ELF: Eyes Lip Face for Men

Women can tell if a guy takes care of himself. Going to the gym, yoga, eating right, meditation, using the right hair product, cutting your nails, brushing your teeth are things guys do to keep themselves clean on the outside and the inside.

The next frontier in mens grooming is mens cosmetics. Think eyeliner, foundation, concealer. These items are no longer just for women anymore. Zac Efron, Dave Navarro, Pete Wentz (who also has launched his own cosmetic line) are some Hollywood personalities that wear makeup. According to market research firm Euromonitor, in 2006, $4.8 million was spent on male grooming products in the U.S., a 7 percent increase over the year before and a whopping 42 percent increase from 2001. Since men generally age faster than women, more products are geared to camouflage the lines and blemishes guys gain over time.

New York based ELF (Eyes Lip Face) Cosmetics has a predesigned Men's Kit that they sell on their website . In it are the following items:

• Concealer Pencil & Brush in Light
• Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter in Light
• Tinted Moisturizer in Tone 3
• Tweezers
• Black Eyeliner
• Clear Mascara
• Mirror
• Clear Nail Polish
• Cuticle Pen
• Nail File
• Shine Erasers
• Conditioning Balm in Vanilla
• Hand Sanitizer

I met ELF Creative Director Achelle Dunaway at New York Fashion Week FW09 and suggested that I write a review on their Men's Kit. So here are a few thoughts on the items I did try and how I found them useful.

Concealer Pencil and Brush in Light - What is concealer? Its a product that's used to hide spots, blemishes, scars on your face or body. Make up artists use this alot on their clients to produce those flawless faces you see on TV and magazines. On the night I used the product, I had an event to go to. Of course, there were going to be photographers! So I had to cover scars from a zit that recently healed. It worked! Not only did it blend it quite nicely but the scar practically disappeared in a single application.


Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter in Light - Also used this to conceal my eyebags. When you don't get much sleep, it shows very quickly. This did wonders! Almost looks like I had a full 8 hours of sleep even when I've only had 4. I didn't use the other end of the stick as I didn't think I needed to highlight my eyes.



ELF Professional Shine Eraser - One thing that most guys don't pay attention to is how shiny their face gets during the day. The hot spot areas are around the nose, your forehead, and chin. Draw the letter "T" on your face and you'll know exactly where these spots are. The shine comes primarily from oils that are coming out of your pores. If you have a tendency to sweat much, they can also be sweat coming from sweat glands in those areas. Either way, ELF's Professional Shine Eraser can "mattify" your shiny face. The product does what it says "absorbs oil and shine, mattifies skin, minimizes pores. The paper rips easily compared to other blotters I've used in the past. Other than that, its one thing that guys should have in their wallets or toiletries kit.

ELF Hand Sanitizer - Influenza A(H1N1) aka the Swine Flu is among us. Outside of not traveling to Mexico, the other way of keeping any flu virus away is washing your hands with soap and water or using a hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer tend to come in two formats, gel or liquid. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suggested that using hand-sanitizers that have alcohol in them is more effective in killing germs than just soap and water. ELF's hand sanitizer has Ethyl Alcohol as its primary ingredient. It also has Aloe Vera infused in the product which explains the moisturized feeling it leaves after it's applied. It also has this mild scent which is different from ones that tend to smell like a hospitals. I find the packaging a bit too small especially for men's style kit. A 25 ml might have been better.

ELF Therapeutic Conditioning Balm (Vanilla Creme) - Lip Balm is probably that one cosmetic item that most guys carry all season long. The two things to look for in good lip balm is its ability to keep your lips hydrated and if you're out a lot, get something that has an SPF rating. This balm from ELF doesn't have SPF protection, which is unfortunate because the product works on the lip moisturizing department. In the course of an 8 hour work day, I applied it twice. So it lasts for a while. Also, its a matte finish so it doesn't look like you're wearing lip gloss. Very important! The vanilla creme flavor is subtle which is good. And for $2 a stick, you can't really go wrong with it.
Most of the cosmetic companies have a men's line for us discerning males. The key to this business is making the products subtle enough so guys can wear it comfortably and proudly. Although we won't admit most times, guys want to look as perfect as we can. And products like these help in hiding our imperfections.