E.L.F: Hits & Misses!

Hi!

 

I recently did a "hit and miss" post for Benefit and decided that I really wanted to do another as I think its a good way of getting to know generally about the strengths and weaknesses of a brand!

You can read my hit and miss post for Benefit HERE if you want to :)

 

I have two or three of products for each "miss", "hit" and also a couple of products that are in between, ones that I like but I don't feel are necessary to own.

 

So lets start with the "misses" so we can end on a positive note :)

 

MISS:

 

 

 

1) Nail Polish

 

This isn't specific to a certain shade...I don't like any of the shades  that I have!

I thought originally I just had a dud, but after buying two more I realised that I really hated E.L.F nail polishes.

This is probably the biggest "miss" for me which is a shame because I love lots of E.L.F products but these are sticky, plastic and take forever to dry so I always end up smudging them even an hour after I've applied them.

I'll probably do a proper review on these one day with pictures of how they look on the nails because I'm really not a fan. I like the colours but the texture is just awful.

 

2) Volumising Mascara

 

Originally I thought I liked this but after some deliberation I've now had to put this on my "miss" list.

I've done a review HERE if you fancy a read; as you can see from the review I thought it was ok...but this mascara comes with a rather big problem.

I'd had it maybe a week before it dried out. Now, after only a couple of weeks (and it hasn't even been open a lot because I haven't been using it a load) it's unusable because the whole thing has just dried up.

Because I got about 2 uses out of this before it dried, and the fact that it isn't "volumising" in the first place....this has to go on the "miss" list for me..

 

3) Liquid Eyeliner in Plum

 

I'm not a fan of this and haven't ever really been since I got it...the packaging for this shows a...well...plummy colour but in a swatch it just looks similar to brown. The packaging also gives the impression that there would be some shimmer in this product which there isn't.

As a final note, the sponge applicator of this leaves a line on your lash line and it doesn't give an even, coated line...it just tends to look a little messy so I'm not a fan of this.

 

IN BETWEEN:

 

 

 

1) Compact Eyeshadows

 

I have a review HERE for a more in depth review of this but basically you buy a compact and then pick 4 shadows to go into it. The reason this is an "in between" product for me is because two of the shadows I like, two are mediocre.

I really like "Pink Ice" (top left) and Aubergine (bottom right)...however "Moondust" and "Golden Goddess" are...ok but not amazing. They are a little dusty and the pigmentation is a little patchy.

However I do use these shadows (all of them) every now and then!

 

2) Shimmering Facial Whip in Spotlight

 

Again...review HERE if you want more information :)

I find the texture of this is too watery which is my main reason for not liking it because sometimes it can end up smudging the makeup you have underneath.

You also have to shake it a lot because otherwise you just get some water and no shimmer at all...however this does make a good highlight if you apply it right so this does get some use!

 

3) Cream Eyeliner in Plum Purple

 

This is actually a really pretty colour because there is some purple shimmer in this which is really pretty! However this has dried up in the little pot...it's now a small lump which I can take out, play catch with and then put back again...

It's still useable but isn't as creamy as it once was...I still like to use this I just wish it didn't shrink and dry up like it did! I've heard other people talk about this so I know that it's a common problem.

 

HIT:

 

 

1) All Over Colour Stick in Spotlight

 

Review HERE if you want to have a read :)

This is easier to use than the Shimmering Facial Whip but it's a similar colour.

This is a creamy highlighter that just adds a really pretty glow to the tops of the cheekbones and I also use it below my brow bone a lot too!

 

2) Eyelid Primer

 

This costs only £1.50 and is SUCH a good eye primer for this price.

It's a little thin and like a lot of ELF products it can tend to dry up a little if it's old but this really enhances the vibrancy of your shadows and at such a low price, it's the ideal eye primer to use everyday. I'm on my second one of these and will definitely get another in with my next order from E.L.F.

I think this will be one of those products I just buy again and again!

 

3) Eyeshadow Cream

 

You know the drill...review HERE :)

I have two of these, in Coffee & Cream and Black Liquorice. These just come in useful because they make really great eyeshadow bases! Put these under your shadows and they often work so well to enhance the shadows and make them last longer.

They also come in lots of fun duos with different colours so I definitely want to get some more of these at some point!

 

 

So there you have it! There's my hits and misses for E.L.F products..is there a brand you'd like me to do a hits and misses post about?

Thanks so much for reading!

 

Libby x

 

P.S

Took the dog for a walk the other day and this fella came to say hello... :)

I also feel so lucky to live in the countryside!

 

 

Benefit: Hits & Misses!

Hi!

 

 

I thought I'd start this maybe as a little mini series doing the hits and misses of various brands! Stay tuned for more of these in the future!

I thought I'd start with Benefit as I think that Benefit is maybe fairly well known for having hits and misses more than perhaps other brands.

 

I've got hits, misses and then some...er..."in between" products..ones that I feel are nice but not necessary.

 

Let's start with the misses and work our way up!

 

MISSES

 

 

I actually have 3 products from Benefit that I feel aren't worth the money.

Unfortunately one of these products I don't even have anymore so lets start with that one.

 

1) Ooh La Lift

 

This did nothing. I got this as a mini version in a Benefit kit (I get lots of those because I like seeing which products I like enough to get a full sized version of) and I'm so glad I didn't spend money on a full size.

Ooh La Lift was a white creamy substance that supposedly reduced under eye bags and "de-puffed" the eyes. Unfortunately it did nothing of the sort so I ended up binning it.

 

2) Boi-ing Industrial Strength Concealer

 

I still have this knocking around on occasion when I need something to mute out the natural colour of my lips.

But this does nothing as an actual concealer. This is greasy, looks shiny as hell and the worst thing: it doesn't even cover up. It doesn't have very good coverage and this just isn't a good product for me.

I wrote more about this HERE in a comparison of this and the Erase Paste concealer.

 

3) Lip Plump

 

Um...I'm not really sure why this is called Lip Plump as it didn't plump my lips at all and after looking online it's not just me who was confused by the name.

Why call something Lip Plump when it doesn't plump? Confusing.

Anyway. The only use I found for this was putting it on before a lipstick to mute out the natural colour of my lips...but as I previously demonstrated with Boi-ing ....I can just use a concealer to do that as long as I put it on lightly.

So I really don't see why you'd spend so much money on this when you could use anything else that you already have to mute out your lip colour.

 

 

IN BETWEEN

 

 

These are products that while they are nice, they're not totally necessary or essential.

 

1) Girl Meets Pearl

 

This is a nice highlighter, although the golden tones of this doesn't works so well with my fair skin. On darker skin tones this may look incredible.

This is in the "in between" section simply because it doesn't show up a whole load and it just isn't very noticeable on my skin. It looks nice occasionally when the light hits it, but this isn't a must-have for me.

 

2) Posie Tint

 

This is a pretty colour and makes a nice pink blush but you have to blend this in really fast so that it doesn't leave dots or streaks behind.

Again, this isn't super noticeable on my skin and while you can build it up, it takes time and this just isn't something I reach for often.

It's nice to have and I use it now and then but it isn't something I use every day.

 

HITS

 

 

1) Erase Paste

 

Originally when I got a small size of this I didn't like it. I now know that this was partly due to the fact that it was in the wrong shade and partly because I just wasn't using it too well.

I went out and bought a full sized version in the right colour and tried using it a little differently.

I have really bad under eye veins and so after applying a thin concealer to even out the skin tone (I tend to look a little red round there) I then use my finger to warm this up and dot it where I need to cover the veins.

This is very creamy and so blends in well and covers up the veins and brightens at the same time.

I've been using this every day since!

 

2) High Beam

 

I much prefer this highlighter to Girl Meets Peal because it's a pearly pink colour and just suits my skin tone so much better!

This shows up better on my pale skin and just generally looks a lot better and more noticeable. I love the glow this gives the tops of my cheeks.

 

So there you go!

There are my hits & misses for Benefit...are there any other brands you'd like me to do a post on? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks so much for reading :)

Libby x