When I was at my local Walgreens last week I spotted these pink sets high up on the shelves in the shaving cream and razor aisle. I decided to pick up the gloss trio and I've been using these for about week now. I know that's less time than I usually give for testing, but since I know that some of you were curious about this set, I wanted to give you my impressions as quickly as possible. So let's take a look...
The shades in this set don't have names (but there are numbers on the bottom of each tube).
Looking at the ingredients below (you can click to enlarge this photo), you can see that there's mentha arvensis oil (aka peppermint oil) in this formula, and I think that's what e.l.f. is using for the plumping effect. I don't see the usual cinnamon or other ingredients that you find in other lip plumping glosses, so I'm guessing that's why this formula is touted as not being painful.
These glosses have a standard doe-foot applicator.
Nude Pink: this looks like a very pale pink in the tube, but it actually is more of a nude shade with pink undertones. It's a milky nude that translates to a sheer, milky, nude color on my lips. It's very sheer and I really need to layer it on in order to see it on my medium-pigmented lips.
Lavender Pink: This is a cool-toned violet pink that also has more of a milky look on my lips. It's quite sheer and doesn't deposit a whole lot of color unless you really pack it on.
Cherry Red: This is the most pigmented of the three glosses, and the only one I didn't need to layer with multiple applications. I can see some nice cherry-red tint on my lips after one application (although I prefer two).
First let's talk about the tubes. They're about what you'd expect when it comes to gift sets (versus buying regular, individual tubes). The don't feel as nice as a regular e.l.f. lip gloss--the clear portion of the tube is actually nice and made of thick acrylic, but the wands aren't the greatest. The doe-foot applicator is small and does not pick up enough product on the first try. I find that I have to keep returning to the tube and getting more gloss before I feel like my lips are fully coated. Also, there's something about the way these lids screw on...it just feels a bit rough to me. I can't really explain it, but they don't screw on as smoothly as glosses from e.l.f.'s permanent line.
As for the glosses themselves, I like the way they feel on my lips. They feel smooth (not gritty) but they're not greasy or too slick or thin. They're a tiny bit sticky, but not enough to make them feel uncomfortable. The staying power is pretty good as well--I can get two about hours of wear with each shade. As for the plumping effect, it's basically nonexistent for me. I get a tiny bit of a tingly sensation upon application (about the same level of tingle as with any lip product that contains peppermint oil) but that's it. I see no difference in how plump my lip looks when I'm wearing these glosses. Both the flavor and fragrance are sweet and minty--almost like a candy cane.
As I mentioned above, the pigmentation of these glosses is not the greatest--they are all quite sheer. There's no glitter or shimmer in these, but they do have a nice amount of shine that stays put for a while (the shine sticks around almost as long as the color for me; up to two hours).
FINAL VERDICT: I would probably reserve these for those of you who prefer your lipglosses on the sheer and natural-looking side of the spectrum. They do have some nice shine to them, but not much color. If the word "plumping" scares you, have no fear with these. I don't experience any of the pain associated with traditional plumping glosses here. The plumping ingredient seems to be peppermint oil, so if you are normally OK with peppermint oil in your lip products, then you might enjoy the feel, scent and flavor of these. There's a very mild tingling sensation during application, but it doesn't last long (I can't feel any tingling at all after about 15-20 minutes). I can see this set being a nice stocking stuffer for a teenager or perhaps someone who is just starting to wear or experiment with lipgloss, but if you're a serious lipgloss fanatic, these might not pack enough color for you, and I have a feeling you'll grow frustrated with the applicator (as I explained above). Bottom line: good for beginners, but probably not for connoisseurs.
Have you purchased any of the e.l.f. Holiday 2014 Gift Sets yet? I'd love to hear from you!
The products featured in this post were purchased with personal funds. For more information, click here.
Good to know G.! May be nice for a tween as an introduction to lip gloss
ReplyDeleteThanks, R.! And yes, I absolutely agree!
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