I Tried Almost Everything From e.l.f. Cosmetics & Here’s What I’d Actually Buy

There was once a time when budget beauty brands seemed to be marketed solely to tweens. Happily, the days of garish packaging, clumpy formulas and a never-ending array of neon are behind us. The new wave of purse-friendly products are a far cry from the cheap (and cheap-looking) cosmetics of years gone by.

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.