Selena Gomez is known as an actress and singer among other things, but this year she’s added beauty brand founder to the list. In February, Gomez announced the launch of her makeup line Rare Beauty, named after her latest album and one of the songs on it. In the video that came with her announcement, she said the brand aims to spread the message that everyone is beautiful and unique. The brand is available exclusively at Sephora in stores and online in the US, Canada and Mexico.
Some people in the beauty industry were skeptical about Gomez’s announcement, groaning at the thought of yet another celebrity makeup line. After all, there’s already Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty, Lady Gaga’s HausLabs, and tons of other celebrities partnering with makeup brands. They felt that the market was oversaturated enough and that celebrities starting beauty brands solely to make a quick buck was just adding to the problem.
I’ll admit — when I first saw the announcement, I thought this was a really random venture for Gomez to take but having been a longtime fan of hers I was ready to support it anyway, even if all I got was just a lipstick.
Things changed when Rare Beauty actually dropped on Sept. 3. With a pledge to raise $100 million over the next 10 years for mental health, environmentally-friendly recyclable packaging, cruelty-free and vegan products, people started becoming interested. The beauty gurus added to the hype by coming out with glowing reviews raving about most of the products within the line.
After watching maybe a million YouTube beauty gurus talk about how much they enjoyed the products, I decided to try it out myself. This came at a perfect time for me considering I had just thrown out a bunch of my old makeup. So I headed to my local Sephora on launch day and purchased some key products. Then, in the weeks that followed I found myself at Sephora again and again, picking up other products from the line that stayed on my mind.
Here’s what I thought about them:
- Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation ($38 CAD)
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Launching with 48 shades, the Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation is true to its name. I found the product provided a good medium coverage that blended into my skin really well. It has a nice smooth finish and definitely feels like there’s nothing on your skin in the end. I will say that I kind of wish it came with a pump rather than the doe foot applicator because when using my foundation brush, I find it easier to pick up the product using a couple pumps rather than having to swatch it on my hand.
Fun fact: the balls found on top of most of the packaging are designed to help people who suffer from arthritis, like Gomez, open the bottles easier.
- Liquid Touch Brightening Concealer ($25 CAD)
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Similar to the foundation, this concealer has the same kind of feel, finish and shade range. Rare Beauty’s concealer is meant to accompany the foundation and for ease, they suggest picking up the same shade in both products (no need to go lighter!). Following this suggestion, I purchased the same shade but while I felt like the foundation matched me perfectly, the concealer seemed too light.
Since Sephora doesn’t allow product testing right now due to COVID-19, it can be difficult to figure out what shade is right for you. Luckily, this talented fan created an Instagram filter that allows you to “try on” the foundation shades!
If you’re still struggling you can try reaching out to Rare Beauty’s shade finder Instagram (@rarebeautyshadefinder) and they will have someone match you.
- Perfect Strokes Matte Liquid Eyeliner ($25 CAD
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I think this is my favourite product out of the entire line. I used to use Kat Von D’s tattoo liner but I always found that it was prone to either smudging or fading by the end of day. Having used Rare Beauty’s liner a couple times now, I can confirm that it is long lasting and smudge free! The calligraphy style brush makes it easy to control and allows you to make your lines as thick or as thin as you want.
- Soft Pinch Liquid Blush ($26 CAD)
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Be warned: a little goes a really long way with this blush. Seriously, like one dot is more than enough! I love how highly pigmented the product is and I think this is something that is going to last you a really long time. There are eight shades in total, four with a dewy finish and four with a matte finish. I have the shade Happy which comes with a dewy finish and I absolutely love the colour and glow it gives my cheeks!
- Lip Souffle Matte Cream Lipstick ($26 CAD)
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I usually shy away from liquid lipsticks because I find that they dry out your lips after a while. However, after watching the beauty gurus talk about how smooth and velvety the finish was I decided to take a chance on Rare Beauty’s version. I purchased the shade Motivate and I love the way the cream feels on my lips. It never dried out my lips and was long lasting. It even stayed on after eating!
- With Gratitude Dewy Lip Balm ($21 CAD)
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While I really love the lip balm colour I purchased (Empathy), I wasn’t that impressed with the product itself. It does leave my lips feeling soft and hydrated which is what you want from a lip balm but my issue with it is that it’s not very long lasting. I had to reapply it a couple times during a night out. The cap is also a little loose so I was scared it would open and stain my bag (which thankfully didn’t happen but be cautious if you do end up getting this). Between this and the lip souffle, I think the souffle is a better lip product and the one that I would end up purchasing again.
- Always An Optimist 4-in-1 Prime & Set Mist ($32 CAD)
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This mist works to prime, set, refresh and hydrate skin. I love how hydrating it is and I always spray it on right before a Zoom class where I have to turn on my camera. I’m not sure how well it works as a primer or setting spray as I’ve never actually used those kinds of products before and have nothing to compare it to, but it refreshes the skin really well. It feels like you’ve splashed water on your face and I really like the dewy finish it leaves. Bonus: it smells like spa water!
- Liquid Touch Foundation Brush ($36 CAD) and Liquid Touch Concealer Brush ($21 CAD)
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I wasn’t going to pick up the brushes originally but seeing how old my makeup brushes were I figured why not replace them. I love the teardrop shape (meant to mimic your fingertips) because it allows you to get the inner corners of your face and really diffuses the product well. It’s also incredibly soft! I do think the price is too expensive for a single makeup brush but if you have the funds to spare and are curious, I would recommend.
Other products available in the line that I haven’t tried are as follows: liquid highlighter, primer, brow pencil and gel duo, a blot & glow touch-up kit and a makeup sponge. Overall, I’ve loved just about everything I’ve purchased from this line. Wearing the products makes me feel good and gives the perfect no-makeup makeup look. All in all, Rare Beauty has definitely won me over and I can’t wait to see what they have to offer in the future!