beauty

'I tried the buzzy new Rare Beauty Eyeshadow Sticks. Here are my honest thoughts.'

Mamamia’s Tried and Tested series is your weekly review of the latest to hit our desks in beauty, health and wellness. You won’t find any #sponsored content here, just honest, relatable and independent advice. This week, Beauty and Health Editor Erin Docherty reviews the new Rare Beauty All Of The Above Weightless Eyeshadow Sticks.

Whenever a Rare Beauty package waltzes its way across my desk, I get stupidly excited. In fact, so do all my Mamamia colleagues. And for good reason. There are some brands that just make you stop whatever you're doing to find out what's about to be the next big thing.

Rare Beauty is one of these brands.

Watch: You know what I also tried? Putting lube. On my face. Post continues below. 


Video via Mamamia

And when I opened the (very chic) packaging to find the newest launch — I felt like my friend Selena Gomez had created them SPECIFICIALLY for me. (Unconfirmed).

The brand's latest collection is all about taking your eye makeup to the next level, with new Gel Eyeliners, Brow Pencils and — my personal favourite — cream Eyeshadow Sticks.

I'm not freaking out, you're freaking out! Okay, we're both freaking out!

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And I have one pressing question: Are the Eyeshadow Sticks about to become the next cult Rare Beauty product? 

The sticks.

We need to talk about them.

Because I'm a massive fan of Charlotte Tilbury's eyeshadow sticks (specifically these ones) and they're basically all I ever use, so I was intrigued to see how the Rare Beauty ones shaped up. 

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So, did they live up to the hype?

Here are my thoughts on the new Rare Beauty Eyeshadow Sticks.

Hold up. What are Rare Beauty Eyeshadow Sticks?

Fair question. Rare Beauty All Of The Above Weightless Eyeshadow Sticks are super creamy, blendable gel eyeshadow sticks that can be used to line your eyes or as an all-over colour on the lids.

You can buy them online or in-store at Sephora, and they are $39 each — which is not the cheapest, but they're a fair size and it looks like they'd be able to last the distance.

Now, if you look beyond the glaring veins on my wrist, you'll see five of the six different shades. 

The colours! Pretty!

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From bottom to top, there's 'Compassion' (burgundy), 'Contentment' (rose taupe), 'Adventure' (bronze), 'Growth' (copper) and 'Well-Being' (soft pink). ('Integrity' is a champagne colour that is lost in the black hole that is my makeup bag, so. There's that one too).

The finish is shimmery, but not glittery, and the shades can be worn together or alone, depending on what kind of look you want to go for.

Selena said (not... to me, personally... but in the press release): "I wanted to create a shadow stick that’s absolutely mistake-proof — something you can throw on with just your fingers and not worry about getting perfect. Compassion is my favourite shade!"

How did you go with them?

Okay, but they're SO CREAMY. Easy to blend. Takes five seconds.

I've been mixing and matching different shades (sometimes I just use one all over the lid, or a darker one on the crease and a lighter one on the inner corner of the eye). I basically just apply them directly onto my lid and blend, blend, blend with my finger for a smoked-out look or a subtle shimmery eye.

Eye makeup is not my strong point, and I tend to go for something quite standard — a neutral/brown combo. It's made playing with different shades quite accessible and no-fuss, and I've discovered just how nice a burgundy hue works with green eyes.

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In case you're all wondering (literally just my mum), here's what a subtle combo of 'Compassion' and 'Contentment' looks like:

If it looks like an awkward office selfie, that's because it is x

The biggest thing for me was that (teamed with my Smashbox Photo Finish Shadow Primer), I experienced no creasing, fall-out or any of that annoying s**t, which usually deters me from wearing any kind of eyeshadow in the first place.

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The verdict.

You guys, I'm a big SCREAMY fan of 'em. They're just so good. 

I love how quick and easy they make the whole eye makeup game — because it's truly always been one of those things I feel like I'm terrible at. 

I also always feel like I have to set aside time to do an eyeshadow look and commit to it properly, but generally, the mornings are always a g-damn rush (if I'm up too late and have to make the decision between a jazzy eye look or Coco Pops, Coco Pops always win). 

If anything, I'll swipe on one of the Charlotte Tilbury sticks and be done — but I always reach for the same colour. (Brown, in case you're not following).

These fool-proof pencils might look pretty standard, and I know they're on the pricier side, but they've actually made me excited about doing my makeup again. And there are not too many products that do that. 

At the risk of sounding like a twat, having access to some of the latest launches in the makeup world can kind of... numb you... to all the fun and delight of the makeup world. These have kind of reignited that for me.

ANYWAY, I can see myself using these all the time, and truly picture them as one of those cult buys. You heard it here first.

Would you try the Rare Beauty Eyeshadow Sticks?Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.

Feature image: Supplied/Erin Docherty.

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