Product:  ELF Studio Cream Eyeliner.  This little pot of eyeliner is a beauty bargain.

Overall Rating = 4.25 Stars – Excellent

Cost: $3 for .17 oz. ($17.65 per ounce)  Price Category: Dirt Cheap

Sold By: elfcosmetics; Walgreen’s; Walmart; Retailers everywhere.

Container: Plastic jar with twist-off lid, outer carton.

Description: ELF Studio Cream Eyeliner is a water-resistant gel cream eyeliner in a little pot.  This eyeliner requires an eye makeup remover to effectively take all of it off.

Sensitivity:  ELF Studio Cream Eyeliner is a fragrance-free product suitable for those with sensitive eyes or contact lenses.  I have never experienced any sensitivity issues personally and I have never had any complaints from the hundreds of clients I have used this on.

Company Claims:  “The cream formula creates smooth lines that are defined and precise. Smudge-proof, budge-proof and water-resistant coverage for all day wear to combat against sweat, tears or rain! Achieve thin or bold lines with ease. Slanted Eyeliner Brush included.”

Discussion:  ELF, also known as e.l.f., stands for eyes-lips-face.  This is a very inexpensive brand that is sold at discount retailers and drug stores.  I’m sure a lot of you have never tried this brand because it is so cheap and you probably assume that for this price, it can’t possibly be any good.  I thought the same thing when I first saw this line, but I go through so much makeup I figured I’d give it a try.   If it ended up in the trash I didn’t spend much, so who cares, right?

I am a huge fan of gel and cream eyeliners.  They have great staying power and perform well under a variety of conditions such as hot lights and humidity.  It is also easy to achieve very dramatic looks with the deeply pigmented colors.

One reason that I use ELF Studio Cream Eyeliner is because gel and cream eyeliners do not last very long.  They dry out after a few months and need to be replaced.  If you are buying an eyeliner for $40, that quickly gets expensive if it needs to be replaced frequently.  You can replace ELF Studio Cream Eyeliner whenever you need to and it is not a big deal.  There is not much of a financial commitment here.

I also buy a lot of this eyeliner so that I can have one for each client and not have to use a sterile brush each time I dip into it, which saves me a lot of time.

Morning Review:  ELF Studio Cream Eyeliner has a very thick consistency.  The black is a deep rich black.  The brush that comes with the eyeliner is useless to me.  It is very short, the bristles are too thick, and it deposits way too much product onto the eyelid.  I prefer a much better quality brush with longer tapered bristles.  This little brush is better suited for eyebrows than eyeliner.

With a smaller more flexible brush, I find ELF Studio Cream Eyeliner is very easy to use.  I like to build up the desired color in layers.  You won’t be able to line your eyes in one swoop with this eyeliner like you can a liquid eyeliner.  You can also tightline with this if you don’t have extremely oily skin.  Since I have very dry skin, once this eyeliner sets on me, it does not go anywhere until I take it off.

Evening Review:  After several hours ELF Studio Cream Eyeliner did not smudge, fade, flake or cause any irritation issues.  I had to use an eye makeup remover designed for waterproof makeup to get all of the eyeliner off.

Overall Review:  ELF Studio Cream Eyeliner is not the world’s best eyeliner, but for the price, it cannot be beaten.  If you are new to gel eyeliners, this is a perfect one for you to practice with.

Pros:

• Stays on well
• Can be built up and layered
• Very inexpensive

Cons:

• May smudge on very oily skin
• Is water resistant, not waterproof
• The brush that comes with it is not useful.
• Most of the fashion colors have been discontinued.

Helpful Tips & Tricks:

• Keep the lid on the jar as much as possible.  While you are applying the eyeliner, turn the jar upside down onto a clean paper towel to prevent air from drying it out and to minimize contamination.
• If you have extremely oily eyelids, always “set” your cream or gel eyeliner with an eye shadow in the same color as the eyeliner.
• For a glossy extra-dramatic look you can apply a shiny wet-look liquid eyeliner on top of this.

Users:  ELF Studio Cream Eyeliner is suitable for the following users:

• All users

RATINGS REPORT:

Morning Rating = 4 Stars;

Evening Rating = 4 Stars;

Average from Other Testers = 4 Stars;

Value Rating = 5 Stars;

Overall Rating = 4.25 Stars = Excellent.

(Please review the About 365 Cosmetic Reviews page for the rating info.)

Ingredients:  Isododecane, Polyethylene, Polyisobutene, Barium Sulfate, Calcium Carbonate, Quaternium-18 Bentonite, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Tricontanyl PVP, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Propylene Carbonate, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Silica, Tin Oxide, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

May Contain (Depending Upon Color): Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), DC Black #2 (CI 77266), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Ultramarines (CI 77007).

Important:  Please read our full Disclaimer before using this or any product.