I recently bought some products from the beauty brand
e.l.f (Eyes Lips Face) which for some reason I always thought was a British brand put it actually turns out is an American brand. If you haven't heard of it before I definitely recommend you to check it out, it's a really, really affordable drugstore brand. I bought 5 products because firstly I wanted to be eligible for the free shipping, and there were quite a few things I'd been thinking about buying for a while. When it came to checking out, I was given the option of choosing between two codes. I can't remember now what they were but one was to do with lips and one was to do with face. I had quite a few face products in my basket so I went for the lip option thinking I would get like one lipstick or something. Oh man was I wrong! When I opened my package I thought I'd got the wrong order, because there were
10 items: the 5 that I bought, PLUS 5 freebies! Altogether these retail at £19.50 which was given all for free?! Isn't that a freaking amazing deal? I got a powder brush, a glittery peach lip gloss, a pinky-nude lipstick, a (very) tinted lip balm that has the most amazing mint smell, and a highlighter. I'm so impressed with the pigmentation of the highlighter that it's become my go to everyday one! Sadly, I haven't had much use of the other things as I had to pack them into my storage and had to limit the makeup that I have with me on holiday.
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| the 5 freebies (ignore the morphe palette, i have a post about that on it's way) |
***In retrospect I have realised that e.l.f frequently does these freebie codes (like boohoo etc) so chances are there will be some sort of code available if you buy something. I believe the codes are only available for purchases over £25 or so, as is the free shipping.
I bought the Studio Prism Eyeshadow palette (£12.50) in the colour 'Naked' for my sister's birthday present. Although I've never tried this before I took
Kathleen Lights' word for it and bought it because my sister really wanted a sparkly nude palette and she loved it when I gave it to her! The shadows can be used both wet and dry depending on whether you want a subtle or intense look.
Next I bought the Studio High Definition Undereye Setting Powder (£4.50). I have seen
soo many makeup gurus on Youtube absolutely raving about this product so I bought it and tried it out. I have quite dry undereyes and they crease my concealer very easily. This setting powder is very finely milled so it set my concealer perfectly without sinking into the fine lines. My only con about it is that it's quite messy. I keep it in my makeup bag so it sometimes gets turned upside-down which means some powder falls out when I open it which isn't ideal. It's also quite small, which adds to the fiddly-ness, however a little goes a long was so it does last a long time! As it is a loose powder it can be used just to set, or to bake which is really great.
I also purchased the Studio Small Tapered Brush (£4.50) to use with the setting powder. I
love how soft it is, especially for the price. I also love that it comes with a little plastic pocket (just like in the photo) which protects the bristles from bending when I put them in my makeup bag. The only thing that bothers me is that I specifically bought this from seeing it used in videos, but the shape does not look the same as the one I saw. I don't know if they've changed the shape or if I was just mislead but it's not exactly the shape I was expecting. It still does the job nonetheless though.
My next purchase was the Studio Hydrating Under Eye Primer. (£4.50) As I previously mentioned, my under eyes are very dry so I bought this on a whim to see if it would help stop my makeup from creasing and settling into the lines. I've only used it once so I can't say how well it worked, but it had a really nice tacky feeling that you look for in a primer. It didn't feel exceptionally hydrating but it was nice under the eyes, like I'd applied a light serum or something. I made the mistake of using it with the setting powder which hindered my ability to really see the difference it made. I think next time I'll used it with a different setting powder, one that usually shows up my creases, to see if it helps!
Finally, I bought the Essential Acne Fighting Spot Gel with Aloe (£3.00) in the colour 'Clear'. Although I don't have acne I do tend to break out around my chin and t-zone, which sometimes takes a long time to clear up. This is actually my second time buying it and I do find that it helps clear up my skin faster. I put it on before I put makeup on and over night if I'm going out for the day. It does say that you can apply it multiple times a day so if I'm staying hope and I've broken out quite badly then I'll reapply it throughout the day. I would say this is more an oil/liquid than a gel as it rolls on to the skin, rather than squirting? If that makes sense. So far I'm liking it a lot, it doesn't have a harsh smell or anything. The only downside is that it can have a little bit of a sting to it, and it can leave the area you apply it to a tad red, but that dies down in a few minutes.
