ELF Jumbo Lip Glosses

ELF Cosmetics are proof that cruelty-free, high quality products do not have to cost a fortune. Over the Christmas period, ELF offered a whole Advent calendar of discounts. Every day, a different deal was up for grabs and when I saw buy-one-get-one-free on the jumbo lip gloss sticks, I figured I’d give them a try!

So first things first, here are the claims that ELF makes about this line:

• Glides on like lipstick.
• Conditions and moisturises lips, with Jojoba, Soybean and Vitamin E key ingredients.
• Smooth formula.
• Lip gloss look.

 This line compares quite well with lip stain products from well-known, drugstore brands that do use animal testing (see, it’s really not necessary to produce winning items) and it’s a LOT cheaper. How about getting THREE ELF lipgloss sticks for the price of one elsewhere? €3.79 each? I’ll take that.

So, disclaimer: I opted for two neutral shades and I think this is the main reason for my mediocre impression of them.

Summer Nights

The lighter shade, Summer Nights, is really lightly pigmented (which was difficult to photograph on my pale skin). These are listed as ‘lip tints’, so its a given that the colour won’t be as vibrant as a regular lipstick, but even with that in consideration, this shade was extremely subtle. It’s certainly pretty, but it doesn’t have any real impact on my natural lip colour beyond adding some gold sparkle (which I think it could do without). It also has a tingly sensation – I’m assuming a minty plumping effect, which I should add is another duplicate for a more expensive brand.

Coco Loco

The second shade, Coco Loco, is more pigmented than Summer Nights and has a brownish tone to it, but honestly it still doesn’t have a big pop on my lips (again, bearing in mind it is a lip-tint). Now, granted these are neutral shades so this was entirely the result of my colour choice, rather than ELF not being what it says on the package. I just think if I was repurchasing, I’d definitely try a brighter colour. I don’t think these shades have a great payoff on my colouring, and as they have to be ordered online with shipping costs, there would be cheaper alternatives.

As for the smooth formula claim…yes, they are easy to apply and glide nicely. While they do feel moisturising, they feel somewhat dry too – as if they’re sticking instantly to my lips, which I suppose is a side effect of the long-lasting claim. However, that leads to my final point – I’m not convinced by the ‘lip gloss-look’ claim. For me, they have  no where near the shine that comes with the traditional gel/liquid formulas. That’s not necessarily a bad thing – I do enjoy a nice matte look, but I personally would not recommend these products as a substitute for another gloss. You’ll need a top coat to provide shine.

Overall, these are good products but I won’t repurchase these shades again – luckily, they have several gorgeous ones to choose from. They’re not breaking the bank and they do most of what they say on the package – glide on, smooth formula, twist-up so you don’t need to sharpen, feel quite moisturising and they do seem long-lasting (albeit perhaps at the sacrifice of a gloss finish). Another pro is that they could be a good chance to test more ‘extreme’ colours, without it being too dramatic. They could form a nice transition/testing period.

If you have any other shades, let me know what you think of them. Would you repurchase? What’s your favourite product by ELF?