All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors.
However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through links in this article.
They primed before and setting-sprayed after to figure out which formulas kept kicking the longest.
Photographed by: Adam Friedlander. Set Designer: Jenna Tedesco.
Here, you’ll find a few triumphant returns to the top (welcome back,Nars blush!)
“It feels super hydrating without being too thick, like amoisturizermight.
The light formula is ideal for routines that require layering multiple products.”
Senior director of audience development Lexi Herrick applies and blends in the Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Luminous Matte Concealer.
Best Mattifying Primer
E.L.F.
Cosmetics Liquid Poreless Putty Primer
Amazon
Why It Won:Through some kind of sorcery, E.L.F.
It camouflages pores with a silky, blurred finish that moisturizes withsqualaneas it holds foundation in place.
“You really don’t need much to get a soft, even finish.”
“When testing a foundation, I look for two things: buildable coverage and a glowy finish.
This one delivers both without feeling cakey or looking too sparkly.
I’ve found the one for me.”
“It blends beautifully and leaves a natural, radiant finish.”
Tester Feedback:“I love it,” says associate content manager Hannah Brower.
(And we assure you, wewillbe refilling the now-refillable compact.)
Tester Feedback:“This new formula is so good!”
Best Cream Blush
Saie Glow Sculpt Multi-Use Cream Highlighting Blush
Why It Won:A pigmentedhighlighter?
Saie Glow Sculpt Multi-Use Cream Highlighting Blush defies categorization, but we’re just going to leave it here.
Tester Feedback:“I only need a tiny dot to create a brightblushlook,” says Brower.
“I love the lightweight texture and how it really lasts from day to night.”
The highlighter-like gleam of the blush blends beautifully with the contour, so you look seamless, not stripey.
I know because she has…after ransacking said Ziploc bag."
“Its practicality and super-blendable formulas make this a beauty bag staple.”
Senior director of audience development Lexi Herrick applies and blends in the Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Luminous Matte Concealer.
“My favorite hack?
Mixing a teeny-tiny bit with liquid blush for a punchier glow.”
“I like to apply it with a damp sponge for a glimmering, glassy effect.
The sponge technique also makes my skin look more like skin, and less like skin-with-highlighter-on-it.”
Tester Feedback:“My contour game is pretty pathetic,” says associate beauty directorSarah Kinonen.
Thiscontour stickmakes it so much easier; the mess-free tool chisels even better than my digits."
Senior director of audience development Lexi Herrick applies and blends in the Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Luminous Matte Concealer.
And with each software, your skin benefits from free-radical defense and line-smoothingpeptidepower.
The four buttery, beginner-friendly shades also hydrate wherever they touch thanks to softening squalane.
“Correction: Ididn’tcontour.
Senior editor Jesa Marie Calaor brushes on the Nars Powder Blush onto her cheekbones.
But then I met Victoria Beckham’s slender little contour stick and thought, What could go wrong?
Turns out, pretty much nothing.
It lets me create just a little bit of natural shading under my jawline and cheekbones.
It’s even slim enough to use in the creases of my lids.
It makes contouring and bronzing simple and fast enough for anyone to master.”
It couldn’t be easier to get a realistic bronze-y glow from the neck up."
A dusting absorbs oil, blurs pores, and never flashes white on camera.
“But I truly get the hype with this one.
The oil- and alcohol-free formula utilizes lentil extract andniacinamideto impede oiliness without making your face feel tight or sticky.
Skin looks glowynot greasyfor hours on end.
“From the afternoon well into the nighteven in the heatmy makeup never budged.”
We tested over 7,000 products for 24 weeks on different skin tones and types.
To learn more information on our reporting and testing processes, read our completereviews process and methodology page.
Content director Kara McGrath brushes on the Rare Beauty Positive Light Silky Touch Highlighter.
Content director Kara McGrath brushes on the Rare Beauty Positive Light Silky Touch Highlighter.
Associate beauty director Sarah Kinonen twists up the LYS Beauty No Limits Cream Bronzer Stick.
Associate manager of special projects Talia Gutierrez dusts on the One/Size Ultimate Blurring Setting Powder.
Associate manager of special projects Talia Gutierrez dusts on the One/Size Ultimate Blurring Setting Powder.
