5 Stunning New Makeup Products I Keep Getting Asked About on Instagram
Amy Clark is Adore Beauty's former Senior Editor and co-host of Skincare School the podcast (and self-appointed beauty road-tester!). Amy's worked as a journalist, beauty editor and podcaster for several years, previously writing and talking about all things beauty at Mamamia and You Beauty. When she's not writing honest, no BS product reviews and taking selfies 'for work', you'll find Amy eating halloumi in a hair towel turban and... taking more selfies.
Last week, I posted a video on Instagram about a very excellent new lip product. My DMs blew up immediately.
Same thing happened when I shared a new bougie natural glow foundation every beauty influencer and their ring light's been posting about.
Ohhhh, what's it like, they asked? I need to know what that lipstick is. Is it worth the money? All reasonable questions.
Whenever I'm tempted by a new makeup product launch, I want to know all the details from someone who's actually tried the product before adding it to my cart.
I wanna know the stuff you won't find in the product description: how does it feel on the skin? Does it actually last through lunch? Will the scent give me a migraine?
So, below, you'll find my detailed, honest thoughts on five S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G new makeup products you've been seeing all over Instagram.
Spoiler: they're really great, but let me tell you why they're so good.
1. Benefit California Kissin' ColorBalm.
THIS. Very good tinted lip balm alert!
Benefit California Kissin' ColorBalm is a shiny, nourishing, creamy lippie hybrid - comfy like a hydrating lip balm, yet pigmented like a high-shine lipstick.
Ingredients-wise, it's packed with hyaluronic acid and mango butter to keep your lips feeling hydrated while wearing (no crustiness here). The formula also smells delicious and comes in 12 highly-wearable shades. I'm wearing Ruby in the photo below.
The colour is builadable, so you can dab it on for a sheerer, stained finish or go HAM like I did if you want a bold lipstick effect.
It's perfect for last-minute Zoom calls, and I really appreciate how it's bringing my corpse-coloured lips to life.
2. Giorgio Armani Neo Nude Foundation.
I'm calling it: Giorgio Armani Neo Nude Foundation will be the new Luminous Silk. BIG call, I know.
If a natural, 'I eat clean and drink 12 litres of water a day' glow is what you're after, this is the foundation for you. Again, it's another hybrid beauty formula that gives you the best of both worlds - the coverage of a lightweight liquid foundation with the texture of a skincare product (that's the hyaluronic acid and glycerin).
The texture is so light and air-like, it glides onto the skin and can be blended with your fingers like you would a tinted moisturiser, a beauty blender or a foundation brush. I find the formula dries down to give a sheer to medium coverage, but you can add more if you prefer more coverage in certain areas.
The result is skin that looks like your skin, but on its best day.
3. M·A·C Cosmetics Glow Play Blush.
We all know about the transformative powers of a good blush, yeah? It's OK if you don't, yet... it took me 27 years to finally let go of my blush fear and now I love it sick.
Call me a bloody broken record because the M.A.C COSMETICS Glow Play Blush is yet another hybrid beauty product - a juicy, bouncy cream blush with the staying power of a powder blush. This is the way of the future.
I'd describe the texture as creamy and velvety, and when you dab the product into the skin, it leaves you looking instantly fresh and glowy thanks to the tiniest bit of natural-looking iridescence. I've been using the shade That's Peachy as a blush and across my eyelids as a cream eye shadow, but you've got six glorious shades to choose from.
4. Eye Of Horus Luminous Highlighters.
I'm pretty picky about highlighters. I want glow, but not glitter or sparkle. I want a dewy sheen, but I want it to last all day. Eye Of Horus Luminous Highlighter 7.5gm meets all of my specific but very important criteria.
This creamy liquid highlighter dries down and sets after about 60 seconds, so it'll stay put on your face all day. It comes in three supremely flattering shades said to be inspired by warm sunlight. And who doesn't want warm sunlight on their SPF-protected face?
Basically, applying a few dots of this highlighter on the high points of your face or mixed into your favourite base product is as close as any of us are getting to an island holiday anytime soon.
Want a golden, bronze glow? Dusk Bronze is your shade. Sunset Rose is a dusty, rose finish and Solar Quartz, a tawny peachy glow. I reckon you could use those pink and peach shades as blushes, too. Bonus: it’s vegan, cruelty-free, ethically-sourced and made with 98.8 per cent natural ingredients. Winner.
5. M.A.C COSMETICS Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolour.
Finally, THE lipstick that blew up my DMs. It's the shade A Little Tamed in the M.A.C COSMETICS Powder Kiss Liquid Lipcolour
This product is the most wearable yet pigmented matte liquid lip colour I've tried. No crusty flaking, cracking or hectic lip liner look throughout the day. Just lips that feel like you're wearing a cloud.
That's because of the powder/emollient suede, cushion, mousse-like texture that never fully dries down, so you can keep rubbing your lips together all day as if you were wearing a lip balm. It's also ridiculously easy to swipe on with the hourglass-shaped applicator that hugs the natural shape of your lips.
From a rusty chilli to deep berries and dusty mauves, you've got 13 gorgeous shades to choose from. The one I'm wearing, A Little Tamed, is my perfect shade of raspberry pink and I'm officially obsessed.
Here's a recap of every product mentioned in this article:
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