'm happy with no frills packaging those blushers are far too complicated, and I worry about the parabens in the ingredients list. That said, I will continue to use their products, I have a lot more things to try!

Until next time, take care.

*sigh* I wish I'd done my hair before I took these pictures.