:::elf review:::

i've been meaning to post this ever since a few people have asked for my opinion on elf makeup. sorry for the delay! i've had this post partially drafted for quite a long time now.

my original intent in buying so many items was to try out different colors that i wouldn't feel comfortable spending big money on. however, i've been happy enough with the quality that i'd consider going back to e.l.f. for future orders. here's my detailed verdict.

color: almost everything has a shimmer to it, not glitter, but shimmer. the color spectrum they offer spans from youthful pinks and fresh-faced pastels to brownish earth tones and some deeper jewel tones that remind me of the byzantine empire. the whole feel of the line is fresh and sunny, and makes me thing of spending golden summers near the sea or runny through tall grass with ralph lauren models. the colors are clean and true and compliment most skin tones, especially in the lips. for the best color choices check out their custom items for eyes and lips. they are beautiful and some of them go on like an absolute dream.

if you like to paint yourself like a peacock (think MAC counter attendant), i'm not sure if this is the line for you.

lips: they don't have any solid stick lipstick. instead everything is liquid based and comes out of a squirty tube, brush-like pen, or tiny tins that can sit inside palette compacts. as such, you aren't going to get the saturation of color or coverage that traditional lipsticks provide. but if you're someone who enjoys lip glosses i would definitely try them out. all of the products gloss over your lips well, and they come in great colors that i've been wanting to try for a long time.

the custom lips option that i linked to above would be your best bet if you wanted a true lipstick effect.

face: i really like their facial whips. toasted is the best and can be worn on the entire face as coverage. the others should only be worn as highlighter since they are tinted pinkish. i've started wearing the pressed powders recently as the temperature and humidity soars, and i haven't had any problems. i've also used the powdered bronzer this past week and i quite like it.

the allover face sticks work well for blush. i don't think i've ever used and allover product from any other line on my entire face on the same time. don't you think that would be weird? anyhow, i like them.

eyes: i think their eye shadows are good to great. when i finally defected to bobbi brown from MAC it was mostly because i found too many of MAC's eyeshadows to be chalky and dry, and therefore the colors never really showed up on my eyes. there are some dryer eyeshadows in the elf line, but for the most part they go on quite nicely. again, great color choices.


bottom line, i would definitely try the line. my favorites are their lip products when used as glosses, the facial whip in toasted, the eyeshadows in the more mature colors, the blushes in innocence and shy, and the bronzer in luminance.

i just checked their website and all of their mineral makeup is 5 for $5. i would love to try some of it, and it looks like they have some traditional stick lipsticks in that line. if you want to order and get free shipping, combine orders with a friend so you don't have to spend $75 like i did...unless you want 75 makeup items, which i wouldn't judge you for.