Elf Haul: Primer, Brushes and More...

Hello lovelies

I’ve done my first ever Elf haul! This seems like a bit of a drastic oversight for a ‘bblogger’, but there you go, there’s always a first time for everything.

 For those people I know that read this that aren’t beauty-obsessed, and haven’t heard of Elf -  they are an online-only beauty company, and their products are ridiculously cheap but generally quite well received.This means they’re very popular with bloggers, especially younger ones. They’re particularly known for their brushes, which come in every variation under the sun and are great value. Find them at eyeslipsface.co.uk.

 Although I’ve never tried Elf before, I thought it might be a good way to try things out – different colours, or new brushes missing from my collection – at a low cost and find out if they’re useful. So I placed a small order to test them out.

 My order was delayed and came quite late. Elf sent me an email warning me orders were being dispatched late due to a backlog – that wasn’t a problem this time, but it would have put me off if I needed something for a specific event! So I can’t really comment on their customer service and shipping.

 The products I went for were the Mineral Face Primer, the Waterproof Eyeliner Pen and two brushes – a ‘C’ brush, and a fan brush. Not a huge order but enough for me to decide if I like the brand. Here’s the verdict:

Mineral Face Primer 

£6.00

I’ve been using the products for a week or two and this is definitely the star of the show for me. It’s somehow slipped into my daily routine, taking out the Bourjois Happy Light primer I’d been using before.

The primer comes in different tinted variants (for brightening etc), but I just got the regular one. It comes out as a clear gel that’s very silky and silicone-feeling – much like Smashbox Photo Finish. I know a lot of people don’t really get on with silicone-based primers, but I like them.  It makes my face feel very smooth and ‘make-up ready’ and a small dab covers the whole face.

I don’t think this does much in the way of smoothing out my fine lines etc (to be fair, it doesn’t promise to), but I DO think it increases the staying power of my make-up; and that’s what I want out of a primer. My blush and bronzer seem to cling on much longer, and I notice more base coming off on the cotton pads at night which must mean its staying in place.

The packaging isn’t too horrible considering the price, and I really like the pump bottle. I’d definitely buy this again. It’s not quite up there with The Porefessional in terms of quality, but its not too far behind considering its over £10 cheaper. As an everyday use product, I like this a lot.

Waterproof Eyeliner Pen - Coffee

£2.95

A liner pen is something I use everyday, but usually in black, so I thought it might be nice to pick up a brown one for a softer effect on days where I want more of a natural look. The colour of this pen is really pretty, it’s a dark brown shade that’s flattering on and definitely more of a gentle effect than black.

 When I swatched this on my hand, I was impressed with the bold pigmentation and the staying power. It also has a very firm, fine pointed nib, so getting a precise or thinner line is easy. However, the ink flow with this pen seems to be a bit erratic – it sometimes seems to come out very pale, like its running out but then it comes back into full flow next time. A couple of times when I’ve gone to use it and its playing up, I’ve had to redraw my liner with something else, which isn’t ideal. You don’t get these problems with my usual choice (Eyeko Skinny Mini).  This reminds me a bit of the first time I tried an eyeliner felt tip-style – which was from Seventeen- and it was just really pale and disappointing.

I’m neither here nor there with the white plastic packaging but I think on the whole, the performance of this product is quite hit and miss. So despite the low price, I doubt I would repurchase this when my usual liner pen does a much superior job.

Elf Fan Brush

£1.95

A fan brush is not a type of brush I’ve used before. It’s one of those brushes that seems nice but a bit superfluous -  so I wasn’t sure if I needed one, and I didn’t want to spend a lot to find out. Elf is the perfect solution for things like this, because it has such a wide range and they’re so cheap. For the money, I was pleasantly surprised with this. The bristles are soft and its of decent construction as well. I’ve been using it for applying finishing powder where a lighter touch is needed or for contouring – again when you need a lighter touch. It would also be good for chasing away eyeshadow fallout.  I don’t think a fan brush is ever going to be a regular use item in my kit, but its handy for some looks and for the price this was a good buy.

Elf Smudge Brush

£1.95

This was another one of those odd brushes I was intrigued by and thought was worth a try for the price. It’s a flat, shallow dense brush that is really good for packing on colour or for doing a crease colour. Its been fairly useful trying it out – again, I’m not sure it will be a daily use brush but its good for certain things and a useful back-up brush to have.

In all, I was pleased with my Elf order. I’ll definitely continue to use the Mineral Primer, but the Eyeliner pen didn’t quite live up to expectation. The brushes are great value and I will look forward to expanding the range of my beauty tools. Elf regularly run sales as well,  so prices can get quite ridiculous and its definitely worth giving them a try if you’re looking to fill in gaps in your collection or try something out.