E.L.F Cosmetics: Yes or No?

September 19, 2006

I’ve been getting tons of questions about e.l.f. Cosmetics. It seems that most people, and I really can’t blame them, are a bit skeptical about beauty products for $1.

Well, I’ve tried the line and for the most part it’s good, not Wet n Wild good, but good enough. Channeling the spirit of my celebrity make-up artist/blogger friend Elke Von Freudenberg, I do know in regards to products like eyeliner, mascara, etc. there is little difference between the products in the higher priced lines and lower priced lines like e.l.f..  The star of the line, in my opinion, is the kohl eyeliner, which is as good as any kohl eyeliner I’ve ever tried. However, e.l.f does need to go back to the lab on the eyeshadows which looks like the eyeshadows you used to get with your Styling Head Barbie.

What do you think about e.l.f. Cosmetics?

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{ 85 comments… read them below or add one }

Suzanne 51 July 7, 2007

I found ELF at a Target near my house. Target carries a limited selection. I love the blotting papers, great for Houston’s hot summers and so cheap.

Stormi 52 July 15, 2007

I happen to be at a K-Mart store looking for some eyeshadows with good colors. Then I ran across e.l.f products. I’m thinking $1.00? It’s gonna turn me a different color!

I love the idea of the custom eyeshadow compacts you can get. You can pick out your own colors that you know you’ll use instead of buying a $4.00 Cover Girl one you might only use 1 or 2 colors of.

I also bought a Moisture Care Lip Color. It is a great product.

The only complant I have is that the eyeshadows go on pretty easy and it’s kind of hard to control them.

But I’d have to say it’s and overall great line for only a buck.

Lovette 53 July 15, 2007

I have tried a number of elf’s lip products.  I like them.  They are not on the level of MAC, or some of your other well known (and more expensive) cosmetics, but they are pretty good.  And, come on, you can’t beat $1 for lipgloss!

Kate 54 July 20, 2007

I have only purchased the eye makeup remover pads any I think they’re amazing. I’m a cheerleading who has to wear tons of eyeliner, shadow, and mascara and the pads take the makeup off easily.

Kelly 55 July 25, 2007

Of the items that I have received, I have been very happy. However, half of my order did not come-I have contacted elf four times and no one has contacted me! I am disappointed because I would order from them again, IF I could be reassured that I would get my entire order.

Lee Austin 56 August 2, 2007

BEST – and I mean BEST – eyelash curler I have ever used.  My daughters wanted the curler, too, but I went to Target today (8/1) and can’t find the line.  Any suggestions?  Thanks.

Diana 57 August 9, 2007

I ordered from elf a couple of months ago and I got the stuff right away. I was missing one kit from my order so I called them and they said they’d send it right away. I got it the following week. I liked most of the stuff I tried. I didnt really like the eyeshadow cuz it doesnt have much pigment and I didnt like the tweezers cuz it breaks the hair rather than pull it out. I really like the glosses, the blush and the lash curler. I love love LOVE the concealer. It’s better than any of the department store brands I have used. I gave my new smashbox concealer to my sister cuz the elf one worked so much better. I want to try the all over cover stick and the foundation next. The only negative thing I would say is that I dont care too much for the smell. Most of the stuff is scented and it could do without. It’s totally worth it to give it a try, especially if you find it at a local store. My Target doesnt carry it but I found it at Food 4 Less!

AT 58 August 12, 2007

TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE and MISSING ITEMS WTIH EVERY ORDER!!!  They say they’ll refund you for the missing items, but they never do. Even if they did refund you, you have to go back on their site and reorder, which means you have to repay the $5 shipping and handling just to get one or two $1 items, when they made the mistake not to say on their website that it was out of stock.

TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE company that steals your money and doesn’t follow standard business practice. No matter how good the makeup is (which the mascara and brushes are good, but the rest is like little girl makeup), it is not worth ending up having to pay shipping and handling to receive one item, after having paid for 10, and never receiving the other ten items or given back your money for them.

I CAN’T SAY ENOUGH to warn people about shopping online with this company!!

SR 59 August 15, 2007

Terrible company!! Customer Service Sucks!! I ordered a couple weeks ago-havent recieved my order. Everytime I contact the company to see when it will ship- they continue to say 5-7 days, well its way past 7 days. My credit card has been charged!!! Now this morning when I logged on my account doesnt exist. HORRIBLE HORRIBLE COMPANY

Charlene 60 August 30, 2007

I am highly disappointed with e.l.f. I am not really angry that it took so long to receive my products (3 weeks), but I am more upset that I ordered items and they charged my charge card before shipping the items. When they did ship I didn

Jean Bowers 61 September 22, 2007

I just bought some brushes as well as several of the eyelashes.  I am pleased as punch with all, and as far as I am concerned, I could have paid 5 times as much and not gotten any BETTER!  Thanks.  I’ll be back!

KC 62 September 25, 2007

I recently bought one of everything from E.l.F.  I love it!  The brushes are fantastic, the eyeshadow and blush stayed on all day.  I ordered three colors of the lip gloss and all three look really good.  I did not receive four items and they said they will refund my money.  Time will tell on that one.  My order came really quick.

Natalie 63 October 3, 2007

I absolutely rave about ELF. I agree. Shadows are not great but lip gloss and all over color stick are a must. Mascara is to dies for. (actually the best i have tried) I am ordering some hydrotint and the concealer. Hope it works out. I did not have any problems with me order. Although one item was not included due to “out of stock”

Lauren 64 October 12, 2007

My friend told me about e.l.f. a while back and I thought nothing of it. But I started running out of eyeliner, eye make up remover pads and nailpolish remover. I also desperately needed a make up bag and an eyelash curler. So I decided to try the copmpany my friend has been raving about. I’m SO glad I did!! Everything is great (except the nail polish remover pads, they’re really stinky). I just got a new order in today with a few nail polishes, two lip glosses, eyeliners, lip balm, facial whip and brushes. Everything is wonderful and I’m very happy. The nail polish is really great!! Goes on just as good as some of the Chanel stuff I have. I love the nude color since I’ve been going on a lot of job interviews lately and can’t have colored polish on.

The only problems I have are: 1.) Shipping. It takes forever for them to ship the items out. First time it took 8 days. This time it took 2 weeks. 2.) They charge your credit card before they pull the items so they charge you regardless of whether they’re in stock or not. This time about 4 of my items were left out of my total order. I had to write a few e-mails last time to get the money back because they forgot to do credit me. This time though it seems that they charged me a lesser price when they shipped my package as opposed to the price that was on my receipt originally. Instead of paying 23 I paid 15…so I won’t have to worry about getting my money back since they didn’t take it to begin with. Hopefully this will be a recurring thing, because it was hell trying to get my 5 bucks back last time.

Windy 65 October 14, 2007

I’ve used their glosses and mascaras (they are not CoverGirl, but for $1 I can use it twice and toss it, which is better healthwise). The foundation is nothing special, but again, for $1, it’s ideal for travel. Glosses shouldn’t cost more than $1 anywhere.

Haven’t had the shipping problems others have above, but agree, if you haven’t received items as promised, call your credit card company and have them dispute the charge.

I am concerned about the products being manufactured in China, especially after the latest report on red lipstick. And folks, this is not racist. China has very low health standards for workers and products; and it’s increasingly obvious that the FDA and American companies are not looking out for anyone but their bottom line.

It’s unlikely ELF is the only company manufacturing makeup in China. An expensive product is just as likely to be made overseas as a cheap one. Read the labels.

mrr 66 November 26, 2007

I have ordered from e.l.f three times. The last two shipments came super fast (four to six business days).

Eyeshadow-not the best out there…but for $1 you can try colors you normally would not want to purchase for $10+.

Brushes-I LOVE them!!!!!! Wonderful! My opinion, but I like them better than my Bobbi Brown brushes. I got the 12 piece set for $12. Can’t be beat! You can throw them out and replace them a few times for about the same price as a department store brush cleaning solution.

I have not tried any powders/foundations or lipsticks. I was really impressed with what I did order, and will reorder often.

I will say that my first order(last year) took much longer to receive (2-3 weeks). I honestly think they have improved with service. If items are out-of-stock they leave it out of shipping and only charge your card for what they shipped. All questions (email and phone) were answered in good time and everyone has been nice.

It’s only $1.00. Worth testing out for yourself!

Alicia 67 November 27, 2007

I have ordered from ELF a number of times over the past couple of years.  I have yet to have a problem (knock on wood!)  I just received my latest order yesterday, it took them 10 days to deliver, including two weekends and a holiday, so I’m pleased with that.  I love their clear brow and lash mascara most of all.  I also ordered two sets of the cell-phone lipglosses, one for me and one for my sister-in-law.  They’re cute, but the taste/smell is kind of funky.  I could do without that.

ohiogirl 68 December 4, 2007

You can go to elfs website, click “store locator” put in your zip code – and it will show if you can buy it locally and where.  Kmart and Food4less seem to be the top contenders.

As I did not want to pay for shipping (or have to buy a lot to try) I went to my local food4less.  I’m not lip gloss girl, so I really can’t judge.  I wish they had had a bigger selection.  Heck, I wish they still made their lipstick!  But – the concealer is NICE.  It’s not too thick yet it, well, conceals.

If only I’d thought to buy a brush!  Ah well, next time.

Rachel Dalberth 69 December 3, 2007

I JUST ordered some. I’ve already tried their lipgloss and eyeliner, and was pleased with both. I’m cosmetics junkie, and usually stick with smashbox or marykay items. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the company previous to this, but never anything about their customer service.

cutety 70 December 5, 2007

hello guys well i got everything i ordered, but one of the item which is foundation brush was in two pieces. the handle came apart when i got the item. but other then that i don’t see any problem ordering from elf. but just so you know if you don’t like to order using credit card. you can send them money order instead. which that is what i did. The other thing is doesn’t matter where you shop if you look at anything you buy most of them time is made in china. which i don’t see a problem in.

cristina 71 December 5, 2007

I have ordered 2 times from e.l.f and both times I have had problems with my shipments. Both times they sent the orders with missing items. I emailed and called them on each shipment problem. I am still waiting for them to send me missing items, or discontinued items that they fail to mention our discontinued. I suggest BUY THERE PRODUCTS FROM THE CVS, WALGREENS WHERE YOU CAN BUY THE PRODUCT DIRECLTY with no continuing problems.

ms_lady 72 May 4, 2009

DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM ELF! I REPEAT! DON’T BUY ANYTHING FROM THEM. I purchased about 5 items from ELF. They sent me my tracking number (Fedex) and within a week or two, it says it’s been delivered, but I haven’t seen ANYTHING from ELF AT ALL!!!

lysia 73 October 29, 2009

E.l.F. is so amazing they are so cheap but works just as good as MAC or Nars and they always have great sales. I order some stuff with the code LOYAL and got a free mini makeup collection and only bought 2 items I had to stock up on eyeliner : )

Nuni 74 January 1, 2011

I really love e.l.f!!! I’ve had no problems with the shipping or the products. In fact, when they did run out of a product not only did they give me a refund but they added to bottles of lotion at no extra charge ( it should be noted that both bottles were more expensive than what I orignally bought). If you’re on the east coast shipping shouldn’t be a problem. LOVEEEE ELF!!!

Jenna 75 May 23, 2011

I received my shipment in 2 business days, my order was complete ad everything was intact. I also received a free eye shadow pallet as a free gift. I haven’t tried the makeup yet.

angela 76 June 15, 2011

Hey does anybody know the weight of the individual elf eyeshadows? I heard somewhere that MAC eyeshadows will fit in elf quad pans. just trying to see if anyone else knows if this is true before i order some.

Kellie 77 June 24, 2011

Elf is great. Pretty much everything is a $1 or $3. It is very good quality. The colors are true to he pictures. There is always a sale. The makeup was intacted when I got it. There wasn’t a crack in it. I got 12 makeup brushes for $12 and they were soft and even had a plastic pull over case. I got the dual pencil sharpener and it had a cover on it so the shavings wouldn’t fall out and it works great. It is even cheaper than walmart. You can get 3 eyeliners for the price of 1 eyeliner sold at walmart. They have everything you could ever need makeup wise at one place. They have lipstick, lip gloss, lip liner, eyeshadow, eyeliner, foundation, concealed, prime for you eyes and face, nail polish, sharpeners, and every type of brush imaginable.

Melissa 78 July 29, 2011

I am also not thrilled with the fact that all of their products are made in China. I can’t wear anything in their line that is makeup related (I have super sensitive skin) without breaking out. So my opinion is take it or leave it: You get what you pay for and for a few dollars more I can find a product by another cosmetic company that makes their products in the US or UK and not have any problems with it.

brie 79 October 10, 2011

Bought it. Love brushes and gloss. Moisture foundation broke out my face, and the lid primer made my skin peel. I have good skin, never have any problems. But Damn, this stuff messed up my day lol. Ah well, cheap is good. Not using any of the face products again.

Donna 80 November 7, 2011

Looks like all of the bad reviews are from a long time ago so I think that elf did a good job of turning things around. I absolutely love elf and think that the quality is decent. I think you get alot more than you pay for with elf and I recommend it to everyone I know. Their HD powder is becoming my go to setting powder. It is a lightweight colorless powder that sets your foundation and makes your skin feel great. I also love the 100 eyeshadow palette…ya can’t beat the colors!

Emily 81 December 13, 2011

I love the ELF products. I think the studio line is much better than the general line that you find in the drugstore. Thankfully, I haven’t had any problems with ordering (so far) and I love everything I have gotten from them. I used their makeup on my wedding day and it looked as good as if a professional had done it. It lasted through the pictures, wedding, and reception and the photographer said that she didn’t have to do any touchups on my makeup and skin. I have some severe scars from a car accident and if I prime correctly and follow my normal routine, my makeup hides 95% of them (the other 5% just can’t be hidden no matter what). Like I said, I think the studio line is better than the drugstore line.

Angelina 82 January 4, 2012

I love E.LF! Being on a budget, and buying makeup for one dollar is great! For a dollar, their products are pretty good.

Alli 83 January 11, 2012

Umm I LOVE ELF If you havent tried elf and hated it then plzzz try it !!!! I LOVE the lipsticks and Im not a big fan of lipsticks !!!

Toni 84 January 22, 2012

I order in bulk after I found out what didnt work for me.

I have been fortunate to not have missing items but then again its only 1$…. So even if I was missign that one item, I would pay the 5$ to have it dropped off at my door than pay for car gas, driving to a store dealing w screaming kids/women, not finding everything IN the store that you want. I would still order online or wait till my next bulk order to get what I want.

Budget or not, Brand names dont compare in most of their products.

Daryl Ilagan 85 January 25, 2012

I only heard of elf last year when I wanted affordable brushes. I bought the 11-piece studio collection brush set and I was hooked!! After my first purchase I’ve made 2 other purchases and my order was always received within a week. (With the exception of the Holidays it took 2 weeks.)

I love the studio line the most and also the essentials line. I’ve tried the 32-piece eyeshadow in brights (discontinued) and I was dissappointed. Ordering eyeshadows from elf I’m a little iffy about. I highly suggest their 24k collection for eyeshadows. It is more priceir than $5, but also the quality is so much better.

Their customer service is grade-A. My first order there was a slight defect with my eyeshadow palette and they said they would replace it for me FREE OF CHARGE. When I have questions I e-mail or call and they are always very helpful to me.

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