Though I'm someone who has combination to oily skin, I am inexplicably drawn to cream and liquid makeup. From the way they lie on the skin to the soft glisten they usually leave behind, I'm a sucker for a good, emollient beauty product. Something else you should know about me? The cheeks are my favorite part of doing my makeup. Blush, bronzer, highlighter, all of it simply sends me right into orbit, and I swear I get that much closer to knowing heaven on earth when I discover a new makeup product specifically created for the area.
Now that you know this about me, it should come as no surprise that when E.l.f. Cosmetics released its Halo Glow Beauty Wands ($9), I had to have them. I managed to get my hands on a few colors, and all I have to say is "wow."
The brand released three versions of the wand — blushes, contour shades, and highlighters — and each of the products comes in various colors to suit a range of skin tones. As soon as I opened the first tube, I was even more enamored with the packaging. The wand was slim and compact, which would make it perfect to travel with, but instead of just popping the top into place, this one screwed on. This means that I don't have to worry about forgetting to close the tops of the wands and them exploding, especially if I'm in a hurry, which I often am.
The product is intuitive to use, which is another reason I enjoy it so much. All you have to do is unscrew the cover, squeeze the product into the sponge, and tap it onto your cheek. I used the shade Liquid Gold for the highlighter, Berry Radiant for the blush, and Tan Deep for the contour, and every single shade showed up beautifully on my skin and blended into the stunning, glossy finish that I salivate over. Despite the glossy finish, they were dry to the touch once I finished blending, so I had no issues with transfer when I touched my face.
The one thing to consider before buying the blush wands, in particular, is that they don't last the longest. The blush lasted about an hour on my face before it started to fade, but I absolutely plan on using it with my favorite long-wearing blushes like the E.l.f Primer-Infused ($7) or the Too Faced Cloud Crush ($29) blushes, and I suspect it will hang around a lot longer then. Also, while the shade range is a good start, deep-dark skin tones may still struggle to find a contour shade that gives them the definition they desire, without the product just blending into their skin. Lastly, while the blush and contour formulas blended easily with a brush, I found the highlighter much easier to blend using my fingers. It seemed a bit more quick-drying than the other two, so I was able to immediately tap in the product, which gave it the seamless, skin-like finish I was after. In my testing, I loved the consistency, ease of application, and convenience of these wands and give them 4.5 stars out of 5.
