My first ELF haul!

Hey everyone!

I feel like a right loser, I must be the only person in the blogosphere not to have tried ELF before! I guess I always buy my make-up on the high street, whereas I mainly buy my clothes online! But, having read a few blogs, I knew I exactly what I wanted to order and ELF were offering free delivery (it was Easter weekend) and I jumped at the chance to try some new make-up :) I only spent about £20 overall.

Well, I have to say, it's rather mixed reviews! I've sectioned it off into the standard line, Studio line and Mineral line. I won't bore you with what ELF say about the products because you can always look that up on the ELF website :) Here goes...

WARNING: PICTURE HEAVY!

Standard

All Over Color Stick in Pink Lemonade - £1.50

So impressed with this product, amazing value for £1.50! I would honestly compare it to my Nars - Orgasm mini multiple that I bought in my first ever Nars haul. It's literally an exact dupe! It's a lovely glistening raspberry pink, perfect for the apples of the cheeks!

ELF All Over Cover Stick in Pink Lemonade:
Nars Orgasm Mini Multiple:
They're exactly the same weight as well! (4g)
(ELF - left, NARS - right)

Here's Pink Lemonade on my cheeks...
I love it! If you have £1.50 spare (and let's be honest, who doesn't?) you have to get this! You won't be disappointed, and I've heard you can wear it on your lips as well, double whammy!

Duo Eye Shadow Cream in Butter Pecan - £1.50

I picked up this eyeshadow cream after reading Muhsine rave about it on her blog (Bubblegarm). However I was really unimpressed with it as an eyeshadow.

Here's my eyelids before...
and after...
Can you see why I was disappointed? It really did nothing for me, it left a very slight, thin glaze but nothing really, and that was using both shades.

HOWEVER...

It works really well as a highlighter :) I applied it to my cheek bone (below)

So it's not a total waste of £1.50! It is sucky as an eyeshadow, though.

Studio

Stipple Brush - £3.50

I've never used a stipple brush before but I bought this to apply my cream blusher with (namely my GOSH one which I love!) When I applied it without the blush on one cheek, and with the brush on the other cheek, it looked exactly the same to me. That might be because I'm not using it right, tips please bloggers?

Makeup Mist & Set - £3.50

I was definitely expecting a bit more from the Studio line because it's double the price of the standard line. However I'm not entirely sold with this product. Supposedly a dupe of the infamous Max Fix+, this kind of just left my face feeling wet and I had to rub it in and then it didn't really do anything. I will keep trying because I would love a product that helps to keep my make-up on all day, who wouldn't!

Blush in Peachykeen - £3.50

Before you give up entirely on the Studio line, you have to read this! Probably my favourite product of the haul, I have nothing to compare this to because I don't own any peach blushers at the mo, but just check out the picture below...
How much do you love it? It's SO pigmented, it only needed a quick swipe and that's it! Done. It's such a LOVELY golden peach colour, it's worth way more than its £3.50 price tag! YAY! :) I can definitely see this becoming my summer blush staple!

Mineral

Lipstick in Nicely Nude - £3.50

I had my eye on LOADS of the mineral lipsticks but kept changing my mind which one to get (ripe rose/natural nymph/rosy raisin/runway pink, etc) as they looked so different on all the swatch pictures I found online! Nicely Nude was O/S online so I figured it must be popular and gave it a shot.

Here it is without flash...
and with flash...
I would say it looks *more* like the without flash pic, but it looks nothing like that on the lips really!

Here's my lips before...
and after...

It definitely lives up to its reputation in terms of application and moisture, it's so lovely and soft, a dream to apply! ELF describe it as 'A sheer warm pink with a hint of gold shimmer' and I would definitely say it's not the most 'out there' shade but at the end of the day I just wanted a nice, natural shade I could wear during the day and I think Nicely Nude lives up to that :) I prefer nudey pinks on my lips anyway so this is right up my street, but I would say it's more of a tinted lipbalm than a lipstick. I will definitely be trying out more of the Mineral lipsticks in the future though :)

Nicely Nude on the lips...

:)

Lipgloss in Au Naturale - £3.00

Another disappointment unfortunately, I hated the consistency of this :( (almost wrote constituency lol, too much talk of local elections!) This lipgloss is thick and gloopy and just feels uncomfortable on the lips.ELF describe their mineral glosses as 'a soft and silky formula that glides onto lips to create a luscious shine without feeling sticky or tacky' however I would completely disagree with that (based on my experience) as it just leaves your lips feeling completely sticky and tacky!

Here's my lips before...

and after...

It's just a bit 'gold sparkly' for me I'm afraid. I wanted a nice natural lipgloss to wear during the day, hence choosing the lipgloss named 'au naturele' but this just doesn't do it for me...

Au Naturele on the lips...

:(

IN CONCLUSION...

If you buy ONE thing from ELF, make it the All Over Color Stick in Pink Lemonade, I think it would suit any complexion and it's a BARGAIN at £1.50!

If you love peach blush or fancy trying it out, get the Studio Blush in Peachykeen, it'll be perfect for the next couple of months especially!

and definitely try out the Mineral lipsticks if you get a chance, and pick up Nicely Nude if you like a sheer natural coverage :)

but skip the rest!

Next, I want to try their Studio Lip Conditioners (I've got my eye on Mellow Melon!), HD Powder and Eyebrow Kit! What do you think?

Love,

Sophia

xo