I won't lie to you. The moment I received my BYREDO Makeup to review prior to the Oct. 1 launch date, the Golden Ticket song from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory started playing in my head. I've been relentlessly excited for Ben Gorham and Isamaya Ffrench's version of makeup ever since covering it at the beginning of last month; and I'm definitely not alone in my hype.
But, I waited to crack open the transparent case of goodies until the morning the makeup was available on BYREDO's website — which is today, just by the way. BYREDO kindly sent me four pieces from the new collection to try out: the Mascara ($45), Eyeliner ($40), Colour Stick in Ancient ($30), and Lipstick in Reunion ($42). I layered on my own complexion products just as base, though I skipped foundation entirely, opting instead for primer, well-placed concealer, and a light powder sweep. Not only is this my personal preference, but I took inspiration from the BYREDO Makeup campaign imagery, which has celebrated the natural beauty of skin instead of covering it completely up.
First came the Colour Stick. The dry-cream formula worked best for me when I rubbed my fingertip directly onto the stick's tip, warming it up slightly and dabbing it across my lids. The color payoff is light at first, but you can build it up as deeply as you'd like, and the formula works fantastically on top of itself. No streaking, no pulling the pigment already applied to your skin. As it happens, Ancient turned out to be a shimmery rose-brown that fits the bill as a contour-bronzer-blush hybrid for my skin tone — so onto the cheeks it went, too.
Next, eyeliner. If anything can make or break a makeup line for me, it's liquid liner, a notoriously tricky product that everyone has an opinion on. BYREDO's formula is where I really began to see Isamaya Ffrench's experience as a makeup artist shine through the product design, though. Housed in a more traditional applicator-and-pigment pot design versus the trendier pen, BYREDO's eyeliner features a firm tip that makes it all too easy to stroke on a pitch-black, oversized cat-eye. The formula dries in the blink of an eye, too, so even with its already minimal skipping, you can go back and fill in any tiny mistakes you made along the way.
Once I began noticing how impactful the details were, I couldn't stop seeing them. I swiped on the mascara, and marveled at the compact brush, which allowed me to apply mascara right to the root of my lashes. (Take note, fellow straight-eyelash-havers.) Same goes for the lipstick: I like a blurred matte lip, and the lightweight formula blended out easily with just a few dabs.
And I ended up doing a lot of that. Dabbing, touching up, blurring out, experimenting. BYREDO Makeup achieved what it set out to do: It made makeup where you make up the rules, instead of the products dictating your routine. Shop the new BYREDO Makeup products, ahead.
We only include products that have been independently selected by The Zoe Report's editorial team. However, we may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
