Creamy lipsticks, patchy eyeshadow, interesting packaging, and great prices – we bring you the hits and misses of Zara’s new beauty collection
Courtesy of ZaraTHE PACKAGING
A first impression is a lasting impression, as they say, so let’s start with the packaging. The lacquered all-white packaging is very chic and sleek. It stands out from other brands out there and it has a good weight, it doesn’t feel cheap.
Overall, I’m a fan. The only problem I have with the packaging is that it is almost too chic. I think design has been prioritised over function and useability because nowhere on the products, inside or out, does it indicate a shade name. This means that not only is there no quick way of finding the shade you are looking for without opening the product up to check but without a shade name I have no way of knowing which colours I’ve been sent nor what to buy if I wanted to repurchase them again in the future. It’s not an issue that affects the quality of the products, but I did find it an annoying oversight.
Courtesy of ZaraTHE GOOD
I have to say, all the lipsticks I tried from this range were fantastic. Red lipstick is my absolute favourite beauty product and the one I was sent – Ultimatte Matte Lipstick in either the shade ‘Winner’ or ‘Original’ – did not disappoint. The colour is great, a pretty perfect true red, and it's very pigmented. It goes on so smoothly and has a nice finish if you are looking for a matte, but it’s not drying and feels really good on the lips. It’s also very long-lasting and survived lunch pretty much intact. All-in-all it will be joining my permanent collection.
Courtesy of ZaraTHE GOOD
Another favourite is the Stiletto Demi-Matte Lipstick in what I believe to be the shade ‘La Journee’. I love the colour, a really nice my-lips-but-better vibe, and the slim stylo shape of these lipsticks make them so easy to put on. Lip liners are usually a must for me but with these I didn’t need one at all, the shape makes it easy to be precise and get the exact shape you are after. The texture is creamy and non-drying, in fact they are almost hydrating, and the finish is nice, kind of a glossy matte. I also tried, my best guess, the shade ‘Couture’ which is an orangey red. The product is equally as good but it definitely wasn’t my colour and I probably won’t wear it again.
Another shade which was not my colour was the Cult Satin Lipstick in ‘Showtime’ (?), a magenta, dark pink hue. Despite that, however, the product itself is good. It goes on nicely, with a creamy, semi-shiny but still quite matte finish, and feels very comfortable on the lips.
Courtesy of ZaraTHE BAD
The only lip product I actively didn’t like was the Tinted Balm Lipstick in ‘Holo Balm’ (this, you will be happy to hear, I can say is the shade with absolute confidence). I have heard good things about the other shades so maybe they are better but Holo Balm was not for me. The colour is weirdly frosted with specks of gold giving a dated, Claudia Winkleman-esque look. I’m pretty pale and the colour made my lips even paler, washing me out. It also had a slight grainy texture to it which I wasn’t a fan of.
Courtesy of ZaraTHE BAD
Another product I unfortunately didn’t like was the eyeshadow palette. There are multiple eye products but the only one I tried was the six-pan palette in ‘Clash Out’. I found the combination of colours – a matte pinky beige, a glitter version of the exact same colour, a yellow glitter, a disco pink glitter, a bronze-y glitter, and a black glitter – to be quite random and I struggled to come up with any looks using just what was available to me. I tried out a variety of different options. First a smokey eye with the black and brown glitter, then a pure yellow glitter lid, and then a Sophie Baverstock from Glow Up inspired two-toned look. That last one failed potentially because of my lack of skills, as well as the product. None of them looked great.
In my opinion, the pigment wasn’t very good and the colours came out quite dull and muddy. The bronze I found to be particularly murky. The glitter works best when you use your finger, with a brush it doesn’t come out very strongly, but even then it’s still not great. Even when applied with my fingers, the pink was patchy and uneven. For me, it’s a miss.
Courtesy of ZaraTHE FINE
The last products I tried were the complexion ones. First up was the Face Palette in ‘Impeccable Touch’ which includes a bronzer, blush, and highlighter. It’s fine. The highlighter is pretty subtle which I prefer to a highly-pigmented or overly glittery highlight because it gives a more natural look. The bronzer was slightly on the orange side for my pale complexion but the blush was nice. Again, it wasn’t very pigmented which I think works well for a blush as it means you can build up the colour instead of going from zero to 80s right away. There was quite a bit of fallout from the powders on the palette, however, so you do have to tidy it up after using it.
Lastly was the Bronzing Powder in, I think but don’t hold me to this, the shade ‘Medium Tan’. For this I brought in my flatmate, a bronzer aficionado if ever there was one, for an expert opinion. She thought the colour was nice, not too orange, and the coverage was good. However, like the Face Palette, there was fallout from the powder and it did tend to go all over the palette.