Makeup Magic With E.L.F.

I first heard about E.L.F. Cosmetics back in July at the BlogHer conference when I picked up a sample of one of their eyeshadows. Before I knew it, the eyeshadow became my go-to staple because it didn't disappear from my eyes by noon - which is huge given that I rub my eyes quite a bit since I have crazy allergies.

So, when E.L.F. asked if I'd host a MUAH (Makeup at Home) party, I figured why not have some fun and work some makeup magic on my friends, just in time for the holidays? Besides, I figured maybe I'd finally learn how to do a smoky eye! -- Trust me, I needed to learn since my version of the smoky eye always makes me look like a raccoon. Or like I got into a fight at a makeup counter. Not attractive.

After my friends arrived at the party, we watched a video that taught us how to apply the makeup. We paused after each step to make sure we had it right, and I'll admit we had to re-watch a few steps because none of us spends over five minutes a day on makeup. This was definitely: You're Going To A Holiday Party" makeup for us- and that was cool since none of us really knows how to do that.

Here's what everyone liked:

• The Prices: Most E.L.F. products are either $1, $3 or $5 - nice because you never get sticker shock and if you get a new lipstick home and decide it's not working for you, no worries, you didn't spend beaucoup ducats on it.
• The brushes - They operate like much more expensive makeup brushes for a fraction of the cost.
  
• Makeup Remover Cleansing Cloths - $3 for a pack of 20 & they'll work well for those of you who are sometimes too exhausted to wash your face at night (I plead the fifth!)
  
• Eyeliners - Great glide factor, nice colors and staying power.
  
• Mineral Lipsticks & Lip liner- Nice shades, not too matte, not too greasy
• Mineral Lip gloss - The mineral glosses were a real hit - especially the Trophy Wife color.
• Mineral Eyeshadows- Nice colors, not too shiny. These were a really HUGE hit.
  
• Nail polish - Great colors, and it took two days of typing for mine to chip (not bad).
  
• Cruelty Free - We loved that there's no animal testing for these products.

Could be better: Some of the foundation colors were hit or miss. My skin is pretty tricky when it comes to finding the right color foundation, and that's true for a lot of my friends as well. Some of the foundation colors were slightly off, either not dark enough or a little ashy when applied, or else they looked a little orange/dirty.

I had a good conversation with folks from E.L.F. after my party about makeup options for women of color and they agreed that providing options for women of color is something they're working on.

I'm glad this is on their radar instead of just giving the issue the brush off. Women of color are a HUGE market and we clearly wear makeup too, so even if it's for the sake of the bottom line, all cosmetic companies have to get this right. E.L.F. sent me another box of products for darker skin tones so I'm going to try those out with some friends who fit the bill sometime soon and we'll see what's up with these new colors.

Of course, my favorite moment of the night was when my friends began teasing me for not knowing how to use an eyelash curler - and for being completely freaked out by it. I've never used one because I have super curly lashes naturally, and you gotta admit, those things are scary looking!

Since my kids were hovering around surveying the makeup madness going down in my living room, my eldest son kindly offered to be brave and give the curler a try since I was so afraid losing an eyeball.

You know how it is... since he did it, I had to cave and give it a try. I don't think it made much of a difference on my super curly lashes but it gave everyone a good laugh.

All in all, it was a good time and I sent my friends home with all the makeup E.L.F. sent me for the party. My friends were like kids in a candy store picking out their favorite shades. Everyone was pretty happy to learn that along with being available on their site, E.L.F. is also in Target these days so they can grab the shades they didn't get at the party. So thanks, E.L.F. for the good time and for the goodies for my friends!

If you're wondering if I ever learned the smoky eye, uh, not really. I tried to get it right but it just wasn't working. I came out with more of the raccoon/fight look... Hopefully I'll get it right one of these days!