Category Archives: E.L.F.

DIY – Using an ELF Compact as a Travel Eyeshadow Palette

DIY Freestyle compact – with 4 Inglot shadows and one WnW

I’ve recently had good luck with several ELF products, but I do find the brand hit-or-miss. However, even when I have a miss with a product in a compact, I’ve figured out a way to repurpose the compact that makes it worth the $1.50 to $3 that I paid!

Take this translucent mattifying powder that I recently purchased – it looked fine at first:

But, after a swipe or two with the sponge, this was revealed:

Very lumpy, bumpy, and not my kind of powder! So, I took a knife and pried it the pan out of the compact; I wasn’t careful, because I was planning to toss the powder. However, ELF pans are very loosely attached with glue, so if you are careful, you can remove them without harming the powder – or you can do the second step (show below) first, then use heat to loosen the glue.

After the pan was removed, I was left with this:

ELF compact – no pan

Then, I took my knife again, and pried the insert out of the pan, which left me with an empty pan with just a tiny spot of glue in it:

Empty ELF Compact

And you’re done! This whole process takes less than five minutes, and you are left with a sturdy, small compact with a mirror. You can glue in a magnetic sheet to make a magnetic freestyle compact; use doubleside tape to stick in pans, or just glue in the pans. I made my mom a small compact of eyeshadows and glued in the pans with the first one I did, and haven’t used the second one yet – I’ll probably end up using double-sided tape.

Here’s the first photo again, as an example of how you can fill the compact. These pans aren’t attached, I’ve just placed them in the compact to demonstrate. Four Inglot eyeshadows fit in really nicely, leaving a little bit of space for a Wet n Wild or similarly sized eyeshadow.

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ELF Turks & Caicos Contouring Blush & Bronzer Review & Swatches

ELF Turks & Caicos Contouring Blush & Bronzer – with flash

During ELF’s most recent 50% off Studio sale, I bought several of their new items to try out. ELF has had one Contouring Blush & Bronzer duo for a while – I have a swatch of the bronzer side here – but recently added two new shades to the lineup. Today, I have a review of the shade Turks & Caicos for you. (The other new shade is Antigua – you can see swatches of it, as well as swatches of Turks & Caicos on a darker skintone, on Glam Morena here).

Turks & Caicos Blush / Bronzer duo is packed in a nice, sturdy case with a mirror. The pans are very easy to depot (if you wish), and the case can then be reused – I’ll show you how in a separate post. The only downside of the packaging is that the name of the duo isn’t printed on it – there’s just a tiny sticker that falls off easily.

The blush and bronzer themselves are very smooth and pigmented; the texture is really nice. Both are shimmery.

ELF Turks & Caicos Blush and Bronzer swatches

Natural light

With flash

I really love the blush shade – it fits in well with all the muted neutral blushes I’ve been loving lately, and the pigmentation and texture are just wonderful. The only downside for me is the shimmer/sparkle, but it’s not too noticeable when applied.

The bronzer side isn’t a good shade for me – it’s too dark to use as a bronzer, and too warm to use as a contour shade – but I can imagine it working really well on someone with a darker, warm skintone. Because of this, I may depot the blush, toss the bronzer, and use the compact as a travel eyeshadow compact (see my tutorial for how to do that here).

Overall, this is a nice little duo for $3, or $1.50 on sale. I’m quite impressed with the quality!

ELF Glitter Eyeshadow Applicator Review & Photos

ELF Glitter Eyeshadow Applicator

I placed an order of several ELF (E.L.F?) products and brushes recently, and the brush I was most excited to receive was the new Studio line glitter eyeshadow applicator.

The glitter eyeshadow applicator has a long handle like a regular brush and a silicone tip that’s shaped sort of like a sponge-tip applicator. It’s not the only silicone glitter eyeshadow applicator / brush out there – Lise Watier makes a very similar product ($15), and Sephora -->used to make one --> which I think is discontinued (was $13). ELF’s is $3 (or $1.50 if you catch it during a 50% off sale, like I did).

ELF Glitter Eyeshadow applicator – front view

ELF Glitter Eyeshadow Applicator – side view

So, how does it perform? I tested it by dipping it in loose glitter; the glitter adhered to the silicone, and was easy to pat on to my skin. I was able to use the front side to cover a larger area (like my eyelid), or the side – which is flat – to make a thinner line, as for glitter eyeliner. It worked really, really well – it picks up glitter much better than a regular brush, and is less messy than using fingers.

Of course, loose glitter doesn’t stick to skin very well – and the applicator can’t change that – so it’s best to use a sticky base like Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy.

Overall, I think this is a GREAT product, and a real bargain at $3 or less. Definitely recommended!

ELF Superstar and Showstopper HD Blush Review, Swatches, Comparison

Superstar; Showstopper

E.L.F. recently released a new HD Blush as part of their studio line. A few days after it showed up online, they had a “50% off Studio” sale, and I decided to make a purchase – two of the new blushes and several other items (see everything I bought ). There are five shades of the HD blush available, and I had a hard time narrowing my choices down to two. They were inexpensive enough for me to buy all five, but given my hit and miss experience with ELF, I wanted to make sure I liked them before buying several. So, I ended up with Superstar, which I expected to be coral (but is more pink/coral), and Showstopper, which I expected to be berry, and is a purple-toned berry.

This review is two parts; first, I’m going to compare the ELF blushes to the very similar MUFE blushes. Second, I’m going to evaluate the MUFE blushes on their own merits.

MUFE vs ELF: the same packaging

So, how similar are they? The packaging is virtually identical; the only difference I noticed, besides the branding, was that the MUFE has a glossy lid and the ELF has a matte lid. The pump mechanism seems identical to me (very functional, but you have to be careful not to pump out too much product.)

However, the texture of each brand’s blush is different. Below, I have extremely heavy swatches of MUFE #6 Quickie and ELF Superstar.

MUFE HD blush vs. ELF HD blush

Of course, the colors are different, but the reason I swatched them so heavily was so that you could see the texture. The MUFE blush is creamy, with an opaque base, while the ELF blush is more watery, with a translucent base. The MUFE blush is thicker and takes slightly longer to dry down; the ELF blush is thinner and significantly more pigmented. The MUFE blush is a little easier to work with because it’s not so pigmented and you have more time to blend. However, if you prefer a very pigmented blush, and especially if you have darker skin, the ELF is going to be your best bet.

And of course, the MUFE blush is $26, while the ELF blush is $3, or as low as $1.50 on sale. Both are labeled as 10ml (.33oz); however, the ELF arrived full, while my MUFE blush did not – and Sephora.com says that the MUFE blush is .2oz, so perhaps they have adjusted the label to adjust for the quantity you actually receive.

And now, my evaluation of each blush:

ELF HD Blush: Superstar

(The darkness on my arm is from a leftover eyeshadow swatch that I failed to remove completely
– sorry about that! I didn’t realize it would show up so clearly in the photo.)

Superstar is a very pigmented pink-coral. It sets very quickly; you’ll definitely want to apply/blend one cheek at a time. I had the best luck if I put a little bit of blush on the back of my hand, dabbed some on to a fingertip, then applied/blended with my fingers, working quickly. I was able to achieve a subtle result with this method, as seen below:

ELF Superstar, applied

I’m also wearing Superstar on my lips in the photo, mixed with gloss – but I wouldn’t recommend that, as it really settled in to my lip lines. Also, I don’t know if it’s lip safe. And here’s a slightly heavier application so you can see the color better:

Next, Showstopper – this one is gorgeous, but was much harder to work with. It is very, very pigmented, and also sets quite quickly. The heavy swatch stained my arm (by the way – straight up oil is awesome at removing swatches and stains from swatching).

ELF HD Blush: Showstopper

This is a purple toned berry; a really beautiful color. I think it would work particularly well on deeper skintones, where a more intense color would look natural.

I had a hard time making this work for me. Even with well-moisturized skin, the color was just too intense. So, I ended up mixing a little bit with some moisturizer (primer would work even better, due to the texture), and using my fingers to apply the mixture. This worked very well; I wouldn’t call the result natural, but it’s wearable.

ELF Showstopper, applied

Here, I’m wearing Showstopper on my lips. This worked really well – it had a nice finish. Again, no idea if it’s lip safe.

Overall, these are fantastic products at a bargain basement price. They require some work to use – I won’t be reaching for them unless I have time to play with my makeup, and time to correct mistakes (i.e. overapplication) if needed. But, on days that I have the time, they are a really great option. Because they are so pigmented and you need so little, they look just like skin – they basically have no texture at all once applied. I am glad I bought them!

Favorite ELF Brushes: Pictures and Mini-Reviews

I posted about my favorite eye brushes and favorite face brushes a few weeks ago; you probably noticed that many of them – especially the eye brushes – are on the more expensive side. So, I thought it would be useful to do a round-up of my favorite ELF brushes since they’re inexpensive and although not all of them made it on to my favorites lists, I still like and use them.

Overall, I’ve found that I prefer the Studio line brushes (which sell for $3 each) to the Essential line brushes (which sell for $1 each). I’ve tried several brushes from the Essential line, and found the face brushes scratchy; the eye brushes are okay, but not great. In contrast, the Studio line brushes are very soft and very well made – I haven’t had a problem with any of them shedding, even after several washes. All of the black-handled brushes in this post are from the Studio line.

ELF complexion (powder) brush

The ELF studio complexion blush, which I use for powder, did make it on to my favorites list. It’s very soft and does a good job at applying a thin layer of powder, or dusting off excess powder.

ELF blush brush

The ELF studio blush brush is also very soft and is nicely shaped; it hasn’t lost its shape after several washings. It is fairly small, so best for those who prefer a more precise blush brush. I generally reserve it for my few shimmery blushes, to avoid getting any shimmer particles on my go-to blush brush between washings.

ELF eyeshadow C brush

The ELF eyeshadow C brush is the same shape as ELF’s basic $1 eyeshadow brush, but better quality. Again, it’s well made and soft; however, I don’t love the shape. I prefer a smaller brush to lay down eyeshadow on the lid, and a slightly fluffier brush for blending. I think that if I had more lid space, this would be a more useful brush for me. As is, I tend to reach for it when my go-to brushes are dirty, and it does a great job – it just requires more work because of the fit between the shape of the brush and the shape of my eyes.

ELF contour eyeshadow brush

I love the ELF contour eyeshadow brush; this really could have been on my favorites list. I use it for applying cream eyeshadow, and it does a great job. Plus, I prefer to use synthetic brushes for cream products (all ELF brushes are synthetic). I’ve also used this to apply concealer to my face, and it worked very well for this. The densely packed bristles are just perfect for applying a thin, even, layer of cream product.

ELF small precision eye brush

I use the ELF small precision eye brush to go over my eyeliner with black eyeshadow. I used to use it more frequently, but lately I’ve been reaching for the brush that came with the L’oreal gel eyeliners instead, which is a little more precise and has a shorter handle. Still, it’s a good brush to have around.

ELF concealer brush

The ELF concealer brush is the one brush in this post from the Essentials line that I love and use all the time. I actually have seven; six to use as lip brushes (so I always have a clean one!), and one that use to clean up my manicures. It is absolutely perfect for both of those purposes, and it’s so great that it’s only $1!

ELF blending eye brush / used for detail highlighting

I forgot to include the ELF blending eye brush, from the minerals line, in the photo of all the brushes. I included this in my roundup of favorite face brushes, because it’s my go-to for precision highlighting. I use a larger brush to highlight my cheekbones, but this is perfect for my browbone, bridge of the nose, and cupid’s bow. It’s very soft and well made – the quality is similar to the Studio line.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend any of the ELF Studio line brushes, and there are some brushes among the other lines that are good as well. And remember that you don’t need to use a brush for its intended purpose; I use an Illamasqua eye brush as a highlighter brush, the small ELF eye brush above as a detail highlighter brush, the Ecotools Bronzer brush as a powder brush, and more — make the brushes work for you!

ELF Bronzed Cream Eyeshadow Review, Swatches, Photos

ELF Bronzed Cream Eyeshadow

A while back, I bought a handful of ELF products to try out. I find that ELF’s quality varies significantly – most brands have hits and misses, but ELF has some really questionable products (see my eyeshadow primer review) and some amazing bargains that I would happily pay much more for (especially their studio brush line!).

One of the products I bought was the cream eyeshadow in the shade Bronzed. I was curious to see how it would compare with Maybelline’s Color Tattoo eyeshadows in particular. First, the packaging. The ELF cream eyeshadow is packaged in a small glass pot; I tend to like ELF’s packaging because it’s simple and sleek – this is no exception. It comes with a small, useless brush – it’s just not the right type of brush for cream eyeshadow. It could be used for other purposes, but given the size, I threw it out. For $3, I don’t need an included brush! One odd thing is that the actual cream eyeshadow pot doesn’t seem to say the shade name anywhere; it’s only on the exterior packaging. Perhaps there was a sticker that fell off.

Next, the color. “Bronzed” is a gorgeous, flattering bronze – exactly what it purports to be! It reminds me of Urban Decay Smog, and is in fact quite similar. I’ve compared it below to several of the Maybelline Color Tattoos – I initially thought it might be similar to Gold Shimmer or Bad to the Bronze, but it’s very different!

Comparison: ELF Bronzed, Maybelline Color Tattoos

And then, most importantly – how is the quality? I am very pleased to report that it wears quite well, both alone and as an eyeshadow base. It’s very creamy, smooth, and opaque. It applies better (less patchy) than many of the Maybelline Color Tattoo shades. I wore it both alone and under eyeshadow all day, and didn’t have any creasing, though there was some slight patchiness and fading after around six hours when worn alone – though it was absolutely still wearable! Note that most eyeshadows don’t crease on me.

ELF Bronzed – immediately after application

Overall, I would recommend ELF Bronzed if you’re looking for an inexpensive cream eyeshadow. The color is absolutely gorgeous, and the quality is quite good.

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