Reviewing make-up so that you don’t have to.

Although I am perfectly happy with my Collection 2000 Multiplier   mascara. It has taken me a long, long time to find  a mascara that I am happy with. Mostly, I think, because the big cosmetic companies over promise, and under deliver. So with this in mind I am on a quest to find other mascaras that I can rely on should my favourite disappear.

ELF mascara tube makeup

Elf or rather E.L.F  Eyes Lips and Face is a company that is based upon the principal that quality cosmetics should not cost a fortune. The company was founded by Joseph Shamah and Scott Vincent Borba  in 2004, apparently after seeing wealthy women in Los Angeles buying Drug Store cosmetics.

The make-up has been featured in Glamour , Instyle and Good Housekeeping magazines and the cosmetic company’s 100 piece Endless Eyes Pro Eyeshadow Pallet was featured in Oprah Winfrey’s “O” magazine on Oprah’s Favourites Things list. And then the make-up pallet sold out.  All this info comes from Wikipedia. But I have read the same details time and time again on various websites.

With such a pedigree following, I thought it only right I should check it out for myself. In this country ELF is only available through its website and has one store in Wales.

The make-up is made in China. The packaging reads: Made in China Designed in the USA. As I have said before in another article, I have no problem with cosmetics made in China, as long as the quality control is good. Many mainstream brands are made in China. I was very surprised the other day to see that some products from Rimmel are made in China. I was surprised because their advertising campaign would lead you to believe very differently. Rimmel’s slogan “Get the London Look”  along with their London, England centric advertising campaign, does not really get you thinking of factories in Southern China.

Ok, another rant over. The ELF mascara was fabulous. The brush was very well designed and separated the lashes nicely. It was easy to apply a second coat and I did not notice much in the way of smudging throughout the day. I was very, very surprised and really pleased that a mascara priced at £3.75 could deliver so much. It was so much better than the Loreal Voluminous 4x that I purchase and reviewed a few days back.

I only discovered the ELF brand by watching various youtube video of makeup tutorials and decided to seek it out. In general the packaging leaves a lot to be desired, but as far as the mascara goes, this is a great every day product.

So here is me without any mascara

Waiting for my mascara and the rest of my make-up

And this is me with ELF mascara after eyelash curlers but no primer.

ELF mascara and nothing else.

Ok, I know it is the other eye, but you get the idea. And it is really difficult to focus iphones close up. And I am trying to take pics of myself without shaking the image.I think you can see that there is a marked improved in the appearance of my lashes, and this without eye-liner so that you can see how it works on lower lash. So I say that this mascara is well worth its price tag.