"Drugstore vs. high-end makeup is a decades-long debate topic in the beauty community. If you were present during the OG beauty YouTuber days (circa 2014 to 2018), you likely spent hours consuming drugstore dupe videos, because getting “the look for less” was paramount. Considering that I spent most of this era commuting between community college classes and part-time retail jobs, drugstore makeup was often my only option. Given my history as a beauty lover and a girl on a budget, I’d even go as far as to claim I’m a drugstore makeup expert at this point. Out of every affordable makeup item I’ve tried, the reigning leader of drugstore makeup has remained the same: e.l.f. Cosmetics.
Summer is officially here, and a hot new bombshell of a drink has entered our office: Espresso Lemonade.
E.l.f Cosmetics has been around since the early aughts, but the last 10+ years have been exceptionally good to them (like, buying Hailey Bieber’s Rhode for $1 billion level of good). There hasn’t been a moment in the last decade when e.l.f. hasn’t been part of my makeup kit. Even when I got good enough to freelance as a makeup artist in my early to mid-20s, e.l.f. products touched every single one of my clients’ faces. From photoshoots to prom to even wedding makeup, e.l.f is the one drugstore brand that always impresses during a session and at the checkout line. As a former makeup artist and drugstore makeup aficionado, I’ve reviewed nearly every product e.l.f. has to offer, and these have earned a spot as a constant in my makeup bag.
I’ve used this concealer on a wide variety of skin types—oily, dry, mature—and it consistently provides flawless coverage with minimal creasing. It also works as a spot corrector on acne scars or sun spots, and at only $7, I like to keep multiple shade options on-hand to use on different areas of the face.
This liquid bronzer is super buildable, and because of its neutral undertone, I like using it as a bronzer-contour hybrid. I place it on the hollows of my cheekbones if I want to contour, and closer to the center of my cheeks and over my nose if I want to bronze.
Soft, pink undereyes have been a major beauty trend over the past year or so, and this powder achieves that look perfectly thanks to its pink undertones. I take a generous amount on the e.l.f. triangle powder puff, blot any excess powder on the back of my hand, and pat it across my under eyes and above my cheekbones. Pro tip: Make sure to tap out any concealer creases before applying powder.
This putty primer comes in four different forms: poreless, matifying, acne fighting, and luminous. I use the poreless primer where my pores are the most prominent (typically around my nose and smile lines) and the luminous primer above my cheekbones, on my nose, and above my brow bones for that “lit from within” effect.
E.l.f.’s makeup brushes don’t get nearly enough hype. I’ve never used one that I don’t like, but this version is my holy grail. I use the fluffy side for foundation, and the dense, angled side for bronzer and contour. IMO, it doesn’t really matter what the brush is labeled for, only what your personal size preferences are for certain techniques (i.e., you could totally use an eyeshadow brush for precise highlighting or concealing).
She’s beauty, she’s grace, she’s a $10 primer with 10,000 five-star reviews. This primer makes my makeup last all day long, no matter what I do or how much I sweat. (I can testify to this thanks to living in the devil’s armpit, AKA Texas.)
These bronzing drops are perfect for the shoulders, collar bones, and chest area, especially during the summer months. I never pass up an opportunity to lather a client up in this to make sure their décolletage is just as radiant as their face.
This lip balm is my most recent e.l.f. purchase, and I literally cannot stop applying it. It’s hydrating, pigmented, and unlike other lip oils, has an applicator that doesn’t make a huge mess. Oh, and it smells utterly delicious.
After living through the 2010s Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Pencil frenzy, I’ve never been able to use any other type of brow product. However, I seem to go through brow pencils faster than any other beauty product, so I quickly had to find a non-$25 alternative. At $6, this brow pencil is a perfect cool-brown shade and has next-level precision.
Steph Alleva Cornell, Branded Content Editor at The Everymom
Steph was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Texas at a young age, where she quickly discovered a love for writing as she learned English. With several years of marketing and content production experience, she finds joy in capturing life’s everyday moments creatively. As Branded Content Editor at The Everymom, she produces authentic editorial and social content for our sponsors that prioritizes our brand values and readers’ interests.