Review: My Latest E.l.f Haul

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with e.l.f Cosmetics. All products were purchased with my own money and all opinions are my own.

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It’s been awhile since I’ve done a full blown, in-depth review, probably because it’s been a hot minute since I’ve ordered a bunch of new products at once. I recently purchased quite a few things from e.l.f Cosmetics and snagged a couple free gifts along with it for a whopping $38.52 (after tax and a couple items for my mom, hello, affordable makeup and skin care!), so I figured now would be the perfect time to do another review on my latest makeup haul! The products I’m going to be reviewing from e.l.f are:

• Holy Hydration! Face Cream.
• Highlighting Stick.
• Primer-Infused Blush.
• Fluffy Eye Blender Brush.
• Kohl Eyeliner.
• Hydrating Camo Concealer.

I’ve used a scoring system of 1-5 stars to rate all of my products. Let’s quickly break down what each star means:

2 STARS – NOT IMPRESSED, MAYBE SOMEONE ELSE WILL LIKE IT

3 STARS – ALRIGHT/NOT TOO BAD, NOT TOO GREAT/COULD BE BETTER/ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

4 STARS – GOOD QUALITY, I’D RECOMMEND TO A FRIEND

5 STARS – AMAZING, A MUST-TRY/HAVE

Below I give you my honest, unfiltered thoughts on all of the products from my latest e.l.f Cosmetics haul. Keep on reading to find out what the major misses were, what I’d recommend, and what blew me out of the water.

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Holy Hydration! Face Cream (fragrance free).

RATING: 4.5/5 ☆

PRICE POINT: $12, 1.8 OZ

KEY INGREDIENTS:

• Hyaluronic Acid – helps provide hydration by locking in moisture and reducing water loss resulting in a plumped up, bouncy complexion.
• Niacinamide (Vitam B3) – helps brighten and even skin tone.
• Squalane – helps improve moisture balance and elasticity.
• Peptides – to help promote collagen for a more refreshed complexion.
• Vitamin B5 – to help soothe and hydrate skin.

Info above found from e.l.f’s website.

My thoughts:

Skincare products that contain ingredients like the ones listed above will help keep the fine lines and wrinkles at bay, and also help diminish the appearance of any that may have formed already—and this face cream promises to do just that.

I have normal to dry skin, which means that while I (knock on wood) don’t suffer from flakiness or patchiness, my skin is easily prone to getting dry from time-to-time. I also have really sensitive skin, and I was happy to see that this moisturizer has both a scented option along with a fragrance free one. I’m happy to say that this did not and still has not irritated my skin at all. I’ve been applying this morning and night.

The formula feels oily at first, but it blends into the skin easily and doesn’t leave behind a white residue or sticky feeling. The reason I knocked my rating down half a star is because when my skin is really dry and thirsty, I still feel like something’s missing after applying this. Since this face cream is so thick, I was hoping I’d be able to get away with using less product during the times when my skin is on the drier side, but that wasn’t the case. Also, I’ve noticed that applying too much of this product can cause my makeup to pill—the term that refers to when makeup separates on your face, causing skin to look uneven and makeup cakey.

However, with that being said, this product is AMAZING around the eye area—it’s a million times better than my eye cream! The eye area looks plump all day long after applying in the morning, as well as when I wake up in the A.M from [applying it] the night before. Overall, I’m very pleased with this face cream even despite the fact that it sometimes doesn’t quench my skin enough. I still feel like it helps keep my skin looking plump and tight, and with an affordable price point for a decent amount of product, it’s definitely worth it. You can’t go wrong.

Highlighting Stick in “Dewy.”

RATING: 3/5 ☆

PRICE POINT: $4, 0.08 OZ (2.3G)

SHADE FACTS + DETAILS:

• Dewy – clear, shimmer-free balm for a dewy glow
• Creamy highlighting stick.
• Enriched with Vitamin E & Coconut Oil.
• Can be used alone or blended over foundation.

My thoughts:

This was one of the free gifts I received with my order, and I was super excited to try this because I’ve been trying to add different products underneath my foundation to make my skin look more dewy as of late. I’m also familiar with highlighting sticks because I use a cream highlighting stick from KKW Beauty and then layer a powder highlighter on top of that almost every time I do my makeup. I’m happy to say this laid beautifully underneath my foundation and gave my skin a very subtle, natural glow, but I was a little disappointed when I tried to apply it over foundation.

Whenever I apply a cream highlighter, I always apply it directly onto my ring finger and then gently tap the product into my skin to avoid picking up makeup by drawing it directly onto my face. When I tried to use my normal method, I found this product absorbed into my fingers and didn’t transfer onto my face. I then tried drawing the product directly onto my face but found that the stick did pick up my makeup. (Which is what I expected to happen, but I figured it was worth a shot.) I also found this to be more oily rather than creamy, and I think that’s due to the ingredients; you’ll also probably run through this fast if you use it as a regular highlighter because you’ll need to use a lot. I’d recommend using this underneath makeup in the areas you’d normally highlight.

Primer-Infused Blush in “Always Peachy.”

RATING: 5/5 ☆

PRICE POINT: $6, .035 OZ (10G)

FAST FACTS:

• Long-wear, matte blush.
• Infused with lock on primer powder for full-day staying power.

My thoughts:

Oh. My. God. I am in love with this blush! Where do I even begin?! Blush is one of those makeup products I never cared about back in the day but can’t live without now. This is blush is stunning—it’s SO pigmented, and a little goes a long way. Blush is always the first makeup product to fade (shoutout to Styled by Hrush for teaching me that), but this blush truly locks onto the skin and gives you a healthy flush all day long; this lasts longer than my NARS blush.

The shade Always Peachy brings color and flush back to the cheeks and really brings together any makeup look. I can’t wait to use this shade when I have a tan. Lasting color, buildable, easily blendable, and non-drying formula; flawless payoff, lasting color, and a price point that’s affordable AF for a lot of product, what more could you want?

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PEACH IS A VIBE 🍑

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Fluffy Eye Blender Brush.

RATING: 5/5 ☆

PRICE: $4

DETAILS:

• Blends eyeshadow easily using a back and forth motion.
• Bristles blur the edges of eyeshadow for a soft-focus effect.
• Can be used to set concealer with powder.
• Synthetic, vegan, & cruelty-free.

My thoughts:

I love e.l.f’s brushes and makeup tools, almost every makeup brush I own is from them and all of my sponges are as well. I was in desperate need of an eyeshadow brush that could help blend everything together for a more seamless look. The bristles on this brush are so soft and blend out eyeshadow beautifully and easily, it truly gives it that soft, diffused look. This brush does exactly what it claims to do.

Kohl Eyeliner in “Black.”

RATING: 3.5/5 ☆

PRICE POINT: $4, 0.09 OZ (2.7G)

FAST FACTS:

• Rich, blendable formula.
• Can be used as eyeliner or eyeshadow.
• Infused with Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter, Coconut, Jojoba, Mango, & Sandalwood Oil to condition and nourish the skin.
• Dual-ended pencil – includes sponge tip on one end for blending and a built-in sharpener cap.
• Easy, glide-on formula.

My thoughts.

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I had my choice of two gifts with my order, and I chose this as my second one because let’s be honest, who doesn’t need extra black eyeliner in their life? I’ve always been a gel eyeliner kind of girl, and I was very impressed with how easily this liner went on for a pencil. (In the past I’ve found normal eyeliner pencils don’t blend out as easily or smoothly.) I also love the built-in sharpener cap, it makes sharpening convenient and easy, especially on the go. I also found that it was easy to draw winged eyeliner using this pencil—another pleasant surprise—and the sponge did smudge out the wing nicely.

One of the reasons I’m giving this 3.5 stars out of 5 is due to the fact that I had trouble lining my waterline because the pencil is so large. I also found that using the sponge on my eyelid tugged at the skin—a big no-no since the skin around the eyes is so delicate and will age you quickly. Additionally, I was unable to smudge the eyeliner underneath my eye with the sponge to get a full smokey-eye look. This product certainly has its benefits, but I wouldn’t purchase it on my own.

Hydrating Camo Concealer in “Medium Peach.”

RATING: 5/5 ☆

PRICE POINT: $6, 0.203 OZ

SHADE FACTS + DETAILS:

• Medium Peach – medium with peach undertones.
• Light-weight, full-coverage, and hydrating formula.
• Satin finish.
• Large doe foot applicator.

My thoughts:

This concealer is EVERYTHING! It was the star of the show (right beside the primer-infused blush). The formula is so creamy and blends out like a dream. Because of how easily this concealer blends out, a little goes a long way. Seriously—three lines under my eyes is enough to cover the entire area and bring it upwards on my cheekbones (the areas I highlight). I don’t think I’ve ever had a concealer that blends out so fully, easily, and beautifully with so little product. I also found that I really avoid any product waste thanks to the large doe foot applicator; I rarely ever have to dip back into the bottle. Just for the record: I apply concealer under my eyes, on my smile lines, the center of my chin and forehead, and on the bridge of my nose. (I’ll occasionally apply it on the sides of my bottom lip, but I haven’t been doing that as much recently.) That’s a lot of coverage with just one swipe.

To find my shade match online, I pulled up a picture of one of my favorite concealers by Kylie Cosmetics in the shade maple. From there, I went back and forth between internet windows to find the shade that looked closest to maple. I’d recommend doing this if you’re thinking about purchasing this concealer online—pull up the website and image with your favorite concealer color in one window, and in a separate one, pull up e.l.f’s page and compare the two. Medium peach was my flawless match.

Lastly, for $6, you get a LOT of product. I can’t wait to use this one up until the very last drop. Everyone needs to try this. This $6 concealer is what you need in your life.

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PEACH IS A VIBE 🍑

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