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There are certain drugstore beauty products that I'll always come back to—L'Oreal Paris's Tinted Serum Foundation, Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer, and my true holy grail: E.l.f's Power Grip Primer. Lucky for fans of the stronghold formula (which happens to be many of you, since it won a Cosmo Readers' Choice award last year), e.l.f. just announced its first foray into the hair space with a Power Grip Hair Gel Wand and Power Grip Gel Pomade.
Inspired by the viral primer beloved for keeping makeup locked in place, these hair products are designed to give your strands the same budge-free staying power. The pomade comes in a giant jar with a hairbrush for just $11 (a steal considering its size) and is perfect for smoothing hair back into sleek updos, styling bangs, or defining texture. Plus, the pomade has a fruity and fresh scent, which feels like a step above typical gels, which rarely smell this pleasant. Then there’s the wand, priced at just $5 in true e.l.f. fashion, which works wonders for smoothing flyaways, shaping edges, and creating bump-free finishes.
I tested all three products ahead of their official launch on March 4, and as you can tell, they slicked my lackluster ponytail into a polished updo. The curved bristle brush gripped every stray hair while helping me sculpt a perfectly high ponytail (which snatched my face, too, if I’m being honest). Even after hours of wear, my hair didn’t feel crunchy or sticky, and it survived a 95-degree yoga class without losing its hold.
With just a few swipes and brush strokes, these Power Grip hair products transformed my frizzy, stringy strands into glossy and sleek in minutes. To no one's surprise, e.l.f. has done it again, delivering drugstore innovations that work just as well (if not better) than formulas that are three times the price. I can confidently say that these are about to be my new favorite styling products.
Jasmine Hyman is the Assistant Beauty Editor at Cosmopolitan, where she writes about the latest beauty trends and must-have products. Her most prized beauty possessions are a meticulous skincare routine and salon blowouts. You’ll also likely find her in bed reading a good book or endlessly scrolling TikTok (spoiler: it’s usually the latter) while listening to Harry Styles’ entire discography on repeat. Follow her on Insta to be inundated with pictures of her meals.














