Collection Cosmetics, Revolution Beauty and Lottie London are just a handful that spring to mind. These brands have racked up a fair few beauty buff fans between them but there’s another brand, in particular, which has become famous for its luxury label dupes and trending TikToks. I’m talking about e.l.f. Cosmetics, of course.
True, e.l.f.’s products cost a fraction of the price of those from other cosmetics companies but customers’ love for the brand goes way beyond affordability. Beloved by makeup artists and influencers alike, you may have already heard of some of its bestselling products. Fans rave about Halo Glow Liquid Filter, £14, claiming it lends skin an unmistakable glow and likening it to the much more expensive Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter, £39. O Face Satin Lipstick, £9, stands the test of time and is one of my long-term favourites, while you might struggle to tell the difference between the Halo Glow Blush Beauty Wand, £9, and Charlotte Tilbury’s Beauty Light Wand, £30.
But do the brand’s products live up to all the hype? Determined to find out, I set out to see which actually deserve a spot in our makeup bags. Keep scrolling to read my review of nearly everything in the range.
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E.l.f. Halo Glow Liquid Filter, £14
If you prefer a light coverage, the formula of this liquid filter is quite fabulous, with fans declaring it a dupe for Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter, £39. It’s nicely moisturising thanks to hyaluronic acid and squalane, while finely milled powders deliver a sheer coverage that evens out skin tone and texture. You’ll need concealer if you want to cover any blemishes, dark spots or redness but this product is a great base to build on.
My only issue is that it comes in just eight shades, which is pretty disappointing when you consider that e.l.f.’s Camo Concealer is available in 26. The brand claims it’s “flexible” in its colouring, meaning that one shade should sit across two or three different skin tones thanks to its sheer formula. This does seem like a bit of a cop-out, though.
e.l.f. Halo Glow Liquid Filter, $, available at e.l.f. CosmeticsPhoto Courtesy of E.l.f.
E.l.f. O Face Satin Lipstick, £9
This is one of my all-time favourite products and has replaced many more expensive lipsticks in my collection. I’ve tried shades Effortless, Drive and Loud AF and been impressed with them all, although the latter is my favourite. It lasts on the lips for a seriously long time — between five and eight hours, depending on how much you eat and drink — and the colour payoff is quite incredible. With marula oil, squalane and jojoba esters, this lipstick delivers a good hit of hydration, too, meaning no tightness or wrinkles in sight. If you buy just one e.l.f. product, make it this one.
e.l.f. O FACE Satin Lipstick, $, available at E.L.F.Photo Courtesy of E.l.f.
E.l.f. Power Grip Primer, £10
I’m not normally one for a primer but I gave it a go in the name of beauty journalism and was genuinely impressed. This isn’t sticky or greasy in the slightest; it actually feels like you have nothing on your face thanks to a gel-based, hydrating formula containing hyaluronic acid that makes this more like a moisturiser than any powdery primers I’ve used before. It absorbs almost instantly so you’re not waiting around for ages before going in with concealer and foundation. Most importantly, it did hold my foundation on for a lot longer than usual — I found myself wiping almost all of it off at the end of the day, rather than a slight sheer tint. It also added a soft-focus finish that helped to blur any blemishes. What more can I say? I’m sold.
e.l.f. Power Grip Primer, $, available at e.l.f. CosmeticsPhoto Courtesy of E.l.f.
E.l.f. Halo Glow Blush Beauty Wand, £9
There’s no denying that this is a dupe for Charlotte Tilbury’s Beauty Light Wand, £30. It looks the same, applies the same and, although I love CT, it is really hard to tell it apart from the real deal. It’s incredibly easy to apply — just dab onto the face and blend out. The result is more of a highlighter effect than a pretty pink flush but the shimmer finish is quite beautiful. I’d recommend this Beauty Wand to anyone, whether you’re a makeup newbie or a seasoned pro.
e.l.f. Halo Glow Blush Beauty Wand, $, available at e.l.f. CosmeticsPhoto Courtesy of E.l.f.
E.l.f. 16HR Camo Concealer, £6
The brand claims that this concealer lasts for up to 16 hours and it does — if you use it alongside the Power Grip Primer, £10. On its own, I’d say the most I got out of it was an average of 10 hours of wear, which is still quite impressive. There are 26 shades to suit a range of skin tones, although when you consider Fenty Beauty’s 50, there could always be more. What I love about this concealer is that it covers my dark under-eye circles and red patches without too much effort. It also buffs out easily with a brush so you can cover slightly larger areas if you want to. It can settle in fine lines and wrinkles though, so set it quickly with e.l.f. Halo Glow Setting Powder, £8, if you’re after a more airbrushed look.
e.l.f. 16HR Camo Concealer, $, available at e.l.f. CosmeticsPhoto Courtesy of E.l.f.
E.l.f. Bite-Size Eyeshadow, £4
Sometimes you don’t need a 16-shade eyeshadow palette. In fact, unless you’re a makeup master, you probably reach for the same two or three shades every day. If that sounds like you, then this Bite-Size Eyeshadow, £4, is well worth a try. The four shades combine to create a complete eye makeup look with soft brown and champagne tones. They’re easy to apply with your finger or a small brush and the colour payoff isn’t half bad, though you may need to go over the shimmery shades a couple of times to really make them sparkle. Top tip: Use a wet, fine-tipped brush to transform the darker shade into an eyeliner to complete the smoky eye look.
e.l.f. Bite-Size Eyeshadow, $, available at e.l.fPhoto Courtesy of E.l.f.
E.l.f. Brow Lift, £6
If you aren’t big on brows and just want yours to look a little more groomed, this brow lift will work wonders. It’s a clear, colourless gel so no matter what colour, thickness or length your brows are, you can use it to set them gently in place. I used the accompanying Brow Lift Applicator, £4, to get the exact look I wanted — fluffy, lifted brows — and it was worth every penny. Brow-styling beginners, this is one for you.
e.l.f. Brow Lift, $, available at e.l.fPhoto Courtesy of E.l.f.
E.l.f. Halo Glow Contour Beauty Wand, £9
Love it or loathe it, contouring can come in handy when you’re trying to add dimension to the face. Ordinarily, it’s not something I would bother with every day but the Halo Glow Contour Beauty Wand, £9, makes it such an easy process that I may actually be tempted to. Simply draw it on as if you’re using a chunky felt-tip pen, then blend out with a brush. It’s fast, fuss-free and produces a near-flawless finish every time.
e.l.f. Halo Glow Contour Beauty Wand, $, available at E.L.F.Photo Courtesy of E.l.f.
E.l.f. Halo Glow Highlight Beauty Wand, £9
This Beauty Wand is as wonderful as the other two, although if you’re already buying the blush, you can probably skip the highlighter as the blush is so shimmery (unless you want to look extra golden and glowing, of course). Available in three shades of gold, there should be something to suit every skin tone. A word of caution: A little goes a long way here — it really is seriously shimmery.
e.l.f. Halo Glow Highlight Beauty Wand, $, available at E.L.F.Photo Courtesy of E.l.f.
E.l.f. Putty Blush, £6
Applied correctly, this blush packs a big punch. I’d advise using your fingers to get the colour to come out of the pot and onto the skin — a brush really won’t cut it. I tried this in shade Tahiti, which lent my cheeks a just-pinched glow that was much darker than my regular rosy shades. But for the amount needed to get the colour I wanted, I’ll be sticking with Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush, £22, for now.
e.l.f. Putty Blush, $, available at e.l.f. CosmeticsPhoto Courtesy of E.l.f.
E.l.f. Lash ‘N Roll Mascara, £6
I’m not a huge mascara lover so I may be coming at this from a biased perspective but this mascara didn’t blow me away. It gets the job done, lengthening and coating each lash in pitch-black pigment while adding a slight curl thanks to the curved silicone brush. But it did leave my lashes feeling rock hard in comparison to other mascaras, like No7’s 4D Lift & Curl Mascara, £13.45, which leaves them soft and supple. I also found it flaked a little throughout the day, although not really noticeably. At £6, this is a real bargain buy but I do feel like this may be the one e.l.f. product where the price peeks through. But hey, it’s cheap, cheerful and ticks a lot of boxes for a basic mascara.
e.l.f. Lash ‘N Roll Mascara, $, available at E.L.F.Photo Courtesy of E.l.f.
E.l.f. Liquid Poreless Putty Primer, £10
Now this is much more like the primers I’ve used before; I’d actually liken it to Benefit The POREfessional Face Primer, £24.80. A little silkier in texture than the Power Grip Primer, £10, it does as it says on the tin and seamlessly stamps out the appearance of pores. To get the right balance across my face, I used this primer on my cheeks and nose (where my pores are most visible) and the Power Grip Primer on my forehead and chin — together, they make the perfect pair. If you’re buying just one, though, I’d go for the Power Grip Primer any day.
e.l.f. Liquid Poreless Putty Primer, $, available at e.l.f. CosmeticsPhoto Courtesy of E.l.f.
E.l.f. Liquid Glitter Eyeshadow, £6
This glitter shadow is a great bet for a shimmery eye look. Because it’s liquid, the colour payoff is pretty potent and the soft doe-foot applicator makes application easy. I loved how much shimmer this added to my eye look (I even placed some on my lips, too). The downside of a liquid eyeshadow is that it doesn’t necessarily stay put so expect a bit of transfer or set it with Stay All Night Micro-Fine Setting Mist, £9, to make it last a lot longer. My only issue is that you get a very small amount of product — just 3ml — which for £6 may not seem like a big deal but I can’t see a bottle lasting much longer than a handful of applications.
e.l.f. Liquid Glitter Eyeshadow, $, available at E.L.F.Photo Courtesy of E.l.f.
E.l.f. Stay All Night Micro-Fine Setting Mist, £9
Without question the best setting spray I’ve ever tried has to be Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray, £22.40. This one doesn’t beat it but at less than half the price, it’s not a bad replacement. Following a few customer complaints, e.l.f altered the formula to make for a more even application and it definitely sprays on pretty smoothly now. After using this setting mist, my makeup lasted through a night spent in a sweaty club, which is no mean feat. It is quite heavily scented though, which some will love and others will loathe.
e.l.f. Stay All Night Micro-Fine Setting Mist, $, available at E.L.F.Photo Courtesy of E.l.f.
E.l.f. Halo Glow Setting Powder, £8
Stamping out shine and fixing foundation and concealer in place, this setting powder really works as the final touch to any makeup look. It’s finely milled, which means it goes on easily and leaves no cakey or built-up finish. I found it blurred my pores nicely and gave my skin an airbrushed look but once again I’m disappointed with the shade range — there are just three colours available.
e.l.f. Halo Glow Setting Powder, $, available at E.L.F.Photo Courtesy of E.l.f.
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