Celebrity
Niecy Nash-Betts’ New Short Film Parodies The True Crime Genre
The Origin actor takes on the growing trend of “e.l.f. pinching.”
Niecy Nash-Betts knows where you hid your sister’s makeup. The Emmy-winning actor stars in a new short film for e.l.f. Cosmetics called Cosmetic Criminals.
In the true-crime parody, her character, Landis Bordeaux, is the director of the “CosCrime TaskForce,” which takes on a case of “e.l.f. pinching,” a.k.a. the act of taking someone else’s beauty products.
Alongside New Girl alum Nelson Franklin and NCIS star Necar Zadegan, Nash-Betts investigates the whereabouts of a high school senior’s O Face lipstick, which went missing right before her big “promposal,” causing them to question her entire social circle. (Spoiler: It was someone inside the house.)
Nash-Betts isn’t new to the genre, having played Reno 911!’s Deputy Raineesha Williams and Scream Queens security guard Denise Hempfill. The actor, who currently stars in Origin alongside Aunjanue Taylor-Ellis, recently told People that she thought the Cosmetic Criminals script was “so adorable and such a creative way into this world.”
It reminded her of her own experience with “e.l.f. pinching,” thanks to her daughters Dia and Donielle. “They see me pick up something and say, ‘Ooh, what’s that?’ Not for you!’” she said. “And then I turn around five minutes later, and I can’t find it.”
Now she has a solution for protecting her cosmetics. “I buy multiples and I hide them,” she said. While she’s become more flexible with her daughters, they still have to follow one rule: “You can take my eyeliner, but don’t think about pinching my mascara.”
As for lessons from the film, she says, “You cannot fight crime if you’re not cute. Just because you’re in a high pressure job doesn’t mean you can’t look fabulous.”
Cosmetic Criminals is streaming on YouTube and airs before select screenings of the Mean Girls musical, which may or may not feature an e.l.f.-related reference.
