If my insides could be furnished and decorated, they’d look like a mixture of the Madonna Inn, Suspiria (the 1977 original), and Liberace’s capes. As such, the slow death of minimalism has been incredibly gratifying, especially as a makeup enthusiast. The new launches have been so rapid-fire and exceptional that it almost feels like 2016 and the heyday of the cut crease and lip kit.
Though I don’t discriminate between new and old when it comes to trying beauty products, the new stuff has been too exciting not to try ASAP. I went through 16, but just six deserve hype, attention, and your money.
M.ph Le Skin Weightless Serum Foundation
I love a foundation, I love a skin tint, but very seldom do I even like a tinted serum. There are too many variables and too many ways for things to go wrong. Oftentimes, I find them goopy, pore-magnifying, oily, and infused with ingredients that interfere with my skin care regimen.
I had dangerously high hopes for the Le Skin Weightless Serum Foundation by M.ph. The new brand was founded by celebrity makeup artist and wunderkind Mary Phillips, and its products have somehow exceeded my high hopes. The texture is thin but not runny; it adjusts to my skin whether it’s dry, oily, primed, or bare. It disappears into my skin like a plain serum does. Two quarter pumps are all it takes to cover my face. It’s hydrating but not oily, it looks like my skin when it’s at its best—free of hormonal fluctuations, clear, smooth, and just out of a facial. It’s the best complexion product I’ve tried in ages, period, and the only tinted serum I love.
Credit: Sephora
I’m told that a good powder can do a lot—erase pores, hide excessive oiliness, set makeup, elongate wear, etc. This has previously all been hypothetical to me. Aside from this new Huda Beauty launch, I find that all powders sink into my pores, turning them into ditches. This is in addition to making my skin look ashy and highlighting flaky, dry skin. A loose powder is also cumbersome and messy, so I was excited but not very hopeful when I saw a new pressed version of Huda Beauty’s much-loved Easy Bake powder.
I use a small finger puff, pick up some powder, and press it onto my T-zone. It eliminates shine (don’t apply it anywhere you want dewiness) and makes my pores damn near disappear. I have been using it consistently since I first tried it, and my makeup stays in places longer on my chin, lip area, and nose—areas I’m prone to touching or smudging with my glasses.
Credit: Sephora
Everyone has been releasing lip stain-liner hybrids, and while I like some, the novelty has worn off. Kulfi has done something genuinely novel—it’s made a traditional twisty crayon (not felt) lip liner that has an incredible lasting power, but it’s still blendable and isn’t temporarily tattooed in place three seconds after application. It’s an all-expertise level friendly lip liner, and the seven colors are true neutrals for all undertones and skin tones.
Credit: Nordstrom
Oh boy, any time a classic product is reformulated, it opens up the floodgates to the absolute worst discourse. My Twitter and Instagram feeds have been quiet about the rebirth of Dior’s iconic Lip Glow Oil, and I know why: The Internet likes to complain, and there’s nothing negative to say about it.
The new Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil is less gelatinous than its predecessor. The wand is more precise and picks up a small amount of the gloss-oil. This allows for less product waste and more buildable pigment (if you opt for one of the opaque shades). It’s hydrating, doesn’t bleed, and is ultra glossy but without the Y2K stickiness that mangles my hair.
Makeup by Mario Jelly Jar Lip and Cheek Multi-Use Balm
I won’t name names, but there is a very popular under-$20 multi-use jelly pot the internet is obsessed with that I simply cannot understand. It’s a cute and alluring product, but it doesn’t deliver. Makeup by Mario made a version that does. This has a jello-like squish to it that’s fun to play with, not to mention it’s sheer but endlessly buildable, moisturizing, and has a glass-like finish that doesn’t disappear when the product sets. It’s so good at imparting dewiness and catching light that I’ve been forgoing highlighter (unheard of for me) when I use it.
Credit: Merit
Merit has updated its beauty capsule wardrobe with the new Signature Lip Blush. It’s a powdery, matte, and whipped lipstick, less severe and pigmented than a classic satiny finish. I like it for dabbing across my lips for a slightly lived-in, natural look.
Check out some of my favorite skin care products below.
Credit: Amazon
Credit: Amazon
Credit: Amazon
