ELF has a range of Lipsticks, simply called “Lipstick” that comes in 6 shades and costs just £1.50 each.
They say:
Indulge your lips with long lasting colour and shine. The moisture rich formula hydrates, conditions and softens on contact for silky smooth lips.
When it comes to lipstick I will spend a pretty penny so long as it’s something special. Am I a little suspicious of a lipstick that costs a mere £1.50? A little. But then ELF are pretty good at making cheap but cheerful products.
Coming in a pale silver and clear plastic tube, ELF Lipsticks come in a mixture of nude, pinks, roses. Here are the 6 shades you can buy….
Fantasy – looks brown (urgh) in the tube but is actually a beautiful nude:
This is my favourite colour of the bunch. The texture of this is gorgeous, it reminds me of some of the old KATE lipstikcs with a water shine type of texture. It’s very hydrating on the lips and is quite pigmented:
These lipstick definitely are lighter, glossier and sheerer than in the tube but that is a good thing because the colours don’t look that interesting in the container.
Classy – is a pale pink:
This is my least favourite colour and texture. It felt somewhat dry and left my lips looking flaky and stuck to dry skin. The shade is also unflattering on me, it’s far too light:
Don’t worry – Classy is the black sheep, the rest of the lipsticks are glossy, smooth and hydrating!
Next up is Posh – not a shade I would ever really go for as it looks almost like a brick red:
See the state of the tube? This is something else I will come to later but let’s just say this one had come loose in the packet.
Posh is quite a bold, warm rose shade. I think it makes my lips look healthy although it is quite a bold choice for me:
In terms of longevity, I got about 2-3 hours of wear from these. It faded completely and didn’t leave a stain on my lips. They aren’t that long wearing but I don’t mind that, I prefer the gloss and hydration they provide over lasting power.
Gypsy looks like a medium rose pink:
These lipsticks don’t have shimmer in them – yet they still look lovely and multi dimensional. Maybe it’s because I felt like they plumped my lips somewhat.
On this lips Gypsy is more of a hot pink but it’s totally wearable.
Seductive is the most orange based colour – a bit of a coral type shade. Once again not blown away with it in the tube:
On the lips it’s my favourite second shade – you can see the orange and coral pushing through there!
Voodoo is another one of those brick type shades I wouldn’t normally touch with a barge pole!
It is one of the more pigmented shades and I actually like it! Well I wouldn’t necessarily wear it to work, but I do think it has something quite special to it that doesn’t make it look any where as dated as it looks in the tube.
Swatches on my hand – you can compare them here. The most pigmented are Posh and Voodoo, the pinks here are Gypsy and Classy and Seductive has the orange/coral tones. Fantasy is a beige nude and is my favourite:
All in all, lovely lipsticks!
But I do have a bugbear. It’s the packaging. Now for a mere £1.50 I’m not expecting solid gold, but I do think these very soft lipsticks are easily damaged in them. They smudge, they snap, then smear easily.
The clear part of the lipstick also makes the whole thing look messier than it needs to be. I think you can see in my photographs above that each one looks like it’s had lipstick smeared on the inside of it.
An example of how one of the lipsticks came:
Verdict:
Excellent good value lipsticks – apart from Classy – they are all beautiful colours and lovely textures to wear. Well worth £1.50
The downside is the cheap packaging and how fragile the lipstick can be. I’d be highly tempted to melt these down and put them into a lip balm tube.
Buy the lipsticks here.
Ingredients:
Hydrogenated polyisobutene, Ozokerite, Polyisobutene, Bis-Diglyceril, Polyacyladipate-2, Mineral Oil, Caprylic Triglyceride, Polyethylene Wax, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Microcrystalline Wax (Cera Microcristallina), Methylparaben, Propylparaben, BHT, Tin Oxide, Mica. MAY CONTAIN (+/-): Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Red No. 40 Lake (CI 16035), Red No. 7 Lake (CI 15850), Red no. 27 Lake (CI 45410), Red Lake No. 6 (CI 15850), Blue No. 1 Lake (CI 42090), Yellow No. 5 Lake (CI 19140), Yellow No. 6 Lake (CI 15985)
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
These lipsticks look nothing like how they do in the tube! Now that you’ve swatched them I’m actually tempted to get Fantasy and Seductive, whereas before I always thought the colours were pretty naff!
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My Seductive died a very sad death, snapping as I tried to apply it straight from the tube. It’s the first lipstick casulty I’ve ever suffered too.
Did you find the pigmentation too soft sometimes? Perhaps it’s simply my central heating melting it, but Gypsy is still alive and kicking.
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Hi Cassie
Yeah I know what you mean, they are quite squidgy. I didn’t press to had, felt like it could fall off quite easily :/
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Wow! This is what I call a review. Pictures of the lipsticks in the tube, on your hand, and on your lips. Informative Reviews on each. This really helped me decide. Thank you!
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lovely swatches i m too much in to these lippies now a days
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