MAKE UP FOR EVER · Artist Face Color

In the whirlwind pace of so many new — and frequently limited edition collections launching from all the brands, it’s nice to take a step back and give some love to something more permanent; case in point, the Artist face Colour blushes, highlighters, and sculpting powders from MAKE UP FOR EVER — a brand that definitely knows a thing or two about colour and more importantly, performance. After all, why not have it all?

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Apart from 34 colours to choose from, there are several other factors that make these products stand out; for starters, each comes in a generously sized pan which means you’ll definitely get your money’s worth. Secondly, there are options regarding the refillable options of the 2 and 3-pan sizes, both of which are priced at an astonishing (CAN) $2.00 each. Yes, you read that right: 2 FRICKIN dollars each (who else offers anything like this?), with each made of sturdy metal that comes with a magnetic backing to securely hold the product in place, and both come with a full-sized mirror on the inner lid. Beat that. But the best part about this system? It puts YOU, the consumer, in the driver’s seat: you select the shades you want, the shades you know you’re going to absolutely use. One final selling point: when you select your shades for either the 2 or 3-pan size, you get a nice discount on the price:

Select any 2 shades: CAN $44.00 (value of $60.00)
Select any 3 shades: CAN $56.00 (value of $89.00)

Palettes available in single, 2 & 3-pan sizes

Artist Face Color Blush, Sculpt & Highlight Powders (CAN $29.00/each) | A quick word about the formula: all come in a pressed powder format offering intense colour payoff via atomized pigments. Staying power is also impressive, in particular when applied over a base (primer or foundation) and all stay true without oxidizing or fading. With finishes ranging from matte, satin/pearl and shimmer, there are several crossovers as well (blush/sculpt, highlight/blush), effectively doubling and sometimes even tripling, their uses.

Regarding the blushes, as mentioned before the formula is highly pigmented, meaning a little really goes a long way; that said, start with a scant amount and build up. Each also blends beautifully and once applied, merges seamlessly with the skin and never looks like it’s sitting at surface level.

NOTE that there are more shades available that I’m not showing here (the same goes for both the sculpting and highlighters shades).

B110 – peachy beige
B200 – shimmery opal pink (can work as highlight too)
B202 – blue pink
B204 – cold pink
B208 – English pink
B216 – fuchsia
B218 – bright raspberry

B302 – shimmery peach
B308 – coral
B316 – red coral
B402 – vermillion
B500 – plum

The sculpting shades (all matte) range in both cool and warm tones and offer up so many options; apart from traditional contouring, some can be used as bronzer or even eye shadow — it’s all dependant on your preferences and complexion. The highlighters are UNBELIEVABLE and most likely made of unicorn tears — the shimmer is never frosty, but beautifully complex and blends so smoothly and easily along the skin. TIP: these can also be applied to inner eye corner or along collar bones for an extra dash of ooh-la-la.

S112 – shadow
S116 – medium shadow
S118 – dark shadow
S214 – rosewood (can also be used as blush)
S300 – pastel coral (can also be used as blush)
S310 – praline (can also be used as blush)
S502 – violet brown

H102 – shimmery pink alabaster
H104 – eggshell
H106 – shimmery champagne
H108 – banana
H312 – shimmery gold copper

Don’t get me wrong; it’s not that I don’t love limited edition collections, but it gets frustrating at times trying to keep up — or even worse, trying to hunt down elusive & hyped up items. I really appreciate that MAKE UP FOR EVER has never forgotten its professional-industry roots and while some products may get tweaked every now & then, the core lineup is what continues to drive this brand. A permanent range, amazing colours on offer, and a hard-to-beat price point … doesn’t get better than that, I tell you.

Available at Sephora and online