We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Shopping Beauty Products Makeup My Mom and I Tried This Skin Filter: Can One $14 Product Work on Women 30 Years Apart? It gave us similar results to a $47 Charlotte Tilbury option By Cai Cramer Cai Cramer Cai Cramer is a shopping writer at PEOPLE.com with 2 years’ experience in journalism and digital media. She regularly tests the best and buzziest products in the beauty and lifestyle spaces and has researched and written about moisturizers, blow dryers, clothing, and luggage, among many other popular products. People Editorial Guidelines Published on October 23, 2024 05:15AM EDT Photo: People / Cai Cramer / Amy Cramer My mom and I love to share makeup. Our taste for natural, glowy glam surpasses the 30-year age gap between us — soft blushes, creamy lipsticks, and hydrating CC creams float between both of our makeup bags interchangeably. But just because we often like the same makeup doesn’t mean we always agree on which products are the best. Where my skin is ultra dry, sensitive, and prone to peeling, hers tends to be more balanced and prone to redness, with some fine lines that naturally come with age. While she often opts for makeup for older women, I always search for the glowiest products possible — so while both of us aim for natural-looking results, our skin types have different needs that we need to consider to achieve a dewy complexion. People / Amy Cramer / Cai Cramer Regardless of our differing needs, one thing my mom and I always agree on is that we love a good bargain. So, when I came across multiple reviews for the e.l.f. Halo Glow Liquid Filter calling it a “dupe” for the more expensive Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter, I immediately added one for each of us to my Amazon cart. People / Cai Cramer The Halo Glow Liquid Filter claims to be a lightweight, glow-boosting tint that can be worn under makeup as a glowy primer, over makeup as a highlighter, or on its own for a natural, dewy complexion. It contains hyaluronic acid and squalene to hydrate the skin, and comes in 12 different shades on Amazon. But, does the Halo Glow really live up to it’s claims? e.l.f. Cosmetics Halo Glow Liquid Filter PHOTO: Target $14 at Amazon $14 at Target View on Elfcosmetics.com To start, we dotted the Halo Glow all over our faces. We blended the product out with a damp beauty sponge (I picked up a beauty sponge from e.l.f. for $6). People / Amy Cramer / Cai Cramer The silky formula was super easy to blend into the skin with minimal effort, and it left a luminous glow on both of us. It didn’t provide much coverage, but it mildly evened out the skin tone while looking nearly undetectable. After sponging on one coat of product and photographing our results, we also each used a foundation brush to apply a more full-coverage foundation on top to see how well the Halo Glow performed under makeup. People / Jhett Thompson The Results The Halo Glow Liquid Filter won itself a permanent spot in both of our makeup bags. On my ultra-dry skin, it didn’t cling to any dry patches or emphasize my texture. It evened out my mom’s skin tone without settling into fine lines and plumped both of our skin with a dose of healthy-looking hydration thanks to the inclusion of hyaluronic acid and squalene. Neither of us noticed any glitter, which I was happy about since glittery complexion products can sometimes make skin look like Edward Cullen in the sunlight (you know the scene). Both of us plan to keep wearing the Halo Glow on its own and under more full-coverage makeup. People / Amy Cramer People / Cai Cramer “I was blown away by how smooth my skin looked and how natural it felt. It doesn’t feel like I’m wearing makeup at all.” — Amy Cramer, age 58 Is the e.l.f. Halo Glow Liquid Filter Worth it? The glow-boosting product won a resounding yes from me and from my nearly 60-year-old mom. It feels super hydrating and lightweight and layered well under other complexion products. We both fawned over the finish, which was glowy but not (and this is key) sparkly. The quality of the product feels much, much higher than its $14 price tag. The product’s bottle says that it can be applied over or under makeup, but my mom and I both prefer to use it as a glowy primer, either alone as a light skin tint or under a fuller-coverage foundation. Other e.l.f Cosmetics Products We Tested e.l.f. Cosmetics Camo CC Cream PHOTO: Amazon $15 $13 at Amazon $15 at Target $15 at Walmart On top of the Halo Glow, my mom and I both applied a layer of the e.l.f. Camo CC Cream. We used a damp beauty sponge and a foundation brush to blend out one pump of the CC cream on each of our faces and then inspected our skin up close and in direct sunlight. People / Amy Cramer / Cai Cramer If you have balanced to oilier skin, the Camo CC cream is for you. One light layer easily covered my mom’s redness, brightened her under-eye area, and diminished the look of dark spots. It didn’t emphasize fine lines, and even up close, I could barely tell that she had anything on her skin, thanks to the natural, semi-matte finish. She even wore the Halo Glow and CC cream through a pilates class, and after an hour of sweating, she looked just as even-toned and smooth as she did upon first application. The finish reminds me of the IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream — though that product is $32 more than the e.l.f.version. People / Amy Cramer People / Cai Cramer For folks with extra dry skin like me, I’d say that the Camo CC Cream could be a really great spot-coverage product for the parts of your face that tend to hold more moisture, but as for full-face complexion products, I’d recommend one of these more hydrating CC creams that I’ve tried: PÜR 4-in-1Tinted Moisturizer $36 at Amazon $36 at Ulta $36 at QVC Honest Beauty CCC Clean Corrective Tinted Moisturizer $27 $21 at Amazon $33 at Walmart $27 at Ulta Tower 28 SunnyDays Tinted Sunscreen $32 at Sephora $30 at Credo Beauty View on Tower28beauty.com Supergoop! CC Screen $44 at Amazon View on Dermstore $44 at Bluemercury.com