makeup

November 13, 2021

I remember once upon a time when I got excited when a high street fashion label launched its own makeup line.  That must have been at least 20 years ago, and it was unfortunately a disappointing experience.  So it was both with genuine curiosity as well as apprehension that I dipped into the new Zara beauty collection.  The assymmetrical and minimalistic chic design definitely gave a cool vibe that is consistent with the fashionable brand.  I was pleasantly surprised by the heft and luxurious packaging, which made me even more intrigued.

For its eponymous beauty creation, Zara has teamed up with British makeup artist Diane Kendal, who has worked on some of the world’s most prestigious runways.  Zara beauty boasts a comprehensive range of products that champions inclusivity, and is formulated to be clean and vegan, and cruelty-free.  The packaging is refillable as well.  I tested out a small sample of items, and here are some swatches as well as personal thoughts.

Starting with the eyes, Zara’s eyeshadow palettes are magnetized and refillable, so you can customize your own palette or refill specific shades when they run out.  Each palette houses 6 shades, and there are 4 preset palettes to get you started.  The one that I have here is shade 003 Til Dawn and features warm earthy tones.

I was blown away by how incredibly smooth and finely milled the powders were.  The pigmentation is excellent and I did not experience any fall-out nor fading of the shades.  They blend beautifully, and are as good as (if not better than) all other luxury makeup brands that I have tried.  This palette Til Dawn was such a breeze to use, that even though I have not worn makeup for almost 2 years now, I could still easily create a lovely look in under 5 minutes!  Composition of the palette was thoughtfully designed, allowing for a range of occasions, from everyday office to special dinners.

The face palettes are interesting as well, packing a blush – highlighter – contour in a handy pocket-friendly palette.  Similar to the eyeshadow palettes, the face palettes are refillable as customizable as well.  There are 3 pre-mixed palettes if you are undecided, and the one shown here is 007 Elysian Glow which is a lightly warm toned palette perfect for bringing some glow to my skin.

There is quite a bit of frost to these shades, even the blush has some metallic shimmers, so I suggest applying Elysian Glow with a light hand.  The blush shade itself is a gorgeous peach that is subtle and glowy, perfect for everyday wear.  Personally, I prefer my contour less glowy, so I struggled with the bright bronze shade here.  Regardless, Zara nailed it with the texture and longevity of these face powders.

There is a HUGE range of lip color options available instore and online, I have just a fistful here to show you.  But the packaging is spot on for me, and I love that the lipsticks can be popped in and out, so I can change them up.  Sometimes refillable lipsticks don’t come with it’s own cap so you can’t take them out of the casings, but these Zara ones do, so you can rotate your lip color with just 1 casing!

I had the opportunity to try out a couple of the Ultimate Matte lipsticks, a Cult Satin and a Tinted Balm; they are swatched above so you can take a look at the finish and pigmentation.  Every swatch is a single swipe, and I was so surprised by the “tinted balm” because it looks like a full-on lipstick!  I’m not usually a big fan of matte lipsticks, but these Zara Ultimate Mattes are creamy, did not dry out my lips, and they hug the curves of the lips for an elegant finish.  The Cult Satin is probably my favorite, and despite the shiny finish, it had good longevity as well.

Here is a quick 10min makeup look featuring some of the pieces swatched above.  I must say, the picture failed to capture the lovely shimmers in the eyeshadow.  But the colors are very flattering even on 40+ year old me!  As you can expect from Zara, nothing is priced over SGD50, so it is very affordable and truly excellent quality.

Apart from what I’ve shown, there are also nail polishes and many many more lip color options to suit your lifestyle and preference.  So if you have not already checked out Zara beauty, I highly recommend you do so!

_{This post featured products that were generously provided for my consideration.  Regardless, all opinions expressed here are my own honest, unbiased views.}