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I may not have much (read: anything) in common with Hollywood celebrities, but if there’s one thing a career in beauty has granted me, it’s unfettered access to some of the best products money can buy. I can’t help but think about that as I prepare to hop on the phone with e.l.f. Cosmetics’ latest campaign star, actor Joey King. As I tell her on the call, e.l.f.’s products are not only amazing for their price point, but amazing period. (e.l.f.’s Satin Glow Foundation beats many others in my collection that are quintuple the price).
“e.l.f. proves that whatever you want, you don't have to spend a ton of money to have great products that last you a long time and make your beauty routine easier,” King tells Refinery29. You may remember King as The Kissing Booth’s refreshingly real Elle Evans, but she has since gone on to show her impressive range in complex roles like Gypsy Rose Blanchard in The Act and the saccharine yet sinister Prince in action-thriller Bullet Train. (This year, she also starred in Netflix’s Uglies, an adaptation of the popular YA book series of the same name.)
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Below, Refinery29 sat down with the actor and chatted about her favorite affordable beauty products and how beauty helps her get into character.
Refinery29: How did this opportunity come about? Have you always been a fan of e.l.f. Cosmetics?
Joey King: I was so excited when they reached out because I have been a genuine, lifelong fan of e.l.f. I mean who isn’t? If you wear any sort of makeup, you are aware of e.l.f.
Something about e.l.f. that I've always loved is that it's a bonding point for people. My sisters and I love to do each other's makeup. My nieces are just now getting into makeup and they love e.l.f. — and I love e.l.f. We're completely different ages, but we still can borrow each other's products and it's just such a sweet thing. Makeup has always been a huge part of my life and a bonding point for me and my sisters. So when this came about, it just felt perfect and natural for me to do. I was beyond excited and thrilled and flattered that e.l.f. thought of me.
R29: For sure. We're talking a lot about the Power Grip primer, which is a fan favorite. What are some other products that you love from the brand?
JK: I use my Power Grip primer all the time, and I'm also a huge of the Pout Clout Lip Plumping Pen. It’s the best — I’m a sucker for a tingly lipstick, but just the colors…I love the way it looks and I also love how well it stays.
JK: I use my Power Grip primer all the time, and I'm also a huge of the Pout Clout Lip Plumping Pen. It’s the best — I’m a sucker for a tingly lipstick, but just the colors…I love the way it looks and I also love how well it stays.
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I also love their eyebrow pencils. Eyebrows are a huge part of the face and I didn’t pay enough attention to them for a long time. I use the Instant Lift Waterproof Brow Pencil and the Wow Brow Gel. I don't always use both [together], but all their products are really great for me because I feel like I can have a simple makeup look and then if I really want to go for a full beat, I can do that too.
R29: What was it like working with Lucien [Laviscount] on the campaign? Any funny moments on set?
JK: It was so much fun. He's such a sweetie and it was such a free set. We had so much fun being silly and trying out new things. One of my favorite moments was when we were shooting the part where our faces stick together: We did so many different takes of that and he was cracking me up every time because he would just do the most ridiculous, hilarious things. It's always really nice to work with somebody who's down to clown and he was down.
JK: It was so much fun. He's such a sweetie and it was such a free set. We had so much fun being silly and trying out new things. One of my favorite moments was when we were shooting the part where our faces stick together: We did so many different takes of that and he was cracking me up every time because he would just do the most ridiculous, hilarious things. It's always really nice to work with somebody who's down to clown and he was down.
R29: The campaign is a nod to getting your game face on for life’s biggest moments, and I love the intersection of beauty and sports that we’re seeing these days. (fun fact: R29’s own Sara Tan made a cameo in e.l.f. 2023 Super Bowl commercial!) How would you define getting your game face on? What does that mean for you?
JK: In every role I've done, it was so important for me to transform into my character through a lot of aspects and one of those big aspects is beauty. Whether it's something like We Were The Lucky Ones where I'm playing a woman in the 40s and I'm wearing a red lip and my hair is curled, it's very different from my everyday beauty routine. Or with The Act, where it's very stripped down and bare, but we're doing things to make me look a little bit unwell, like adding dark circles. Beauty is so important in transforming into a role and it is a huge part of how I get my game face on whether it's for a carpet or being on set.
JK: In every role I've done, it was so important for me to transform into my character through a lot of aspects and one of those big aspects is beauty. Whether it's something like We Were The Lucky Ones where I'm playing a woman in the 40s and I'm wearing a red lip and my hair is curled, it's very different from my everyday beauty routine. Or with The Act, where it's very stripped down and bare, but we're doing things to make me look a little bit unwell, like adding dark circles. Beauty is so important in transforming into a role and it is a huge part of how I get my game face on whether it's for a carpet or being on set.
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I love crafting looks with my makeup artist, Allan Avendaño. Every time we do a red carpet, we want to do something different, but also whenever I sit in the chair — and he knows me so well, I've been working with him since I was 10 — I sit down in the chair and he's like, okay, what do we want to do today? And I'm like, "Just please make me look hot!” That's my game face. I just want to look hot for the red carpet. But then sometimes we go for looks that are less focused on looking [traditionally] beautiful, while also highlighting different aspects of my beauty that are more unique. Getting my game face on is listening to my intuition of what I'm feeling and what parts of myself I want to highlight.
R29: Allan is so talented, and your face card never misses! If you don’t mind, I’d love to go through a speed round and match some of your most iconic roles to e.l.f. products, starting with Elle from The Kissing Booth.
JK: I might pair Elle with the Halo Glow Blush Beauty Wand in Pink Me Up. I feel like she's a girl who loves a rosy cheek.
JK: I might pair Elle with the Halo Glow Blush Beauty Wand in Pink Me Up. I feel like she's a girl who loves a rosy cheek.
R29: What about The Princess?
JK: Power Grip Primer. She needs all the help she can get because she is sweaty, she is fighting all these dudes, and she needs some real sticky stuff.
JK: Power Grip Primer. She needs all the help she can get because she is sweaty, she is fighting all these dudes, and she needs some real sticky stuff.
R29: And then what about The Prince from Bullet Train?
JK: I'm going to say the H2O Proof Eyeliner Pen because she needs her eyeliner sharp, just like her horrible killing instincts. She’s a killer in eyeliner and in life.
JK: I'm going to say the H2O Proof Eyeliner Pen because she needs her eyeliner sharp, just like her horrible killing instincts. She’s a killer in eyeliner and in life.
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R29: Absolutely. And my last one is Zara from A Family Affair.
JK: Oh man. Zara needs something to take away the pain of seeing her mother and her boss get it on. I'm going to say something with sparkle, so maybe we'll do the Duochrome Liquid Eyeshadow so that the blinding light of the pigmented eyeshadow can take away some of the things she’s seen.
JK: Oh man. Zara needs something to take away the pain of seeing her mother and her boss get it on. I'm going to say something with sparkle, so maybe we'll do the Duochrome Liquid Eyeshadow so that the blinding light of the pigmented eyeshadow can take away some of the things she’s seen.
R29: Glitter solves a lot of problems! Do you have any beauty secrets that people might be surprised by? Or anything you've learned from working with Allan Avendaño all these years?
JK: I've learned so many tricks over the years. Something that's kind of simple but I found to be very effective when I started doing it correctly is if you're curling your lashes and it doesn't hurt slightly, you're not doing it right! It needs to hurt a little bit because you need to get just up to the root and that's where you get that beautiful curl.
JK: I've learned so many tricks over the years. Something that's kind of simple but I found to be very effective when I started doing it correctly is if you're curling your lashes and it doesn't hurt slightly, you're not doing it right! It needs to hurt a little bit because you need to get just up to the root and that's where you get that beautiful curl.
Also, for me personally, just the way my eyes are shaped and the way my face is, I find it really nice to put eyeliner on the upper and lower waterline to highlight my eyes. Even if I'm doing a very simple, no-makeup makeup look, I always do that because I think it just makes my eyes pop in a nice way that isn't too much.
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