On the Beauty Group, a Facebook community co-founded by the Cut and the Strategist, people chat all day long about the products they love — the ones so good they’ll make you hit that little “auto-refill” box at checkout. Below, we asked one of our favorite beauty pros to share her own selections.
Like a lot of YouTubers, Camila Coelho says she has loved beauty since she can remember. But unlike most, the mega-influencer has tangible proof in the form of a passport photo taken at the age of nine in which she is sporting a bold, red lipstick. By the time she told her mom she wanted to skip college after high school to work at the Dior counter at her local Macy’s, it wasn’t entirely a surprise. The risk paid off when she began posting videos on YouTube, catapulting her to over 1.25 million subscribers on the platform and close to 9 million followers on Instagram.
Now, Coelho has her very own brand, Elaluz, which means “she is light” in Portuguese. “I thought of creating a full line, and I think people expected me to come out with foundations and concealers, but instead, I wanted to do small drops every month with must-have products — ones that I can’t live without but that I also think should be in everyone’s bags,” she says. So far, that vision has translated into a multi-category range of items including a “natural” deodorant, a dry-texture finishing hair spray, a plant-based face oil, and an eight-shade eyeshadow palette.
The move away from makeup as her central focus came with age, Coelho says. “In 2010, I was doing full-on contour and crazy stuff with my eyes — they were smoky green one day, smoky blue the next day, then smoky yellow another. I had everything you can imagine on. I was like 22,” she remembers. “I love makeup, and I’m always gonna put it on, but through the years, I’ve learned that skincare is number one. When you treat your skin well, you need less makeup.”
Below, Coelho breaks down 11 of her essentials, including the retinol-infused eye masks she loves for travel, the treatment that makes “you glow like crazy,” and the dry shampoo she has used for three years.
The Two-in-One Stain
“The lip and cheek stain is a go-to for me. It’s the Elaluz product that I’ve emptied the most — I use it every single day. I love stains because I always like to have some color on my lips and on my cheeks, and I wanted to develop this product to be used for both because you don’t want to be constantly touching up your blush during the day. For blush, I use it mostly under my foundation, and it still gives you a flush. It lasts longer that way, too. For red carpets, I use it under my nude lipstick.
The formula took us a while to get right. It’s liquidy, but I didn’t want it to be messy, so it’s more of a jelly. And to get that formula, we use a lot of Brazilian ingredients. There’s coconut water in here. There’s Guarana extract, which helped a lot with the consistency. And we have one shade — a universal shade of red — that works for every skin tone. Even on the palest skin, it will still be a beautiful, plump red but not too strong and not too rosy or orangey.”
The Eye Masks
“KNC is a brand that I discovered two years ago. The masks first caught my eye because of the shape of the patches; they have little stars on them. I first saw them on Instagram, and I was like, Oh my gosh, I need them. I loved wearing them when I used to travel. On airplanes, I would put my eye cream on and the masks on top, and when I removed them, my eye area felt super hydrated. I also love using them before glam. But I love the look of them, as well. They’re so pretty.
I’ve had some people ask me in my DMs if they’re harsh on your eyes since they have retinol. Each person is different, but my eyes have never reacted to the masks. I’m used to retinol, so maybe that’s why, but for me, they’re amazing, and I feel like they do help if my eyes bags look darker when I’m tired.”
The Body Oil
“I started using this body oil recently, and I love it, but I have to admit that I didn’t actually purchase it. It was gifted to me. I’ve heard such great things about Augustinus Bader so I was excited to try it. I really see a difference in how moisturized my whole body is — I put it on at night, and the next day my skin feels and looks so good. The texture of the oil is very rich, but I don’t feel like I’m sticky or slimy after. It also doesn’t seem to have a smell; if there is, it’s very light.”
The Resurfacing Treatment
“I’ve been friends with Tina Chen Craig for so long. When she launched U Beauty, I was so excited to try it because I knew that coming from her, it had to be something really good.
A lot of the time, I don’t use moisturizer — only if my skin is super-dry. So mostly, I just use a serum, the Compound, and a face oil on top, The Compound is so lightweight that it feels like you have nothing on. It works if you want to put makeup on top of it, but for me, it’s a nighttime go-to. My mom’s obsessed with it now, too — I got her into it — and obviously, my mom has much more mature skin. I know it’s expensive, but it’s worth it because you actually see it working. I also feel like it lifts my face up.”
The Lip Liner
“I always tell Patrick Ta, Keep sending me the ‘She’s Strong’ lip liner because I’m obsessed. He knows. The applicator has a thicker liner so it’s so easy to line your lips. Sometimes I color my entire lip with it like lipstick because it’s so creamy and smooth.
Patrick and I met the first time he did my makeup years ago. I was following him on Instagram, and I loved his work. When we finally met, he did my makeup for the launch of my lipsticks with Lancôme, and I remember we listened to a lot of Brazilian music that day — he loves going to Brazil, so we had a connection right away. Then he did my makeup for the Met Gala. I love him. He’s amazing.”
The Foundation
“I’m really picky about foundations, and this is one I probably wouldn’t have used a few years ago because I liked heavier coverage. I started using it after a makeup artist — I think Mary Phillips — used it on me, and I was like, Oh my gosh, I feel like it’s my skin, but it still covers, looks glowy, and is beautiful. This happens all the time by the way — someone will do my makeup, I’ll ask what they’re using, I go and buy it, and then I keep using it. It’s also my red-carpet foundation because it’s buildable, so if you want more coverage, it won’t look heavy, and it lasts super long so I don’t need to worry about touching it up. The color range is amazing, too.”
The Overnight Mask
“This is one of our newer products at Elaluz, and it’s one of the first ideas I had for the brand. I love to bronze my skin — I’m always tanned, and a lot of the time, it’s not just from the sun. I love to do self-tanner because I feel confident when I’m tanned. But the self-tanner I put on my body, I would never put on my face because it would look very orange. I wanted a product that would act as a face mask, that would hydrate my skin, but would also give me a tint of color.
I thought it was impossible to create at the beginning, and it did take us a while to develop it, but we finally launched it a couple of months ago. It will moisturize you and make your skin feel so smooth, but it will also give you a hint of color. I wanted the level to be small so that you will see a difference after the first use, but it’s not too strong or scary, and then you can build it up. On the third night, you’re super bronzed, and you feel like you barely need makeup. I use it every single night, except on the nights I use acids.”
The Moisturizer
“SkinCeuticals was recommended to me by a dermatologist years ago, and I love this moisturizer because it not only deeply moisturizes my skin without any irritation but it also upgrades my skin texture in a noticeable and visible way. It’s seemingly really creamy, but once you apply it to your skin, it feels very light, which is what I like about it — I don’t like moisturizers that feel really heavy on your skin since they usually make me break out. That said, I don’t use this moisturizer every single day. I tend to use it more when my skin feels drier, as I usually just use my Elaluz Beauty Oil and the Elaluz Overnight Facial Glow [above].”
The Concealer
“From all of the products I’ve listed, this is the one that I have used the longest — I think since I started my channel on YouTube. I’ve tested many, and I have moments where I use other ones, but I always go back to it because when I don’t want foundation, I just put on a face oil so my skin is really hydrated, and I put that concealer under my eyes, around my mouth, on the areas where I have spots. It’s super easy to blend, and it looks really natural so I love to it on top of foundation, but I’m obsessed with it by itself.”
The Dry Shampoo
“I feel like I’ve tried every dry shampoo out there, and I’ve stuck with this one for the past three years. My hair is so thin that it gets oily really easily, so dry shampoos are always with me everywhere I go. The IGK one I specifically love because it does not make my hair white, and it gives me a little bit of texture. I also don’t have to apply a lot of it to remove the oiliness. Plus, the smell is great — I’m terrible at describing scents, but it smells fresh yet a little sweet, too. My husband’s always like, What did you spray? It leaves a good perfume around the house.”
The Hair Oil
“I’m very picky about hair oils because my hair is so fine, but a lot of the time, my ends are so dry that I need to put oil on. And when I lived in Boston, I used to get a Kérastase hair treatment at the salon close to my house, and it was the best. My hair was always so smooth after, and they would always finalize the treatment with this oil. It’s a rich product so you just need a tiny little dot, and you blend it in your hands, and then apply it from your ear down so you don’t just concentrate it on the bottom or put it on the roots.”
