Swings and Roundabouts - ELF reviews

So, as mentioned below, I was very excited about the ELF 20% code! Here's a wee snap of what I got:

Clockwise from left:
Natural Radiance Blusher in Innocence
Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter in Glow/Fair
Hypershine Lipgloss in Vixen
Everyday Basics Eyeshadow Collection 32pc
Bamboo Blending Eye Brush

This all came to just under £20, including delivery, and were all items I'd wanted for ages!

Favourite piece was by far the Concealer and Highlighter from the Studio Line. I think I saw this on Jennie's blog (where I also saw the bamboo brush!), and I really love it. It matches my fair skin really well and I'd first thought I wouldn't really need the highlighter, but it's really great for that area, not too shimmery at all, 'glow' is a really good name as it just brightens in a very subtle way. Only £3.50 too. Love!

I've always been a bit confused by the photography on the ELF website. I'm not comfortable with buying cosmetics online in general unless I can actually go to a shop and feel the product on my skin. I love checking blogs for recommendations, ideas and swatches, but one can obviously never really tell what a colour will be like until it's in your hands! However, with ELF everything is such a low price you can kind of take chances and they won't be expensive mistakes! The website doesn't really convey what a dusky pink this blush is; it looks a bit more candy pink, and even shimmery.

Natural Radience Blusher in Innocence

I love it so much though, it's actually very subtle and matte. I love very bright and blue based pinks for my cheeks, but it means I have to go very easy on eye colour. This is the perfect blush to go along with a very dramatic, smokey eye, perhaps with a dusting of matte bronzer to contour though so as not to look too washed out  if you're pale like me. I think it mightn't be much use on darker skin tones as it isn't incredibly pigmented, but for me it is very nice and buildable. I'm very excited about using it for a 60s makeup look with big dark eyes, false lashes and pale lips! I have my eye on Glow in this range now too, which is quite peachy.

Now, I was MOST excited about ordering this Everyday Basics palette. I thought the colours looked really great and wearable, in particular I was looking forward to playing around with the mushroomy shades, and the greys and taupes. I'd seen and heard good things about other ELF eyeshadow palettes and I sent one of these to my mum for Mother's Day before I ordered one for myself!

I spent a long time a few nights ago, playing with the colours and trying to get decent swatches to post on here. They are swatched in the order they come in the palette, and unfortunately the shades I was most excited about are rather non-existent!

The lower half of the palette is particularly disappointing, that pink kind of looks like streaky paint! The only colour that works really well is the black on the top right (no product numbers or names included). It is actually a very beautiful pigmented black with a subtle shimmer, and in the whole palette it really stuck out. The browns in the top picture are much better, and actually the shades reminded me of the coveted UD Naked Palette, though IRL a lot of these shades aren't too different from one another. All the colours were swatched with a wet eyeshadow brush as it was the only way I could get any kind of decent colour.

I guess for only £9 you can't expect incredible quality, but the rest of ELF's products I've tried, I loved and they are cheap too. For comparison I swatched the Sleek makeup Orginal Divine Palette, as they are also a cheap makeup brand offering exciting eye palettes and the difference is phenomenal.

Just swatched with my fingers gently, which was impossible with ELF, where I really needed to go at the colours. Excitingly though, Katie's Beauty Blog recently posted that Sleek will be releasing a neutrals palette in the next few months! The other Sleek palette colours are all a bit bright for me, so I really can't wait for that, I think it will be perfect. I'll be using the ELF palette for that blackish colour and the browns, and I guess I'll bide my time until the Sleek release! Obviously the dream is getting my hands on the Naked Palette, one day...

To finish, here's a wee snap of me with the blush and lip gloss on:

As you can see the blush is a very natural but I think cute flush. The lip gloss was lovely too, looks great by itself or over lipstick, and not too sticky. Kind of unremarkable in that way, a good honest gloss; I'll definitely be getting it in more colours in my next order!

I've also gone a bit lipstick mad recently, will do a post on them soon!

Have you tried any of ELF's eyeshadows? What did you think? Any other products you recommend?

-Caoimhe.lights xxx