e.l.f. Cosmetics - Beauty on a Budget

Want that trendy smoky eye look without having your wallet go up in smoke? Dying to try that new scarlet lip shade without going into the red? Then let e.l.f. cosmetics help you.

No not one of Santa's little helpers but eyeslipsface cosmetics or as it's commonly called el.f. These great products only cost one buck (or four quarters or one hundred pennies - whatever you have saved up) and can be purchased online at their site, eyeslipsface.com or select Target stores throughout the US.

e.l.f. cosmetics has everything from standard lip glosses to multipurpose products. A phenomenal buy is the shimmering face whip that comes in a range of colors. You can choose the soft Lilac Petal that can be used on lids or Pink Lemonade and Persimmon that make excellent lip and cheek stains. Other shades include the tawny Toasted, perfect for eye shadow, bronzer or gloss and the peachy Citrus, a good brightener to be placed underneath foundation as well on top of lips as a sunny gloss.

If you want that new sooty eye, then definitely click on the eye section. The shadow quads are suited to everyone's likes and needs. For fall buy the Butternut Quad, which comes in varying nut and squash colors. Need more drama for those holiday parties? Go with Silver Lining Quad composed of purple, pink and wine shades as well as a neutral highlighter. For a more sophisticated evening look buy the Drama Quad that is a compilation of black, two shades of gray and a white highlighter. There are several more quads to choose; all fun palettes that can be color matched in various ways.

One of my favorites is the e.l.f. eye pencil. It's the same as the Clinique or Lancome pencils but a heck of a lot lower in price. Also it doesn't irritate the area around the eye and lasts without smearing. The pencils come in the traditional hues such as kohl black, espresso and navy but also in funky colors such as baby blue Sky and the butterscotch Gilded
Another personal favorite is the Wet Gloss Lash and Brow Clear Mascara. I use this both on my lashes and brows for a clean, sophisticated look. It does wonders for unruly brows, sweeping them into shape and making my sparse brows actually full.

Now for the "l" in e.l.f. - lips! What a steal! For a dollar you can get a Chanel or Dior look alike in color and shine! My all time favorite is the Super Glossy Lip Shine and to prove it I bought five! All have that yummy grape vanilla Popsicle taste but not that kiddie gloss tackiness that other flavored ones have. Mauve Luxe is a great color for this fall's red lip trend. It's a winy shade but not so intense that it overpowers your face. A good every day color is Angel which looks frosty silver in the tube but goes on clear with a hint of shimmer. Another every day favorite is Candlelight, a sheer glossy beige that works great for day into evening. A more intense gold-beige is Goddess, a color that gives any evening look that glam starlet finish. It resembles Dior's Addict Lip Gloss in a similar color.
There is also a more intense pigmented lip gloss which has SPF 15 built into it. Called Shielding Gloss SPF 15, this not only brings drama to your mouth but also protection from damaging UV rays. I have Cabernet, an intense red that will be perfect for this year's autumn pout rage. It goes on slick and can be blotted for a more tined down look. Other shades include the bright red Hot or the drama queen deep purple Grape Chill. e.l.f. also follows the latest make up crazes and has added the Plumping Lip Glaze to give wearers those Angelina Jolie pillows in such shades as the nude Baby Doll , the sophisticated Mocha Ice or the shimmery Champagne. Remember most lip plumping glosses range between 25 and 40 dollars. This is only a dollar and contains natural ingredients that bring blood to the lips, increasing their fullness. It's a steal and worth buying several shades at once.

The last part of e.l.f. stands for the face. The company has some neat spins on blushes and foundations. e.l.f.'s Radiance Blushes not only make you look good but are good for your skin. They minimize pores, giving your complexion that sun kissed, clear skinned look. The colors range from a walk on a brisk day Shy to the just back from the islands Bronzed. For more every day color there is Glow which can be dusted all over the face for a peachy glow. There is the Shielding HydraTint which acts as a sun block plus moisturizers while giving your face some color. The only problem here is that it's available in just four shades. Hopefully e.l.f. will expand its' color range and add more variations to the lighter and darker ranges. The line also has a concealer to go with this as well as Clarifying Pressed Powder. The color range, although limited to four colors can surprisingly work well with all skin shades.

e.l.f. also has a limited nail line - only three shades at the time of this review. Luckily the company does have a great variety of tools and brushes - all for only a dollar each. For five dollars you can also buy their groovy looking cases to hold your loot (which you'll have much of trust me, after your first visit to the site). Also you can have cases already made up for you with recommended colors selected by e.l.f's beauty consultants.

This season, rely on e.l.f. cosmetics to help you through make up trends and budget battles. You'll look good for under ten bucks and feel like a million. Even Santa's little helpers can't do that for you.