23 best makeup and skin care sticks that made my beauty routine actually effortless
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While rummaging through my crowded makeup bag filled to the brim, I realized one thing: Up to this point of my makeup routine, every moisture-boosting, complexion and cream-based beauty product I’ve put on has come in the form of a tiny, high-impact beauty stick.
It’s no wonder why — “Makeup and skin care sticks have been on most people’s lips as of late,” editorial makeup artist Nellie Roos says. And yes, while lip and blush sticks have been an everlasting front-runner in this category, Roos’s notion of them being on people’s “lips” is more about how buzzy the product category has become. Beauty sticks streamline a beauty routine, condense an on-the-go kit and give a more natural skin-like look.
From foundation sticks to eye shadow pencils and even compact vitamin C formulas, beauty sticks have a cool factor to them. They don’t require much help from brushes or blending tools, and makeup sticks have a grip and texture that rewards you with a great deal of pigment payoff.
“[Beauty sticks] can be long-wearing and more dry, as well as lightweight and dewy,” explains Anastasia Vavina, a fashion and celebrity makeup artist. “Compared to cream pots or palettes, you don’t have to dip your fingers into the product as you can apply it [onto the face] right from the stick.”
Or you can try one of Roos’ application tips: “Apply the product on the back of your hand to warm the cream [texture] up, and it will give you a more natural finish when applying it to your face.”
Here, find all of my favorite beauty sticks (plus a few editor’s picks) that deliver smooth, creamy application that no liquid-based beauty product has competed with yet.
Best makeup sticks
Eye shadow sticks
Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Waterproof Cream Eye Shadow Stick
It’s not every day I can confidently step out in pink eye shadow without feeling like I’ve done too much. Once I discovered Bobbi Brown’s Long-Wear Cream Eyeshadow Stick in Golden Pink, however, I felt encouraged to rock the pink chrome color day in and day out. Its rounded tip is perfect for accentuating the eyes, and whether I choose to blend out the pigment or leave what I’ve glided on as is, the creamy and subtle iridescence is instantly pretty.
The newly released eyeliner stick, which has a pointed tip, is equally great for a more precise application.
Victoria Beckham Beauty EyeWear
For an equally striking eye look, the EyeWear eye shadow pencil is my secret weapon for sultry eyes. The formula is free of silicones and enlists seaweed fucus oil as its prime source of delivering antioxidants to the eyelid. This eye shadow stick doesn’t tug, so the skin’s surface stays smooth and redness-free.
Byredo Color Stick
This multi-use stick comes in metallic and matte shades that can be used on the eyes, cheeks or lips. Pair different luminous shades together for a multi-toned chromatic finish.
Clinique High Impact Shadow Play Eye Shadow + Definer
With every neutral shade you could dream of, Clinique’s new dual-ended eye shadow stick is perfect for precision seekers. The cream-based end has a satin texture while the powder end, coupled with a sponge applicator, dispensed a soft matte or shimmer onto my lids. When I apply to the bottom lash line, its sponge applicator tip is great for adding dimension between my waterline and bottom lashes.
Lip and cheek sticks
Pat McGrath Labs Divine Blush: Legendary Glow Color Balm
Sheer, balmy and buildable, this lip and cheek stick layers beautifully over and under other products. The flexible formula is foolproof. You can dab it directly on your cheeks or lips and blend out, or swipe a fluffy brush over the tip and then apply for a diffused effect.
Heads up: There are four new shades dropping on the brand's website on April 26.
Relevant Rele-Wand Lip & Cheek Multi-Tint
The Rele-Wand Lip & Cheek Multi-Tint provides the perfect base layer of sheer, cream blush. The formula is enriched with hyaluronic acid, aloe vera and emollients. Even when my complexion feels dry and dull, this lip and cheek stick adds hydrating color to the complexion.
Milk Makeup Cooling Water Jelly Tint
The viral Milk Makeup Cooling Water Jelly Tint has a consistency as bouncy as Jell-O. On my lips, this tint acts as a stain and gives an illusion like what biting into a ripe cherry would do to one’s natural lip color. It has a seamless glide when applying it to the cheeks, but I quickly realized that it must be blended out right away because it settles in fast.
Undone Beauty Water Blush
This blush and lip beauty stick by Undone Beauty won me over once I saw it left the perfect sun-kissed flush on the midsection of my nose. The water-based formula (made with coconut water) has become a blush stick I always reach for when I’m after a lightweight product that still gives dewy and bright color payoff. When it comes to the Water Blush, I pat it onto my skin with my fingertips and reapply throughout the day when looking for a blush refresh.
Mango People Mango Cream Blush & Lip Multistick
While the color of the Mango Cream Blush & Lip Multistick is beautifully pigmented and buildable, its the mango butter, cherry extract and ashwagandha ingredient lineup that makes this beauty stick a must-have in my makeup bag. My sensitive skin prefers a creamy formula exactly like this one for comfortable wear. Since the dusty, mauve and cranberry pigments give a glossy tint, I love to glide this blush up to even the highest point of my cheeks.
Complexion and foundation sticks
Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick
“Makeup sticks are not only for the people looking for a lightweight look,” Roos says. You can achieve a full-coverage and long-lasting base with a foundation stick, and Roos recommends the Hourglass Vanish Seamless Foundation Stick, mentioning that a little goes a long way with this formula. “I layer products in thin layers to ensure that the makeup stays in place,” she notes. A foundation stick makes this technique easy, and with this one, you’ll get double the amount of pigment than a liquid formula would deliver while limiting any chances of overapplying drippy, thick or cakey layers of product.
Westman Atelier Face Trace Contour Stick
The Face Trace Contour Stick by Westman Atelier is recommended by Roos and Vavina. “This contour stick has that perfect cool tone that perfectly mimics the natural shades of the bone structure,” says Vavina. And as a staple in Roos’ makeup kit, she says, “It’s so buttery and easy to blend which makes it so fool-proof for anyone to use.” It comes in cool, rich and deep tones.
OleHenriksen Banana Bright+ Vitamin CC Eye Stick
This brightening color corrector stick is amazing for concealing dark under-eye circles. It combats purple undertones while delivering brightening skin benefits with two forms of vitamin C and caffeine.
Kiko Milano Sculpting Touch Sculpting Touch Creamy Stick Contour
“It's already become a hit in pro makeup artists’ kits,” Vavina says of Kiko Milano’s $16 contour stick, which rivals that of luxury formulas. This one in particular focuses on delivering a matte finish with a conditioning blend of African walnut oil and pistachio oil.
YSE Beauty Vacation Glow Highlighter Stick
When highlighting the cupid’s bow and inner-eye corner, I swipe YSE Beauty’s Vacation Glow Highlighter stick onto those precise areas within a second. I’m not looking for a sparkly finish when it comes to using highlighter, and this stick allows me to accentuate the peaks of my lips, brow bone and eyes with a diffused glow.
Relevant Rele-Wand 3-N-1 Foundation
I’ve never been one for liquid foundation because I don’t enjoy its consistency when layered with additional makeup products. With this multipurpose concealer, contour and foundation, I’ve found a way to introduce a base layer of coverage without the added product bulk. I simply glide this foundation stick from chin to cheekbone and tear trough to temple and blend with a brush. And as a Latina beauty writer, I can’t help but point out the amazing shade range — with over 30 shade offerings, each has a confidence-boosting name.
Nudestix Nudies Bronze Matte Bronzing Stick
One of the best products out of Nudestix's beauty sticks, this matte bronzer comes in a handful of flattering shades that add warmth and dimension to the complexion. They'll help you achieve a sun-kissed glow anywhere, anytime.
Best skin care sticks
Deinde Moisture-Locking Face Stick
Supple skin is not to be taken for granted, and the Deinde Moisture-Locking Face Stick has been a crucial moisturizing tool I carry in my makeup bag for whenever I need to soothe sudden skin reactions, calm down the redness in my cheeks or simply target dry spots around my chin and lips. Even when makeup suddenly decides to flake up on you, gliding this moisturizing face stick onto the area doesn’t cause pigment to shift or crack. The formula features ceramides and squalane for hydration.
Kiehl's Ultra Facial Barrier Balm
Packed with the same ingredients that make the Ultra Facial Cream an editor-favorite (squalane, ceramides and glacial glycoprotein), this moisturizing stick is great for targeting dry patches and delivering a surge of hydration.
Tatcha The Serum Stick
Serums are often associated with a liquidy, sometimes tacky, application process. Tatcha reimagines the look and feel of a serum with a balm stick that can lock in moisture and spot-treat areas of concern such as smile lines and fine lines around the eyes. Roos doesn’t travel without the Serum Stick, saying, “It’s a solid serum made of 80% squalane. I love it as a hydrating boost by itself or as a primer before the rest of my makeup.”
ITK Soothing Under Eye Serum Stick
When applying this aloe vera-infused skin care stick, I instantly feel as though I’m awakening the complexion. For such a delicate area of the face, it's crucial the stick you’re using doesn’t tug against the under-eyes. Whether I go about it with circular motions or glide from inner tear trough to temple, I appreciate the smooth application and glow it gives my complexion.
Live Tinted Superbright 15% Vitamin C Serum Stick
In the midst of a sudden breakout, this stick prevents dark acne spots from forming and improves the look of any existing ones. The balm-to-serum stick has been a great way of introducing vitamin C into my skin care regimen, and its subtle citrusy scent is a nice touch. It's the inclusion of alpha arbutin that helps improve acne scars, while vitamin C coupled with ferulic acid further brightens and vitamin E moisturizes and clarifies the skin.
Jones Road The Hippie Stick
I’ve officially coined Jones Road Beauty’s Hippie Stick Everywhere Balm the Theragun of my skin care and body care routine. Let me explain: It’s much wider than your average beauty stick, which means it applies just the right amount of pressure on larger areas in need of moisture when you’re rolling it against the skin. This balm, made with sunflower seed, coconut and castor oils, can be used on any part of your body.
Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Silky-Fit Sun Stick
This K-beauty sunscreen stick makes reapplying sunscreen on-the-go a mess-free process. The sunscreen stick glides right over makeup without messing it up and gives a subtle, dewy finish.
Note: The prices above reflect the retailers' listed price at the time of publication.
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