Review: e.l.f. Nourishing Cuticle Pen

I am a cuticle product junkie, especially when it comes to oils, balms, and other hydrating things, so last week when I was ordering some makeup from eyeslipsface.com I threw one of their $1 cuticle pens into my basket. I was excited about the form of this product because I really like the idea of a pen-like applicator. If you are not familiar with e.l.f., they are a very affordable cosmetics brand with two tiers of products: their Essentials line, which is commonly priced around $1, and their Studio line, which is a better quality product ranging from $3-$8. I use their $1 concealer brush for nail polish clean up and it's been great, so if you're looking for a good clean up brush I definitely recommend it.

My recent e.l.f. purchase, including the cuticle pen and a backup concealer brush for nail polish clean up

Back to the cuticle pen. The oil contains Avocado and Almond oils and is fortified with Vitamins E, A, C, Pro-Vitamin B5 and Aloe. There is no noticeable scent that I could discern, and the applicator is a long piece of felt with a tapered edge. The applicator is not secured to the packaging, so it can easily be pushed down into the casing if you use too much pressure when applying. The plastic casing itself feels very cheap, but for $1 I am not surprised. 

Do you see the typo? "Avacado?!" Omg...

When you first use the product the tip of the applicator is fairly dry, but once you flip the pen upside down the oil will begin to saturate the tip for dispensing. It certainly doesn't dispense a lot of oil, but that does give you a bit more control and precision when applying. 

I do like the tapered tip because it's the perfect size to fit into the crevices on the sides of your nails, and because the tip is firm enough to work as a mild cuticle pusher.

Below are my overall opinions about this product. Some of my cons are specific to things that I look for in a cuticle product and may not be cons for everybody. 

PROS:
Price point
Application style 
Ease of use (not messy)

CONS:
Poor build quality 
No scent (I really love nicely scented cuticle products)
Oil dispensation is very light 

To wrap this up, would I buy this product again? Probably not. I love e.l.f., but I think I'll keep my eye out for another product with a similar application style. But what I love about this product is how easy it is to throw in your purse and use it without making a big old greasy/oily mess. 


My overall rating: B-