E.L.F. Makeup Haul

So last semester I was kinda sad because I felt like all of the makeup I wanted to buy (Clinique, Lancome, Estee lauder) was all really expensive, even at department store sales. I went online to shopping.google.com to check out what they had, since Google Shopping basically combines everything, and cheapest stuff I found was all from this brand called EyesLipsFace, or, for short, E.L.F. Cosmetics.

Link for it: http://www.eyeslipsface.com/

I went on the website to check it out. According to some sources this company is owned by Nordstrom, but according to other sources, it is not. But no matter what, this company uses the internet as its primary form of advertising, and therefore does not incur as many costs as many other companies do via television, radio, etc. It sells low-end products that have mixed reviews in many cases. Be as that may be, I decided to give everything a try. Last semester, E.L.F. sold its products at my local Target, so I bought a pair of tweezers and a mechanical eyelash curler from there.

Tweezers: http://www.eyeslipsface.com/products.asp?dept_id=1083

Eyelash curler: http://www.eyeslipsface.com/elf/tools/eyelash_curlers/mechanical_eyelash_curler

Oh my goodness, they were actually pretty good! Of course, I've never actually bought these from other places before (my mom had tweezers but before now I had always been afraid of using them) and they worked. Of course, my short eyelashes didn't curl that well because of their short length, but I've been trying to grow them out more quickly (more about that later), but the tweezers definitely did work. I'm not very much of a pain person, meaning it doesn't really hurt me when I tweeze, wax, etc. Pain-tolerant? I guess perhaps it's coded into my DNA, or a combination of gene-environment interaction. Didn't my psyc textbook always say it was 50-50 percent contribution? 

Anyhow, because of these experiences, I decided that this store was actually worth a try. I did quite a lot of research, looking into lots of reviews, youtube reviews and tutorials, etc. I like making informed decisions rather than just going on a limb and trying whatever. I absolutely do not like ordering things online, and only really do it as a last resort. Seriously. But a week and a half ago, I decided to summon up my courage and order some more E.L.F. products online. Just stuff that I needed, or at least thought I needed. So, I'm gonna show you guys what I ordered, with pics (credited of course), links to them, and my review of them.

P.S. I thought I was going to get the products on the 11th, since because of the crazy weather (the tracking code said so!) but they arrived today! So I was so happy because I could use them before the weekend, and also because I just had a big test yesterday and could relax a little bit now.

1. Shimmer Palatte: http://www.eyeslipsface.com/studio/eyes/eyeshadow/shimmer_palette

Image cred: http://lalubell.blogspot.com/

I haven't tried this one yet, but from online reviews it said that this stuff is really shimmery and really pretty, although the tones are supposed to be really similar and the stuff wears off quickly. I really like shimmery stuff, especially when going to parties, and I like makeup to be obvious yet subtle to be decent. We'll see what happens - I'll update later on this.

2. Mineral All-Over Eye Shadow Brush: http://www.eyeslipsface.com/minerals/tools/brushes_and_applicators/mineral_eyeshadow_brush

Image cred: http://missfoxyazza.onsugar.com/category/elf (The actual brush is the one on the left)

I actually have another eye shadow brush, but I use it to apply concealer on (I feel like the concealer brush is too small) and I heard good reviews about this one, so I decided to try it out. This is actually the most expensive one, for $5 (the studio and the essentials ones are $3 and $1, respectively) but I DO NOT like hard brushes and wanted to invest, and the reviews said this was a really soft brush, and since this brand is pretty cheap anyways, I decided to go for it. The one I got wasn't that good. Some of the bristles were actually glued together (I had to tear off the glue) and it was a bit flaky, so I'll have to see how this one goes.

Update: This brush is really awesome. It picks up eyeshadow even more quickly and efficiently than my Estee Lauder brush. The only sad thing is that it stains easily, but then again that's understandable considering that it has light-colored bristles. I guess I just gotta wash it well every now and then!

3. Nail Block: http://www.eyeslipsface.com/elf/nails/tools/new_nail_block

Image cred: http://www.stylefind.com/E-L-F-Cosmetics/-/5-ELFC-1607/E-L-F-Essentials-New-Nail-Block

I tried this product as soon as I opened the package. Customer reviews said the block broke and tore easily, but I decided to try it since it was only $1. Seriously, this product is pretty good. It does the job neatly, like the exact same result as my friend's, who got her block at the mall for $10. I could buy 10 of these for the price of her 1 block! Really nice. I like this one.

4. Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear Mascara: http://www.eyeslipsface.com/elf/eyes/mascara/wet_gloss_lash_and_brow_clear_mascara

Image cred: http://www.eyeslipsface.com/elf/eyes/mascara/wet_gloss_lash_and_brow_clear_mascara

I haven't tried this one yet. I'm really hesitant about using mascara, especially since I have short lashes, and wearing black mascara gets in the way of my eyes, since my eyelashes tend to just go down and sometimes the mascara's black stuff flakes off or whatever. Of course, when I wear glasses and also wear mascara it really sucks cause the mascara isn't waterproof and just falls off. Ugh. Hopefully this will turn out good?

Update: This stuff is nice to put on, good practice for wearing "real" mascara, but it dries off so quickly :(

5. Cuticle pusher: http://www.eyeslipsface.com/elf/nails/tools/cuticle_pushers

Image cred: http://www.eyeslipsface.com/elf/nails/tools/cuticle_pushers

I hate cuticle problems. They become a big problem for me when I try to push them back in and they hurt a lot. I don't bite my nails, but somehow my skin starts peeling around those nail areas (I need to get a manicure perhaps?) and I don't have the time/$$ for a manicure. This product definitely does the trick. It doesn't hurt to push the cuticles back (at least for me, the pain-resistant person) and it's smooth. And it only cost $1! Hopefully they can last a long time...

6. Nail polish: Purple dream: http://www.eyeslipsface.com/elf/nails/elf_nail_polish/nail_polish

Image cred: http://www.angelsofthesea.com/Nails/cat_3/ent_13.html

Really pretty color. Really nice application. Nuff said.

7. Nail polish: Fire coral: http://www.eyeslipsface.com/elf/nails/elf_nail_polish/nail_polish

Image cred: http://shandelsam.onsugar.com/tag/e.l.f

I just used this one as soon as I opened the package. It took me 3 coats to get the color on right - the product's kinda watery, but it definitely is a pretty color once it's on. I like it.

8. Free gift - Nouveau Neutrals (ELF Essentials Brightening Eye Color): http://www.eyeslipsface.com/elf/eyes/eyeshadow/brightening_eye_color

Image cred: http://www.eyeslipsface.com/elf/eyes/eyeshadow/brightening_eye_color

I haven't opened this one yet - I wanna finish my current neutrals eyeshadow (combo of stuff from Clinique, Estee Lauder, and CoverGirl) but from reviews I've heard/read that it is really light. Apprently the dark green and brown colors are pretty good. And the first color on the left is actually light blue, the second (on the left side) is a green. So don't be mislead by the pic above from the company website - it's actually different. I would recommend applying makeup using brushes instead of the applicator given - it's more efficient, easier, and goes on cleaner. Of course, you have to clean your brushes, but then again you'd have to clean your applicators as well.

Update: I finally tried the colors out. The light blue and light brown colors are seriously, really light. It's really hard to notice them at all. The darker brown is all right, like a normal neutral brown, and the dark green is really pretty, just like reviews said. I really like the dark green - it's very pretty seriously. Overall, though, I probably wouldn't buy this product unless it came as it did (free gift).

Final analysis? Tentatively, I think ELF's stuff is all right, at least for it's price. It sure was nice to get everything earlier than expected, especially with the crazy weather, as well as get a free gift. The website is really hard to navigate though, and the customer service kinda sucks (I had to wait days for them to e-mail me back to answer my qs and stuff). But I think this company is worth a try!

Note: All products that I review were purchased with my own money. I am not endorsed by any companies and will only give my honest opinions of the products that I review.