We're living in the golden age of beauty—that is, if the amount of celebrity makeup artists who have started their own brands is any indication. Are you obsessed with the looks Pat McGrath creates at any given fashion week? Shop her brand, Pat McGrath Labs. Do you save every makeup look Patrick Ta posts on Instagram? Shop his brand, Patrick Ta Beauty. Is Kim Kardashian your main makeup inspiration? Turn to Makeup by Mario.
The latter is owned and operated by Kardashian's longtime friend and makeup artist, Mario Dedivanovic. His products can be found in the makeup bags of celebrities, influencers, and beauty editors, including mine. I have a large number of his products, many of which I use daily. I love them so much that I've practically forced my friends (and a few strangers) to try them. But don't worry—it's always friendly, and they ultimately love them. See the 14 best beauty editor-approved Makeup by Mario products below, plus three looks I created with them.
My first look was something I'd wear every day, whether to the office, to brunch, or somewhere similarly casual. It is all about pink cheeks, lightly defined eyes, and shiny tinted lips.
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Even though this foundation offers quite a bit of coverage (more than the light-to-medium formulas I usually wear), I appreciate its lightweight finish. It never smudges, pills, or settles into fine lines, which is why I keep it in rotation. Check out theBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing team's in-depth review of the product.
While I'm known to be a big fan of contour sticks, this one is in my top three. Its shade range is on point (it doesn't look too warm on the skin), and the formula is creamy yet immovable. It helps create the most natural-looking contour, practically carving out my cheekbones.
This silky pressed powder blends into the skin like a dream. Because I prefer my highlighter to be barely noticeable, I apply only a sheer dusting, but you can also build it up for a bolder sheen. I love how it subtly reflects the light off my nose and cheekbones.
This eyeliner reminds me of the SoftSculpt Shaping Stick in that it's creamy and super blendable but doesn't transfer or smudge easily. Plus, thanks to the small brush on the other end of the pencil, it is easy to shape your liner into a small wing.
The final product I used was this crazy-popular lip serum. It's somewhere between lip oil, lip balm, and lip plumper, meaning it does triple duty by offering moisture, a hint of color, and a lot of shine.
I upped the ante for the second look, opting for a vinyl-like red lip. Because I wanted the bold lip to be the focal point, I kept the rest of my makeup minimal for a French-inspired look. This is a look I'd wear to dinner or an event because it's slightly sultrier.
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It might not be easily visible in the picture, but I'm wearing a wash of this sparkling powder on my eyelids. I've waxed poetic about this product before; in fact, I sold it to three strangers last time I was at Sephora—it's that good.
Incredibly fine shimmer particles give it a wet look. It's almost like a cross between an eye shadow and an eye gloss. You can use it alone, as I did, or layer it on top of another eye shadow for more oomph. If I could only recommend one Makeup by Mario product, this would be it.
Even though I didn't use this shade when creating the look above, I had to include it. I love it, okay! This shade gives you the same wet look as Quartz but offers a sheer wash of gold color to the eyelids.
The third and final shade is called Bronzite. I reach for this rosy brown the most, as it looks subtle enough for daily wear and complements my minimal makeup routine.
This is one of the newer products I've tried. It's a balm that evens out skin tone while providing light coverage. While I had to supplement this product with the brand's foundation to cover up the redness around my nose and cheeks, I liked the subtle blurring effect it gave my skin. I also like that it has vitamins, antioxidants, and an omega-6 fatty acid to support my skin barrier.
The grand finale for this look is one of the brand's newest launches. This lip color gives the prettiest vinyl-like shine thanks to a formula infused with water and oil. That's also why it's so moisturizing.
The final look was all about living my ABBA-fueled '70s disco dreams. I opted for bold, metallic blue eye shadow balanced with a shiny nude lip gloss.
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The pièce de résistance of this look is the Master Metals Eyeshadow Palette. While it's not as popular as the brand's Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette ($50), it's just as good, offering bolder colors. The simple white packaging houses five brilliant metallic eye shadow shades that are just as reflective as they are pigmented. I went for the steel blue on the far left and used my ring finger to swipe it over my lids.
Then it was time to get my brows under control. I use this brow pencil daily. I love that the angled pencil has a gray undertone, so it convincingly looks like brow hairs (not just makeup). I usually use it to fill in the sparse areas around the arches and ends of my eyebrows.
To give my skin a little more of a disco glow (can I trademark that?), I used a fluffy brush to sweep this powder all over my face. It sets base makeup while illuminating the skin for a more radiant finish.
I didn't want anything to compete with the bold eye shadow I was wearing, so I opted for nude lip gloss as the finishing touch. This one has a high-shine finish and small sparkly particles that reflect light. Unfortunately, it's a limited-edition product, so act fast.
Next, 7 Editors on the Beauty Products They Want to Deinfluence (and 17 Alternatives)
