Eyes Lips Face Cosmetics - How Do $1 Cosmetics Stack Up Against Higher End Products?

Eyes Lips Face Cosmetics (also known as E.L.F. Cosmetics) sells all of their cosmetics, tools, brushes, nail polishes, blotters, etc for $1 each. You have likely seen the name mentioned in Glamour, Allure and other beauty and fashion magazines. This is not the standard $1 cheapo lipsticks you might find at the supermarket or the dollar store. The premise of Eyes Lips Face is to provide their consumers products with the same ingredients and packaging technology as higher end, more expensive counterparts. E.L.F is animal friendly and a supporter of charities; they also have frequent coupon codes for discounts of 10 - 15% or a free item with purchase. A quick search engine query will provide you with ample E.L.F. coupon codes to use for a discount on your order.

I have developed an expensive makeup habit since discovering stores like Sephora, but a girl has to economize somewhere, so it is always worth checking out the cheaper alternatives. E.L.F. offers some products that in my opinion are very similar to or a good substitute for some popular, coveted beauty items. I decided to give them a try on a few items, and I found myself getting even more compliments when using the E.L.F. Mauve Luxe Soothing Lip Gloss than I have gotten using lipstick brands such as LipFusion and Nars. I placed several larger orders, and found an overall level of product quality. While I am still devoted to many of my higher end brands, E.L.F has several items worth your while. Three features of E.L.F cosmetics that make them worth consideration are the quality of ingredients and packaging, the tools for better makeup application, and the availability of cheap substitutes for expensive products that produce some of the best makeup tricks.

Perhaps my favorite feature about E.L.F cosmetics is that they frequently use the same ingredients as higher end products, like silicone and green tea. Some examples are the Tone Correcting Concealers have a silicone base for a smooth finish, like the expensive brands such as Laura Mercier foundation primers. Shielding Hydro Tint SPF 15 Foundation has a good SPF in it for a great price, no excuses for not wearing sunscreen everyday! E.L.F's Clarifying Pressed Powder has salicylic acid in it, a more expensive ingredient that is toTreat and prevent skin imperfections. I like E.L.F better not just because it is cheaper, but in this case, it has a light orange citrus scent that manages to make the salicylic acid scent undetectable. This is a feature I have not found in more expensive brands.

E.L.F also uses similar packaging technologies and features of higher end brands. I am always attracted to the Stila $16 lip glaze lip glosses, but hate to think of spending $16 on a gloss that does not plump or have an SPF in it. In a virtually identical looking tube are the E.L.F. HyperShine glosses, so I opt instead for the $1 E.L.F. versions that come in several colors. Perhaps my biggest makeup folly is I am always attracted to the colors I think are pretty - the light pinks, the peony and lilacs, but just do not look good on my coloring. I occasionally cannot help myself and try these colors again, and I rather try on a $1 item than a $16 gloss. But for $1 per item, E.L.F. provides room for experimentation for both the seasoned and novice makeup user.

I am a big fan of the right brush or tool to enhance your makeup application and staying power, so investing in good tools is important in my opinion. Some people are quite adept at just using their fingers or a q-tip, but not me. E.L.F.'s tools and brushes are of good quality. My favorites are the E.L.F. Mechanical Eyelash Curler , which I find to be similar to the Japonesque curler, handles & shape, as well as I get similar curling results. I typically only use Shu Uemera's eyelash curler, so this is a nice savings for me. E.L.F. cosmetics also makes a slant tweezer similar to Tweezerman's $20 version, but I prefer to stick with the Tweezerman for serious eyebrow grooming and styling, but find the $1 E.L.F version fine for carrying in a purse for plucking emergencies.

The E.L.F. Foundation brush for $1 is similar to the $30 foundation brushes found at Sephora, but I did not like it as much as the Smashbox foundation brushes. It is a bit smaller and stiffer than Sephora's $30 foundation brush, but larger than Sephora's concealer brush. I'd consider the Eyes Lips Face foundation brush the middle child of foundation brushes in size. There is also a great $1 "push" eyeliner brush, and a mascara wand for combing your brows and eyelashes. E.L.F sells two kinds of False eyelashes, these are a great price and more realistic than their other drugstore counterparts, but not quite as realistic as Shu Uemera's individual lashes. Until you get the hang of using fake lashes, try practicing with a $1 set.

Not to be overlooked is E.L.F. cosmetics allows for some of my best makeup tricks at a much cheaper price. Some examples are the Shimmering Facial Whip in lilac Peddle is quite similar to the Yves Saint Laurent Complexion Enhancer ($38 at Neiman Marcus); mix in a dab with your foundation for an ethereal glow. A new product is E.L.F's generic "All over color" is an opaque color in a tube, similar to the Nars Multiple that sells for $38 at stores like Sephora, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. Use this as a blush, lipstick, eyeshadow, or contour on face or body. The E.L.F All Over Color in the shade "Toasted" works as a great cleavage enhancer by swiping between just above the vertical line between your breasts and blending the contour well. You can use the lighter colors to highlight. Your legs look super long if you run a highlighter just along the front of your legs from the middle of underneath your kneecap down to your foot, and blend. The E.L.F Brightening Eye Liner in Gilded is like Benefits' "Gilded" pencil that sells for $14, but a bit more taupe, suitable for non-blondes or those who find they don't wear a pure gold as well.

Eyes Lips Face continues to develop innovative cosmetics at a cheaper price and is well worth exploring the line for your own cosmetics bargain finds.