E.L.F. Cyber Monday Haul and First Impressions

E.L.F. ran a 50% off plus free shipping sale on Cyber Monday, so I took the opportunity to pick up a few things. They just came in yesterday, and I thought you might be interested in some of the newer items on the site
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I picked up two of the HD Blushes, two Baked Blushes, one Baked Bronzer, the Eye Refresh, one Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick, and the Endless Eyes Pro Mini Eyeshadow Palette in Natural.

St. Lucia, Passion Pink, Pinktastic

Here are swatches of the St. Lucia Baked Bronzer, Passion Pink Baked Blush, and Pinktastic Baked Blush. St. Lucia is a very light, warm bronzer with a subtle hint of sparkle. I used it all over today, much the way I would a MAC Mineral Skin Finish, and it just helped knock the chill off of my uber-pale face. I had to use different products to contour and add color. The Passion Pink blush is also very light and warm, with more of a peach tone than I had expected from the online photos. I thought this would be more of a plummy color, but this looks like it could dupe NARS Orgasm. I haven't checked them against each other, yet, but this is definitely a peachy pink. The Pinktastic blush is actually a very pretty gold highlighter. Again, not what I was expecting, but not a disappointment. I bought this thinking that it would be a good dupe for one of my favorite MAC highlighters, Moon River, that is now discontinued. They're actually not even close to similar, but I think I'll get a lot of use out of this one, anyway. It's just lovely. It's just not pink.

Left: Moon River. Right: Pinktastic.

Left. Moon River. Right: Pinktastic. Um...it's not pink. Nope. Not pink at all.

I started to swatch the entire eyeshadow palette, but decided that a few representative shades would probably be just as informative. If you want, I can do an entire, in-depth review on the palette, though. Let me know in the comments. I realized right off the bat that these shadows were E.L.F.'s standard hit-or-miss grade, unfortunately. Believe it or not, there are five swatches in the above photo. The very first one barely showed up, and it was a mid-tone brown. The second swatch is super powdery. The third is supposed to be a glittery blackened gray, but very little glitter transferred to my skin. The last two are actually very nice, and they're demi-mattes. Honestly, I expected the least from them, and they ended up being the best out of the bunch. Originally, I purchased this to use for film makeup, and I intend to keep playing around with it. Maybe it will surprise me. Something tells me I'm probably going to end up having to break down and get the Coastal Scents 28 neutral Palette, though. I am wearing two shades from the palette on my eyes today: a soft gold and the demi-matte ecru shown above. So far, they're doing pretty well.

Here are swatches of the HD Blushes in Showstopper and Encore, and the Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick in Movie Star. Showstopper is a gorgeous berry with shimmer, and Encore is a shocking pink with shimmer. These blushes are scarily pigmented--a little dab'll do ya! I've not tried wearing them on my cheeks, yet, but they didn't want to come off of my hand. The formula is creamy, and I prefer the consistency to that of my Make Up For Ever HD Blush, honestly. Be prepared to work quickly, though, because they dry almost instantly.

Movie Star looks like a blood red in the stick, but comes off as a very natural red. Sort of like the color you'd get after kissing for a few minutes. I am surprised by how much I like this product. It's sheer upon first application, but the color can be built up by layering over time. The color starts out glossy, but dries down to a stain-like finish. It's long-lasting, but non-drying, and there's no taste or scent. Seriously, I really like this product.

Movie Star upon first application. It's not red, but it's the perfect flush.

The Eye Refresh is a clear liquid that you apply with a rollerball applicator. The packaging is nifty, but I couldn't tell where any liquid came out. I just felt the cool metal ball rolling under my eyes. It's pleasant, but I think you get a similar effect with an ice cube for free. I'll keep playing with it and report back if anything miraculous occurs.

Packaging-wise, I have no complaints. The HD Blushes are dead ringers for MUFE's packaging. The baked items are housed in functional, if not flashy, compacts. The palette is sleek, sturdy plastic with a usable mirror. As I said before, the Eye Refresh looks cool (even if it does feel a little cheap). The only thing I'm not thrilled over is the Lip Gloss Stick. I love how it's made--especially the twist up design--but the white coloring is killing me. The first time I used it, red product smeared all over the top portion, and it just looks messy. Making the package color match the lip color would look much cleaner.

Have any of you tried these products? What did you think? Let me know in the comments.