Rare Beauty Review

About Rare Beauty

Selena Gomez is a huge name in music and television, but she officially made the leap into the cosmetic industry with Rare Beauty. The company offers a full range of vegan and cruelty-free makeup, including foundation, concealer, liquid blush, and more.

With a focus on inclusivity, the brand’s motto is all about enhancing your natural beauty, rather than covering it up: “makeup to feel good in, without hiding what makes you unique.”

With more than 2.6 million followers on Instagram, it’s safe to say Rare Beauty is no stranger to the spotlight. Since its inception, the brand has been featured in well-known media sources, like Cosmopolitan, Vogue, ELLE Magazine, and Forbes. And, in 2020, Lightning Awards named it the Best Beauty Newcomer.

In the following sections, this Rare Beauty review will take an in-depth look at the company, its mission, collection, customer ratings, promotions, FAQs, and more to help you decide if its makeup products are worth adding to your collection.

Overview of Rare Beauty

Selena Gomez grew up in the public eye. In recent years, she’s become increasingly transparent about her struggles with her mental health, as well as the impossible beauty standards we all face.

So, the multi-talented celebrity decided to passionately shake up the beauty industry, launching Rare Beauty in 2020. In an Instagram post, she describes her thought process behind the brand as:

“Being rare is about being comfortable in yourself. I’ve stopped trying to be perfect. I just want to be me. I think Rare Beauty can be more than a beauty brand. I want us all to stop comparing ourselves to each other and start embrace our uniqueness. You’re not defined by a photo, a like or a comment. Rare Beauty isn’t about how other people see you, but how you see yourself.”

Indeed, the brand’s dedication to inclusivity and representation is clear in its product formulation and delivery. It offers 48 color options for the Rare Beauty touch foundation and concealer.

The company also launched the Rare Impact Fund, which donates 1% of all sales to “increase access to mental health services in educational settings.” This is an attempt to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and wellbeing, something Gomez herself claims to have struggled with in the past.

Later this year, Rare Beauty will be introducing post-consumer recycled materials into the packaging designs of several products. Plus, when ordering online, all shipping materials are 100% recyclable.

Rare Beauty also promises ethical production, meaning there is no forced or coerced labor used in creating any of its products. Additionally, its collection is vegan and cruelty-free.

There’s no denying that Selena Gomez is a beautiful woman, but does her beauty brand live up to the hype? This Rare Beauty review will now provide an overview of the pros and cons:

Pros

• Full range of cosmetics, including foundation, concealer, blush, eyeliner, lipstick, lip gloss, highlighter, and more
• Inclusive shade range—foundation and concealer are offered in 48 colors
• Thousands of positive testimonials that attest to the quality, longevity, and pigmentation of products
• Dedicated to sustainability and ethical product production
• Vegan and cruelty-free
• Competitive pricing compared to similar companies
• Some international shipping available

Cons

• Still a fairly limited product line (for example, only one foundation formulation available)
• No shipping to Australia or New Zealand

Up next, this Rare Beauty review will introduce you to some of the company’s top-selling products, including a lightweight foundation, a pigmented, jewel-inspired palette, and silky scrunchies. Your new beauty essentials might be waiting in this lineup.

For those who prefer to pay in interest-free installments, the brand offers Klarna as an alternative payment method.

Rare Beauty Review

All of the brand’s products are vegan, cruelty-free, and tested by professionals, including dermatologists. And, formulas are designed with “sensitive skin types in mind,” according to the Rare Beauty website.

While the company offers a wide selection of products (with newer products launching regularly), this Rare Beauty review will feature only the brand’s bestsellers.

Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush Review

The Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush has become a hit online—and for good reason. This highly pigmented product blends easily across your cheeks, offering a natural, flushed appearance. Or, if you prefer something more dramatic, it can easily be built up.

This Rare Beauty liquid blush is long-lasting and meant for all-day wear. Formulated using a “botanical blend” of lotus, gardenia, and white water lily flowers, this product also nourishes the skin while providing color.

There are eight shades and two finishes to choose from, such as nude pink (matte), muted peach (dewy), and true red (dewy). Whether you’re going for a simple daytime look or full glam, this blush will get the job done.

The packaging is also sleek, featuring a gold twist-off top and doe-foot applicator. Simply apply one or two dots of product to the desired area and tap the product in using your fingertips for a natural-looking, rosy glow.

Add the Rare Beauty Selena blush to your collection for $20 (0.25 oz).

Rare Beauty Perfect Strokes Matte Liquid Liner Review

Calling all liquid liner lovers—you’ll want to check out the Rare Beauty Perfect Strokes Matte Liquid Liner. Perfect for bold, winged looks, this eyeliner pen glides easily across most skin types, including dry and oily skin.

The vegan brush bristles absorb the formula with ease and create ultra-black lines with intense precision. The calligraphy-style design also makes the actual packaging easy and comfortable to hold for maximum control.

Heading to the pool? Don’t worry, the Rare Beauty Selena eyeliner pen is also waterproof. Get it for $19 (0.03 oz).

Rare Beauty Stay Vulnerable Glossy Lip Balm Review

There’s no denying that lip gloss is back in style. A good gloss will provide juicy, soft lips—the Rare Beauty Stay Vulnerable Glossy Lip Balm is no exception.

Though this product provides a wash of color, it works like a mask. Its formulation is hydrating, soft, nourishing, and definitely not sticky.

This Rare Beauty glossy lip balm is available in five colors, but we’re particularly excited about nearly apricot, a vibrant coral shade that is perfect for Summer. Add it to your collection for $18 (0.12 fl oz).

Rare Beauty Liquid Touch Brightening Concealer Review

Every beauty lover knows how tough it can be to find a great concealer, but the Rare Beauty Liquid Touch Brightening Concealer has you covered—literally. Available in 48 shades, this product hydrates while providing lightweight coverage.

Featuring the brand’s signature “botanical blend,” this formulation treats the skin while providing coverage. Blemishes will be soothed and calmed, thanks to gardenia and white water lilies.

The oversized applicator offers a flat edge for larger areas and a fine point for more precise application. Rare Beauty suggests blending the product in with your fingers or a brush.

For a flawless, radiant finish, get the Liquid Touch Brightening Concealer for $19 (0.25 oz). Hint: the colors are designed to match up with the Rare Beauty weightless foundation—so, you should be the same in both!

Rare Beauty Stay Vulnerable Liquid Eyeshadow Review

A great liquid eyeshadow should be super pigmented and buildable—the Rare Beauty Stay Vulnerable Liquid Eyeshadow is just that.

Available in five different pink-ish shades, this product is long-lasting and waterproof, so it won’t crease, flake, or fade. It’s also weightless and smooth so it blends easily into the skin.

To use, simply apply the Rare Beauty liquid eyeshadow with the in-package brush. Then, for a smokier or more subtle look, use your finger or an eyeshadow brush to blend out the pigment. This eyeshadow is versatile, offering a subtle look when lightly applied, but able to provide glam and drama when needed.

The formula is also paraben-free, suitable for sensitive eyes, and safe for contact-wearers. Get the Stay Vulnerable Liquid Eyeshadow for $20 (0.1 oz).

Rare Beauty Rare Magnetic Spirit Eyeshadow Palette Review 

Offering six highly pigmented colors, the Rare Beauty Magnetic Spirit Eyeshadow Palette will quickly become your go-to for ultra-feminine looks. Shades range from a soft peachy nude hue to a deep amethyst color, all in a duo-chrome or metallic finish.

Offering a dramatic shimmer, these shades are designed to pull attention to your eyes. The brand boasts that each color in this Rare Beauty eyeshadow palette is easy to blend, with a soft and buttery texture.

The vibrant, prismatic packaging also comes with a mirror compact for on-the-go touch-ups. Get the Magnetic Spirit Eyeshadow Palette for $25.

Need something for your lips to finish the look? Check out the Rare Beauty Selena lip glosses.

Rare Beauty Hair Clip Duo Review 

It may come as a surprise to some, but this brand sells more than just traditional makeup products. The Rare Beauty Hair Clip Duo features two large snap clips ideal for taming wind bangs and keeping flyaway hairs in place.

Offered in berry and peach colors, we suggest keeping these clips in your makeup bag. Whether you’re doing your makeup at home or touching it up on the go, nothing is worse than your hair getting in the way of an almost flawless foundation application.

With a matte metal finish and a fun, bulky size, the Hair Clip Duo retails for $8.

Rare Beauty Hair Scrunchie Duo Review 

Elevate your top-knot with the Rare Beauty Hair Scrunchie Duo. Great for tying up hair of all textures and lengths, these scrunchies are satiny and pre-tied for an effortlessly put-together look.

Offered in pink and purple, these luxurious scrunchies are 3.5” in diameter. Get this duo for $10, then throw on some ​​Rare Beauty Selena Gomez lipstick to complete the look.

Is Rare Beauty Vegan?

The company’s collection is vegan and cruelty-free, meaning there is no animal testing done on any of the products sold. There are also no animal-derived ingredients or animal byproducts.

Is Rare Beauty Chemical-Free?

While vegan and cruelty-free, not all Rare Beauty products are chemical-free. But, the brand does abide by the strict cosmetic standards of the European Union, meaning there are over 1.6k chemicals banned from usage in any products, such as BHAs and parabens. A fuller list of banned chemicals can be found on the Rare Beauty website.

Rare Beauty also formulates its products without gluten-derived ingredients, allowing for use by those with sensitivities. But, its website notes “unavoidable cross-contamination” within its manufacturing process, so trace amounts of gluten-derived ingredients might be found.

Who Is Rare Beauty For?

Rare Beauty is a brand dedicated to inclusion. There is no one type of person able to use its products. Instead, the brand aims to be inclusive of all folks regardless of age, gender, race, cultural background, or ability.

Comparison: Rare Beauty vs. Fenty Beauty

Selena Gomez isn’t the first celebrity to launch a cosmetic brand. So how does it hold up to the competition? This Rare Beauty review chose to host a friendly contest between our featured company and Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty. In the end, we’ll let you decide on your winner.

Fenty has been around for a bit longer, having launched in 2017. Still, there are many similarities between the two brands. For example, they’re both sold at Sephora and offer vegan and cruelty-free makeup products.

To get a closer peek, we chose to compare similar products from each brand: Rare’s Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation and Fenty’s Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Liquid Foundation.

Rare’s foundation comes in at a little bit cheaper, offering 0.94 oz for $29, compared to Fenty’s option, which offers 1.08 oz for $36. But, both products are solidly in the mid-price range. Rihanna’s foundation comes in 50 shades and Selena’s comes in 48.

Across both brands, there are thousands of positive testimonials, too. It seems that both Fenty Beauty and Rare Beauty have a solid reputation within the industry.

If you want to learn more about Fenty Beauty, check out our full Fenty Beauty Cosmetics Review.

Rare Beauty Reviews: What Do Customers Think?

Though the company’s collection looks promising, this Rare Beauty review wanted to see what real customers had to say. So, we sourced testimonials from Sephora, the company’s website, and Influenster to get the scoop.

The brand’s products receive the most feedback at Sephora, where its top-selling items have been reviewed hundreds to thousands of times. Here’s an overview:

• Soft Pinch Liquid Blush: an average of 4.5/5 stars from 1.9k ratings
• Pore Diffusing Primer: an average of 4.6/5 stars from 880 ratings
• Stay Vulnerable Melting Cream Blush: an average of 4.4/5 stars from 540 ratings
• Positive Light Liquid Luminizer Highlight: an average of 4.4/5 stars from 529 ratings
• Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation: an average of 4.2/5 stars from 4.3k ratings
• Liquid Touch Brightening Concealer: an average of 4.3/5 stars from 1k ratings
• Lip Souffle Matte Cream Lipstick: an average of 4.4/5 stars from 977 ratings

We chose to dive deeper into the Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation because it’s one of the company’s most-reviewed products. This product comes recommended by 82% of users for its buildable formulation, lightweight feel, and natural finish. Take this glowing testimonial:

“I absolutely love this foundation! You don’t have to use that much product to achieve medium coverage and it has a beautiful glow. The doe-foot applicator makes it super easy to apply and the product blends like a dream… 10/10 would recommend for anyone looking for a satin to dewy finish foundation that is relatively long wearing!”

Meanwhile, other shoppers report that the Soft Pinch Liquid Blushes are very pigmented and easy to apply: “This has to be the most pigmented blush I have ever used! Just the tiniest amount does my whole face. The color is beautiful, just the right shade that I was looking for. I feel like I will never use up this container because it takes such a tiny amount each time.”

Next, we turned to Rare Beauty reviews on the company’s own website. Here, customers have provided feedback on the Always An Optimist 4-In-1 Mist and the Perfect Strokes Matte Liquid Liner. The mist has earned 4.9/5 stars from 221 users, and the liner has earned 4.7/5 stars from 467.

On the eyeliner, shoppers report that it is the “best eyeliner ever” and the “eyeliner of [their] dreams.” It is easy to apply, pigmented, and provides hours of wear without smudging. Take this woman’s experience:

“I work in production and let me tell y’all that this eyeliner is no joke. I have oily eyelids that sweat throughout the day… I’ve worn it for a few days now and it doesn’t smudge to the top of my lids nor does it rub off easily. It’s precise and easy to use too!”

On Influenster, the company has been reviewed 6.7k times, with an average collective rating of roughly 4.6/5 stars. Here, customers confirm that a little bit of each product goes a long way, they are highly pigmented, and easy to apply.

The brand is still fairly new, and we struggled to find feedback on its customer service team, delivery standards, or return policy. It seems that most customers purchase Rare Beauty’s products through Sephora, which has a solid customer service team and return policy already.

All in all, negative testimonials were incredibly rare. While we found some customers who were unhappy with certain formulations, the vast majority of people praised the buildability, longevity, and pigmentation of the brand’s collection.

Is Rare Beauty Worth It?

This Rare Beauty review readily recommends this brand. It would be hard to argue otherwise, given that there are thousands of glowing testimonials on this collection. From the pigmentation of the blushes and eyeshadows to the natural finish of the foundation, customers have good things to say.

Plus, the company’s mission is one we can get behind. Enhancing your natural beauty rather than covering it up is something we always appreciate in a makeup line—and with 48 foundation and concealer shades to choose from, Rare Beauty ensures that anyone can enjoy its products.

In addition to the brand’s inclusivity, its products are vegan and cruelty-free. And, Rare Beauty ensures everything is produced ethically.

Makeup lovers, regardless of experience level, should consider these products. Newer makeup users will love the natural look and lightweight feel of the formulations, while more daring makeup artists will appreciate the buildability and sheer pigmentation.

This collection is also priced fairly, especially compared to other celebrity-led and endorsed cosmetic brands. According to the Rare Beauty review, this makeup line is absolutely worth it.

Rare Beauty Promotions & Discounts

Unfortunately, there are no active promo codes or discounts available on the company’s website. But, this Rare Beauty review suggests signing up for its newsletter to stay up-to-date on future promotions.

Where to Buy Rare Beauty

Shoppers can head to RareBeauty.com or Sephora to shop for the brand’s collection. 

FAQ

Who owns Rare Beauty?

Rare Beauty is owned by founder and creator Selena Gomez.

Where are Rare Beauty products made?

Rare Beauty products are made in South Korea (often called the beauty capital of the world).

What is Rare Beauty’s Shipping Policy?

The brand offers free standard shipping for all purchases to the US of over $50 (excluding taxes).

What is Rare Beauty’s Return Policy?

The company accepts returns within 30 days of purchase to qualify for free return shipping. Any missing or damaged items can also be refunded or exchanged by its customer service team.

But, items purchased from Sephora can only be returned there directly, not to the Rare Beauty brand.

How to Contact Rare Beauty

If you have any questions after reading this Rare Beauty review, you can contact the brand via:

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone at 1-888-892-RARE (7273)

The company’s team is available Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 4:00 pm PT.

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