Style
10 Brilliant Beauty Products That Can Be Used So Many Different Ways
If you're reading this, you probably enjoy wearing makeup — but what you probably don't enjoy is the dozens of different products it takes to put a full face together. Luckily, there are tons of compact, multi-tasking formulas out there, and even better, many of the best multi-use makeup products can be bought right on Amazon.
While a lot of the products on this list contain multiple different formulas in one package — like dual-sided sticks and two-in-one compacts — others require a bit more imagination to figure out what makes them such great multi-taskers. Take clear mascara, for example: not only can you use it on your lashes, but you can also use it as brow gel and as a hair pomade to tame your baby hairs and flyaways. Other products, like lip and cheek tints, can also be used as eyeshadow along your crease. Meanwhile, deceptively simple products like foundation sticks can also be used as concealer, as eyeshadow, or to contour.
Ahead, find 10 of the best multi-use makeup products on the market right now, from compacts and sticks to stains, pencils, gels, and more. You'll find formulas to suit all skin types, skin tones, and budgets — so go ahead and get shopping.
1The Overall Best Multi-Use Makeup Stick
Looking for a blush, highlighter, eyeshadow, and lip tint all in one? Then this multi-use stick is for you. Available in four versatile shades, including an iridescent pearl hue and a pretty true pink, it blends into skin easily with its creamy, shimmery formula. Its stick format couldn't be easier to travel with, and the "elastic silky powder" in the formula helps resist sweat and water so your makeup doesn't melt off. "[It's] long-lasting, and gentle on my sensitive skin," wrote one reviewer.
2The Best Lip, Cheek, & Lid Cream
If you prefer a classic cream compact, Rituel de Fille's Inner Glow Crème Pigment is the splurge to make. The buildable formula is sold in eight unique colors, including a dark, purple-y hue called Eclipse, a chocolatey brown called Eros, and other assorted shades of red and pink. It can be used on your lips, cheeks, and eyes, alone or mixed with other products. But what makes this compact so great (asides from its spellbinding packaging) is its formula. Like all of the brand's products, the Inner Glow Crème Pigment is Leaping Bunny-certified cruelty-free, and made with only the finest, most ethically-sourced raw and plant-based ingredients.
3The Best Lip, Cheek, & Lid Stain
Made by iconic Korean beauty brand Etude House, the Dear Darling Water Tint is one of their most beloved products. The unique, watery formula is loaded with buildable pigment that can be layered on for a more dramatic look, or swept on just once for a subtle, just-ate-a-popsicle finish (you can also use it on your cheeks as blush). And, you know those gradient lips you always see on Instagram? This is how you achieve them. Just tap some of the tint in the middle of your lips and blend out.
Aside from Cherry Ade (pictured), the tint is also sold in Orange Ade and Strawberry Ade.
4The Best Clean Lip, Cheek, & Lid Tint
For the minimalist beauty-lover who's also mindful of what goes into their products, this Volumizing Lip and Cheek tint from Tata Harper is a must-have. It's packed with good-for-you antioxidants, thanks to the natural ingredients in the formula that Harper actually grows on her own farm. The pigment is creamy and buildable, and can also be used on your eyes as well as on your lips and cheeks. Choose from Petal Pink (pictured), Rosy Pink, Ruby, and Peach.
5The Best Dual Lip, Cheek, & Lid Compact
Why stick to just one color if you can get two? This duo from TonyMoly can be used on your lips, cheeks, and eyes, on their own or mixed together. Moisturizing and creamy, it comes housed in a darling little panda compact that you'll love pulling out of your makeup bag. Don't love these orange-y shades? It also comes in a dual pink.
6The Best Contour & Highlight Stick
While contouring can be a little tough to master, this dual-sided sick makes things practically foolproof. Sold in five different shades, one side is for highlighting, while the other for contouring. That said, you can also use the highlighter side as eyeshadow, or the contour side as concealer. And while both creamy formulas can be easily blended with your fingers, PÜR's Cameo Contour & Highlight Stick comes with a bonus makeup sponge.
7The Best Drugstore Contour & Highlight Stick
If the PÜR Cameo Contour & Highlight Stick is a bit out of your price range, say hello to NYX's Wonder Stick, which works similarly and is also offered in five shades. At just $5, you get two formulas in one for contouring and highlighting. While the sides are shapely more thinly than PÜR's chunky stick, this also makes it ideal for precise contouring, especially around your eyebrows and nose.
8The Best Contour, Foundation, & Concealer Stick
While those with darker skin tones can use this multi-tasking stick from Black Radiance as concealer and/or foundation, it can also be used to contour lighter skin. Its stick format makes it a breeze to travel with, and its creamy texture means it's easy to blend. Choose from seven shades.
9The Best Brow Gel, Clear Mascara, & Hair Pomade In One
Maybelline Great Lash may bring you back to high school — but it still warrants a place in your makeup bag today. That's because, in addition to being used as clear mascara on your lashes, it can also be used as brow gel or to slick down flyaways. It also comes in a waterproof formula, if you prefer something a bit more long-lasting.
10The Best Multi-Use Brow, Eye, & Highlight Pencil
Sure, this pencil from NYX is marketed as a brow tool — and it's great for that. But its highlighting side can be used not only to, yes, highlight under your brows, but also on your eyelids, cupid's bow, cheekbones, and nose. Meanwhile, the darker, thinner side side can be used as brow pencil or as eyeliner. This pen may look simple, but it can actually be used so many different ways.
Other shades include Blonde, Taupe Vanilla, Light Beige/Espresso, Brunette/Cream, Soft Brown Rose, Soft Pink/Auburn
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