I’m a Beauty Editor Who Tried 76 Makeup Products Last Month, but These Are the 4 I Can’t Stop Using
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Including picks from Urban Decay and Chanel.
instyle
I tested more makeup in November than any other month this year. I was at home a lot, which made for more time trying new products,so dozens of makeup made its way to my home and desk. According to the spreadsheet I use to keep track of all my beauty experiments, I tried 76 makeup products in November, but only four really stood out.
Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Highlighting Duo Palette, $90; nordstrom.com
Urban Decay Moondust Glitter Eyeshadow Palette, $39; ulta.com
Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Highlighting Duo Palette
Nordstrom
I’m so incredibly picky when it comes to highlighters. Hundreds have made their way to me over the years and most don’t even get beyond the hand-swatching phase, but Tom Ford’s Shade and Illuminate Highlighting Duo is divine. Not only does it catch light, but it also lights up my face; the glow looks like it's coming from under my skin and not from a product sitting on top of it. I’ve been brushing the highlighter on my face even on days when I’m sitting at home — it makes me look and feel alive.
The other part of this duo is a bronzer, which I am traditionally not big on. It just seems like a lot of extra work and the application is hard to get right. This one is very demure and honestly, pretty foolproof. After I brush a tiny bit on the hollows of my cheeks, I feel (though unfortunately don’t look like) Cillian Murphy.
Róen Beauty Cheeky Cream Blush
Credo Beauty
My skin is heinously patchy and dry this winter — so much so that if the makeup products I apply aren’t bursting with moisture, my pores will swallow it up, leaving me looking absolutely haggard. Róen’s Cream Blush is formulated with vitamin E, rosehip oil, and apricot oil, so it’s almost as much of a skincare product as it is a makeup product.
The colors are soft and the finish is dewy and diffused. It goes on seamlessly, whether I use a sponge, brush, or my fingers. My cheeks look full and bouncy and stay that way throughout the day; it restores a healthy flush to my face that is dampened by dry winter weather or muted by foundation.
InStyle / Tamim Alnuweiri
Wearing Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Highlighting Duo Palette, Róen Beauty Cheeky Cream Blush in Natural Rose, Chanel Rouge Allure L’Extrait Lip Color in 872, and Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow in Space Cowboy and Cosmic Space Dust.Chanel Rouge Allure L’Extrait Lip Color
Chanel
As you can see, I’m halfway through the process of going blonde, and that change has me reassessing my lipstick choices as the brick-rose and beige colors I tend to go for no longer seem flattering. With the lighter hair color, those shades just make my face look flat. I’ve instead been reaching for plums, light browns, and berry shades — the best of which is Chanel’s Rouge Allure L’Extrait Lip Color in 872, a berry-red with brown undertones.
I’ve been trying literally dozens of lipsticks to complement my orange-on-its-way-to-blonde hair, and this one is by far the best. It’s just the perfect mixture of plum, red, and brown — a little bit ‘90s, but it adds warmth to my complexion. However the perfect color would be moot if the formula was trash, and this one isn’t. It’s buttery and buildable with an intensity that can range from a sheer, tinted balm to the most pigmented lipstick you’ve ever seen.
Urban Decay Moondust Glitter Eyeshadow Palette
Ulta
I’m tackier than Liberace, so take this proclamation with a grain of salt: Glitter is a neutral! It can — and should — be worn every day, any time of the year, for any occasion. And, the best glitter eyeshadow I’ve tried in a while is Urban Decay’s Moondust Glitter Eyeshadow Palette.
This is truly a universal glitter eyeshadow palette; it can be softly swiped on to be barely perceptible or piled on so that your eyes reflect more light than a disco ball. Besides being customizable to your personal glitter preference level, it also boasts a superior pigment and formula. I particularly love how it makes my eyelids glisten and look sort of wet — it’s a type of dewiness and effect that’s rare and hard to emulate (trust me, I’m a glitter expert). You’ll catch me wearing this year-round, but it's especially apt for the season of holiday cheer and festivities.
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