Mini E.L.F. Haul and review

I'll start this post by saying I've read a lot of mixed reviews on various E.L.F. products throughout the years. For those of you who aren't familiar with this brand, E.L.F. makeup products can be found in grocery stores, online, at Target; basically, any run of the mill store. E.L.F. is famous for being dirt cheap. Prices range between $1 and $3. Seriously. For that price point, I would never expect miracles, but it's certainly cheap enough that I could comfortably fork over a few dollars to try something out.

Until today, the only product I've ever tried was the All-Over Color Stick, and that was gifted to me in a holiday Secret Santa exchange. Admittedly, as a cream eyeshadow, this stuff stinks, but it does make a pretty good primer for other shadows. It can also make an ok highlighter if you're in a pinch and want a little extra sparkle to your look.

I decided to bite the bullet today so while I was in Target, I made three small purchases. For a grand total of $10, I picked up the following:

• Studio Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder (here)
• Studio Cream Eyeliner in Black (here)
• Studio Powder Brush (here)

We'll start with the blush/bronzer duo.

I'd like to point out again that this palette costs $3.00. You're not reading that incorrectly. This baby is packaged similarly to NARS, but in my humble opinion, the case is much sturdier. It's almost heavy, and the lid snaps close. I don't think I have to worry about this palette popping open in my bag, but it did only cost $3, so I'm sort of waiting for the other shoe to drop. We'll see how well it holds up in my makeup bag ;)

I don't know how to properly describe the color of the blush. It photographs like a dusty peach, and while there are obvious peach tones to the powder, there is also a subtle baby pink in the mix. It also looked sparkly in the pan, but the sparkle didn't really translate to my skin when I swatched it. There was the odd speck here and there, but it wasn't overly obvious in the direct sunlight.

The bronzer is VERY dark. There's also very little sparkle that I saw.

Holy pigmentation! I'll have to use a light hand with that bronzer!

Next up is the cream eyeliner. I'm mostly a crayon girl, but I think that's only because I'm so comfortable with crayon liners. I like to smudge a thicker, dark line across my lids, and obviously cream liners don't lend themselves to this look very easily. So just out of apathy I've avoided all gel and cream eyeliners. Until now, that is.

The E.L.F. cream liner comes with a small applicator brush. This is actually really helpful in getting that little winged flick that is ideal with gel lined eyes. I just have to be careful not to lose in my makeup bag! It's smaller than my finger!

The liner comes in this cute little pot with a twist cap. I love it because you can see how much of the product you have left. It also looks super modern and clean.

The formula itself is very, very creamy. It's a little too easy to get too much product on the brush because its so soft.

It dries so quickly! The color payoff is amazing; I think I'm gonna feel a little like Lauren Conrad in this look! I can't wait to try it out! However, buyer beware: when thi stuff dries, it DRIES!

I tried smudging it approximately ten seconds after it dried, and this was the result. It would barely budge! Even a dampened paper towel couldn't remove it, and I ended up irritating my skin a bit trying to get it off. Makeup remover is the only proper way to get rid of this stuff.

And lastly, the Studio Powder brush:

Again, for $3, I wasn't expecting much. I usually stick with my Bare Escentuals brushes when applying my makeup, but I was in the market for a contouring brush and this fit the bill.

The brush is surprisingly good for the price. It's sleek and professional looking, and the bristles are so soft! We're talking fur coat kind of soft. It's one of the least abrasive brushes I've ever owned. I haven't had the opportunity yet to use it when contouring my face, but I'll give a whirl first thing tomorrow morning when applying my slap. Naturally, if it fails to meet my expectations, you'll read about it on this site :)

Do you have any experience with E.L.F.? What is your take on the brand?