My first e.l.f experience (+ haul)

Over the past few months, I've been hearing more and more about e.l.f (or eyes, lips, face) as a company and as a set of products.

E.l.f. describe their company as:

' a line of simple, luxurious, problem-solution tools that allow you to showcase and believe in your unique, personal beauty. Our cosmetics are designed to improve and accentuate the individual, not hide her away... Every woman should have the opportunity to participate in innovation, without sacrificing her budget. ' 

In short, they focus their products around simplicity and affordability - products with a purpose, which do what they say on the tin and won't break the bank. They seem to lower the price by not spending on advertising or packaging - as well as they are only available online (in the UK, they sell in stores in the US).

After reading many reviews on various products and hearing bloggers rave about them, I was amazed to take a peek on the website and find that their products were ridiculously cheap - usually this would put me off, because I would assume the quality was horrendous, but after the rave reviews - I was so excited to put an order in!

So on Thursday, I put in a little order, and here is what I bought:

waterproof eyeliner pen, £1.50

Waterproof Eyeliner Pen:
I've been searching for a waterproof liquid (or felt tip) eyeliner ever since I started my lifeguarding job, as you're around a lot of water and going in saunas etc - I really didn't want my eye makeup ending up half way down my face. The applicator of this pen is like a thin felt tip - meaning it's easy to use, and easy to apply either a very thin line, or thicken it up if necessary. I tested this out this morning when I went swimming, with my Rimmel Colossal Volum' Express waterproof mascara (see earlier haul), and I was so happy with the result! I applied this on the top of my eyelid above my eye, and when I came out of the pool my eye makeup was exactly as it was when I entered - this stayed in a pristine line above my eye, with no smudging or moving of any kind!

all over color stick, £1.50

All Over Color Stick in Spotlight
The e.l.f color sticks are basically a stick of product which can be used anywhere on your eyes, lips or face. They come in a range of colours from pale creams to bronzes and deep pinks, and I chose the palest cream colour called Spotlight. I'm hoping to use this on my cheekbones mainly, as a highlighter, but I might also end up using it as a kind of nude lipstick, because I hate how bright my lips are!

swatches of spotlight color stick and waterproof eyeliner pen

make-up mist and set, £3.75

Makeup Mist and Set
The e.l.f makeup mist and set is basically a make up setting spray which contains lots of natural ingredients, and claims to 'improve makeup wearability','moisturize and sooth the skin' with natural ingredients, and prevent colour from 'running or fading'. So far I have been impressed with it, as I wore it to the pool when I lifeguarded yesterday, and my makeup did seem to stay in place longer than usual - even with the increased heat and humidity. I haven't developed a full opinion on it yet, but I'll pop up a review when I've tested it some more.


My friend also joined in my order (to save on postage!) and she ordered a few things which I thought I'd show you before I give them to her!

tone correcting powder

Tone Correcting Powder
The e.l.f tone correcting powder has been quite controversial between bloggers, as some claim it's a miracle product, and others hating it. Personally, I think it just looks like a cheap eyeshadow compact from primary school - but each colour combats a different problem with skin tone - and the overall powder aims to even skin tone and mattify your skin. I'll be interested to see how she finds it, as I'm not sure I'd be too happy putting these colours onto my skin!

all over color stick, £1.50

All Over Color Stick in Golden Peach
She also ordered a colour stick, but this time in Golden Peach - a lovely pinky bronze colour, which I assume will be used for either a blush or a bronzer!


Another thing I love about e.l.f is that they constantly have offers on! A while ago they were doing a complete 50% off offer, where everything was half price - recently they put all their makeup brushes for £1 each for a weekend, and at the moment the offer is that shipping is £1 (normally the offers have a minimum spend of £10). When I ordered everything on Thursday, the offer was that you got a free nail varnish with every order (again, I think it was everything over £10), and so I got this free nail varnish with the order:

nail polish in royal purple, £2.50

Nail Polish in Royal Purple
I didn't get to choose the colour, so I was given Royal Purple, though I would describe it as more of a dark fuchsia. The formula seems nice, but maybe a bit runny - and there is a glittery shimmer throughout it, which probably makes it more suitable for toes than fingernails, but I'm sure I'll get some use out of it!

Another thing to mention that I loved about e.l.f was how amazingly quick it was! Postage was around £3, and within an hour or two or ordering it on Thursday afternoon, I recieved an email saying my package had been dispatched, and it arrived in the morning post the next day!

I would definitely recommend e.l.f as a company, and I love all the products I recieved from first impressions - I'll let you know how I got on with them later!