'You Can't Fight Crime if You're Not Cute!': Niecy Nash Helps Solve Cosmetics Crime in Hilarious e.l.f. Parody Film

"Cosmetic Criminals" stars Niecy Nash-Betts, Nelson Franklin and more — and will have you on the edge of your seat to find out who "borrowed" the beauty products

Grab your popcorn and all your beauty products:e.l.f. Cosmetics released a true crime parody short film on Jan. 9, and it’s nothing short of a complete thrill.

Inspired by "e.l.f.-pinching," a phenomenon which —as the name would suggest —involves "borrowing" (perhaps permanently) your loved one's favorite e.l.f. Cosmetics products, the brand filmed Cosmetic Criminals, a must-see 15-minute parody short film chock-full of suspense (with a mascara-lashed wink) and the brand's makeup and skincare holy grails.

e.l.f Cosmetics was first tipped off to e.l.f.-pinching by its avid fans on social media, says Laurie Lam, Chief Brand Officer, e.l.f. Beauty, in a statement. The statement also adds that they did their research and learned that, though the brand's products are beloved by Gen Z, every generation is a suspect when it comes to e.l.f.-pinching, as there's something for everyone in its collection.

“This insight from our community sparked an incredible idea we had to act on,” says Lam.

The result: a true crime parody short film which chronicles how e.l.f.-pinching unfolds in one household and will have viewers asking throughout, “Who the e.l.f. did it?” 

Not only is Cosmetic Criminals available on Youtube and Amazon Freevee, it’s also slated to make its theatrical debut on Jan. 12, playing ahead of Paramount Pictures’ new Mean Girls movie at select AMC locations, which is totally fetch (but we digress…).

e.l.f. Cosmetics enlisted Oscar and Emmy award-nominee Alex Buono of Russian Doll to direct, while the star-studded cast includes New Girl and Veep star Nelson Franklin, NCIS star Necar Zadegan and multi-award-winning actress Niecy Nash-Betts, who spoke to PEOPLE exclusively about starring in the film.

Nash-Betts tells PEOPLE that her first memory of e.l.f. Cosmetics is the packaging catching her eye in the makeup aisle during quick trips to the drugstore.

“If you are like me, you’re like, ‘I need nail polish remover. I need a bag of potato chips for the car ride,’ but then you’re like, ‘Let me just take a little quick gander around the cosmetics and see what they have'," she says. “You come out having spent $45 on cosmetics when all you came in for was a bag of potato chips!"

Though as any e.l.f. con -

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noisseur knows, $45 will get you a lot of product. For her part, Nash-Betts (who counts among her e.l.f. MVPs the Liquid Poreless Putty Primer and the Halo Glow Beauty Wands) stocks up because it’s affordable —and because she’s “for sure” been e.l.f.-pinched before — and the culprit is always her kids.

"They see me pick up something and say, ‘Ooh, what's that?’ Not for you!" she jokes. "And then I turn around five minutes later and I can't find it. I was like, 'How can I work smarter and not harder?' So I buy multiples, and I hide them.” Just where, she’ll never tell.

Her personal experience with e.l.f.-pinching made the plot resonate with her all the more, and joining the cast a no-brainer.

“My favorite thing about the experience was the script," she says. "I thought it was so adorable and such a creative way into this world.”

In Cosmetic Criminals, Nash-Betts plays Landis Bordeaux, Deputy Director of the CosCrime TaskForce — a role she was well suited-for, having played a cop previously, most notably Deputy Raineesha Williams on Reno 911.

The one thing Nash-Betts learned from her cult-favorite character Raineesha: “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. So that's one learning,” Nash-Betts says. “And then just the comedy and the seriousness of how you play the role.”

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Nash-Betts has some lovable but stern words for her family about e.l.f.-pinching: “You can take my eyeliner, but don't think about pinching my mascara! I don't necessarily have to have the liner, but if the lash is giving, then boom, we are in here.”

While we won’t spoil the plot, we advise you stop what you’re doing and watch Cosmetic Criminals. Then, head over to elfcosmetics.com for some brand new, extra-clever products to curb e.l.f.-pinching in your household, from a teddy bear to a faux planter and hollowed-out book by Heidi N. Herre, which each have a hidden vault to stash away your e.l.f. Faves.

From solving pretty crimes to preventing future ones — what the e.l.f. will the cosmetics and skin care brand think of next?

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