Popular Beauty Brands, Reviewed by a Beauty Writer

Over the past few months, I’ve tried just about every skin care, body care, and makeup product that celebrities have created. However, my testing did not include any perfumes or hair care products. Rare Beauty and About-Face are just makeup brands (at least for now), while Rose Inc does makeup, skincare, and hybrid skincare products. Below is a comprehensive analysis of each brand and their hero products and some photos to illustrate their ingenuity. Before continuing with that, I’d like to pour in one of Kim Kardashian’s currently closed KKW Beauty, which has made incredible eyeshadow palettes and razors.

Left: Rare Beauty foundation and blush. About eye shadow. Right: Rose Ink serum and lipstick. About eye shadow.

If you’re a friend or frequent reader, I’m sorry you’ve heard (or read) me gushing about About-Face again, but I’ve been completely obsessed with Halsey’s makeup brand since its launch. I was introduced when a beauty editor texted me that she made it a full dinner without her Paint-It Matte lipstick. I quickly landed on the brand’s website and ordered three shades of Matte Fluid Eye Paint (Dionysus, Replicant currently sold, and cloned). Since then, I’ve purchased or been awarded every other About-Face product. I’m not exaggerating a bit when I say you can’t go wrong with anything from About-Face, but here are my top three favorites.

I have fake lids, and while I have to keep my eyelids at least half closed while the eyeshadow dries, once it dries, the paint is bright, bold, and lasts until I choose to wash it off. When I want more precision, I use a good, baffling fractal brush to blend the liquid into a spreading powder form.

The best way to describe my perfect eyeshadow look is like one of Liberace’s lavish and fun gowns. However, gloss is a tough product; I find it constantly flaking, difficult to apply precisely, and flaking throughout the wear period. About-Face’s Glossy Eye Pomade is a genius liquid formula that removes all the mess, but it’s still one of the most pigmented and reflective glosses I’ve tried.

The rise of lip gloss was another revival trend from the early 2000s that didn’t speak to me until I tried Light Lock. It has absolutely no stick or nails – if anything it sounds like a more viscous oil, and I can’t understand how it could be formulated. I use one swipe to layer over lipstick to give dimension to my lips or two swipes to wash out the color independently. My transition shades are Playdate, Blame Game, and Wish You Were Here.

Right out of the gate, beauty brand Selena Gomez Rare Beauty has become an internet darling. But since I’m such a ambivalent person at times, this means that it took me a minute to finally get around to testing out the Rare Beauty products I was so gifted with. Now, all I have is regret that I didn’t listen to TikTok teens and do it sooner. Like About-Face, you could close your eyes, pick a product and it would be incredible, but two of my favorites are below.

This is it The Rare Beauty product, according to TikTok. The cream brush comes in two finishes: matte and dewy. Cream blush can be a daunting affair because I find it difficult to apply correctly and easily becomes patchy. This one is like a dream. I apply two or three tiny tiny dots on my cheeks and use my fingers to blend – I look vibrant, fresh, and healthy. I have six colors in my arsenal, but hope, encouragement, and bliss are the shades I usually get.

Holy hell, I can’t even remember the last time I was obsessed with an establishment. I’ve had two bottles since trying this, which is unbelievable because I also don’t remember the last time it happened either. It feels like silk and provides the perfect amount of coverage—it’s somewhere between light and medium, smoothing out my skin, and smoothing imperfections without looking or feeling like a mask on my face. Which is a little weird, but I also love the large applicator, which ensures I get the perfect amount of product every time.

To be honest, it took me a bit to get into Rose Inc after giving them the products. At first, the products seemed too meager. I understand they’re working on Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, but what isn’t? However, over the course of two weeks, I started reaching for Rose Inc products when I needed a boost or a little zhuzh Without having to stick to my full routine. These products are subtle, but they work. They feel like the French girl equivalent of makeup—you know, that look that’s irresistible, effortlessly chic, but undone. Of the three brands, this is the newest and the only one to have makeup and skin care products. The ones I use over and over again are the tinted serums and lip crayons.

I wasn’t sure what I was getting the first time I applied this. However, for the sake of journalism and the scientific process, I insisted. That’s what I look for—and I really think, everyone else—when they talk about a daily tinted product. It’s simple coverage and looks like the best version of your skin. It won’t completely cover imperfections, but it doesn’t claim to. It’s just the perfect refreshment for the days your skin can use a boost.

The initial samples I made of the lipstick on my hands were tricky. They looked very shiny and the shadows were very bright, but something happened when they touched my lips. I could feel the Lip Sculpt absorbing quickly and changing my lip color a bit instead of drawing on it. Currently there are only four shades, but I use Sixteen and Beams.