As it turns out, the key to success is pretty simple: let Jennifer Coolidge do whatever Jennifer Coolidge wants to do.
Legend (aka Coolidge's TikTok account) has it that while collaborating with e.l.f. for a commercial shoot in February 2023, the White Lotus actress was asked what she would name her own lipstick if given the opportunity. In we-wouldn’t-expect-anything-less-from-her fashion, Coolidge's first answer was simply “dirty pillows.”
Another thought: “People always think they need to name a lipstick, you know, like a noun, but I think just adjectives, like… swollen,” she added. Naturally, e.l.f. jumped at the chance to make the icon/genius/star’s dream come true. Beginning September 27, the e.l.f. x Jennifer Coolidge Dirty Pillows Lip Kit is finally available for purchase.
Keep reading to learn all the juicy, Coolidge-esque details.
The Inspiration
Honest question: If it comes from the mind of Jennifer Coolidge, is there anything more to be said about inspiration? A magician doesn't reveal her secrets.
“When I get up in the morning, my favorite thing to do is put on my makeup because I love the creative process of becoming somebody a little different each day just to keep life interesting,” Coolidge said in a press release.
While she likes to switch up her eye, cheek, and face look depending on her mood, she always keeps her (purposefully exaggerated) lipstick/lip gloss/lip liner combo consistent. "[Now] you can have the exact shades I use every day to give you swollen lips too," she added. "I’m thrilled to share the makeup secrets of my lips with you! You’ll know you still have your lips on if you wake up to a dirty pillow!”
According to e.l.f., Dirty Pillows “explores a world where one’s lips always come first.” Playful and a little bit irreverent just like its creator, the lip kit contains O Face Satin Lipstick in the pinky-nude shade "Dirty Pillows," Lip Plumping Gloss in the light-pink "Swollen," Cream Glide Lip Liner in the neutral-brown "Fill Frontal," and a compact mirror sporting the Coolidge-coined phrase "lips are the mirror to your soul"—all encased in a satin-lined box.
The Formulas
Luckily for e.l.f. lovers, the new shades contain the very same formulas used in the brand’s pre-existing products, all cruelty free, vegan, and free of phthalates, parabens, nonylphenol ethoxylates, triclosan, triclocarban, and hydroquinone. "I found the perfect partner in e.l.f. because they align with my top values... vegan, cruelty-free, and affordable!" says Coolidge in the press release.
In Byrdie’s roundup of our top e.l.f. products, Lip Plumping Gloss made the cut, so you know it's good. Featuring vitamin E and argan oil to leave lips feeling smoother, we even called it our favorite drugstore plumper. O Face, for its part, is infused with marula oil, squalane, and jojoba.
Bravo, Jennifer Coolidge. We’re so glad you (and e.l.f.) had that talk.