The Best e.l.f Products

If you haven't heard of e.l.f Cosmetics  (Eyes, Lips, Face), they are an American brand which is known for being ridiculously affordable in the U.S. They've been around for a long time, starting out with a lot of products for just $1, but they have now expanded to have an 'essential' range, (which for us in the UK is usually about £2) and a 'Studio' range which has their more expensive items and a much wider variety of products.

E.l.f Cosmetics have just launched in Superdrug (today - 03.05.2017) so this blog post is to help anyone who hasn't tried any e.l.f products before and is interested in trying some! I've been buying from e.l.f's website for about a year now, as they shipped to the UK for free when you spend over £25 and didn't charge customs fees. The e.l.f website does have a wider range of products than Superdrug is stocking, including skincare, but if you're wanting the Beauty Club points or are placing an order with Superdrug anyway, you might rather shop there.
Here are some of my personal favourite e.l.f products - not all of them are available in Superdrug yet.

1. Perfect Finish HD Pressed Powder - Sheer - £7.50
This product was one of the first e.l.f products I tried and I loved it straight away. At the time, there was no drugstore translucent setting powder in the UK that was actually translucent so I placed lots of orders with e.l.f just to get this product! The packaging is very sturdy and comes with a mirror. I use this for setting my concealer under my eyes and it stops my concealer from creasing or melting throughout the day and it stops my mascara from smudging! I've got through quite a few of these and I will continue to repurchase. This product is available in Superdrug.

Baked Highlighter - Moonlight Pearls - £5.00
If you're after a pale friendly, subtle highlight, this could be one to go with. It is glittery, as opposed to a sheen, but it looks very subtle on the skin. As it is baked, you can use it wet or dry depending on how intense you want your highlight (*tip - spritz some setting spray onto a small tapered brush before swirling the brush in this highlight for a more intense look). The packaging of this is not overly sturdy but it is very compact. This product is also available in Superdrug.

Acne Fighting Gel - Clear - £3.00
As soon as I saw this product contained salicylic acid, I knew I had to try it straight away (because my acne prone skin seems to love salicylic acid (I have written blog posts on my skincare routine and my acne journey). This is different to every other blemish treatment I've tried as it has a roller ball and is completely liquid, as opposed to lots of gel and cream treatments. It has a cooling sensation when applied to a blemish and reduces the size of blemishes quickly. You get 6ml of product but you really don't need to use a lot so it seems to last forever! This product is available in Superdrug.

Lock On Liner & Brow Cream - Medium Brown - £5.00
This is a new favourite product of mine! I have it in the Medium Brown shade, which is quite dark so bear that in mind. It applies really easily with a slanted eyeliner / eyebrow brush and I set it with a clear brow gel just to be on the safe side. It is a very creamy formula (as the name suggests!) which is very highly pigmented. In my opinion, this is a dupe for the Illamasqua Brow Gel (£18.50) and I actually reach for the e.l.f. one over the lllamasqua quite regularly.  

Essentials Lipstick - Nostalgic - £1.00
There's not a massive amount to say about these lipsticks - they don't wow me for any reason but they are good lipsticks. I use the shade nostalgic to lighten other nude lipsticks that I own as this is quite a pale pinky / nude shade. The quality is better than MUA lipsticks (which are also £1) in my opinion but the shade range is smaller. These are available on e.l.f's website but are not stocked in Superdrug currently.

Waterproof Eye Liner Pen - Black - £3.00 
This is a good affordable eye liner pen (if you've read my other blog posts you probably already know that this is my preference for applying winged liner). It has a precise point and is not too flimsy and not too stiff. It is also very pigmented and applies smoothly. After a few seconds, it does not smudge or crease, which is rare to find in an eye liner if you have hooded eyes like me! It is waterproof but easy to remove with a make up removing wipe.

Illuminating Mist & Set - 60ml - £5.00 
This is a great setting spray if you like a dewy finish - I personally do not like dewy foundations, but a few of my foundations are a bit too matte (like my Marc Jacobs Remarcable Foundation) so I use this to add a bit of life back to my skin. I've heard a few people say they don't like it, because they find it makes their face look glittery in certain lights, but I've not found this at all. It doesn't have a scent to it at all (which a lot of setting sprays do!) and the spray nozzle is good. This particular version of setting spray is not available at Superdrug, however, the Matte Mist & Set and the Original Mist & Set are available.

Lotion Wipes - Vanilla & Coconut - £4.50
I bought these a while back from e.l.f's website but I can't see them on there now, which means they may well be discontinued, but if you do find them anywhere, you might want to know about them! I don't have dry skin, but sometimes I use face masks or products that dry out my skin (in an attempt to fight acne!) so I purchased these to add some moisture back in my face. They smell really nice (I also bought the Honey and Milk version but didn't like the smell of them!) and they do add a light amount of moisture to your face without leaving it feeling sticky. I realised that I wasn't really reaching for them very often as a face wipe so I actually use them for wiping swatches off myself, but if you have dry skin, these might be a good buy!

Brushes - £2 - £14.50
e.lf. make up brushes are some of my favourite brushes that I've tried - they are good quality, soft, affordable and they don't shed. My favourites are the Studio Contouring Brush (£7.50), Small Tapered Brush (£4.50), Studio Blending Eye Brush (£2.00), Studio Ultimate Blending Brush (£7.50), Studio Stippling Brush (£4.50) and the Flawless Face Brush (£7.50). You can find most of these on Superdrug's website or all of them on the e.l.f website.


I hope this helps anyone who is struggling with where to start with their new launch in Superdrug! Happy shopping!

Sarah (aka. Pale Princess) x