Quirky Beauty – Awesome or Ahhhh-Nah?

By BR Kellie

You know what I love about the beauty industry? It’s never afraid to give something a go. A new formula, a new brush, a new colour, a whole new concept – those crazy kids who do the inventing just play and play and play. Of course, sometimes you’d possibly be forgiven for thinking they’d taken a few too many sips of the Raro and had a sugar rush of mad ideas, but other times it’s like they’ve had a couple of Cokes and the genius has flowed. So what new (to us/to the world) discoveries have been on our radar?

Imagine creating the perfect winged eye every single time? That’s what the Eyeliner Stamp from Wings Cosmetics is apparently able to help you achieve. They say it’s as simple as applying liquid eyeliner onto the stamp and then stamping the product onto your eye. Sounds too good to be true, right? Check out YouTuber Zabrena’s attempt at using it. It took Zabrena a fair few goes to master it, and by the end of it she came to the conclusion it could be quite frustrating for beginners, especially when she as someone who is skilled at applying makeup found it frustrating. We think this one might belong in the ‘yeah nah’ category.

It’s not just Wings Cosmetics aiming to help those of us who can’t master winged eyeliner, Beauty Blender have added their own tool into the mix. The Beauty Blender Liner.Designer. This little rubbery guitar-pick like contraption is designed to help with the application of eyeliner – whether that be the bottom of your eyes, or the top. It can also act as a shield when applying mascara, and can be used to get a clean line when applying lip liner or lipstick. Oh, and if you rub it between your hands to warm it up it can stick to your skin as a guide (although there seems to be varying degrees of success with this based on YouTube clips watched). So do we need it? If you’re wobbly-handed like me, it could be a godsend. Also, BRHQ’s beloved beauty vlogger, Wayne Goss, aka the one person who’s quick to call out something that’s a bit daft, gives it the thumbs up.

Remember when Lancôme Juicy Tubes were the coolest thing in the world? Those little tubes of glossy goodness were to adults what Body Shop lip-gloss pots were to high school students – a status symbol. What could possibly be more awesome? Lancôme’s latest release - the Juicy Shaker.

First of all, it’s in the shape of a cocktail shaker, which should be gimmicky and twee, yet somehow isn’t. Probably because you actually have to shake the product up, because this isn’t some normal gloss, it’s a ‘pigment infused bi-phased lip oil’, which basically means it’s oil and pigment and if you don’t shake them up they separate, which means you won’t get the colour and the shine – and trust me, you want the colour and the shine. I have one in the shade ‘Piece of Cake’ and it’s beautiful – a light stain with plenty of shine, it feels super hydrating on the lips and unlike the ‘Tubes’ your hair doesn’t stick to your lips if you get caught in a stiff wind. The Juicy Shaker also has a cushion applicator, which feels super soft on the kissers. I want more. The addiction is real.

Speaking of cushions… while not new to those who are fans of Korean beauty, cushion makeup is blowing our makeup loving minds. Cushion foundation is hitting our shores in a big way, with brands like L’Oreal and Lancôme introducing their take. But what’s next? Well if the Korean beauty trend continues we’ll (fingers crossed) be hopefully seeing blush, lip tints, concealers, and even colour correctors in cushion form.

Korean beauty is also making waves with another trend… peel off products. These appear to be holding court in Beauty YouTube land at present, with many YouTubers giving this quirky way of giving your lips and brows colour a go. The theory behind it is you apply the gel, wait for it to do its thing (which can take hoooooours), then peel it off, leaving you with gorgeously stained lips and brows that are on fleek. The results? It appears you get what you pay for, with some of the cheaper brands not being reviewed so well by beauty vloggers and bloggers. The Etude House Eyebrow Tint My Brows Gel is most often well received, with lip stains in general being okay, but you know… sometimes it’s just easier to whip out a lipstick and slick some colour on, or grab tinted brow gel and brush it through…

So do tell… have you tried any of these innovations? What are your favourites? What other new and interesting products have you discovered that we need to know about? Chat away!