I’m a Beauty Editor Who Tried 32 Makeup Products Last Month, but These Are the 4 I Can’t Stop Using
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From brands including Chanel and NudeStix.
Instyle
My worst stress habit is picking at my skin. I KNOW BETTER, I know better, but I can’t help it. Last month (and this month, too) I’ve been more stressed than I’ve been in years, and my scabbed and hyperpigmented complexion clearly reflects that.
Thus, January’s makeup testing was very complexion-product heavy. In my quest to restore the confidence I scraped off my face, I tested dozens of primers, concealers, and foundations. And per usual, I tested other types of products, too — lipsticks, blushes, highlighters, and more. It came out to 32 products tested in total, but there were four in particular that really astounded me.
Chanel No. 1 de Chanel Skin Enhancer
Chanel
I will be real with you — I would buy Chanel makeup regardless of their efficacy because I like the glamour — and for now, it’s the only Chanel I can afford. But the Chanel Skin Enhancer isn’t something that just sits around on my vanity looking pretty. Thanks to how multitasking and glow-inducing it is, I use it all the time.
The most common way I use it is in a maximalist fashion, because that is who I am. I apply it all over my face in lieu of primer and before foundation; It gives my skin this lit-from-within glow. I skip highlighter because my face is catching all the light as is.
When my skin is in good shape (i.e. not breaking out or mirroring the internal hormonal roller coaster) I use it all over my bare face. It adds a little vitality to my complexion while blurring pores and imperfections.
You don’t have to apply it all over your face, however. You can just apply it to the high points of your face like you would with any highlighter and it’ll give you a very subtle glitter and speck-free dewiness.
Ciele Tint & Protect SPF 50 Tinted Serum
Sephora
The older I get and the more acids and chemical peels I subject my skin to, the more ardent I become about sun protection. As every dermatologist or person you know who’s aged well will tell you: you simply cannot skip this step! Finding products infused with SPF makes it seamless in my routine as is the case with Ciele’s Tint & Protect SPF 50 Tinted Serum.
Honestly, I would use Ciele’s tinted serum regardless of the high SPF because I like the texture and finish so much. It’s one of the only tinted serums that I like. (The one or two tinted serums that have the beauty world in a chokehold I find to be patchy and oily.) Despite being a mineral sunscreen the texture of this is silky and thin, there’s no ghoulish cast, and it doesn’t require a setting powder or spray.
InStyle / Tamim Alnuweiri
NudeStix Nudescreen Blush and Lip Tint SPF 30
Sephora
I have become somewhat of a blush connoisseur thanks to the category’s megaboom. Every color, finish, and texture you could possibly imagine now exists. All of these options have made me quite picky and for every 15 blushes I test, maybe ONE impresses me. And the newest member to join that elite class is NudeStix’s new Nudescreen Blush and Lip Tint.
The consistency is thin and really easy to blend and manipulate. It takes a tiny bit of product to create a natural and demure flush and it stays put all day. I can’t think of anything else I could ask of it.
Gucci Gloss à Lèvres Hydrating Plumping Lip Gloss
Sephora
Let me start this by saying I know a $42 lip gloss seems bananas. But, here’s how I look at it: I have at least four (probably more like seven) $7-$10 lip glosses floating around my apartment. I’ll use them twice, maybe even five times, but ultimately forget about them. I have been using the new Gucci Plumping Lip Gloss for a month and I have never forgotten her.
The packaging is fabulous, but more importantly this has subtle plumping effects (sans that bee-sting irritation of normal lip plumpers), it stays on for hours (at least three), and the color seems sheer but the pigment is transformative. It has a little thickness to it but it’s not sticky, which is a huge deal breaker for me. My only note is that I wish the doe foot applicator was a tiny bit less flexible. But all in all, this is a lip gloss that is actually worth your money — and this is coming from someone who never truly embraced its revival.
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