I have been pretty impressed with ELF; I hate spending a lot of money on makeup, so I try to buy the cheapest things I can. A lot of ELF products usually run around $1-3, and I'm actually surprised by the quality for the price. I'm gonna let you know what I think of the products that I've tried so far!
I'll start with the least quality experience first.
Just the other day, I decided I wanted to try ELF's cream/gel liner, so I picked some up! When I read the reviews online, a lot of people were very impressed with how smooth and easy to apply it is. I was very excited! However, I should have judged that by the amount of dust collected on the top of the packaging that this eyeliner would have dried out quite a bit, since no one seemed to want it. But I got it anyway. When I tried it at home, it was not easy to apply at all and was considerably dried out. I even tried melting it a bit with a lighter but as soon as it cooled, it was just as hard to apply. Although this is more the store that carried this product's fault for not replenishing it, I do not think I will try this eyeliner again. I am really glad it came with its own angled liner brush, though, because now I can use that to apply eye shadow instead of liner if I wish to.
The other product that I got that I wasn't very impressed with was the bronzer. I can't remember if this was $1 or $3. Anyway, I didn't like that the finish was shimmery. In my opinion, bronzer should be matte, so I didn't like this very much. Also, I'm afraid to apply too much to my face, as it will cause it to look dirty.
I have been using the $1 apricot concealer for almost 2 years and although it doesn't cover my dark circles very well, the orange tone at least helps cancel out the blue-ish undertones on my under-eye a bit. It's super cheap and if you're not too picky about the coverage, this is a great alternative!
Next, I got the eye primer. If you use this for special occasions and not everyday use, it works wonders and your eye shadow barely budges. However, if you use this on an everyday basis, your eyelids will begin to get greasy from the formula. Or at least that's what happened to mine.
As far as eye shadows, I'm very impressed! I have a single dish of "Wheat" and I love the gold color and pigmentation! My sister has a palette with 100 eye shadow colors that are are surprisingly pigmented as well! Some of the colors even apply more saturated than my Coastal Scents 88 Palette, which I paid about $20 for, while my sister's was about or less than $10.
I also got one of the $3 blushes in Pink Passion, and the color is really good for my pale complexion. I've hit the bottom of the pan and would love to try some of the other blush colors. It's a pretty good blush for the price.
ELF also has $1 liquid liners that work decently. They obviously do not apply as well as $7 ones, but if you want a cheap route, this one works just fine! It applies very dark, which I love! Watch out, though, because it will rub away if you take a nap or rub your eyes. And if you do not use an eye shadow as a base, it applies watery because it has nothing to grab onto. All I do is apply a shimmering white eye shadow to highlight my eyes and that does the job! It works really well for winging liner, too!
Now let's talk brushes. ELF is known for their professional brushes and you can find cheap ones at Target. I have gotten two brushes; one is a wonderful dome-shaped blending eye shadow brush. I love this brush soo much! Any color that I apply to my crease is applied with this brush. The bristles are really nice quality and for only $1, you are truly getting the bang for your buck! It blends really well and distributes color evenly. I was a little concerned at first when I bought it, since the handle was a bit bent where it meets the metal, just before the bristles. It turns out, though, that the slight angle actually helps me apply the shadows easier. Best buck I've ever spent.
The second brush that I bought is a blush brush. It was only $3 and, again, I love it. The bristles are super soft and I love the tapered end to reach small shadows, such as my shimmering white shadow to highlight my cheeks. I actually didn't realize how awful my previous blush brush was until I began using this ELF one. I swear that it was made from horse hair because the bristles were so coarse and when I would wash it, it emitted an awful, awful smell (like wet horse hair..). The ELF brush has had no such issues, but I'm still testing to see how it smells once it is completely dried from it's first wash. I will inform you that just a few days ago, I finally threw away that old blush brush with no regrets! Thankfully, I didn't pay one penny for that old brush because it came in a makeup kit from Ulta as a gift. So anyway, the ELF blush brush is wonderful. If my brush ends up getting ruined from the wash, or just from wear, I will definitely buy another one.
I have not yet used the ELF mascara and I don't see myself doing so in the future. If I'm going to spend $3 on it, I'm willing to spend 2 or 3 more dollars for a Maybelline mascara (like Falsies or Colossal) that I know I'm going to like. :P But if you have tried it or are planning on it, let me know how it works for you!!
Well, I think that's about it! That is all that I've tried from ELF. I love most of the products and even if you don't, the cheap price is nothing to fret about. If it doesn't work out for you, it's easier to get over than a $10 product.
Let me know if you've used any ELF Products and what you thought of them. If you have any to recommend, please let me know! Also, if you know of any other cheap-but-quality brands that you'd like me to try, let me know! I love to experiment. :)
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