It is all too easy to be sniffy towards the celebrity beauty brand. Granted, plenty of famous faces are throwing their hat into the ring, each keen to stake their own claim within the potentially uber-fruitful global beauty market. But guess what? Snobs miss out.
Selena Gomez's offering Rare Beauty only launched in the UK last February, and yet it has already made waves among makeup aficionados. To give you a taste, the hashtag #rarebeauty has already garnered over 2.6b views on TikTok – that's 'b' for billion, we hasten to highlight.
Selena's brand Rare Beauty launched in the UK last February
With its aesthetically pleasing packaging and consumer-friendly egalitarian-focused ethos, Rare Beauty aims to provide customers with the tools to "feel less alone in the world".
Perfectly laudable in my book – gratifying social bonds built on the foundation (apologies) of a collectively-adored hero product or an earnest compliment give the beauty world a sense of community – but how exactly do the products stack up?
The brand aims to provide customers with the tools to "feel less alone in the world"
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Hello! Fashion's resident beauty obsessive Orin Carlin shares the Rare Beauty products that you seriously need to try:
The breathable foundation
Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation, £29, Space NK
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THE VERDICT
"Worlds apart from fellow celebrity beauty brand founder Hailey Bieber's carefully-cultivated dewy aesthetic, Selena Gomez is all about the matte finish. The Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation promises a 'natural, skin-like' look, and I found that to be a pretty accurate description of what it delivers."
"On my dry skin the foundation appears more matte than perhaps it would look on oiler skin types, but an extremely comfortable one at that. Its serum-like texture feels almost weightless, and I was highly impressed by how seamlessly the formula can be built in areas requiring more coverage such as around the nose, and the jawline."
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The ultra-wearable lip liner
Rare Beauty Kind Words Lip Liner, £14, Space NK
THE VERDICT
"As a self-confessed lazy girl, I admit that the lip liner step usually eludes me. But I was surprised by how comfortable and creamy I found Rare Beauty’s Kind Words version. If you don't get on with a totally matte finish (my chapped, uneven lips 100% couldn't hack the brand's lipsticks for love, nor money, even following a sweep of glycolic acid and some fairly vigorous flannel exfoliation) I recommend you blend the liner with a colourless balm for a quick, polished lip look. The shades 'Talented' and 'Creative' are both exceptionally flattering."
The viral liquid blush
Soft Pinch Liquid Blush, £22, Rare Beauty
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THE VERDICT
"For those well-versed in the joys of #beautytok, the Soft Pinch Liquid Blush will almost certainly already be on your radar. Be warned – a little goes a seriously long way, great in terms of cost-per-wear. Its soft, almost powder-like, texture has a decent amount of play time, making it easy to blend into the apples of your cheeks with a mere few dabs of the ring finger. I have to say, I was bowled over by the amount of TikTok girlies who decided to apply the product as eyeshadow. I would almost certainly look like a lab rat, but if you've got the skin tone to pull it off, all power to you."
The feather-light lip cream
Rare Beauty Lip Soufflé Matte Lip Cream, £19, Space NK
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THE VERDICT
"Just when Nyx's liquid lipsticks had reached relic status, here's Selena staging her own personal revival. Rest assured, the Lip Soufflé Matte Lip Cream is in a league of its own. I fell for 'Inspire', a gorgeous French-girl red shade, and found it to be rich, velvety and, crucially, requiring minimal touch-ups."
The full-on flutter mascara
Rare Beauty Perfect Strokes Volumising Mascara, £19, Space NK
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THE VERDICT
"In contrast to its chunky tube, the Perfect Strokes Mascara wand is actually pretty lean. Mourning the effects of my pre-Christmas lash lift, I was blown away by the level of height and curl that I was able to achieve and when I went in for a second helping, my lashes were giving 1960s Bond Girl. Obsessed."
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