ELF unboxing + first impressions

 I got so excited when this package arrived! This is the first time I’ve ordered make-up online and it is so much more fun than buying it in the store. It’s like I get gifts from the mailman! An addictive but dangerous thing, beauty on the internet. This is also the first time I’ve ever tried ELF products (EyesLipsFace) and I’m curious to know what the quality is like, since ELF products are really cheap. I ordered the brush belt (because my brush holder had become too small), the brush cleaner, two blushes and the contouring palette as the NARS dupe. Now let’s get this show on the road!

 

The brush belt

 I read reviews on this online, where everybody said it would be better to invest in a MAC brush belt. But the MAC one is 40 pounds, while this one was 15 pounds. Also, I don’t need such an expensive one, because let’s face it, I’m not a make-up artist. A simple one will do. And it does its job perfectly. It holds all of my brushes and there is still a lot of room for more of them. The material is faux leather and a bit plasticy, but I knew that in advance and it doesn’t bother me. It fits me well and it closes nicely aswell.

The brush cleaner

I’m used to spot cleaning my brushes with the MAC brush cleanser and deep clean them with Johnson’s baby shampoo. But since the MAC one is way more expensive than the ELF when, and I kind of want to save it up, I wanted to try the ELF one. The pump is a nice system, but I have to use more product to have the same results as the MAC brush cleanser. It goes a long way though, I’ve been using it for a week now every night and it doesn’t look as if there’s anything out of the bottle yet, even though it feels as if I use a lot of product. I do feel that at the end of the cleaning, the brushes are not as perfectly new as they are when I clean them with the MAC cleanser, but what can you expect otherwise for that price. I don’t know yet if I would repurchase it.

ELF blush in Pink Passion

I was kinda scared when I saw the colour in the pan, because it’s really bright – almost neon. But when I put it on it’s a dark pink colour. It looks almost more like a dark soft pink on my cheeks. But I like it, even though I really wanted a cute pink blush shade. I haven’t really been able to test the staying power of it, but I don’t think it will be comparable to my daily used MAC Desert Rose since it’s way cheaper than MAC’s blushes are.

ELF blush in Candid Coral

This coral colour has a harder time showing up on my skintone, but that makes it perfect for a nice bronzy look with a heavier eyelook. I can’t wait to get experimenting with this!

ELF contouring blush & bronzing powder in D25

I’ve been wanting this for so long, and love the bronzing powder. It’s darker than my bronzing powder that I use daily, which is nice for a heavy contoured face look. I might try to use less product and maybe I can make it work to use with a heavy eye or lip as well. The blush is a very similar color to the Candid Coral blush, which I only realized as I unpacked it. It’s a shame, but I like the color, so I don’t mind!

These were my short first impressions of my first ELF products ever, hopefully you enjoyed it!

Kisses!