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When Selena Gomez launched Rare Beauty back in 2020, my gut reaction was to say, “ENOUGH WITH THE CELEBRITY BEAUTY BRANDS ALREADY!!!!” But then, I tried the products—and I owe Selena an apology.
Simply put, the makeup she’s created is the best I’ve ever used… which is saying a lot, considering I test beauty products for a living. Rare Beauty’s makeup has replaced my entire routine, and become the only things I want to use… so much so that I have entire drawers filled with mascara/foundation/concealer/blush/etc. that haven’t been touched in months. Whoops.
What I love the most about the line is that it’s truly meant to make you feel good. Instead of encouraging you to hide your flaws or change your face (the way most makeup does), it’s simply about having fun. There’s also no one “right” way to use the products. As you may have seen on TikTok, there are about a zillion different ways you can experiment them, which makes for a totally customizable experience. Whether you want to go full glam or keep it light with a natural look, the Rare Beauty ethos is basically “you do you.”
In this episode of Zoë Tries It All, I’m doing *me* and demonstrating exactly how I use my Rare Beauty products to create a five-minute face. Check it out, steal some tips, then shop the products below so you can put your own spin on things at home.
Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation — $29.00
Confession time: I typically don’t love foundation. I’m more of a tinted moisturizer kind of girl, mostly because traditional foundation formulas make me feel a little claustrophobic—kind of like my skin can’t breathe. This stuff, though, is different. It offers solid coverage without suffocating my pores, and the doe-foot applicator allows me to apply a little bit of product at a time so that I don’t feel like I’m overdoing it. I wear a shade 270N, which looks a little bit orange when I apply it, but after I blend it in it dries to become a perfect match.
Liquid Touch Brightening Concealer — $19.00
If I could bring a single Rare Beauty product with me to a desert island, it would be this concealer. It’s equally great for concealing blemishes as it is for brightening under-eye circles, and on days when I’m strapped for time, I’ll use it to give my skin a quick touch-up before running out the door. It’s buildable—you can apply as much product as you want depending on the level of coverage you’re looking for—and melts seamlessly into skin without caking.
Liquid Touch Foundation Brush — $28.00
I’ve always depended on either my fingers or a Beautyblender for applying product, but this brush has converted me into a brush person. I use it to blend literally every product I put on my face—foundation, concealer, blush, bronzer, highlighter (obviously, I wipe it off in between)—and it consistently delivers a seamless, natural-looking finish.
Always an Optimist Soft Radiance Setting Powder — $22.00
This product is a Rare Beauty world unicorn. Unlike most setting powders, it doesn’t mattify my dry skin—it locks my makeup in place while still allowing the radiant finish from my foundation to shine through. It blurs my pores and evens my skin tone, and is basically the IRL version of Instragram’s “Paris” filter.
Warm Wishes Effortless Bronzer Sticks — $23.00
Considering I spent most of my middle school years looking like an orange Oompa Loompa, I learned the hard way that a lot can go wrong if you aren’t careful with bronzer. This bronzing stick allows for ultra-targeted application, which means the product goes only where you want it to so that you don’t have to worry about overdoing it. Usually, I use it to add warmth to the apples of my cheeks, my forehead, and the bridge of my nose, but on days when I want a more sculpted look, I’ll repurpose it to contour my jawline and the hollows of my cheeks.
Soft Pinch Liquid Blush — $20.00
Real talk: This blush is pigmented. So much so that the first time I tried it, I wound up looking like a clown—which is to say that there’s a learning curve, and a little bit goes a long way. Once I figured out how to use it, though (three dots on each cheek, then blend with a brush), I fell head-over-heels in love. Its creamy formula is a dream on my dry skin, and it leaves a high-impact finish that really lasts throughout the day. Pro tip? Apply a few dots to your lips, then top it off with a clear lipgloss for an effortless monochromatic look.
Positive Light Liquid Luminizer Highlight — $22.00
There are a lot of highlighters out there that promise to make you look “lit from within,” but this one actually delivers. It’s glowy without being shimmery or shiny, and gives my complexion a luminous finish. I often use it on my cupids bow and in the inner corner of my eyes to add a little light-catching oomph, but my favorite way to apply (which you may have seen on TikTok) is to dab a few dots of highlighter on my cheek bones next to a few dots of blush. When I blend them together with a brush, I’m left with the dewy skin of my dreams.
Perfect Strokes Matte Liquid Liner — $19.00
As someone with terrible hand-eye coordination, I have never been able to craft a perfect cat-eye (which is pretty embarrassing to admit, considering I’m a beauty editor)—but this liner changed the game for me. It’s got a super-fine tip and smudge-proof formula, which makes it so easy to apply that it’s damn near impossible to mess up… even for me.
Perfect Strokes Universal Volumizing Mascara — $20.00
I’ve written at length about how much I love this mascara, but here’s the abridged version: It lifts and curls my lashes to make them look more voluminous with a single swipe, and is made with nourishing ingredients that keep them feeling healthy long after I take it off.
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