Review: elf Cosmetics Aqua Line

Hi Everyone! You asked for it, so here it is - my in-depth review of e.l.f. Cosmetic's Aqua line, plus a few extras. This is by far not an exhaustive list of all of the Aqua products, but I tried out a bunch for two weeks and here are my thoughts - read on below!

Full-Face look with all of the reviewed e.l.f. products

Here are the items included in this review (purchased at target):

• Aqua Beauty Blush & Bronzer
• Aqua Beauty Molten Liquid Eyeshadow
• Aqua Beauty Radiant Gel Lip Stain
• Aqua Beauty Primer Mist
• Gotta Glow Lip Tint
• Beautifully Bare Foundation Serum w/SPF 25
• Hydrating Bubble Mask

Left to right: Gotta Glow Lip Tint, Beautifully Bare Foundation Serum, Aqua Beauty Molten Liquid Eyeshadow, Aqua Beauty Gel Lip Stain. 

Beautifully Bare Foundation Serum w/SPF 25 in Fair/Light $8 - 5/5 Stars 

I had seriously low expectations for this - but, as the saying goes, do not judge a book by it's cover..or price. I picked this up because of the SPF 25. I would have preferred the doctor recommended SPF 30 for daily face wear, but whatever, beggers can't be choosers. I also had reservations about the shade range - only 4 shades, so I saw that as a 25% chance that Fair/Light would be a match for my skin.  I also was a little nervous when I pumped out the product on the back of my hand and it was super drippy. Blech! 

BUT - I was wrong! I was so wrong! I applied the foundation using my trusty foundation brush.  And OMG, the coverage was fantastic. See below for the photographic evidence. By applying the foundation to half of my face, I could have easily gone as Two-Face for Halloween:

Surprisingly good coverage

Since this is drug store make-up, I also expected a significant amount of oxidation during the day. But I'm happy to report that after about 8 hours of wear, the color remained relatively the same. I did not notice any darkening/orange areas. 

Overall: I wouldn't wear this foundation to an event, or going out. But for daily wear for work or running errands, this is perfect. Great coverage, low cost and solid wearability. 

Aqua Beauty Primer Mist $8 - 5/5 Stars

Also another product that took me by surprise. The sprayer pump in the packaging is not the best (but what do you expect for $8) and projects heavy droplets on my face rather than a fine mist. My first reaction to this product was: "Am I just spraying my face with water?". It was very watery and has a pleasant 'clean' smell. 

But as I patted the product onto my face it dried leaving a light, hydrating,  'tacky' residue. I was pretty impressed - I didn't just buy an $8 bottle of face water. That tacky feeling is key to a good primer so that when you apply product on top, it really sticks and melds with your skin. 

Overall: This product was very hydrating but also light and provided a great 'canvas' to apply foundation on top. While it doesn't provide other primer benefits such as pore filling, smoothing, etc, if you're looking for that result, I would suggest using a product with those benefits on your skin first before applying this primer mist. For me, my skin is in pretty good shape, so I've just been using my go-to moisturizer (<-- best price) and this primer mist for my daily make-up. 👌

Aqua Beauty Blush & Bronzer in Bronzed Pink Beige $6 - 4/5 Stars

First thing is first - I am not sure if I got the correct shade for my skin tone. The Bronzed Pink Beige had what looked like a lighter shade of bronzer, but I'm not sure if the Bronzed Peach is actually my shade - I'll update this review if I get to try the Bronzed Peach color. 

Onto usage - I used this make up brush (aptly nicknamed the 'Bumble Bee Butt Brush' by moi) to apply the product. Upon swatch, I was impressed with the consistency - very creamy, not very powdery. Reminiscent of a ColourPop product. When applied to the face, the product has a cooling effect on the skin which was very refreshing. While the bronzer was perhaps a hair too dark for my skin, it blended well into the skin with minimal effort. In terms of blending capability, there are products with better blendability, but for the price point, I was happy. It was not streaky at all. The blush also was a hair too dark for my skin tone, but also blended with minimal effort. 

Overall: Great for work/daily use for adding some color/contour to my skin. I like the creamy/cooling effect, but the colors are just not very flattering on fair skin - which is my main criticism. 

Aqua Beauty Molten Liquid Eyeshadow in Rose Gold $4 - 5/5 Stars

This little guy is the dupe love child of Stila's Glitter & Glow Liquid Eyeshadow  and Color FX Enhancer Drops, but at a fraction of the cost of both products. I first swatched this on my hand and the first thing I noticed was the pigment. One swipe gives a beautiful shiny, molteny stream of color. Once I let the swatch dry, I blended it with my finger to see how well it could blend on the eye. I was impressed with the result. The color was both strong and blendable. 

I applied this to the ball of my eyelid after applying some brown eye shadow as a  base and then blended the edges into the crease to remove the harsh lines. I really liked the effect. It was shimmery but also very natural looking at the same time. 

Overall: Great product. Smooth, lots of pigment, and blends out beautifully. It is not as creamy as the Stila formula or the Color FX drops which feel more oil based, but the product overall is still high quality. 

Aqua Beauty Radiant Gel Stain in Rouge Radiance $4 - 2.5/5 Stars

Expectations were high for this product, but then plummeted upon application. The box stated something to the effect of 'layer many times to achieve the desired pigment', so I was prepared for it to be sheer. 

The first application was insanely sheer. Barely any pigment. The product has no visible smell and has a watery/gel texture. I waited for the coat to dry and continued to apply layer upon layer - four additional times! Only then did I achieve some visible pigment. Once fully applied, I didn't really like the texture on my lips. It felt tacky and thick. Also, the gel stain didn't last long after my grande coffee. 

Overall: Not really impressed with how sheer this product was or how multiple coats felt on the lips. However, I could see myself wearing one coat of this to yoga, or if I just want to look a little bit more put together without applying make-up. 

Gotta Glow Lip Tint in Perfect Pink $6 - 4/5 Stars 

This is a dupe of Lipstick Queen's Frog Prince lipstick, where the product uses your body's PH to create a custom color and this color makes a pink. When applied, the color it gave me was almost a hot pink - the formula was very creamy and silky, I liked it a lot. When the color set, it was more bold than I had expected but it wasn't unflattering. I was most impressed the longevity. I wore this to work and to my surprise still found it tinting my lips past 3 O'Clock. 

Overall: Very hydrating product and long-lasting. The color was a little too intense for me to wear everyday, but I thought this product was solid overall. 

Hydrating Bubble Mask $14 - 5/5 Stars

One of the most expensive elf products at $14, I was intrigued to see how effective this mask would be. I am in love with the packaging system - it has a push top with a little hole in the middle. You push down on the top and the product comes through the hole which you just swipe away. 

Before application, the product is a thick clear gel consistency with no noticeable smell. The directions say to apply to clean, damp skin, but here's a tip for you: splash your face with water right before applying. Don't dab away excess water with a towel - the more water on your face, the better this product works. Once applied, I could feel little bubbles forming and popping on my face. Typically I leave this one for 5-10 minutes and rinse with water. My face felt very clean afterward and hydrated.

Overall: One of my new favorite products! It cleanses and hydrates (not super hydrating, but it doesn't dry my face out) great and it's very easy to use. I've been using this 2-3 times a week and have noticed that the pores on my face have reduced in size. elf also makes other bubble masks which I hope to try in the future like this Bubble Mattifying Mask and Bubble Charcoal Mask.