E.l.f. Haul and Review

Today is a bit of a different post as I recently made and order on E.l.f. (link to their website 'here') so I thought I'd do a post about the things I got and what I think of them.

One of the main reasons I decided to get a few things was because I'd been eagerly awaiting E.l.f.'s new premium collection of brushes called the 'Beautifully Precise' range - if you're into beauty and blogging you may have seen some photos of these floating around the internet. However, the second reason why I placed an order was because they were also adding a mystery bag of random products for free if you spent over a certain amount. I found out about this from my friend Harriet's blog which I will link 'here' for you all to go and check out (she does fab reviews and her makeup is always on point!). I'm not sure if they're still doing this but they normally have similar types of offers throughout the year.

SO, on with what I got:

[Top row from left to right: Two Beautifully Precise Brushes, Defining Eye Brush, E.l.f.'s Setting Spray and Long-lasting Lustrous Eyeshadow. 

Bottom row from left to right: Dramatic Lash Kit, Mineral Infused Mascara, Gotta Glow Lip Tint and  Shimmer Eyeliner Pencil.]

BRUSHES

The two brushes I picked out from the new range were:

- The Airbrush Stipple Brush (No. 105) £12.50: "A luxurious brush that applies foundation, blush, bronzer, and highlighter in sheer layers for a build-able, airbrushed coverage."

- The Precision Eyeliner Brush (No. 204) £6.00: "A ultrafine tapered brush for expertly applying eyeliner, lip liner or to correct the smallest imperfections."

Firstly, can we take a moment to appreciate the aesthetic of these brushes?! There's a reason why there was such a buzz surrounding these even before the release. I normally use Real Technique brushes, which are my favourite and I really rate them, but these new brushes from the beautifully precise range are super soft and made up of cruelty-free white fiber hairs. The Stippling brush seamlessly blends out product and definitely allows you to build up coverage of whatever makeup you're using if need be (especially good for highlighting powders). I haven't had a chance to properly try out the Eyeliner brush yet - but it has a fine tip so should be good for my gel eyeliner or applying a thin line of eyeshadow along the lash line. I'd definitely recommend checking out the rest of the collection online if you're looking for some moderately priced, good quality brushes that don't break the bank.

The other brush I picked up was the Defining Eye Brush £2.00 from E.l.f.'s standard collection, renowned for being cheap and cheerful (see close up below). These aren't as good quality as the new range - but you would kind of expect that from the low price point. As someone who is a bit lazy with washing my eyeshadow brushes I like to have a couple of spare blending brushes to hand so these cheaper brushes do the job. The only other product I actually paid for was the Setting Spray called 'Matte Magic Mist & Set' which I am yet to try out long term! The product comes out in a fine mist and is meant to help set your make up, control shine and hydrate the skin. I've been wanting to try one of these sprays because I have dry-combination skin and sometimes powders are too drying for me so am interested to see how well this one works considering its a lot cheaper than most others.

THE MYSTERY BAG:
Onto the mystery bag then - this included all of the other items that I am yet to have mentioned in detail in the photograph at the start of this post.

- Dramatic Lash Kit with glue RRP £2.00
- Shimmer Eyeliner Pencil in 'Black Bandit' RRP £6.00, now sold in a set of 5 (close up pictured above)
- Mineral Infused Mascara in 'Black' RRP £4.50 (also pictured above)
-  Long-lasting Lustrous Eyeshadow in the shade 'Party', no longer online (pictured below)
- Gotta Glow Lip Tint in the shade 'Perfect Pink' RRP £7.50 (pictured below too)

I won't say much about the fake lashes, there's not much I can say before I try them out!
The Shimmer Eyeliner, although not the softest, comes out very black so would probably look nice blended out a little along the lash line if you had some time - however I do think there are smoother, softer eyeliner pencils available from Boots and Superdrug, especially from brands such as Rimmel. The Mineral Mascara is also not bad - it does apply without clumps to the lashes, is a nice black formula and is particularly good for bottom lashes to give a fluttery effect. However, I probably wouldn't bother to repurchase this product as for a couple of extra pounds you can pick up a mascara which produces a more dramatic lash from high-street stores.

I was intrigued by the Eyeshadow, it's described as a "shimmery whipped gel texture" which can be worn as either an eyeshadow or eyeliner. The texture is reminiscent of Maybelline's Dream Matt Mouse (what a classic throwback product). It does apply fairly sheerly so a few layers are needed to build up a more intense, bold look and I think it applies better with a brush rather than using your fingers. This could also look nice layered on top of normal eyeshadows if you're doing a smokey eye to add a bit of shimmer. I'll probably use this more as an eyeliner rather than an eyeshadow but I would recommend checking out what other colours they have of these if you're interested in trying out a shimmery gel eyeshadow base.

When I first saw the colour of the Lip Tint I freaked out a little inside because I am definitely not a fan of Barbie pink lip products but I thought I'd swatch it anyway. At first it comes out so sheer that there's very little colour pay off, but BEAR WITH because this product reacts to your lips to give a unique shade of pink after a little bit of time. So although I've swatched this below it may turn a slightly different colour on you. When applied to the lips it doesn't have a lot of colour pay off, but for a lip tint it does produce a nice pink sheen and is a soft buttery texture which is comfortable to wear. The packaging is also a bit more weighty than most of E.l.f.'s other packaging which is nice considering this is priced a little higher than other products. I believe this also comes in a berry and peach shade - all limited edition and the 'Perfectly Pink' is a new colour to the collection apparently.

[Swatches of the Eyeshadow and Lip Tint]

Overall, I think the mystery bag is a nice way of trying out some of E.l.f.'s old and new products, especially if you're planning on placing an order anyway. I think the important thing to remember though is that the whole basis of the company is it's affordability, so the products are decent for the price you pay for them but they aren't going to compete with more high end brands.
My top recommendations are the Beautifully Precise Brushes and the Mist & Set spray and I'd probably avoid the mascaras and eyeliners (although I'll probably use these up regardless)!!

Let me know if you try any E.l.f. products and what you think of them.

Laura.

Song: Fate Don't Know You by Desi Valentine

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