From innovative eyeliner looks to the most volumised lashes, it’s safe to say that I take a lot of inspiration from Ariana Grande’s flawless makeup game! And it’s not just her makeup that I admire but her keen nose for creating sweet and sassy fragrances. Trust me, her fragrances have a perfect scent for everyday wear, whether it’s morning or night and really last for hours. So when Ariana announced that she was releasing her own makeup line, which may I add had been in the works for two years, it’s safe to say that I was ready for Ariana to take my money right there and then. Thankfully we didn’t have to wait too long as r.e.m. beauty is finally here!
The first part of the brand name may indeed sound familiar as it shares the same name as her song R.E.M. from her Sweetener album. REM also stands for rapid eye movement which is a unique phase of sleep that really focuses on dreams and the eyes and Ariana has really managed to achieve that meaning through her beautifully curated line. The first drop from r.e.m. beauty is titled Chapter 1: Ultraviolet with all products being 100% vegan and cruelty-free. Ariana really has created one of the dreamiest collections with high-performing and innovative products for the eyes, face and lips. And not to be biased (as I’m a complete Ari stan) but it’s easy to see how much love, passion and hard work has gone into creating r.e.m. beauty. Products range from £15 – £22 and there really is something for everyone, whether you know a thing or two about makeup or are delving in for the first time.
I was really fortunate to get the chance to try out a few products from r.e.m. beauty before the official launch date, so you can expect my full honest opinion from the past few days and all the beauty tea on what’s worth buying.
Sit back, relax and get ready to immerse yourself in the dreamy world of r.e.m. beauty.
Vanese Maddix wearing r.e.m. beauty Midnight Shadows Eyeshadow Palette in Babydoll, Liquid Eyeshadow in UFO, Eyeliner in Midnight Black and Highlighter in Miss Neptune.
Aside from being excited to try absolutely everything in chapter 1 (who isn’t!) I have to admit the liquid eyeshadows were what I was really really excited to try and as to be expected, they did NOT disappoint. Eyeshadow is one of my two desert island beauty products as an eyeshadow has the ability to say and do so much from enhancing your eye colour to the eye shape. r.e.m. beauty’s Lustrous Liquid Eyeshadows are incredibly long-lasting and really pack a punch with the powerful pigment. For the past three days, I’ve been trying out the shade UFO which is a metallic warm taupe colour and does an amazing job at complimenting my melanin-rich skin. The liquid shadow is super creamy and when I tell you that a little really goes a long way, I mean it. r.e.m. beauty has been super generous with the size of the eyeshadow applicator and as someone with quite a large eye area to play around with it took only a few seconds for my eyes to be painted with the glistening shimmer. I then opted to use a flat eyeshadow brush just to blend it down well with my base colour, however, it couldn’t be easier to use it all over the lid and without an eyeshadow brush. Another thing I was really impressed with was the fact I experienced no fallout from the shimmer, which is something I’ve had troubles with in the past. Overall, the liquid eyeshadow beyond exceeded my expectations and with 11 shades to choose from, you’ll be spoilt for choice!
Myself and eyeliner have had a bit of a bumpy ride throughout the years but the past year and a half has been smooth sailing. I tend to stick to colourful eyeliner shades most of the time but I am such a sucker for a black eyeliner marker to help me create the perfect feline flick and I was able to easily do so with this. When I think about some of Ariana’s most well-known beauty looks, I think they pretty much all feature a signature winged liner. As someone with a far from steady hand, I still can’t believe how easy it is to get the perfect precision with the liner whether you’re after a signature look or something more graphic. Plus, there’s no having to worry about smudging or having to top up throughout the day as the liner is waterproof, smudge-proof and doesn’t budge for anything. I recently wore it from 8am right through to midnight (no pun intended) and it honestly looked like it had been freshly applied when it came to taking it off after hours.
This is the only product feature that I haven’t actually yet tried. I haven’t quite mastered the art of applying a good falsie but when I do these glamorously long & wispy lashes will be the first pair that I try. Again, lashes are such a key staple in iconic looks from Ariana and I can’t wait to give it a go.
My love for liquid eyeshadow knows no limits and just like the lustrous liquid eyeshadow, I’m completely in love with the matte liquid eyeshadow. It applies effortlessly to the lid and what I really like is that it looks amazing on its own and also as a base colour before applying a shimmer. I love how compact it is as well which makes it easy to take with you on short trips and throughout the day, even though like I mentioned with shade UFO, the lasting power means you don’t have to worry about topping up throughout the day. I tried shade
What’s better than having one eyeshadow shade? Having six with a mix of mattes and shimmers. Ariana did not come to play with this palette and it shows! The midnight eyeshadow palette comes in three different palettes including midnight snack which is full of stunning purples and intergalactic inspired shades, principessa which has lots of warm and vibrant tones metallic vibrant red to metallic warm copper and the shade I’ve been testing for the past few days, Babydoll. The shades range from a matte cinnamon-brown down to a warm sandstone which I feel like is another signature from Ariana. It’s not just the silky and highly blendable shades that I’m obsessed with but the packaging too which fits well with the continuous space theme. When looking over promo pictures, I found it quite hard to tell what the quality of the packaging would be like and I’m pleased to report that it’s super sturdy and has a really unique element to it.
Last but by no means least is the highlight toppers that feel super weightless on the skin and are perfect for adding an ultimate pop of colour to the cheeks, eyes and body. I tried shade Miss Neptune which is a beautiful lavender shimmer shade and really embodies the space theme well. It sold out on the website not long after launch, so I think it’s one everyone will be really intrigued to try. What I love is that you can use it as a normal highlighter or as recommended by r.e.m. beauty, over your favourite cream or liquid highlight (which hopefully means there will be more highlighter formulas in future chapters). The highlighter blended effortlessly onto my cheeks to create a long-lasting and out of this world glow. The only thing I would say to anyone else applying unique shades that aren’t like your everyday bronzer and gold highlighter shades, don’t be afraid to really build the colour up. During my first application, I realised that the highlighter is super buildable and the bold colour is nothing to be afraid of. Next up, winter makeup looks that have me totally inspired.
