(Beauty Report Card)

Cut Your Makeup Stash In Half With These All-Over Multitaskers

Swipe, blend, done.

Oct. 29, 2022

Summer Fridays model in makeup stick blush and cheek color

I have but two modes: hyper-focused speed demon, and world’s laziest slug — the duality of man, right? By the end of the workday, when all my turbo is tapped, there’s nothing I love more than crawling into a pair of elastic-waisted anything and flopping back on the bed. That attitude definitely extends to my makeup bag, too — if it’s not a glitter-liner-and-falsies day, it’s all about multitasking makeup sticks and all-over products that can get me out the door as fast as possible without sacrificing presentability. Over the years, I’ve tried too many two-in-one, three-in-one, and even all-in-one beauty products that I consider myself an expert on lazy-day looks. And as the days go shorter and colder (directly correlated to my own will to stand upright at any given time), those relaxed tips and tricks are more necessary than ever.

Ahead of the big holiday travel rush, multi-use products create serious space in your carry-on — excellent news for chronic overpackers like me. Lip-eye-cheek balms, hair gels that tame wayward eyebrows just as well as baby hairs, and color correction-concealer duos that don’t require a half-dozen brushes to buff out not only make more room, but cut your getting-ready time down, too. Options are great, of course, but does anyone else ever find themselves totally paralyzed by too many choices?

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Ahead, the best multitask makeup sticks, combo products, and all-over tools to take just a bit of the pressure off — you’ve earned it.

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Charlotte Tilbury

Magic Cream

$100

Magic is the perfect name for this Charlotte Tilbury best-seller, one of the best pre-makeup prep products out there. Simultaneously a moisturizer and a smoothing primer that calms my redness, fills in lines, and plumps tired-looking skin, its vitamin E-powered formula makes all the difference in how my makeup looks through the day. | Notable ingredients: Vitamins C and E; bionymph peptide; hyaluronic acid; rosehip oil |

Fenty Beauty by Rihanna

Match Stix Matte Contour Skinstick

$25

It contours, bronzes, adds dimension to lids, lifts eyes, and makes lips look plumper — basically, the only thing Fenty Match Stix can’t do is file my taxes. The creamy (but not wet or waxy) consistency is ideal for blending out with your fingers. As a bonus, the makeup sticks are magnetic, so you can clip your contour shade to a highlighting shade and even one that matches your complexion to use as a spot concealer. | Notable ingredients: Coconut oil |

Summer Fridays

Blush Balm Sticks

$28

One of Summer Fridays’ newest additions to the lineup, these pigmented makeup sticks glide on like a glossy, dewy dream. Most lip-cheek duos I’ve tried in the past have been trickier to use — either the consistency is too thick for lips or too thin for cheeks — but these balms strike an excellent balance. I use them on my cheeks, nose tip, lips, and even a bit on my eyelids (similar to TikTok’s “I’m Cold” makeup technique) to look a little more alive and add some color cohesion all-over. | Notable ingredients: hyaluronic acid; glycerin |

Maybelline

Great Lash Clear Mascara

$8.49

There’s a solid chance you watched your mother use this back in the day, and it stayed relevant for a reason. The never-crunchy, clear finish is great for fluffing up eyebrows and combing back hairline sproutlings for a polished look. It also (obviously) can be used to add a glossy, slightly darker appearance to lashes but you would have to use it for lashes exclusively — anything you use that close to your eyeballs shouldn’t be used anywhere else lest you end up with a rowdy infection. | Notable ingredients: Glycerin |

Milk Makeup

Luminous Blur Stick

$36

Somehow, someway this palm-length chubby stick absorbs excess oil, blurs pores, and can be swiped over makeup for a subtly radiant highlight. How it manages to both add shine and remove it is beyond my comprehension, but my complexion is sure grateful. On especially greasy days, I like to roll this over my T-zone before makeup, and then over my cheekbones and nose tip as a final step. It fills in my pores without clogging them and deposits the best bit of gloss for smooth application. | Notable ingredients: Blurring microspheres; silica |

Make Up For Ever

Ultra HD Invisible Cover Cream Foundation Palette

$110

Nothing makes me feel more like a ~professional~ than using a face palette. As it happens, this MUFE 12-in-1 makes it pretty easy to get great-looking results. An actual famous makeup artist told once told me that anyone who says they used a single foundation color on their client is lying — the key to that pro-applied look is mixing, blending, and strategically placing different shades. With this creamy palette, you can homogenize uneven skin tones, brighten certain areas while darkening others, and create your own custom color blend. | Notable ingredients: Carnauba wax; evodia fruit extract |

MAC

Prep & Prime Fix+

$31

Fix+ is beyond a ride-or-die product — it might just be my longest-running face product repurchase streak ever (going on a full decade now), in large part because of how much it’s capable of. It can be used on naked skin for a blast of calming hydration, but my favorite thing is how beautifully it makes makeup — both powders and creams — seamlessly blend into each other. It also helps soften the look of powder and lock it in for all-day hold and hydration. And if you’re working with any metallic or shimmery eyeshadow, load up your brush with product and then spritz a bit of this over it. The shadow will apply like quicksilver, intensifying the pigment and shine. | Notable ingredients: Glycerin |

Danessa Myricks Beauty

Colorfix Eye, Cheek & Lip Cream Pigment

$18

While you can use many lip-blush products on lids, few are expressly made to suit the eye area. This Danessa Myricks Beauty pigment is not only designed to be all-over friendly, but the rich color payoff is unlike anything else. Perfect for big nights out and events where you want to look immaculate, it’s your tiny go-to. | Notable ingredients: Carnauba wax |