Overview

Rating: 4/5 stars
Price: $3 USD
Shades Available: 8 shades
Where to Buy: Discontinued

Update: e.l.f. has discontinued its Mineral line and with it, the Mineral Lip Glosses.

Simply put, the Mineral Lip Gloss is one of my favourite and most used e.l.f. products. I first tried Pageant Pink, shortly after the glosses were released. Over the past year, I have gradually acquired more shades.

Packaging

Unlike many other brands of lip gloss that are packaged into long skinny tubes, the Mineral Lip Gloss is packaged in a short and squat plastic tube with a matte, black top. It’s not a big tube—smaller than one may expect—but for it holds a fair amount of product for $3 USD. Unlike some of the other e.l.f. products, the Mineral Lip Gloss does not employ thick plastic containers to magnify its contents.

The tube is fairly sturdy. While taking a few product photos, I lost track of Pageant Princess only to rediscover it the next day with dog tooth marks all over. No leakage anywhere, so I’m happy.

The packaging could look a little nicer, or be a bit larger, but I suppose doing so would reduce the actual amount of product, a la the discontinued e.l.f. Studio Minty Lip Gloss (my review here). On the other hand, the Mineral Lip Gloss is small enough to comfortably fit into a jeans pocket or into a small purse for quick touch ups on the go.

e.l.f. Mineral Lip Gloss in Pageant Pink.
Notice the colour on the printed dot.

The infamous little white boxes are well designed but usually feature colour dots that are way, way different from the actual product shade. But maybe e.l.f. is trying to do better.

I noticed that my Bare gloss had stickers on top of the original dot and the horizontal bar/shade indicator (on top of the box front). I peeled back the colour dot sticker to see if e.l.f. had reused a box from a different shade, but the original dot also said Bare. The printed colour on the box is more of a salmon pink, while the new sticker dot is more of a darker russet brown, more in keeping with the original shade. Rummaging through the lip gloss boxes, I noticed that the two new shades—Bare and Daring—both have stickers on top of the original colour dots/bars, but the boxes for Trendsetter (looks fairly accurate) and Au Naturale (a shade I just ordered along with Bare) have their original dots. Au Naturale is a particularly egregious offender.

Formulation

Like the name implies, all of the Mineral Lip Gloss shades apply sheer. Most glosses have a modicum of shimmer, while some do not.

e.l.f. Mineral Lip Gloss in Au Naturale, Bare, Trendsetter, Pageant Princess, and Daring.

I’m fine with the formulation, but many have issues with the not-so-natural ingredients—like mineral oil and hydrogenated polyisobutene—included in the lip gloss. On the flip side, the glosses don’t contain parabens.

Shades

e.l.f. has carried eight shades, though I only own five.

e.l.f. Mineral Lip Gloss swatches in Au Naturale, Bare, Trendsetter, Pageant Princess, and Daring.

Au Naturale [shimmer]

A light, beige gold colour with warm pink undertones. I personally find Au Naturale on the light side, though I wear it often. Of the shades I own, this is hands down the most shimmery. If you’re looking for a similar shade with more colour, try Trendsetter.

Bare [creme]

One of the few Mineral Lip Glosses without shimmer. As mentioned in my earlier e.l.f. haul review, this shade looks brown in the tube, but applies sheer for a great nude look. I consider Bare more of a lip colour enhancer, rather than a straight up lip colour.

Daring [glitter]

This is a surprising red shade with glitter (daring indeed), in contrast to the other neutral Mineral Lip Glosses. But don’t be scared off by how Daring looks in the tube. Like all of e.l.f.’s lip glosses, this shade applies sheer and is much more pink than the tube would have you believe. However, Daring does impart a far amount of colour; i.e. you can definitely see the colour once applied.

Though Daring contains a fair amount of glitter, it’s not too noticeable on the lips.

Pageant Princess [shimmer]

I’ve never really liked baby pink lipsticks, probably because I need a little more colour on the lips to avoid looking washed out, and this is no exception. Pageant Princess is a very light, baby pink with blue undertones. I need a warmer pink to flatter my skin tone, so I rarely wear it. It’s a little shimmery once applied, but not too overwhelming.

I’d recommend this shade to those with fair skin types with cool undertones.

Trendsetter [shimmer]

My absolute favourite shade of the glosses I own. It’s sort of a darker version of Au Naturale, with a little less pink. While I wasn’t particularly wowed when I first tried Trendsetter, it grew on me.

Trendsetter is perfect for a nude look (normally how I wear it).

Images

Final Thoughts

Pros: Great shades, good value, great for nude looks
Cons: Packaging is a little chintzy, contains mineral oil

Despite the inclusion of a couple petroleum-based ingredients, I’m pleased with this product. While there isn’t a ton of gloss and the packaging isn’t the prettiest, I think it’s a fair product for the $3 price tag.

If you’re looking for a neutral look, I’d recommend Trendsetter. If you’re looking for a sheer, red gloss, I’d recommend Daring.