ELF hual and initial reviews and Q&As =)!

 

WARNING:

LONG ARTICLE AHEAD!! BUT STRONGLY RECOMMENDED TO READ!!!

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So i've been getting quite a few questions regarding ELF's products, the company, the customer service and everything else in general. So i've decided to post everything here, and hopefully i'll be able to answer all the questions! ^^

The ELF website: http://www.eyeslipsface.com

let's start with the hual! xD

*NOTE: all the products that i'm posting on here are from the ELF STUDIO line. Their regular line stuff are almost ALL $1. The studio line was designed to meet the needs of professional Makeup Artists and therefore are better in formulation, and of course packaging. About 95% of the studio line is $3, everything that i'm going to post here is $3 unless otherwise stated. (mineral products excluded.)

*NOTE 2: the similar products i haven't tried before. they are just products that i saw and read to have similar function and results as the ones that i'm mentioning!! Do not blame me if you buy the similar products and turn out to have a bad result, becuase I HAVE NOT USED THEM!! =)

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ELE STUDIO CONCEALER -Beige[link]

pros: VERY creamy formula, goes on without creasing, or drying. wonderful colour match to my skin
cons: does not provide a FULL coverage.

*if you are looking for a correcting concealer, meaning if you want something to just fix your skin tone, then this would definitely be a good choice for you!

similar product: ELF STUDIO CORRECTIVE CONCEALER [link]

ELF STUDIO EYE PRIMER AND LINER SEALER - natural[link]

pros: creamy formula for the primer
cons: slightly noticeable odour from the sealer

* Haven't really tried this out full yet, so can't really say. A lot of people can be confused by what the liner sealer is. It's basically something that you can dip into your eyeshadow to make it into a liquid eyeliner, or to put ontop of your pencil or cream/gel liner to make it last longer.

similar product: ELF MINERAL EYESHADOW PRIMER [link]

ELF STUDIO EYEBROW LIFTER AND FILLER - ivory/light[link]

pros: rich creamy formula, PERFECT shade of brow colour for asian skin tones, and great neutral lifter colour to create perfectly lined brows!
cons: HATE the design of the package. absolutely cannot stand the built in sharpener cap!! it doesnt fit tightly and will sharpen the pencil when you don't want it to!!!will waste the product, and it's already happened to me!!!><

*I LOVE THIS BROW PENCIL!! it glides on SO easily, and it does a stunning job of filling in my brows. The colour of the pencil is PERFECT for my skin tone, and natural brow colour. The lifter gives you a REALLY sharp but NATURAL defined shape to your brows, making them flawless!! (i sound like a commercial lady so much!!><)

*comment: STRONGLY RECOMMEN YOU GET THIS IF YOU ARE GOING TO BUY SOMETHING FROM ELF!!!!!! dispite the whole sharpener cap thing..i think this is TOTALLY worth 3 bucks!!! =DD

similar product: ELF STUDIO EYEBROW TREAT AND TAME [link]

ELF STUDIO BLUSH - Candid coral[link]

pros: good colour payoff
cons: do not like the packaging

* This is ELF's famous candid coral blush. Havent really tested this out yet. It's THE blush that's compared to as a dual for NARS's "Orgasm." It's a warm coral colour, that's really good for skins with yellow undertones, but a bit more glitter than to my likings. I adore the colour, but really hate the packaging. The little plastic panel at the top destroyed the look for me! some people really liked it because it helped them to see the true colour of the product, but i'd rather that it wasn't there. >.> however, seeing that it was only $3, i'd say...GO FOR IT! =D

similar product: ELF MINERAL BLUSH [link]

ELF STUDIO BLUSH - Peechy Keen [link]

pros: ditto above.
cons: ditto above...again.

* havent tested out yet, but this is just a really light, almost skin toned colour. But it does add a nice little glow to the skin. So if at anytime I wanted a very neutral look, this would be my go-to colour then.

Similar product: ditto above.......=.=

ELF STUDIO BRONZERS - warm bronzer [link]

pros: GREAT colour payoff, smooth and creamy texture. Not powdery at all, and wonderful colour combo for all skin typs.
cons: could be a little shimmery for some people.

* GORGEOUS BONZER!!!! it's just so perfect!! i really like the colouration, and the deisgn of the packaging. (will talk about that later.) This is probably one of THE most famous products at ELF, a LOT of people bought this and were almost ALL happy with the product. i STRONGLY recommend this if you're to shop at ELF!!!!!

* comment: if you are to buy this series of bonzers, you have the choice of the warm, cool and golden, as the colour combos. DO NOT PURCHASE THE COOL BONZER!! it's VERY deeply pigmented, and it glows RED!!!!! and that is NOT good for asian skin tones!!! there were lots of negative reviews on this colour, so consider yourself WARNED!!

similar product: ELF STUDIO CONTOURING BLUSH & BRONZING POWDER [link]

*even though i don't have the Contouring blush and bronzing powder, i want to make a quick note: this product is a compareable (read: in terms of colour and QUALITY!) to NARS's similar duo. The blush was compared to NARS's "Orgasm" and the bonzer was compared to NARS's "Laguna." It's a sought after pallet, so definitely go check it out!!

ELF STUDIO COMPLEXION PERFECTION [link]

pros: very feathery light!!
cons: NONE YET!!! I'M IN LOVE WITH THIS!!

* This is the ELF complexion perfection pallet!! what this is, is a quad that provides colour correction for your skin! if you have blotchiness or redness or unbalanced skin tone (or even if you want balance your dark circles), you just dip your brush in the powder, sweep it on, and then it'll SERIOUSLY work like MAGIC and adjust your colouration!!!!! i did not believe it the first time i saw this product (obviously, since i am in science!!>.>)!!! but i saw good reviews on it, and decided to buy it!! and i LOVE IT!!! and very glade that i got TWO!! XD it's a very light powder!! it will not feel heavy on the skin, a little goes a LONG way. It did NOT cause breakouts, i've worn it the whole day today, and so far i'm FINE. and if you know me, you know i have EXTREMELY sensitive skin!! THIS IS JUST WONDERFUL!!!! (and only 3 bucks too~!!) i STRONGLY STRONGLY recommend this!!!

similar product: HAVEN'T FOUND ONE YET!!

ELF STUDIO HD POWDER [link]

pros: very refined powder, comes with sifter and a puff (don't use puffs for powder; will make you look cakey!!)
cons: the container isn't 100% FILLED!!! =( rip off.....for 5 bucks....xD lol~

* Everthing is going HD!! haha~! ok. I didn't want to spend like 50 bucks on the MUFE HD powder (according to fellow YTers it glows WHITE in photos....wait....maybe that's the MAC one....@_@) ANYWAY!! so i decided to try this out. love the packaging, and the little puff inside. The powder feels very fine to the hands, so a good sign. I haven't really tested it out yet, so i don't have a lot to say about it. I know it probably won't be breaking me out since i did put some on my face about 3 hours ago, and it's going good so far. Bought 2 of this..xD This was one of those that was not $3.

similar product: ELF STUDIO SPF45 SUNSCREEN UVA/UVB PROTECTION [link]

*note: did not get the spf powder cuz there's sunscreen involved. That means medicinal contents, and of course common knowledge that you really shouldnt put anything above spf30 on your facial area. i'm paranoid now that i'm in life sci....>.>

ELF NAIL POLISHES - Royal purple, Blush, and Fire Coral [link]

pros: STUNNING COLOURS!!
cons: won't last very long!!

* These are from they're regular line, which means they are $1 each!!! good deal eh? BUT, according to reviews, they chip very easily!! and darker colours can stain nails sometimes. but! BEAUTIFUL colours, and can't wait to try it out!!

similar product: N/A

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This section will be about ELF STUDIO BRUSHES!!!

please NOTE that i ONLY purchased STUDIO brushes because they're the better ones!! they are definitely worth the prices that they are sold at and you won't find a better deal anywhere else!! this is my honest opinion, and beware you should NOT get their regular line brushes!!! ><

ELF STUDIO KABUKI BRUSH - face [link]

pros: EXTREMELY SOFT BRUSH!!!!
cons: not very dense!

* GREAT kabuki brush for $5!!! it's not as dense as i would like it to be, but DEFINITELY a GOOD brush!! it's very workable as a face powder brush, that you can use to buff out your foundation, finishing powder, or whatever! there is a body version of this kabuki, but i did not get it! =) ...was a little dissapointed cuz my kabuki bristles had a dent in the middle of the brush...>.> may have been damaged during shipping, but not a big problem that i would fuss about....i'm a happy person right now..xD

similar product: ELF STUDIO KABUKI BRUSH - body [link]

ELF STUDIO POWDER BRUSH [link]

pros: EXTREMELY SOFT BRUSH!!! VERY DENSE, AND PERFECTLY STRUCTURED!!
cons: NONE YET!!!

* This is the oh-so-famous ELF studio powder brush!! everyone loves it, and i personally bought two of them...again....this brush is perfect in a way that it's very much like the MAC187 or any stippler brush, but it's MUCH denser! the bristles are SHORTER than the 187, and i personally prefer that, as it give you a LOT more control when you're using this brush. It's $3 which is about 1/15 or less the price of the MAC187~! GO GET THIS BRUSH!!!=D

ELF STUDIO COMPLEXION BRUSH [link]

pros: AGAIN....EXTREMELY SOFT, and BIG!! good to cover all over face.
cons: very losely packed bristles; not dense at all.

* a little dissapointed in the brush, because the brush was very....flimsy....yes that's the word. It's not very dense as i would imagine a complxion brush to be like my sephora one. But if you want a LIGHT all over face coverage this would be aboslutely THE brush to go to! and i found this to be the perfect brush that i would pair with the complexion perfection pallet! it's still worth the money though~

ELF STUDIO BLUSH BRUSH [link]

pros: SOFT!! (need i say more?~ xD)
cons: a bit small....

* it's a little smaller than i would've liked a blush brush to be....(say "blush brush" really fast for 10 times...xD!!) BUT it's a SOFT and dense brush, so it will work REALLY WELL if you wanna pack a lot of colour on and be precise at the same time. eventhough it's a blush brush, the size of it, screams CONTOURING BRUSH!!! it's PERFECT for the size of the cheek bones, and for blending into the temples!

ELF STUDIO EYESHADOW "C" BRUSH [link]

pros: SOFT and short bristles for powerful control
cons: havent found one yet

* generally a good eyeshadow brush. It has short bristles which i love because i have so much control over the colour payoff. It's great for my brow bone, and i would use this when i want to get a LOT of colour onto the lids.

ELF STUDIO CONTOUR BRUSH [link]

pros: ditto all of the above
cons: havent found it yet...

* it says it's a contour brush which can be missleading....it's basically a dome brush or if you want to call it, a crease brush. Again it's very soft and dense. one really IMPORTANT thing is that it's a really GOOD size for my eyes, becuase i'm inner doubled, it's fits into the eye socket and outter corner really well.

ELF STUDIO SMALL ANGLED BRUSH [link]

pros: SOFT, and it's actually small
cons: a bit thick than what i would like.

* generally a good angled brush. it's a skinnier (horizontal length wise) angled brush which is what i like, but a bit thicker (width of bristles wise) than i would like. I would probably use this if i wanted a thicker eyeline...but can still manipulate it to get a thin line....

ELF STUDIO SMALL PRECISION BRUSH [link]

pros: soft and small
cons: don't think it has one

* a really simple small brush that you would use to get underneath the lashes or for the lower lash line. simple. but i really like it. It would work great if you want to define your outter V or just to accentuate the outter corner....could even work as a liner brush possibly....

ELF STUDIO MAKEUP ARTIST BRUSH BELT [link]

pros: sturdy, good qualitied brush belt
cons: made out of PVC so can smell a little....

* really fine craftsmanship...sturdy brush belt. made out of PVC so it's easy to clean but can smell just a little for a day or two in the beginning =) i like it a lot.

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GENERAL OVERVIEW OF PRODUCTS!!!

ELF stands for eyes.lips.face and it was a company founded in 2004. It started out as being a company that offered cheap makeup products that was affordable to everyone and anyone who wanted them. They later added the studio line and the mineral line to expand the variety of products they offered and slowly became well known.

In general, their regular line products are $1, however there may be quality issues with them so i was hesitant in trying those out. That being said, the regular line lipgloss are really popular and worth trying out. I got one myself and am looking forward to testing it. The blushes in the regular have a problem of being extremely dusty and powdery, so it's not recommended. The regular line face brushes have had problem with roughness so it's strongly recommended that you avoid ordering those.

The studio line was geared towards more professional makeup qualities. It offeres a wider range of products and the products in this line appeared to me as being more sophicated, and definitely more trustworthy than their regular line. Both the packaging and some of the products are obviously very similar to NARS products. The packaging is plastic, rather than the rubbery material that NARS stuff is packed in. The studio line brush i think performs OVER THE TOP!! and is worth absolutely MORE than what you would pay for!! warning: do not use the lip plumpers, they have a lot of negative reviews on them, and ditto to the eyebrow kit.....

The mineral line is very straight forward. The lipsticks in this line, have had good reviews and are recommended. I haven't personally tried this line out yet, but am soon going to order some. The appearance of this line is very much like BareMinerals by BareEscentuals.

I have sensitive skin, and most of the time worry a lot about allergy when buying makeup. The ELF website has ingreadients listed for EACH product, and so making it safer for you to purchase if you know you are allergic to a certain chemical or substance.

The brushes from the studio line are all made out of synthetic fibre by taklon, and not real animal hair. This shouldn't be a big problem since the fibre is EXTREMELY soft (for all of the brushes) and should not cause irritation.

ELF does not do animal testing, so there shouldnt be a concern about that. (i doubt any of you really care...xD no ofense or anything) the product have the lables "made in china" on them, which can be a concern with lead concentration or other chemical contents and restrictions. However, it is an american company, so although it is made in china, i don't think there should be a lot of worries about that.

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Customer Care at ELF

I've gotten only satisfactory customer care at ELF so far...maybe because i had some problems with my order. They do have an online live chat system that is convenient if you have any general questions. However, most of the time nobody's available for live chat...which is pathetic...but when there are people around, they respond quickly, as i've experience.

I've also gotten calls from their office regarding my shipping info, but that's not the point. the point is....when i called back, there was nobody there, so i left a msg. But the person never called back, which to me was somewhat RUDE of them...>.>....but nevertheless....it wasn't a bad or horrible experience....

(there are stories on YT that says ELF...before they restructured and everything.....had NIGHTMARE-ISH customer care...0.o)

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SHIPPING POLICY: INTERNATION FEES AND WHATNOT.

Shipping has probably been my BEST experience at ELF so far. I was SO satisfied with their shipping, i think i'm going to order again very SOON!! my order was in process within 12 hours of placement. I had some delays in between processing and shipping, but that was probably because of my shipping info problem. anyway. once my status on the website showed my order as being "shipped" i got the package within THREE days of them shipping it out. In total i got my stuff within ONE week of ordering which is AMAZING!!!!!!! and it was INTERNATIONAL too....=)

but with that said.....I WAS MISSING STUFF AND HAD WRONG ITEMS IN MY PACKAGE!!!! they missed a translucent powder and an eyeshadow in my order, and they gave me the wrong colour of lipgloss and an extra nail polish....>.>. so i emailed them, and they should respon within 72hrs. The policy on the website said if you are missing items, they will ship it to you or refund in full amt. But since it's international...i'm not sure if i have to pay the tax and custom fee again...which is dissapointing, and i'll have to ask them about it. However, considering the amount of things that i ordered....i'm not entirely pissy about the missing items....=) ELF!! I FORGIVE YOU!! XD

They will ship for free (within US) if your order is above $75 (or with a discount coupon - talk about that later), and if you're shipping internationally, they will still charge you, but they'll subtract the normal US shipping price off of the international shipping price. shipping to canada is about $14.99, and you have to pay custom fee of about $5.99, and on top of that any provincial taxes that are involved for orders over $20. check the website just to be sure, don't take my word for it. it's expensive, BUT a very good deal if you grab a couple of friends and order together to share the shipping fees. the shipping fee will be included in your bill, but the custom fee and the tax, you pay when you sign for your package.

NOTE!!! MAKE A LIST ON WORD OF THE PRODUCTS AND QUANTITIES OF EACH YOU ORDERED!!! CHECK THEM OFF ONCE YOU RECEIVE THE PACKAGE...THIS IS HOW I FOUND OUT THAT I WAS MISSING ITEMS!!!!

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COUPONS AND DISCOUNTS

YES! THERE ARE COUPONS AND DISCOUNTS FOR STUFF THAT ARE ALREADY SO CHEAP!!!

you can sign up for their emails, which they'll offer great deals on daily basis..almost. BUT if you go to google and search "ELF discount copon cods" a list of them will show up!! so you'll be getting even better prices for them!!!

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IN CONCLUSION:

I've spent 5 straight hours making this review!!!!! holy shit!! don't think i've even worked this hard for schoo...xD lol!!

OK!! if you have any questions, msg me! i'll answer them for you. If you're planning to order and have concerns about products, just get me to overview them and i'll tell you what i know of them and if you should buy them or not!

IF ANYONE IS PLANNING TO ORDER AND SHIP TO TORONTO PLEASE TELL ME!!!! AM PLANNING TO ORDER AGAIN!! WILLING TO SHARE SHIPPING FEE!!! =)

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ok...that is all......have fun everyone!! xD

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