When I was in college, I thought nothing of buying expensive department store cosmetic brands like Chanel or Prescriptives. But as I’ve grown older, I’d gotten more savvy about spending my money. While I’ll definitely indulge for a good face cream or cleanser, I no longer think it’s worth it to spend $20 or more on lipstick.
I saw e.l.f. cosmetics in the April issue of Lucky Magazine, and I was intrigued by e.l.f’s $1 pricing. Since the makeup was so cheap, I assumed the products must be low quality- like the Wet & Wild makeup I used as a pre-teen.
But I also know that the cost of goods for a typical lipstick is under $1. In fact, a $12 lipstick might be manufactured in the same factory as a $20 lipstick. The biggest difference is the branding and the packaging, so low-cost isn’t the same thing as low-quality. I figured it couldn’t hurt to try something new. Besides, if I liked e.l.f., I’d have a new source for eye shadow and lip gloss.
I was pleasantly surprised. The eye shadow I ordered went on smoothly, had a nice color, and didn’t cause any breakouts. The moisture-care lip color was subtle and softened my lips without tasting waxy. It didn’t feel like I was wearing something cheap.
The only bummer? At $5, shipping cost more than the $1 makeup. But I still managed to get three eyeshadows and 1 lip-gloss for a total cost of $9 including shipping. And that’s not a bad deal.
