Benny Drama On That Super Bowl Ad & Skincare Secrets

If you were one of the 115.1 million people who tuned in for Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, you may have caught a glimpse of comedian, actor, and viral online person Benito Skinner in the e.l.f. cosmetics commercial, which aired just before the halftime show. In it, Skinner, more widely known as Benny Drama, joins a cast of courtroom legends — including Judge Judy, the cast of Suits, and Ronald Gladden from Jury Duty — as one of his most beloved characters Kooper the Intern, a confident and sassy Gen Zer who loves to take initiative. No one is more surprised to have made it to the Big Game than Skinner — except maybe his high school football coach. "I don’t think my football coach would’ve thought that," Skinner tells Refinery29. "He also gets to see me with long white acrylic nails as Kooper!"

When Skinner's agent first reached out about the opportunity, he was quick to say yes. Skinner was impressed with the brand's Super Bowl spot from the previous year featuring Jennifer Coolidge, and when he learned about this year's concept — Judge Beauty — he thought it was hilarious. E.l.f. doesn't miss," he shares. Skinner was also not new to the brand himself. When the actor began his career creating content seven years ago, filming dozens of videos a week, he would rely on the brand's affordable and accessible products to help him get into character. "The first product I was introduced to was the Power Grip Primer because I was in Williamsburg running around making videos. I needed to be able to run to the market and get it quickly," he recalls. "There was always something that was going to work" Skinner says, whether he was doing makeup for his Zodiac videos or creating a beat for real estate agent Deliverance Richards. "She's a full coverage Queen."

You'll also find the brand's Halo Glow Liquid Filter and Glow Reviver Lip Oil in Skinner's makeup bag. When shorts season arrives, he suggests using the luminous complexion booster on your thighs to make the legs shine. As for the lip oil, he can't leave home without it. "I've got four in the car, three in my purse. I love her."

In addition to these makeup must-haves, Skinner is serious about his skin. To keep his money maker in check, he relies on Sofie Pavitt's Nice Ice Toner Pods. "These are a game-changer for me because I wake up so puffy — I love margaritas and salt and I'm from Idaho, so I have to have potatoes with every meal." Skinner also credits Allies of Skin Multi Peptides & GF Serum for transforming his skin. "It’s really expensive, but it’s so good and if it’s worth it, I’ll pay anything. If it works, I'll give up my first born!" To lock it all in, he slathers on Paula's Choice Barrier Renewal. "I'm a huge Paula girl forever and always," he says.

For days where his skin is feeling angry from all the makeup or when he's dealing with perioral dermatitis, Skinner reaches for Tower 28's S.O.S. spray — the one the kids are currently going crazy for. Seeing the "Sephora kids" reach for designer moisturizers and retinol "feels a bit intense," says Skinner. "But you know what, God bless their hearts. That's not a time in my life that I want to be back at, so if it makes them a little bit happier, I'm not one to judge."

The days of being a beauty-loving tween and a high school football jock are long behind him, but it makes Skinner's Super Bowl appearance feel that much more full-circle. "Of all the people to make it to the Super Bowl, it’s me. I love it. There is something poetic about it."