About a year ago, I wrote about my adoration of Charlotte Tilbury’s Beach Stick in the shade Formentera. I still use my Beach Stick near-constantly; the bitten, berry color, the convenient stick packaging, and the ease of applying the blendable formula to my lips, cheeks, and eyelids all ensure the product’s forever-placement in my makeup bag. Since discovering CT’s Formentera, I have become something of a multistick connoisseur. They’re convenient, yes, but I also love how they create a pretty, cohesive makeup color story, my favorite day-to-day look. But not all multisticks, I’ve found, are created equal: each brand has its own packaging, formula, and pigmentation. Now, since I’ve accumulated so many, I reach for a different multistick product depending on my day’s events (fancy or not fancy), and the mood my skin is in that day (dry or hydrated). Below, my three all-time favorite cruelty-free, vegan multisticks, and what they do best.
Powdery
I first learned about Bite Beauty’s multistick from my makeup-artist friend Shayna Goldberg. She told me that the product creates the most beautiful, natural flush, and also has a very powdery finish. I don’t reach for this product on days when my skin is ultra dry and parched, but it has become my absolute go-to for hot, sweaty days (summer is coming, you guys, and this product will be your best friend), or when I have a very long day and I know I won’t be able to easily retouch, because this multistick truly does not budge once applied (which is why Shayna particularly loves it for long shoot days). Seriously: If I put this on on my lids, cheeks, and lips in the morning, when I get home that evening, I find it right where I left it. The packaging of this product is also great — it’s small but mighty (a little goes a long way), and has a magnetic cap so it will never go rogue in your makeup bag. I have two favorite shades of this product: Mochi, a deep red for creating that beachy, hot flush, and Papaya, a coral rose for when I want a youthful, spring look.
Sheer and hydrating
On days when my skin is dry and unforgiving, I can count on my Milk Makeup Lip + Cheek to give some life back to my skin. The product is infused with avocado oil, peach nectar, and mango butter, creating this lovely, nourishing, waxy formula that melts into your skin and won’t cake or cling to any dry patches. The product is quite sheer but buildable, which is great for days when you want that barely-there, no-makeup-makeup flush. The packaging of this multistick is a little on the larger side, so while it won’t necessarily free up as much space in your makeup bag as the others on this list, it’s super easy and quick to apply: one swipe on the cheeks and lips and you’re out the door, looking dewy. I have this product in the shade Quickie, a lovely berry hue — it has been my winter savior.
Oily and blendable
I have something to confess: Make Beauty’s Bisou Bisou has recently supplanted my CT Beach Stick. On days when I want my skin to look its most healthy, rosy, and sun-kissed, I reach for this product. Unlike Milk’s Lip + Cheek, which is on the sheer side, this formula is super pigmented. Having said that, it’s also incredibly oily and emollient, so it blends in to your skin with ease, creating the most beautiful, radiant, ruddy flush on your cheeks. With just a little tap, you can give your lips and cheeks a soft, subtle flush, or if you add one more tap, a more vibrant, bright cheek or lipstick look. The color of this product is this really special, burnt sienna shade, which I’ve tried on many of my friends, and it’s flattered every one of them. This is one of my all-time favorite products to wear on my lids, cheeks, and eyes — worn on all three, this little stick will give you a gorgeous, warm, caught-the-sun look. I love this product so much that if you see me out on any special occasion (be it a wedding, a date night, or an event), you can almost count on my wearing it.
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