e.l.f. Studio Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder Duo

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It comes with a plastic protective film…

Size/Quantity: .28 oz / 8 g
Price: $3
Availability: Target and on the Eyes Lips Face website

I bought this at my local Target for 3 bucks. I have been eyeing it for a while and finally I wanted to see for myself what all the fuss was about. I was skeptical as to how this would compare to the famed NARS duo (orgasm and laguna duo). I do not own the NARS but I have tried it out in store several times but could not bring myself to plop down the money for it.

Company claims:

Front of outer packaging

Back of outer packaging

E.L.F. website claims…

Create a healthy and natural glow year-round
The blush highlights the cheeks to add flush of color
The bronzer accents and contours cheekbones for beautiful definition
DIRECTIONS: Brush on the bronzer to the hollow of the cheeks for definition and dust around the face line to create a healthy glow. Use the blush on the apple of the cheeks to create subtle color.

The reality:

Plastic packaging of the Duo

The blush is on the left and the bronzer is on the right…

This duo has no detectable scent which is great. I can’t understand why companies put fragrance into cosmetics unless it is to mask a horrible chemical smell. Thumbs up for no discernable scent. Woot Woot!!! When you touch the blush and bronzer with your fingers you will notice that they don’t feel very smooth and in fact quite hard to pick up color when swirling your fingers in there. However, when using a brush, the powder easily gets kicked up everywhere. Very strange. The packaging is matte black plastic reminiscent of the NARS but unlike the NARS, it isn’t rubbery which means it isn’t going to get all gross and you can easily keep it clean. The packaging seems very durable… not really loose. It is easy to open, has a protective plastic sheet (which you can keep or throw away) and a large mirror. It, however, does not have a brush. If you ask me that is a good thing cause I never keep the brushes that come with palettes… they are normally useless and flimsy… more room for product… YAY!!!

Finger swatches…

the swatches on the hand… bronzer on the left, blush on the right…

The colors are in fact dupes of the NARS but the NARS are better quality… but for $3 bucks what did you expect heh??? Blushed is a light peachy pink blush with gold reflects that, although pigmented, may have an issue showing up on medium skin tones. I am an NC35/37 right now and I have to apply it a few times to get it to show up on me… but then again, I had the same issue with Orgasm. If you have oily skin and/or larger pores, the shimmer can be a concern. It may have a tendency to make you look more oily (if you don’t keep your face in check throughout the day) and your pores look bigger. Bronzed is a shimmer bronzer, but the shimmer didn’t really go onto my skin which is good. I am not a fan of shimmery bronzers and definitely not for contouring. I was able to use Bronzed for contouring on my temples, cheekbones and jaw-line. Bronzed should be tapped off on your hand prior to application to make sure that you don’t apply too much at first. I didn’t and then had a serious time trying to fix it cause I expected it to not be very pigmented… lesson learned. It can also go on unevenly. Blending can be a bit tricky with the bronzer… I just used my Beauty Blender that I had used for my foundation in any places that needed to be corrected and then I was fine. The wear time on the duo is on par with most blushes on me which is about 5 hours.

Blushed: Great as a blush on NC30 and lighter… Heavy application on NC35 to NC42… For darker skin tones, this can be used as a highliter on the cheekbones (the golden-pinky base will make sure that the highlighter doesn’t look ashy once applied)

Bronzed: Not advisable for NC25 and lighter… Light application on NC30 to NC40… Perfect contour for NC42 and darker

ELF Blush and Bronzer Duo (with Wet n Wild highlighter on tops of cheekbones)

ELF Blush and Bronzer Duo (with Wet n Wild highlighter on tops of cheekbones) (on my lips is Wet n Wild Mega Last Lip Color in 904B Rose-Bud)

Pros

Affordable at just $3 USD
Nicely pigmented
The bronzer is not orange-y and the shimmer does not translate to the skin
The packaging is not rubbery like the NARS one so cleanup is easy
The product isn’t very smooth to the touch and feels hard when you touch it

Cons

The bronzer can be difficult to blend
The blush is light in color (but it is pigmented), so if you have a medium skin coloring or darker, you will have to apply a few times or it just may be too light for darker skin tones (unless you want to use it as a highlighter)
The colors in the duo don’t necessarily suit the same coloring… The blush suits lighter skin tones, while the bronzer is more for medium-dark skin tones
When using a brush, the powder has a tendency to be kicked up and go everywhere making a bit of a mess in the package

All in all, I would recommend this product. For this pricepoint you really can’t go wrong. You will either come home with a bronzer or blush that will suit you. When I run out of this I may repurchase. I have never run out of a blush before so we will see (the only bronzer I have ever run out of, is the NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny)