If you’ve been around a while, you know how much I reference the Charlotte Tilbury contour and ‘Pinkgasm’ blush wands. They’re beautiful formulas and feel luxurious to use. But boy are they pricey (& I swear they’ve gone up in price). I’m always intrigued by new products that seem similar. Enter the ELF Halo Glow wands.
When I tell you I never ordered something so fast! Out of all of the similar types of products to release at the drugstore, this is the one I was most attracted to. A few months ago, elf released a range of contour, blush, and highlight wands within their Halo Glow line, with similar shades to the Charlotte Tilbury versions but for a fraction of the cost. And now that I’ve had them in my rotation for a bit, I have some final thoughts to share.
an introduction – elf Halo Glow wands vs. Charlotte Tilbury beauty wands
I’ve been using the Charlotte Tilbury Contour Wand for ages, and I’ve become a fan of a lot of other CT products as well. But elf is nostalgic for me. When I was first getting into makeup, I didn’t always have money to spend. Back then, elf was some of the most affordable makeup around. And not only was it affordable, they had a relatively high quality lineup. I still watch elf with a close eye, and was excited to test their take on a liquid beauty wand.
While not dupes (or duplicates), these products are very similar, though not identical. Both are packaged in squeeze tubes with a cushion-tip applicator. But there are some key differences. Here’s some basic info comparing the two before we get into the reviews:
Charlotte Tilbury beauty wands
Contour Wand: Charlotte Tilbury boasts that the contour wand is a lightweight, blendable, buildable formula that will instantly create a sculpted face.
It retails for $42 for 12ml of product and comes in 2 shades: Fair/Light & Medium/Deep. The product claims to be vegan-friendly.
I use & review Fair/Light.
Beauty Light (Blush) Wand: The Beauty Light Wands are designed to give your face a glowing, highlighted, soft-focus look.
Like the contour wands, they retail for $42 for 12ml of product. The color options for the beauty light wands range from more traditional highlight shades to more pigmented shades that can be used as blush:
- Spotlight: candlelit gold highlight
- Pillow Talk Original: nude-pink highlighter-blush
- Pillow Talk Medium: pink-peach highlighter-blush
- Goldgasm: golden highlight
- Peachgasm: peach highlighter-blush
- Pinkgasm: pearlescent pink highlight-blush
- Pinkgasm Sunset: rose-pink highlighter-blush
I use & review Pinkgasm.
elf Halo Glow beauty wands
Contour Wand: The elf Halo Glow Contour Wands are described as liquid contour wands for a naturally sculpted complexion.
They retail for $9 for 10ml of product and come in 5 shades: Fair/Light, Light/Medium, Medium/Tan, Tan/Deep, & Deep/Rich. They also claim to be vegan.
I use & review Fair/Light.
Blush Wand: The Halo Glow Blush Wands are liquid blush wands designed to give cheeks a pop of radiant color.
The also retail for $9 for 10ml of product and claim to be vegan. The range of 4 color options resemble more traditional blush tones, rather than additional highlighter tones:
- Candlelit: light peach (for Fair/Medium)
- Rosé you Slay: pink (for Fair/Tan)
- Magic Hour: Bronze Gold (for Fair/Tan)
- Berry Radiant: berry (for Fair/Rich)
I use & review Rosé you Slay.
a review & comparison
I have been a big fan of the Charlotte Tilbury beauty wands since long before Madison Beer’s tutorial caused them to sell out in an instant. But boy are they expensive. So a drugstore alternative for a fraction of the cost is tempting. But do the elf Halo Glow wands stand their own ground?
elf blush wand vs. charlotte tilbury
The Pinkgasm* blush wand from Charlotte Tilbury quickly made its way to my everyday makeup bag after I received it years ago.
It was my first real foray into this type of complexion product (i.e., a sponge applicator in a squeeze tube.)
The formula is easy to blend on the skin, leaves behind a beautifully highlighted wash of color, and the color itself is a delicate pink that is so so flattering on my skin tone.
Something I’ve noticed about most Charlotte Tilbury products is the sheer ease of use. It’s almost impossible to mess them up.
The same goes for the blush wands* – I don’t find them skipping on the skin or being patchy on the cheeks. In fact, I feel like they mesh into the skin (& especially with the contour wands), leaving behind a natural look.
I also find these blushes last all day, which is impressive for liquid products that lean sheer in coverage.
Comparatively, the elf Halo Glow blush wand in Rosé you Slay* is a lot more orange/peach in tone. I chose the blush shade I thought would be most comparable to Pinkgasm, but I think chose wrong (or there just isn’t a good shade dupe).
While I didn’t like the color as much against my skin tone, it is pretty on its own. You’ll be able to see the difference better in the swatches further down.
Color aside, I think the elf formula is equally as lightweight. It doesn’t feel like you’re wearing anything once it’s on and blended.
The elf blushes* blend & spread well on the face, but they do dry down quicker than the CT alternative. I suggest first applying to the area you want the most saturated & blend from there. For me, I dot the product on my temples & blend toward the cheek. That way the bulk of the color is higher on my cheekbone.
My final note on the elf Halo Glow blush wands* is that they are significantly more metallic than the CT blushes*. Personally, I didn’t love that. However, I only tried one shade. The others may be a little different in finish.
elf contour wand vs. charlotte tilbury
Like the blush wands* from Charlotte, the contour has been a staple in my everyday makeup bag as my go-to liquid/cream bronzer.
Notice I didn’t say my go-to contour. The Fair/Light shade* is definitely too warm to create any kind of shadow, but it is a beautiful shade for bronzing.
And like the blushes, it blends seamlessly & is impossible to mess up.
The coverage leans sheer, but that’s not a bad thing. That sheerness makes the application look really natural and one with the skin. And the finish is glowy but not glittery.
I’ll still reach for this, and likely repurchase as a creamy bronzer product. I definitely prefer it over the elf contour wand for that purpose.
However, the elf contour wand* is also currently holding a special place in my collection – as a proper liquid contour.
I could do a whole post on color theory in makeup. But the main difference between contouring and bronzing is the trick it plays on the eye.
Bronzing products are intended to make areas of the face appear more prominent and closer to the eye. While contouring deepens hollows and shades areas so they appear further away. And they do that by varying degrees of warm and cool pigments. You want your bronzers to be warm & your contour to be cool.
Needless to say I was stoked when I saw the swatches of the elf contour wand*. It was gray toned and cool, which was promising for a contour.
It’s difficult for me to find contour that actually is effective on my super fair skin.
And I love this. It also offers a more sheer coverage, which is extremely flattering. The product applies & blends easily with a brush or sponge. And it lasts all day without moving or fading.
elf halo glow swatches vs. charlotte tilbury
a note on packaging:
Both products are housed in a squeeze tube with a sponge-tip applicator. But they’re not exactly the same. the elf Halo Glow wands have a smaller applicator, which is nice when you want targeted application.
But the Charlotte Tilbury wands have a locking mechanism where the elf wands don’t. These are messy products, and that lock makes it just a little less messy. That detail is reflected in the $42 price tag.
Final Thoughts:
I don’t find the elf Halo Glow wands to be dupes for the Charlotte Tilbury wands. However, I do find them to be nice alternatives. The elf wands are a fraction of the price of CT and will hold their own in your makeup collection.
I think the elf Halo Glow wands are great alternatives for those who want something less expensive than the CT option, or for someone who wants to try this wand application for the first time.
However, if you’re someone who hates metallic highlight, I’d skip the blushes entirely.
Editor’s note: Fair skin girlies who want a bronzing product most similar to the Charlotte Tilbury contour wand, try the Flower Beauty contour wand. I found it to be very similar in shade, application, & wear.
What do you think? Have you been interested in trying the elf Halo Glow Wands? Have you already? Let us know!
x
Jacqie
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