If you’re a regular makeup wearer, you’re likely to be on the lookout for new ways to get a smoother, brighter and more flawless result.
Even better? When new solutions make your routine faster too.
Since the pandemic we’ve been hungry for beauty solutions that do more, with less. Makeup products that are quick to apply, but give a great result and come loaded with a variety of skincare benefits too.
One area where this is certainly the case is the increase in arrivals of stick-form makeup.
Regardless of their function, these products similarly combine colour pigments with emollients and skincare ingredients, set into a tube that can generally be wound-up and swiped on. Then, it’s just a case of blending quickly with your fingers and you’re good to go. What’s useful is these creamy formulations tend to work well together with similar textures meaning you can do a full face (save for mascara) with just sticks should you want to.
Chic, portable, multifunctional and perfect to pack, stick makeup is now appearing in almost every category of makeup. From concealers that cover that pesky break outs, to full-coverage foundation, glowy blush and even budge-proof eyeshadow.
Here are each of they ways you can update your approach with a stick and the high-performers worth trying.
Foundation stick
Try: Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick
Creamy and blendable, stick foundations have existed for years, with Bobbi Brown in particular being well known for its stick options. However formulations have evolved and tend to be less drying than in previous iterations. Stick foundations tend to be billed as full coverage but the beauty of their format is that you can stripe on to the face as little or as much as you want, and the pigment can be sheered out with your fingers.
Concealer stick
Try: Bobbi Brown Skin Concealer Stick
With dense pigment, concealer sticks work well on blemishes or areas of redness like broken capillaries as they don’t move around or wear off easily.
Contour stick
Try: Nudestix Tinted Blur Sculpt Stick
If you’re game to try sculpting your face with contour, a creamy stick is the easiest way to go about it. For chiseled cheekbones, apply a cream contour stick in dots or a solid line, starting from the ear, moving the line just below the hollows of your cheeks, and ending it directly adjacent to the outer eye.
Bronzer stick
Try: Rare Beauty Warm Wishes Effortless Bronzer Stick
A must for summer getaways, in warm climes a bronzer stick can often be used in place of foundation to add warmth and definition to the face and can be used over eyelids as a eyeshadow replacement too.
Highlighter stick
Try: Chanel Baume Essentiel Multi-Use Glow Stick
While highlighter is being used less these days, this moisturising version gives a beautiful lustre to skin that looks likely when it catches the light. This formula glides on and almost melts into skin.
Blush stick
Try: Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Blush
There are a number of best-selling stick formulations (foundation, highlighter and more) from luxury makeup brand Westman Atelier, but we love this blush formula the most. Creamy and blendable but with a soft satin finish, each shade is supremely flattering and gives an instant burst of life to skin. Dab on lips too for a bit of coordinating colour.
Eyeshadow stick
Try: MECCA MAX Zoom Shadow Stick Matte
Arguably one of the best makeup inventions in recent times, eyeshadow sticks allow novices to ace a smooth eyeshadow look without complicated colour layering. Simply scribble over lids and blend gently with a fingertip. This formula also makes a great base for powder shadows, rendering them budgeproof for hours. However you’ll need to work quickly if you want to blend, as they set seconds after application. They can also be used as an easy, smoky-look eyeliner too and last well in the waterline as a lower-lash eyeliner.
