ELF Matte Lip Color & Lip Exfoliator

It’s been a while since I reviewed some ELF products and it’s about time. This super affordable US brand has some hit and miss products, but in general I have loved the lipsticks I have tried from the brand. They are cheap and cheerful and generally their lipsticks are great if you’re a beginner and looking to try some comfortable and easy to wear makeup.

ELF Lip Exfoliator
ELF Matte Lip Color
Tea Rose, Hot Commodity, Scarlet Night

As always I have picked up three colors in the colorful lipstick range and I also decided to get the Lip Exfoliator. I tried so many lip scrubs, but they are always so messy, so I was hoping this might be more successful. Weirdly, I have found that since I ordered these items, the Dutch website no longer exists and it seems that the only place you can now find it online is the UK website. There these products retail for £4.50 each, in the US these are cheaper and cost around the $3 mark.

The Packaging

ELF packaging is always quite simple. When you receive the product, everything is always individually wrapped in a box as this is how they tend to display their products in stores. You can see though that not each box is the same, it seems they updated the packaging mid range and also, the name of the matte lip color is not printed on every single one of the lipsticks.

ELF Lip Exfoliator

A lip exfoliator is a musthave in the winter time! Or just in general if you have troubles with dry, flaky lips. This will instantly make you lips smooth and because it is packaged like a lip balm this is a two in one. You can but this on and give your lips a good scrub, while at the same time the balm that houses the scrubbing granules allows your lips to me hydrated at the same time. Win-win! This also comes in other colors and flavors such as cherry and mint. This is the plain one. Great product that is a good one to try if you need a lip exfoliator.

ELF Matte Lip Color

I decided to try three of the matte lip colors to also see how the shades work. Tea Rose is a pretty dusty mauve. Hot Commodity is a bright coral. Scarlet Night is a deeper burgundy red. I heard lots of people rave about these and they are very easy to use. They have a pen shape and a very sharp tip, which makes them super easy to apply. The only downside is that they do not twist all the way down, which means that you have to be careful putting the lid back on when you first start using these.

The Swatch

The Lip Exfoliator is clear which means it didn’t show up in a swatch. So these swatches are just for the three Matte Lip Colors. As you can see these have a creamy formula and are definitely not matte! These have a hint of a sheen to it and next to a true matte, these appear like more of a satin lipstick.

Formula wise these are quite thin and that is also how they go onto the lip. They feel lightweight and are super comfortable. It feels very much like wearing lip balm. Despite that balmy texture, these lipsticks do not travel outside my lip line, but they also do not stay on the lips very well. Lastly, the pigmentation is great despite the colors not looking as vibrant as I had thought from the packaging.

Tea Rose

Tea Rose is a super pretty soft neutral shade. It is almost a bit too nude on me, but when you’re wearing a more intense eyelook this is a good one to have. That’s when I wear this the most. It has a cool undertone to it and I would describe Tea Rose as a true dusty mauve. My lips are naturally pretty pigmented, so I feel this lipstick is affected by that as it simply tones down my lips, but this comes very close to a ‘my lips but better shade’.

Hot Commodity

I had hoped that Hot Commodity was a bit brighter and punchier. Instead, this is a very soft coral shade and while not as in your face as I had expected, I feel it is still a very pretty lip color. It certainly is unique to my lipstick collection as I don’t really like corals on me. So finding one that is so flattering and quite neutral, means that this has to be my favorite pick of the three here.

Scarlet Night

If you’re more into dark lip colors than Scarlet Night is a very pretty option too. Again, not as dark as expected, but that makes it a lot more wearable, like the coral shade. This is a dark burgundy red, with a hint of brown that I find looks very pretty on. I do prefer a shade like this to be matte so it won’t budge at all, but if mattes are not your thing and you want something that comes close but is not drying at all, then this is a great option.

The Conclusion

I can only say that these ELF lip products very much surprised me in a good way. The Matte Lip Colors are all very wearable, easy shades for everyday makeup looks. The Lip Exfoliator is a great product to have if you like me, get dry lips that become flaky in the winter time. These are just some good basics to own and I highly recommend!

What ELF lip products have you tried?