E.l.f's Sheet Mask Primer Is The Most Indulgent Skin Care You Can Get For $2

As drugstore brand with a cult following, e.l.f Cosmetics is known for making moves beauty lovers can get behind. Whether it's reformulating their mascara, launching a tool dedicated to finding the right primer, or joining Ulta's beauty family, every move the brand made in 2017 was major. Now, the e.l.f. is coming for your bare face, launching an innovative priming sheet mask as one of their first releases of 2018. But as someone who tried this latest product, I can tell you a sheet mask primer isn't exactly the brand's most practical launch — even if it works.

Introducing their newest pore zapper, e.l.f. took to the 'Gram in early January to share a product they claimed would eliminate the annoying process of choosing the perfect filter for selfies. The brand's new primer promised to "minimize the appearance of pores, brighten skin, and prep it for flawless makeup application," according to the brand's Instagram post.

It sounds like an absolute dream come true for your selfie game, at first mention. But give it a second thought and you'll soon realize the new primer isn't exactly price-practical. Rather than use a liquid, cream, or gel-based formula, e.l.f.'s newest priming sensation comes in a single-use sheet mask form. So is it truly worth it?

Before completely dismissing the pore-refining primer masks, it's worth shouting out its formulation. Infused with vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin B3, they're packed with all-star ingredients that hydrate, smooth, and brighten skin.

And, practicality aside, it works.

I can personally vouch that it made my skin, especially my under eye area, feel super hydrated. For someone with notoriously dry skin like myself, this was a godsend. Plus, this peel-away primer comes with all of the fun of using a sheet mask.

But even if my makeup game was stellar, that doesn't make the product practical — and e.l.f knows it. The packaging says to use the mask 1-2 times a week or for special occasion makeup, meaning the product is only ideal for rare makeup wearers. If you are a rare primer user, this brightening and pore-refining primer can replace an expensive traditional primer. But if you're someone who frequently wears makeup and wants to use the product even twice a week, these sheet masks bring up financial and environmental concerns.

At $2 a pop, the single-use primers can add up pretty quickly if you're an avid beauty lover. Even using the priming sheets two times a week would set you back $16 a month, plus you'd potentially need an additional tubed primer for days when you don't bask in a sheet mask.

As if the price per quantity wasn't enough to raise an eyebrow, the fact that the primer may be wasteful makes it even more questionable. E.l.f does not mention whether the masks and packaging are biodegradable on its website or the sheet mask's packaging. Bustle reached out to e.l.f. for comment on these concerns.

UPDATE: E.l.f. answered Bustle's request for comment with the package directions, stating $2 for the mask is an "amazing cost."

If they are not biodegradable, the sheet masks and packaging has got to be troublesome for the environment — even if you are just using them two times a week. So, e.l.f. may not have thought this one all the way through environmentally, despite the primer being a potential life-saver for those with pesky pores.

Regardless, I will say that my final makeup result was amazing. My skin actually felt incredibly smooth and hydrated all day long. My complexion looked flawless. So, indeed, e.l.f. was right— no selfie filter was necessary.

E.l.f's affordability is what beauty fanatics have come to know and love about the brand most. But $2 for a single-use primer, even if you use it once or twice a week, is a pricey investment. But you've definitely got to hand it to the brand for thinking outside of the box.