e.l.f.

Some of you may have heard of e.l.f cosmetics from a forward that's been going around for some time now. e.lf. stands for eyes, lips, face and is a company that sells $1 cosmetic products. It was started by 2 brothers after they realized how much women spend on cosmetics - namely the wife of one of the brothers. The company has gotten a lot of press (www.eyeslipsface.com) and I've received the forward twice and have been so, so tempted to see if the hype is true. I finally gave in two weeks ago on a lazy Friday afternoon and bought a little bit of everything - $23 worth of lip liner, eyeliner, brushes, concealer, tinted moisturizer, lip balm, mascara, lip plumper, blotting sheets, and all-over color.

Here's the rundown on the products, but because my mother raised me well, I will go through the "good things" about the products first.

good thing #1: good scents - products smell like those orange push-pops of yesteryear.
good thing #2: good eye brushes - can't tell much difference between my Sonia Kashuk all-over brush and the e.l.f. but stay away from the "larger brushes" - you get what you pay for and in this case what you get is a brush full of dry bristles that scratch!
good thing #3: the eyeliner seems like a good solid product - made of a gel-powder formula - not kohl. doesn't blend too well though.
good thing #4: lip plumper - has a tingling effect that I liked - the lobster didn't notice a difference but I think there was a bit of "plumping".
good thing #5: $5 shipping no matter how much you buy!

bad thing #1: packaging - I am a sucker for packaging. and I understand that the company saves money by using blister packs etc but I like things to feel nice in my hands. I'm just not that utilitarian.
bad thing #2: formulations - product is very diluted. the concealer wasn't mixed very well. and the coverage isn't there
bad thing #3: all-over product - the texture on this is not nice - too waxy. didn't even try it on my skin - I was so afraid it wouldn't come off!
bad thing #4: tinted moisturizer - no coverage. and it doesn't moisturize.
bad thing #5: lip liner - another "you get what you pay for" - I like my liners a bit creamier.
bad thing #6: brushes - please refer to "good thing #2"
bad thing #7: blotting papers - too thin! "stick to the clean & clear papers".
bad thing #8: there are only 5 good things and 7 bad things.

From the 18 products I bought, I like the lip balm & the eye brush but not enough to repurchase.

lipstick kisses!

roshbosh