[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] If anyone caught the Jennifer Coolidge x elf advert for the brand’s primer in the Super Bowl break, I think you’ll agree that it was a masterclass in ad entertainment. I have said for a long time that elf is making cosmetics for older women without even knowing they’re doing so. I think they know now. There’s a myth that older women have tonnes of money to spend on cosmetics and while that’s true for some, it’s absolutely not for many. There’s a current trend on TikTok for #deinfluencing which is really the waking up moment for Gen Z and Gen Y to the fact that they really don’t need most of the make up/skin care they have. It’s a trend asking people to think about their consumption as well as calling out brands for fuelling that consumption. I mean, I like it. I’m Gen X – my mum had three lipsticks max at any one time (apart from the time she was sent some by Estee Lauder – yes, the actual Estee who was a guest at one of my dad’s fashion events) and waited for one to run completely out before buying another. Imagine!

Part of questioning consumption is looking at how much of our money goes on trends, fads and labels. I love a label, I’ll admit, but it feels like its time to champion the products that actually don’t strain our credit cards and make them the new must haves. One of the biggest arguments I ever had with a PR was about consumption pressure – I remember saying to her, ‘you don’t see what I see’… and by that I meant the bigger picture of desperation to have ‘things’ at the cost of not having things that were more needed. I think if you can spend £6 on a mascara and come away feeling on top of the world, you’re winning. I understand the irony of being someone who spends their days writing about things that nobody truly needs, but always hope that pressure is never there. They exist, you might like them, you never ‘need’ them.

This is Lash N Roll in action and honestly, I would say it’s £6 well spent. It’s pitch black so you get a great looking lash fringe, it has a spiky, skinny and curved brush so application is a doddle and reaches all the tiny lashes. It hasn’t smudged or flaked. It’s not Tom Ford – it doesn’t need to be because it’s doing the exact job its supposed to for just over a fiver and doing it as well as any other I can think of. It’s HERE and make sure you opt for the Pitch Black rather than Black although it looks like there is dark brown version on its way.

I’m also wearing the elf Luminous Putty Bronzer in Summer Fridays that has a hint of metallic – also £6 HERE. I’m wearing it on my cheeks and also on my eyelids where it gives just a smidge of colour and blur. This is very much an ‘older’ product – smoothing, easy application (you don’t need to go anywhere near the magnifying mirror – just a dab on the fingertip straight to the lid) and a less is more stylish look. In terms of consumption, it’s a two in one. It also turns the idea that because you’re older, you need to spend more on its head. You don’t. My base is Bourjois which from memory is £10.

Also in the latest batch of newness – look out for the Good Vibes Only collection which is my kind of flower power, swirly, flares and platforms kind of inspiration. The brush set is the only thing that’s grabbing me because I have a shirt that’s not dissimilar! It’s £10 HERE. If elf made a shirt in this pattern I’d snap it up!