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I Tried These Rare Beauty Products So You Don’t Have To

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Conn chapter.

Selena Gomez’s makeup line Rare Beauty has officially taken the world by storm. When I left the United States, the brand was completely sold out. After arriving in Edinburgh in January, I found that most Rare Beauty products were sold out in the United Kingdom, too. Something about Selena Gomez’s genuine passion for Rare Beauty convinced me to keep looking. After finally getting my hands on some Rare Beauty products at a random train station in Italy, I’ve started incorporating them into my makeup routine. Below, I give my honest opinions on four Rare Beauty products. I’ll let you know what was worth the hype, what to skip, and the product I’ll be buying again and again.

1. Stay vulnerable glossy lip balm

I bought this super hydrating, shiny lip gloss in the shade Nearly Neutral, and I couldn’t be happier with my purchase. Other glosses I’ve tried feel sticky (Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Heat) or start to come off the second I take a sip of a drink (Colour Pop Lux Lip Gloss). I’ll definitely be buying this one again and experimenting with the other shades (I have my eye on Nearly Rose and Nearly Apricot). I find that Nearly Neutral works best paired with brown or nude pink lipliner for a night out. During the day, all you need is the gloss!

Pros: Hydrating, non-sticky, long-lasting, pretty color

Cons: Cheaper alternatives are available

Rating: 9.5/10

2. Soft pinch dewy liquid blush

Ah, the infamous liquid blush. The shade Hope is a dusty, muted pink. It goes perfectly with my skin tone, which is on the cooler side, and can be used as a blush, eyeshadow, and lip gloss. One of my favorite tricks is to mix the liquid blush with gold sparkling eyeshadow from my palette. It looks just like the Stila Liquid Eye Shadow in shade Dollish, one of my favorite products from high school. A little goes a long way, and this super-pigmented blush lasts for hours. I love the natural glow it gives my skin. This blush is going to become a permanent staple of my makeup bag, and I’m so glad I took the time to find it.

Pros: Multi-functional, long-lasting, super pigmented

Cons: Use sparingly

Rating: 10/10

3. Brow harmony Pencil & Gel

With my trusty Benefit Brow Pencil running out, I decided to try something new. The shade Cool Brown was a perfect match for my brows. One side of the product is a tinted gel spoolie, and the other is a thick, creamy pencil. I really like the tinted gel (as opposed to clear brow gel), but it gets messy and requires a Q-tip for quick cleanup. After a little practice with the spoolie, I’ve come to love how it enhances my natural brows and helps them stay in place all day. I think I would like the product more if the pencil was a little thinner, but that’s just my preference.

Pros: Holds brows in place, natural looking

Cons: Can be messy, requires experimentation

Rating: 8/10

4. With gratitude dewy lip balm

I’m not a big lipstick girl, but this one promised to feel super hydrating — more of a tinted lip balm. Praise slid on super smoothly, but I felt like it only emphasized the winter dryness of my lips. I’m also disappointed with the color. After looking at swatches and pictures on the Rare Beauty site, I expected a muted pink that would pair well with my Nearly Neutral gloss. On me, it looks peachy and almost orange. If you have warmer-toned skin, Praise would probably look amazing on you. I’ll be trying this product again in the summer when my skin is tanner and more hydrated, but for now, it’ll be sitting on my shelf.

Pros: Smooth, non-sticky, easy application

Cons: Different color than expected, less hydrating than expected

Rating: 7/10

conclusion

After my search for Rare Beauty products across the world (literally) I’m so excited to have these four in my rotation. The love that Selena Gomez pours into her makeup line is clear. I look forward to trying and reviewing more products, like her concealer and contour stick. In the meantime, make sure to grab the Stay Vulnerable Glossy Lip Balm and Soft Pinch Dewy Liquid Blush (linked above) before they sell out yet again!

Chloé Hummel was the 2023-2024 President and Editor-in-Chief of Her Campus UConn, after previously serving as Vice President and Contributing Writer. She graduated from the University of Connecticut in May 2024 with a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She is also a certified yoga instructor.