ELF haul & review (Part 1): Brushes and more!

Note: This is a scheduled post. I am away on vacation until the end of May. I will answer your comments/questions then. Take care!

The main purpose of my visit to the ELF store was to stock up on brushes. Their Studio line of brushes have been lauded as the affordable alternative to higher end brushes. I went into the shop with only three on my mental shopping list but walked out with SEVEN brushes, a lip exfoliator and a slew of other make-up goodies.

ELF brushes: Angled Blush, Fan, Angled Eyeliner, Powder, Small Smudge and Blush brush

Most of these brushes are packaged in transparent, plastic baggy with their own plastic brush guard. Out of the ones I purchased, only the fan brush, kabuki brush and small smudge brush did not have their own brush guards. Brushes are $3 each – a steal!

First impressions: All brushes had a distinctly plastic or synthetic odour, which is unsurprising given that they are all are made of Taklon, a synthetic material. I hope the smell will fade. The handles are fairly lightweight. The bristles are soft and definitely not scratchy! I have not yet noticed any shedding of the hairs.

DIY: Modifying a $1 ELF compact to fit Inglot eye shadows

Note: This is a scheduled post. I am away on vacation until the end of May. I will answer your comments/questions then. Take care!

When I went to the ELF store in NYC, I picked up this $1 compact. It features a mirror, a spot for the included double-sided applicator and 4 spots for round eye  shadow pans (I hear they fit MAC’s eyeshadow refill pans).

Before & After our DIY

I love the shades in my Inglot Freedom System palette, but the whole thing is too bulky to take on short trips. I have considered the Z-Palettes for their non-restrictive freeform design, but I found them too expensive ($14 for the small size) and was too lazy to DIY my own from a DVD case. Modifying the ELF compact would be the perfect compromise.

Photo tour of EyesLipsFace.com (ELF)’s flagship store in NYC!

Eyes Lips Face is a shop for decent yet affordable cosmetics. It is every broke makeup addict’s dream come true! Until about 2-3 weeks ago, ELF was mostly an online shop and carried in limited selection at some retailers. Unfortunately, shipping to Canada was often more than the cost of the order and it was rare to find ELF in stores. That, in combination with my wariness of purchasing cosmetics online without testing them prevented me from ever shopping at EyesLipsFace.com.

Imagine my delight when I heard from Musings of a Muse that ELF had recently opened a flagship store in New York City, where I was headed with my college buddies for a grad trip.

ELF Storefront

Location:

Googling “ELF new york city” pointed to 1350 Broadway, which is actually their HQ Offices. The first and ONLY (so far) physical ELF store is at 741 Broadway (intersection of Astor Place & Broadway). There’s currently some construction going on, so the ELF sign may be obstructed.

The ELF store is conveniently located next to TWO subway stations! Take your pick:

Option A) Take the yellow N or R train to 8 St – NYU station and walk south on Broadway

Option B) Take the green 6 train to Astor Place station and walk west on Astor Place

Inglot haul & swatches: Freedom System Palette

Note: This originally appeared as a guest post on Simply Becca and I’ve decided to re-publish it here with some modifications.

Inglot is a Polish cosmetic brand so well known for its pigmented and smooth eye shadows that it has developed a bit of a cult following within the makeup community/blogosphere. However, it’s not yet a household name (like Maybelline or even MAC) because of its (relative) exclusivity within North America. For example, there are only four Inglot stores in Canada, with three (!!!) of them in Montreal and the last in Chicoutimi, Quebec.