Elf Make Up Review!

I recently treated myself to some Elf make up after hearing some good reviews on the products. I've seen the brand mentioned across YouTube mainly, and was curious as to the quality of the make up, especially considering its bold claims and low price. I ordered a mix of products, and spent only about £25 for everything. Considering I could easily blow this or more on one product, I was so excited to try the products!




On a special offer, I received 3 products for £15. The first I'm going to review is this lipstick.
You didn't actually get to choose the shade, but I received a pink toned nude sheen lipstick in the shade Runway Pink.
This lipstick has a really strange smell to it. I don't expect my lipsticks to have a fragrance, but found that this lipstick had a crayon-y smell that I really didn't like. I could smell it from my lips as I was wearing it, and was worried that my boyfriend could too!
The lipstick is easy to apply, with a smooth yet grainy formula. I didn't think much to it's staying power, finding that it practically all wiped off after taking a sip from drink. The shade wasn't really suited to my skin tone and so would be one that i'd offer to my mum or sister, but generally didn't enjoy the lipstick. I think I'll stick to Charlotte Tilbury or Mac on this one!



The next product was a mascara which came in black. I was pleased to receive this as I am running low on my holy grail, Urban Decay's Perversion. The mascara formula feels quite dry upon application, but was not clumpy and separated my lashes effectively. I am lucky enough to already have long eyelashes and I usually look for products that claim volumising effects, but feel this mascara is just a simple formula that gives a natural look to the eyelashes. I would advise this mascara is more suited to day wear. The packaging is simplistic, but I found the wand difficult to use as it appeared to bend a lot when putting it into the formula. Honestly, it felt like it was going to snap! Whilst I will still use this mascara, I'm not sure i'd repurchase.



Separate to the offer, I also bought a contour palette which only cost £7.50! I am an inexperienced contour-er and didn't want to spend a lot on a product that I would simply practice with. This palette comes with a large mirror, and four shades including a highlight shade, a setting shade and two darker contour shades. There wasn't the option to change these shades for different skin tones which I imagine would make the palette unuseful for certain skin tones. Whilst I am quite pale, the setting shade was really too pale for me and the highlight shade was literally white,  and I had to use some of my other make-up to downplay it. The shades are a light wearing powder, that go on with ease but require quite a bit of buffing to blend. They do feel cakey when on, and I was really aware of the make up on my face.. I feel for the price of this contour palette it is a reasonably good product. It suited my need as a "practice" palette but I feel I was reasonably lucky in that the shades semi-suited my skin tone. In regards to a repurchase, I think I'll personally struggle to get full use out of this palette as the pans are relatively deep.


I also treated myself to a primer. I love the smashbox primer that comes in at £28, so wanted to find another primer that was cheap for when I'm running low on my beloved. This primer was sold to brighten your skin. The formula is very creamy and appeared quite greasy on my face. There is a lot of gold glitter in this formula, which I felt looked really strange under my foundation. It didn't make my foundation last longer, and if anything, made it patchy. I really didn't like this primer!

The one saving grace was the baked highlighter, in the shade Blush Gems. This champagne, rose gold shade isn't massively pigmented, but graces the skin with a subtle highlight perfect for day wear. Unlike the contour palette, it blends lovely and leaves an iridescent sheen. I would love to try different shades as I think this product is fantastic for the price, and I really enjoyed using it.

Overall, I wasn't massively impressed with Elf cosmetics. When I received my order, the packaging had been ripped to shreds and there were several items missing. I have emailed Elf and am still awaiting a response in regards to sorting out the other items. I feel that though the make-up isn't awful, it didn't fit my relatively low standards. I want to try a few other products before I totally write off this brand for me, and would really appreciate any recommendations! I don't know whether I just picked the wrong products.

Are there any brands that you are iffy on, or would like me to try? Do you completely disagree with my elf review, and have an recommendations to change my mind? I'd love to hear 'em!


Many Thanks,

Ellie xx