Sephora inside JcPenny was having a huge sale not long ago which included 25% off Rare Beauty and on top of that, I had a $10 off coupon on a purchase of $50+. Needless to say, I took full advantage of this and decided it was finally time to try out some products from the Rare Beauty line! I was most excited about the setting spray, primer, and foundation since I’ve heard such good things on TikTok about these. Keep reading to see how they turned out for me! (BTW all links in this post are affiliate links so if you end up purchasing one of them I’ll receive a very small commission at no extra cost to you!)
Illuminating Primer- Always An Optimist Collection
When I saw this primer it reminded me of the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter (another viral TikTok product). I’m SO bummed though because it wasn’t that great in my opinion. I’ve tried the CT one and prefer it over this one. It did leave a subtle shimmer on my skin, but I felt like it didn’t do enough when I put makeup over it. I also wouldn’t have worn it by itself, unlike the Charlotte Tilbury one.
Always An Optimist 4-in-1 Prime & Set Mist
I used this to set my makeup afterward and to dampen my beauty blender for the concealer under my eyes. The mist goes on smoothly and it covers a good wide area. I’m pretty happy with it although it doesn’t smell as good as other setting sprays I’ve used before.
Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation
Before putting any of these new products on, I exfoliated and did all my skin prep so I could have an honest review. But, this might have been the one I was most disappointed with. For my everyday foundation, I currently use the Maybelline Fit Me foundation and it leaves my skin smooth and poreless. I was hoping I would get the same results with this one but OMG it left my skin looking awful. 😩 I feel bad saying that but it’s true.
I struggle most with the pores on my nose so my top indicator of whether or not I like a foundation is if it covers those. This did not. 🙁
Liquid Touch Foundation Brush
I used this when applying the foundation and although I wasn’t a fan of the foundation itself I think the brush was ok. For what it is, it’s a little overpriced in my opinion. The bristles don’t look very high quality and the IT cosmetics brushes I normally use are a lot smoother. Those go on sale every so often at Ulta for 50% off so I’ve gotten them for $12-$14. If I were to recommend one over the other, I would say get the IT cosmetics brushes instead. Below are both the foundation and concealer brushes.
Liquid Touch Brightening Concealer
I’ve been trying for the longest time to find a new go-to concealer other than the Tarte ShapeTape and I had high hopes this would be it. I’m not sure if it was because I applied it with the brush or if it was the formula, but I found it to be too dry. I also got the same shade as the foundation (180w) cause the sales associate said the shades went hand in hand, but I thought it was too light.
Liquid Touch Concealer Brush
The same goes for this brush as I stated earlier for the foundation brush. Plus, I think I prefer using a beauty blender for an undereye concealer instead of a brush. I’ve noticed it goes on smoother and less dry-looking, especially if you spray some setting spray on the beauty blender beforehand.
Blot & Glow Touch-Up Kit
Yes, x100 to this one. If you get oily throughout the day and need to touch up your nose or T-zone, this is it. I even felt generous enough to grab my sister one just because and she was so happy when I surprised her with it.
It comes in a nice light pink matte case and inside contains a mirror, blotting paper, and a prefilled powder puff. I also went ahead and grabbed some refills for whenever the blotting paper or puff run out.
With Gratitude Dewy Lip Balm- in shades ‘Honor’ & ‘Thankful’
Once again, I went into this thinking they would all become my new favorites but the lip balm in shade ‘Honor’ had a weird taste to it. Not that I’m sitting there eating the lip balm (LOL), but for some reason, I could taste something chemical-y. It was a clear shade and did go on really nice though.
The shade ‘Thankful’ looked like the perfect nude color in the store but once I put it on, I felt like it was too dark for me. I tend to go for more peachy/neutral nudes, but this one went on as more of a dark brown nude.
Perfect Strokes Universal Volumizing Mascara
Ididn’tthinkthiswasthatgoodeither. 🤭 Especially for the price, I prefer my usual drugstore mascara. The packaging is so cute though.
Summary
If you disagree with any of this, I’m sorry!!! I really thought these were all going to live up to the hype. I will say, the packaging and overall look of not just the mascara, but all the products are 1000% on point.
So, what would I repurchase? The setting spray, the touch-up kit, and the refills. I still want to try some of the others not included here such as the tinted moisturizer and highlighters. Who knows, maybe those will in fact become my new go-to’s.
