 |
E.L.F. Liquid Eyeshadow
by daisylee3
Up until quite recently I had never used liquid eye shadow and I wasn't really sure if I'd like it.
I came across ELF's liquid eye shadows a few weeks ago while browsing their website and they sounded great from the product description and are very cheap so I decided to buy two to try. The eye shadows retail at just £1.50 ... each and they come in 1ml tubes. There are eight different colours to choose from ranging from clear to bright pink.
I decided to look at some swatches on Google while choosing which shades I wanted because I find ELF swatches quite inaccurate and in the end I decided on silver and brown. Both colours are extremely well pigmented with a shimmery finish. I was expecting the silver to have a metallic, high shine finish but it is a little darker than I expected and not at all metallic looking, but the slight sheen that it has stops it from looking too dull.
Unlike the brown one I am not able to just wear one layer of it as it isn't very intense - I have to apply a good four or so layers before I am happy with the intensity. The brown shade is gorgeous and has goldy red tones and it looks really impressive and a lot more luxurious than I was expecting considering the price! The packaging is a little cheap looking and very basic but seeing as I just keep it in my make-up bag this doesn't matter at all.
The tube is shaped just like a lip gloss tube and it is clear. This is handy as I have two different shades so I'm easily able to see which is which. The brand and product name are written on the side in black writing and the black plastic lid screws on and off. The lid has a wand and sponge applicator attatched to it and the applicator is made of soft sponge. It has a slanted tip and is a good size but I don't use it to apply my eye shadow as it picks up way too much product.
I use my fingers to apply the eye shadow and I only need to dab a small amount on each eyelid for a really impressive finish and great colour pay off, I then blend it with a small, fluffy brush while it's still wet and if necessary apply another layer for a more intense finish. Although the eyeliner does feel quite cold when I initially apply it this feeling soon subsides and it does not feel greasy or heavy. The formula is just the right consistency - not so thick that it feels heavy on my eyelids but it is not at all runny or sticky.
The finished result is always great - the eye shadow never looks patchy or anything and it doesn't take long to dry. I've never had any issues with smudging as long as I keep my eyes closed for a minute or so while it dries. It looks and feels smooth and crease free and I'm really happy with how it looks. ELF claim that it is crease and smear proof but I find that it does start to crease after around six hours, even with a setting spray. The tube is a handy size and small enough to fit in my bag for top-ups if needed though so this isn't a problem. It can take a while to remove with a damp cotton pad as it really sticks to my eyelids but again, this isn't too much of a problem.
I overall highly recommend this liquid eye shadow and I give it five out of five stars.
Read the complete review |
|
|
E.L.F. Eyeshadow Primer
by daisylee3
One of my favourite ELF products is their eye shadow primer.
I first came across this around a year ago and I've since re-purchased several tubes of it. Each tube contains 6ml of product and retails at £2.50 - bargain or what?!
There are four available shades - silver, brown, mauve and pale beige. I use the beige ... as it's the closest colour to my skin tone and blends nicely, meaning that it isn't visible - I don't really see the point in coloured primer, personally!
The primer comes in a plastic tube which is shaped just like a tube of lip gloss. It's transparent with a white lid and black writing on the front saying the brand and product name. To be honest the packaging is quite cheap looking and very basic, but as the primer is good quality and does what it's supposed to the packaging doesn't bother me at all.
The lid has a wand attatched to it and the applicator brush is a little slanted piece of foam. The brush transfers way too much product onto my eyelids and it is quite a messy way of applying it so I just use my fingers to dab a little on and blend it in. I only need a tiny blob for each eyelid so a tube lasts for a good six months with daily use which makes it even better value!! The primer is the perfect consistency - thick enough not to be runny but not at all waterry.
The primer is very easy to blend and it doesn't feel heavy, sticky or greasy on my eyelids, nor does it look shiny or greasy. It creates a smooth, almost silky base for my eyeshadow and doesn't interfere with it at all, my eye shadow goes on evenly and the colour pay off is noticeably better. It doesn't make my eye shadow go cakey or stick to certain areas of my eyelid or anything.
This is effective at helping my eye shadow stay nice and neat and last longer - it stops any fallout, creasing, smudging or fading. Obviously it doesn't make my eye shadow stay perfect for absolutely ages and it does start fading a little after around ten hours - a few hours more than it lasts without the primer. Overall this is an effective and excellent value for money primer and I highly recommend it.
Five out of five stars.
Read the complete review |
 |
E.L.F Waterproof Eyeliner Pen
by daisylee3
I love felt-tip eyeliners, they're so much more fun to apply than normal eye liners!
I've got quite a few different ones, one of which is the ELF waterproof eyeliner pen. I used to have four of these but one arrived without anything inside the casing so was unuseable and the other two dried out after a couple of weeks so I ... just have one at the minute.
These retail at £1.50 each which is an amazing price and so much cheaper than a majority of other brands but just as good! There are eight colours available which I think is great - most eyeliners are only available in the usual brown and black so the colour choice is a nice change. I currently have the black one but I've had the grey one in the past and both colours are very well pigmented and intense.
With some cheap 'felt tip' eye liners, the black shades can look quite washed out but the pigmentation is really impressive. The eye liner comes in a plastic tube which holds 1.8g of product. It is designed to look like a pen which I find quite cute. It's black with white writing on the side of it saying the brand and product name. The packaging is quite sleek and it doesn't look cheap or tacky. The pen can fit in my make-up bag easily and doesn't take up much room and it is easy to grip and it's very lightweight.
The firm nib is a good size and slightly pointed making application precise and the line it produces when applied is very neat and a medium size - not tooo thin and not too thick. The nib is protected by a plastic lid which just pulls off. It's important to remember to put the lid back on after each use else it will dry out. ELF claim that this is a 'no smudge, no budge' eyeliner which lasts for hours. It's waterproof as well.
When I first got this a couple of weeks ago, the nib was quite moist and very soft and it glided across my skin without dragging but it's now a lot dryer and starting to go a little hard even though I always make sure that I put the lid back on after each use. It is still useable but not as much product comes out unless I spend a couple of minutes shaking it.
I use this mainly on my upper lids when I'm wearing falsies to cover up the band and it's good for the outer eyelash flick as well as it stays in place, dries quickly and doesn't smudge. I rarely use it on my waterline as it irritates my eyes and makes them water for some reason, but it's fine on my upper lashline. It gives that extra bit of definition and lasts for ages - at least six hours. It's quite difficult to remove and I have to scrub my eyes with a make-up removing pad to get it off - it takes quite a few make-up removing pads to remove all traces of it.
I give it three out of five stars. It's cheap, well pigmented, cruelty free (not tested on animals) and long lasting but if used on my waterline it irritates my eyes and it also goes really dry in the tube after a couple of weeks.
Read the complete review |
