Is the ASOS Makeup Range Any Good?
ASOS has long been a workhorse in the modern woman’s wardrobe. Their huge range, easy to navigate site and speedy delivery make them a reliably good choice for both party looks and everyday essentials.
As they’ve seemingly mastered affordable fashion, the natural next step was beauty. What started with stocking sold out NYX, swiftly shifted to an in-house line. But is it any good? We got our hands on the key pieces, to find out if there was more to ASOS Beauty, than cute pink packaging.
1. The Lipsticks
The Satin Lipsticks are just £7 and super beautiful. They strike a good balance between pigment and creaminess, meaning they are easy to apply and feel comfortable, but give enough pay-off to be worth wearing. Two shades we tried are Tuned, a rich chocolatey brown, and Unbridled, a peachy nude. The one caveat is that the formula varies slightly between the two colours (Tuned feels slightly stiffer and drier), but warms after one wear. There’s also a racy red with matching lip liner that we adore.
The Liquid Lipsticks are another well formulated product. They err on the moussier side, which for those who suffer with dry or cracked lips is a huge bonus. The staying power is good (although not impenetrable) but the product tends to fade rather than peel, which is great news. We tried Immersed, a cool (in both senses of the word) mid-toned brown.
2. Glitter
Glitter is one of those products that is difficult to get right, but looks so brilliant when you do. Which is why we’re big fans of these Glitter Pots. They cleverly combine a sticky, priming base in the lid with the iridescent loose pigment underneath.
This gives the glitter something to stick too, improving both opacity and lasting power. We tried shades Eloquent, a multifaceted white, and Nonchalant, a lilac with blue reflect. (And FYI, although they look quite different in the pots, the effect upon application is fairly similar, so you might not need both.)
3. Highlight
It can be tricky to find an affordable highlighter that truly works. Cheaper tends to mean a less refined pigment and a starker, more glittery effect. Not so with this Chubby Highlight Stick. It melts into the skin, leaving a natural effect, but sets, making it ideal for those who like creamier highlights but can’t stand the sticky feel on the face. It comes in the light Tenacious and the more golden Flawed, which works wonders for deeper skin tones.
4. Pencils
These pencils get snaps for many things, but the first we’d like to draw attention to is the genius packaging. They look like traditional pencils but actually twist up from the base, meaning no more frantic searches for sharpeners. The Eyeliner Pencil in Grounded is a universally flattering shimmery brown, which would be perfect for a one minute smokey eye, or to take a bland makeup look from day to night.
The Lip Pencil in Sturdy is a perennially useful mid-toned warm nude, perfect to give more definition or fullness to your mouth without looking overdone. Both have really great formulas too – creamy upon application, allowing for a moment of playtime, then setting for the day (or night).
5. Palettes
We’d always held the assumption that while shimmery eyes can be done for any price, a good quality matte is hard to find. Which is why the Eyeshadow Palette in the shade Devoted was such a pleasant surprise.
Of the six (extremely useful and wearable) shade options, five are matte, and they are genuinely some of the creamiest around. The pigmentation is intense and even, and they blend very easily. One thing to bear in mind with a softer formula like this is you’ll likely benefit from using a primer.
So is it any good?
All in all, we were pleasantly surprised by the fantastic range of strong pigments and smart design. This will surely be a festival season and summer essential!
Shop the full ASOS Makeup collection here.