From multi-tasking makeup bases to advanced lip glosses that leave no trace of stickiness, makeup just gets better and better every year. While it’s not easy to choose just 20 products (launched between September 2015 to August 2016), we’ve curated a list of the ones that go above and beyond their intended purpose, and stand out for their texture and ease of use.
A new approach to matte, this gives you glowing skin without the shine, but doesn’t leave the complexion looking flat or dry. The all-in-one tint – a first for the brand – has transparent blurring powders that manipulate and scatter light so skin looks radiant, almost as if you applied highlighting powders. Rose fruit extract acts as an astringent to minimise the appearance of pores, and supposedly inhibit the action of sebum-producing enzymes.
This contains a hydrating polymer blend that acts as a built-in primer to smooth out lip texture. Colour pigments glide on evenly and effortlessly without the need to apply a balm or prep product beforehand.
Its unique biphase formula combines oil and pigments when you shake it up, turning it into a silky gloss with a subtle sheen and zero stickiness. Lips feel plumped and soft thanks to the antioxidant-rich blend of peach kernel, sweet almond and musk rose oils. We also love the retro martini shaker-case.
Infused with hyaluronic acid, yeast extract and mucin, this is so moisturising that it almost immediately plumps lips from within. Fine lines are smoothed, and lips are left softer and healthier.
The magic of this is in the brush, which has a combination of two bristles of differing firmness. One coats the lashes, while the other combs out clumps to give fuller, longer, and more defined flutters in just one swipe.
Thanks to the dewy makeup trend, powders tend to have a bad rap for their matte finish. But this fine powder (when we say fine, we mean really fine) feels like silk on your skin, and leaves a radiant natural glow that minimises oil without making your complexion look flat.
This lip pen has a flat-top tip that allows you to line your lips with the pointy end, and easily fill in colour with the slightly curved flat side. Its ultra-creamy texture melts easily upon application, so you’ll never miss a spot.
In the same way that a highlighting powder contours your face, this gloss “sculpts” your puckers, thanks to multidimensional optics that reflect light and create the illusion of a fuller pout.
When it comes to dewy, whitening makeup, the Koreans have it down to a fine art. So it’s no wonder this reformulated cushion compact does both perfectly. The fluid has a pearl coating that instantly brightens skin, while micro-sized hydrating ingredients leave a moist, smooth finish.
See: The irresistibly cute Laneige x Lucky Chouette makeup collection
Digital cameras are more advanced than ever, and able to zoom in on every detail. Thanks to ultra-fine light-reflecting pigments, this reformulated foundation will look invisible even in close up shots. It also has evodia fruit extract and hyaluronic acid to hydrate and plump skin, so it lasts and looks natural for longer.
With more than 7,000 different skin tones in the world, it can be almost impossible to find the exact foundation shade from the usual range of 10 to 20 colours. These drops can be added to your liquid foundation to lighten or darken the colour to get the perfect match.
This bridge product has both skincare and makeup properties, and can be used in three ways. Applied alone, the pinkish gel subtly conceals imperfections and leaves a dewy glow. Applied under foundation, it works as a primer. Used over makeup, it works to freshen skin
during the day.
This has an ultra-light texture that blends in easily without blotching, and a non-oxidising formula that means you won’t have to worry about your skin turning greyish in our hot, humid weather.
When you wipe off liquid lipsticks, they can leave your puckers dry, and even slightly flaky. But this ultra-moisturising formula contains a mix of camellia oil and sunflower seed wax to leave lips feeling so soft and smooth, it’s as if you applied a balm.
See: Awesome liquid lipsticks for a luscious sheen of colour
This plant-based cream works as a moisturiser, sunscreen and foundation at the same time. It not only has oriental herbal extracts to hydrate and condition skin, but its blend of Amino Acid Powders and Snow Crystal Powders help to conceal pores and brighten.
Formulated with sebum-absorbing and light-optimising powders, this clever makeup supposedly adapts to your skin’s condition by reflecting the optimal amount of light. When skin is dry, for example, the powders reflect more light for radiance, and when oily, the powders will become semi-transparent to diffuse light and hide imperfections.
This does everything we want our foundation to: It gives great coverage without feeling thick or heavy, smooths skin thanks to a hydrating Silky Light Reflecting Oil, diffuses light to conceal imperfections, and gives a luminous finish.
This cream foundation helps you look like you, but a better, more radiant version. With a bouncy gel-emulsion texture, it doesn’t hide flaws or freckles completely, but instead gives skin a rosy,
post-workout-like glow.
See: Ultra-light liquid foundations perfect for humid weather
Unlike most mascara primers that can cause lashes to droop or clump, this has an airy, whipped cream-like texture that makes them look visibly fuller after application. Bonus: It has a high content of lash-care ingredients like fatty acids, vitamin E and soy extract.
This buildable lippie is formulated with a cocktail of oils to allow you to tailor its intensity: one layer leaves a “just-bitten” rosy veil of colour, two layers give the effect of a light, natural lipstick, while a third layer gives a bold colour pay-off.
An adapted version first appeared in Female’s August 2016 issue.
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