My First E.l.f. Haul | First Impressions & Swatches

And so it finally happened. I placed my first ever e.l.f order. Cue lots of gasps from the bargain-hunter beauty bloggers amongst you all. I'd spent a few weeks twiddling my thumbs and waiting patiently for a certain item to come back into stock, and when it did - I pressed the order button rather swiftly and felt jolly well pleased with myself.  I've sat and read countless blog posts about e.l.f products and had built up quite a lengthy wish list over time - so much so that some of the products I'd written down aren't even stocked anymore! I managed to compose myself, refrain from adding the whole website to my virtual basket and ordered just 4 things (I deserve a pat on the back for that big fat dose of willpower, surely?) - i figured I'd try them out, see if I liked them and then make an even larger order next time I fancied treating myself.  This post is quite photo heavy - I do apologise for those of you who prefer my shorter, snappier variety of post, but you have to understand I was incredibly excited when Mr Postman came a knockin' with this little parcel of bargainous, beautiful goods... Fat kid in a sweet shop doesn't even begin to describe...

Mineral Lipstick | Runway Pink | £5.00

I believe I ordered one of these when there was an offer on - as I definitely didn't pay a fiver (I think I paid £2.50!) Nonetheless, for a lipstick these days it's not a bad price at all and by the looks of this lipstick I shall be ordering another one pretty swiftly regardless of whether or not it's on offer. Runway Pink is a gorgeous salmon pink with yellow undertones.  It's one of those really natural, rose petal pinks that looks very 'vintage' and effortless on the lips.  It's noticeable without being overly pink.  I'd liken it to a lighter, slightly 'watered down' version of Mac's Fanfare if you're familiar with Mac's shade range. I'm so glad I picked this colour out - it's just my cup of tea and the creamy formula glides on smoothly.

 Powder Blush | Peachy Keen | £3.75

I've always wanted to try E.l.f's blushes - and it was extremely hard to pick a shade to try. In the end it was a toss up between this one and 'Candid Coral' - both my kind of shades.  I always lean towards warmer, peach tones when it comes to blushes.  Peachy Keen is a lovely light peachy/orange shade with flecks of gold shimmer running through it.  I'm not entirely sure if it will be too glittery for me just yet - but now summer is coming around I seem to be preferring a subtle glow compared with a matte finish.  I will definitely do a review of this once I've had it on my cheeks. When swatched, it seems really decent quality for the price - the pigmentation is particularly good.

Contouring Blush & Bronzer Cream | St Lucia | £3.75

This is the product that I was waiting for. I finally thought it was time to place an order when their popular 'St Lucia' cream contour palette came back into stock. If you're a regular reader of my blog, you might know that I am a massive fan of contouring - I'm always scouting out new products to use on my cheeks/cheekbones and I'm the first in line to try anything new if it has the word 'contour' in it anywhere.  This palette is a cheap and cheerful little duo containing a blush and bronzer cream. The colours are said to run similar to Nars infamous Orgasm/Laguna duo - I own both of these so it will be interesting to see whether or not they lean towards the high-end favourites. Whether or not they do - I still love the shades and cannot wait to start using them. When I swatched both colours I have to admit a little 'wow' escaped my lips (and that hardly ever happens so I'm hoping they live up to the first impression!) they're incredibly pigmented and smooth in consistency and sweep onto the skin with ease.  They seem creamy and soft - just what I look for in my cream products (I'm not a fan of cream to powder formulations) and I cannot wait to give this a whirl.  The palette is also of good size - much bigger than I envisaged (it's a good bit larger than Nars Laguna - if you're looking for a comparison!)

All Over Colour Stick | Spotlight | £1.50

Of course, I just had to complete the contouring cream palette I'd bought with one of e.l.f's All Over Colour Sticks. I opted for the highlighting shade 'Spotlight' which is the lightest of the bunch.  When it first arrived, I wondered if they'd sent me the wrong shade as it looks rather non-descript in the tube. However, it's a deceiving little devil - as when swatched it shows up incredibly bright - a great deal lighter and more noticeable as a highlight than how it looks in the tube.  I've been wondering if these little sticks are cheap versions of the Nars Multiples (I've recently got my hands on Nars 'Copacabana' so we shall see whether of not they're alike in any way!). I've really got into my cream products at the moment so I had to throw one of these in my basket. For £1.50 you really can't complain and I can't wait to start using it.

Swatches | Runway Pink / Peachy Keen / St Lucia / Spotlight

Of course, this post wouldn't be complete without a little swatch or two! I will definitely do a few reviews on these products once I've been using them a while and let you know how I'm getting on. So far though, I'm so impressed with e.l.f. Their prices are really fabulous and competitive with similar brands on the high street - and for the quality I've seen at first glance I will definitely be ordering again. The packaging is right up my street - sleek, black and simple and all boxed neatly. My favourite so far has to be the contouring cream duo - it's had my name written all over it ever since I first laid my beady eyes on it...

Have you tried any of these products?

What are your thoughts on E.l.f? What would you recommend?