Hello you lovely lot!
So as you may have seen from my Twitter, just before christmas I bought my first set of ELF brushes having heard such good things about them.
I bought mainly eye brushes as this is what I needed most, and I find it really hard to get good eye brushes.
The brushes came about a week after I ordered them, and usually this would annoy me, but I ordered them at around the time when the weather was effecting the post pretty badly, and the lovely people at ELF kindly sent me an email when I first ordered to let me know that delivery may take a little longer than I expected. So the fact that I got them before Christmas was a pleasent surprise, I'm not going to lie. They were packaged really well, and each individual brush was also packaged nicely, with descriptions for each brush of how to use them to their full potential.
So onto the brushes themselves.
First of all I got the Eye Shadow Brush.
What ELF say - 'Specially sheered brush tip absorbs the perfect amount of eye shadow and provides long lasting colour saturation. the comfort curved brush contours the eye with natural gliding strokes for easy and accurate eye shadow application.'
Before I used this brush, I thought it may be a little big and wide for my eye. But I was totally wrong, I am so impressed with it. It takes eye shadow really well and slicks it on so smoothly. It is great for putting on base colours, as well as blending. I really love this brush - it is one of my favourites of all of the ELF brushes I bought.
The next brush I bought was the Defining Eye Brush.
What ELF say - 'The velvety bristles contour in the crease of the eyelid or right underneath the brow bone for added colour.'
I've found I have been using this brush for a few different things. It is great to add highlight to under the brow, applying just enough and not over doing it, like I have found other brushes do. I also use it to add a darker colour under the eye as well as the the outer corners, to add definition to the eye. I like doing this last and not blending as much as the rest of the shadow, giving the eye more depth. A lovely brush, and although I would say it wasn't an essential, it's a really nice brush to add to the collection.
Next up is the Blending Eye Brush.
What ELF say - 'Expertly blends multiple eye shadows while softening dramatic edges and fine lines. Brush can also multi-task. Use it to set powder or liquid concealer.'
This brush is beautifully designed and does it's job perfectly. It is just the right size to blend eye shadow in jus the right way. I find that some brushes blend so much that the shadow all turns into one big muddy colour, but this blends but still keeps the different colours in the look.
Next is the Eye Crease Brush.
What ELF say - 'This domed bristle brush picks up a lot of eye colour and sweeps into the eyelid to creat bold definition. Blends and contours in the crease and corner of the eye. Great for smudging shadow into the lash line for a smoky effect.'
This is another brush that I have so many uses for. First of all I use it to add a darker shadow into the crease of my eye, making sure that you don't look like a clown with harsh lines, by adding and softly blending all at the same time. It is also a great brush to add lighter colours to the corner of the eye to open them up, as well as softly applying eye shadow to the bottom lash line.
Next I bought the Smudging Eye Sponge.
What ELF say - 'Create a dramatic, smokey eye look with this soft tapered applicator that blends liner and shadow prefectly.'
This was the brush that I was most excited to use. I have been using it to smudge eye liner on the top lashes to give an alternative look to my everyday black liquid eyeliner, as well as smudging on the lower lashes to give my evening eyes a smokey look. I love the brush and I love the idea of it and have used it a lot, however it hasn't been very kind to my skin, and I sometimes find that I have to use it quite hard to get the smudge effect that I want, leaving my sensitive eye skin quite sore and red - this however most probably has a lot to do with the make up I have been using and how blendable it is. I am going to use this smudger a little more before I make my mind up I think.
Next up is the Fan Brush.
What ELF say - 'Unique fan shape blends away makeup mistakes. Dust wipes and contours powders. Use to create a soft wash colour oever the cheeks to apply a touch of loose powder to cover shine, or as a blending aid.'
I have always wanted a fan brush as I think they are so pretty, but I have never bought one as I have never really been sure what I would use it for. I have found this brush really useful to remove eye shadow fall out, but not really for anything else. It picks up the eye shadow really well from the face without having to get the wipes out, but the I personally have found the brush itself too soft to use for any kind of powder application.
Last but not least we have the Total Face Brush.
What ELF say - 'Soft caressing facial bristles allow for soothing spplication of facial and bronzing powder and for quick full-face touch ups.'
This was the brush I was expecting the least from because, although I had heard really good things about the eye shadow brushes, I had heard mixed reviews about this one. Although I found that the brush did not pick up enough to use to apply powder as I like quite a full coverage, I've really enjoyed using it as a bronzer brush. The brush is so so soft, and applies the bronzer beautifully, but still lightly so that I don't have big lines across my face. Lovely.
The eye brushes were so lovely, and I have been using the daily since the day got them and will continue to do so. Although I didn't find the other two brushes as good, seen as all of the brushes are just £1.50, you can't really go wrong.
New love for ELF and I can't wait to try some of their other products!
Lots of Love
Lola Rose...x
