Top 5 ELF Cosmetics Products

What a great idea - quality cosmetics for a buck. That's Eyes Lips Face Cosmetics, also known as E.L.F. Based out of the UK, ELF Cosmetics can now be found in Targets throughout the US, but Target stores carry only a small fraction of the ELF Cosmetics line, and with the steal-prices, they tend to sell out quickly. As Oprah says, "ELF lets you go crazy without going broke!" As a makeup addict, I have purchased nearly everything in the ELF line, and as with any line of cosmetics, there are hits and misses. I've compiled my list of the Top 5 ELF products. Here is my rubric for naming a product a "top product."

• Quality and longevity - The quality of an ELF product has to be comparable to a high end product in order for me to label it "best product." This means the product wears long, is made with quality materials that are good for the skin, and the product delivers on its promises.
• Versatility - Can a product be used in multiple ways? This will help it be named "best product." Can the product be used by a diverse array of skin tones? 
• Prettiness - It is makeup, after all! Unique colors, finely milled powders, high pigmentation, all of these help a product stand out from the crowd.

These shadows are highly pigmented, soft, beautiful and easy to blend. There is nothing like them on the market for $1. Yes, they cost $1. The packaging is small, simple, easy to transport and comes with 4 shadows. These can be easily thrown into your purse and you will be able to make a variety of looks while on the go. With a huge variety of color combinations, there is an ELF Brightening Quad to suit everyone. That fact, combined with the quality of the eye shadows themselves, makes the Brightening Color Quads a fan favorite and a cult classic.

The ELF Shimmering Facial Whip is a liquid luminizer, comporable to the High Beam by Benefit Cosmetics. The difference? Benefit's illuminator will set you back $22, and ELF's will set you back $1. ELF's Facial Whip also comes in several shades, ranging from golden, silver, pink, and more. ELF's Facial Whip adds a beautiful glow to the cheeks and can highlight any facial feature you like, such as the bridge of the nose, cupid's bow, and area under the eyebrow bone. The shade range means that all skin types and colors will find a suitable match - even high end brands do not sport such a selection of liquid luminizers. Dewy cheeks for everyone everywhere, for a buck!

ELF's cream blush will last you a very long time, as the littlest bit of the product goes a very long way. I barely touch my figure to the mousse-like blush, and tap my finger on my cheeks and I have a healthy, beautiful, natural flush of color and I am done. For $6, I have collected all of the shades, and they are a very beautiful collection ranging from hot pinks to peaches, plums and reds. Though the packaging is the slightest but clunky, the product inside is simply too good to ignore - so pigmented, so long-lasting, and so pretty. If I didn't know anything about ELF Cosmetics, I would have thought this was a much more expensive product.

I am not kidding when I tell you that this blush changed my foundation application routine for good. Though called a powder brush, the soft yet dense anti-bacterial synthetic hairs work great for both liquid and powder products, yielding an even, natural, yet full coverage. This brush can be used on both oily and dry skin, as the unique shape and bristle density does NOT pull at the skin. Simply, this brush has given me the best foundation look I have ever achieved, and for $3, I will buy this brush again and again.

ELF's High Definition Powder is comparable to powders by expensive brands such as Make Up Forever and Laura Mercier. For a fraction of the price, you'll get double the product and the exact same soft-focus, skin-perfecting effect. This powder is finely milled, super soft, and does what it's meant to: minimize the appearance of pores, fine lines, while slightly mattifying the skin and preventing oily-ness.

And get this - many called this product a dupe (inexpensive alternative) to Make Up Forever's HD Powder (which will set you back $40 or so, yikes), but the MUFE powder caused some ugly flashback on celebrity Eva Longoria -- yikes! She should have gotten the ELF $6 alternative - all the good stuff, none of the flashback.

This is why ELF's HD Powder is a big #1. Everyone can use this product, and it performs BETTER than the $40 version. A huge homerun by ELF for this great product.

ELF Cosmetics frequently offers free shipping and 50% off sales - so make sure you sign up to the e-mail list and be notified of the great sales. Discount codes are kept up to date on http://elfmakeupreviews.com/elf-coupon-codes/  Thanks for reading!