I tried every top celeb’s make-up brand – the must-have products including £24 lip paint that’ll make your teeth white
THE world of beauty has always been big business, but in recent years it’s become a goldmine for celebrities looking to expand their empires.
With devoted fans eager to emulate their flawless looks, A-Listers are swapping the stage and screen for skincare labs and make-up counters, launching products that promise everything from glowing skin to luscious locks.
And it’s paying off – just ask Hailey Bieber, who’s now a billionaire after selling her cult-favourite skincare line, Rhode, to e.l.f. Cosmetics for a staggering £744million.
But with so many celeb-backed brands flooding the shelves, are these products worth the hype or just clever cash grabs?
Fabulous Beauty Editor Tara Ledden has tried them all, and reveals below the ONE item from each brand worth adding to your makeup bag.
LIP PAINT: FENTY BEAUTY BY RIHANNA
POP icon Rihanna changed the make-up landscape when she launched her brand Fenty Beauty with a fully inclusive shade range, forcing big brands to play catch up and making 40+ shade foundation ranges the bare minimum across the board.
As of last year it was the most popular celeb makeup line in the world, and RiRi has nailed more than base products.
Eight years on from its launch, Fenty Stunna Lip Paint remains the best matte lipstick on the market, and my number one pick from the brand.
If you don’t think you suit red lipstick, the shade ‘uncensored’ will prove you wrong – it’s a universal red that magically suits all skin tones, and delivers bold colour in one swipe that makes teeth look whiter – best of all, it stays put through just about everything.
MASCARA: VICTORIA BECKHAM BEAUTY BY VICTORIA BECKHAM
POP star, fashion designer, and now big-time beauty mogul, there’s nothing VB can’t do – and this era might just be her best yet.
The company has already reached cult status, despite launching less than 6 years ago, with one Satin Kajal eyeliner sold every 30 seconds.
Everything about the brand feels true to Posh – even the tortoiseshell packaging was inspired by a bowl in her kitchen – so I believe her when she says she’s creating products she can’t find but wants in her make-up bag.
Her Future Lash Mascara is testament to that – it separates and lengthens lashes, with a curved brush that lifts. Plus the formula doesn’t smudge, but can be removed with warm water.
BRONZER: KYLIE COSMETICS BY KYLIE JENNER
DESPITE being the youngest Kar-Jenner sister, and one of the youngest celebs to found a beauty brand – given she was only 17 when Kylie Cosmetics hit shelves a decade ago – the products within her eponymous brand feel anything but immature.
Kylie’s Lip Kits, £29, Boots, had me in a vice-like grip a decade ago, when drops sold out in seconds and had to be shipped from the states.
Now, the brand is much more accessible – it can be found on the shelves at Boots – and more grown up too.
Kylie Pressed Bronzing Powder is a best-seller for a reason; the buttery formula blends out seamlessly, and the 6-strong shade range beats cult products like Benefit’s Hoola Bronzer, £33, so you can find a tailored match – and you’ll save a tenner!
LIP TINT: RHODE BY HAILEY BIEBER
HAILEY Bieber’s influence is undeniable – she’s the modern day IT girl, and adored by millennials, Gen Z and Gen Alpha alike, with my 13-year-old niece just as obsessed with the brand as I am.
She has an impressive talent of being relatable – despite the actor dad and pop-star husband – and her ‘girl next door’ nature means she’s nailed marketing her brand as she knows what consumers want.
Be it hydrating skincare, or a phone case that holds their lip balm. With mouth-watering names that evoke the senses – think ‘donut skin’ and ‘glazing milk’ – and bring life to a brand that can only be bought online.
If you’re in the market for her signature fancy lip balm, skip Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment, £18, rhodeskin.com, in favour of Rhode Peptide Lip Tint, which delivers sheer colour and glossy shine with the same comforting formula, for the same price – so you’re basically getting two products in one.
BLUSH: RARE BEAUTY BY SELENA GOMEZ
SINGER Selena Gomez has clearly put lots of time and money into Rare Beauty’s considered launches – and since its hit shelves in 2020, the brand has gone from strength to strength to encompass everything from hand cream and hair perfume to highlighter.
The latest launch, Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Matte Bouncy Blush, £23, spacenk.com, which stays put all day – even on oily skin – is the best yet.
I usually prefer cream formulas, but this hybrid powder won me over from first use – combining the colour payoff of the viral Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush, with a more user-friendly format.
One dollar of every single sale across the brand is donated to the Rare Impact Fund, a charity set up by Selena devoted to improving mental health, so I completely understand why it was named Time’s Most Influential Company of 2024.
FOUNDATION: HAUS LABS BY LADY GAGA
IF you want seriously innovative, hard working make-up, Lady Gaga’s Haus Labs is leading the way.
Their base products are in a league of their own. Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech Foundation, and Concealer, are self-setting, so you can wear them without powder and they won’t budge or crease – making it as long-lasting as the iconic Estee Lauder Double Wear, £40, debenhams.com.
The creaseless technology is great for fine lines and wrinkles, as it won’t settle into uneven skin, and both formulas are packed with skincare ingredients – including hydrating glycerin and squalane, brightening antioxidants and soothing cica, arnica and chamomile, so your skin will improve with prolonged wear.
BROW PENCIL: REFY by JESS HUNT
MODEL and influencer Jess Hunt launched Refy in November 2020 with a collection of innovative brow products to help people recreate her famous arches, and it was an instant social-media hit.
Since then, the capsule collection has grown to include a full roster of make-up must-haves.
They’re most famous for the no-budge wax-gel hybrid – Brow Sculpt, £18, refybeauty.com – but the original Brow Pencil, £16, refybeauty.com, is my personal favourite.
The colour deposits easily, but the pencil is thin enough to maintain hair like strokes, and it blends out easily so you can quickly wipe away mistakes. I first used it nearly five years ago, and keep going back!
PRIMER-HIGHLIGHTER: CHARLOTTE TILBURY
IT’S rare for a single brand to excel in so many categories, but I’d expect nothing less from the detail-oriented, over-achieving founder.
It’s hard to pick just one product – I’m wedded to their Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder, £39 and Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray, £20 for setting my make-up – but I can’t overlook the brand’s Hollywood Flawless Filter.
For the uninitiated, there was nothing like it on the market when it launched; a primer-highlighter hybrid that makes skin instantly radiant without being greasy or glittery.
You can use it both under and over make-up, all over the face or on select areas like cheekbones to add dimension – so it’s basically two products in one.
EYE SHADOW: TRINNY LONDON BY TRINNY WOODALL
TRINNY Woodall has come a long way since she told us exactly What Not To Wear.
Though her background was in fashion, her beauty line, Trinny London, aimed at older women, has gained her a loyal fan base.
I didn’t expect any of Trinny London’s products to become a go-to at the age of 29, but I was wrong. Trinny London See The Light SPF 50+ Moisturiser, £46, John Lewis, is like no other SPF I’ve ever tried – there’s no stickiness, greasiness or white cast, and it sits seamlessly under make-up, but it’s her Eye2Eye shadows that really stand out.
The cream based formula can be applied straight from the pot with fingers, and glides over skin so there’s no pulling or tugging, and no powder fall-out to ruin the rest of your make-up.
Once on, they don’t crease or smudge, avoiding accidental panda-eyes – which is always a worry with my oily skin.
EYELINER: VIEVE BY JAMIE GENEVIVE
FOUNDER Jamie Genevive started her career on an Estee Lauder make-up counter in Glasgow, before amassing over a million Instagram followers – largely thanks to her easy-to-follow make-up tutorials and down to earth attitude – and creating her name-sake brand.
Now founder and CCO, she’s still as approachable to her followers, and knows what real women want from their make-up, so I trust her implicitly.
I was an eyeliner-phobe before meeting Vieve Power Ink Liner, £23, vievebeauty.com, but the tapered pencil and felt-tip nib make application seamless and precise (despite my unsteady hand), while the formula doesn’t seep into fine lines around the eye, and stays put all day – win win!