The other week, I was intrigued when I received an invitation to a launch event for e.l.f. Cosmetics (short for eyes, lips, face). Although I'd never tried anything from the brand before, the name was very familiar to me. There seemed to be lots of hype around it a few years ago, but more recently, not a word. I soon learned that there was a good reason for this. E.l.f. makeup used to be available in the UK (to buy online) but then mysteriously disappeared. Now, however, it's back, which is most certainly good news! It's already available online at Superdrug, and you'll be able to check it out in store from 1st June. 

E.l.f.'s mission is to provide luxurious beauty at affordable prices, and the most expensive product you'll be able to buy at Superdrug will be the Precision Multi Blender Massager Brush at a very reasonable £14.50. Sounds good, no?! I had the opportunity to look at quite a few products at the event, and received a very generous goodie bag at the end of it, the contents of which I didn't hesitate to try out. As a result, I've come up with three separate lists - my must-have products, things you don't need but might like, and finally, a wishlist of interesting products that have caught my attention and which I would very much like to own!

Must-Have Products

1. Natural Glow Face Palette* - I absolutely love this. Not only does it come in this beautiful mirrored packaging, which would give any high end equivalent a run for its money, but the quality of the powders themselves is really lovely. While I found that none of the products swatched particularly well, it was a different story when it came to applying them to my face. This palette contains a bronzer, highlight and two blushes, all of which are designed to give a very natural, flawless glow. I've been wearing the bronzer and peach toned blush every day since I got this and I'm loving the way it looks. If you're only going to get one thing from e.l.f., make it this.

2. Lip Exfoliator* - This looks like a cute pink lipstick, but it's actually a lip scrub in bullet form. You can get this in several fragrances - mine is Sweet Cherry and smells good enough to eat. So much more practical than a messy sugar scrub in a pot, this also feels lovely to use and does an amazing job of both exfoliating and moisturising the lips. This has definitely taken the place of my old Lush lip scrub - it's brilliant.

3. Precision Powder Brush* - Soft as a unicorn's mane, this brush is fantastic quality and I have been loving using it to apply the bronzer from the Face Palette. Plus, the silver trim and clear handle make it look pretty on my dressing table, which is always a bonus. I definitely want to explore e.l.f.'s brush collection a little more.

"Nice To Have" Products

1. Nude Rose Gold Eyeshadow Palette* - I know. It's called "rose gold" and I don't think it's a must-have. Am I even a proper blogger? The shades in this palette are undeniably pretty and I'm really impressed with the quality of the packaging. The pigmentation isn't the greatest as you can see in the swatches above, but I found it was vastly improved when worn over an eyeshadow primer - you will see that the colours look a lot more vibrant on my eyes in the photos below. If you're in the market for a neutral eyeshadow palette and don't want to spend a fortune, this would be a nice choice - it's only £12.50. However, if like me you have neutral eyeshadows coming out of your ears, you probably don't need it.

2. Baked Highlighter and Blush in Rose Gold* - Yep, I went there again. This is pretty, especially when you swirl the two colours together to create a pink gold highlight. However, on me it just doesn't seem to translate well onto the skin. A shame, because I really wanted to love this. It could just be my skintone, however.

3. Intense Ink Eyeliner* - This is nice and black and not too tricky to use, and at £4.50 is a great affordable eyeliner. For me, though, it just doesn't compare with my Kat Von D Tattoo Liner. I need a really precise point on these, if only because my hooded eyes make liners difficult to apply, so the Tattoo Liner was always going to be tough to beat. It is, however, nearly four times the price of this one.

In the pictures below, I'm wearing as many of the above products as I could fit on my face. I have a couple of the mid pink shades from the eyeshadow palette on my eyes, as well as the eyeliner, while my bronzer and blush are from the face palette. I'm also wearing the rose gold highlight, although you can't really see it, and the lip tint.

My Wishlist

1. Molten Liquid Eyeshadows in Brushed Copper and Rose Gold - these looked absolutely stunning when I looked at them at the launch event and have pride of place at the top of my wishlist.

2. Illuminating Face Primer - I've been wanting to try one of these for ages. The e.l.f. one is a good price (£7.50) and apparently can handle both dry and oily skin. Brilliant if you have a face like mine that can never make up its mind.

3. Matte Lip Colours -  Supposedly rich in pigment with a matte finish, they're in jumbo pencil form, twist up, but come with a sharpener just in case you need one. I have my eye on the shade Tea Rose to start with.

4. Velvet Matte Lipsticks - I do love a velvet finish. These lipsticks contain moisturising ingredients and I very much like the look of Ruby Red.

Are you excited about e.l.f.'s return to the UK? Will you be making any purchases?

Kate x

*Gifted item. All opinions, as always, are my own.