The Best Make-Up Sticks For Every Need
Image: MERIT BEAUTY
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The Best Make-Up Sticks For Every Need

For quick results and serious versatility, make-up sticks deserve a place in your beauty kit. From foundations, blushers and bronzers to contour sticks and highlighters, these are our favourites…
By Sapna Rao /
Image: MERIT BEAUTY

All products on this page have been selected by our editorial team, however we may make commission on some products.

BEST FOR FOUNDATION

Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick, £47 | Hourglass 

A little goes a long way with this high coverage flawless foundation – and the ease of application is only one of its many benefits. Formulated with the coverage of a concealer, but designed to be light and creamy, it's effortless to build up coverage using a minimum amount of product. This means your base will look natural and seamless. 

Available at JohnLewis.com


BEST FOR CONTOURING

Bronze Balm, £32 | Merit Beauty

Merit Beauty’s UK launch has rightly been a big deal. This product is one of our favourites in the collection, thanks to a silky feel that glides effortlessly onto the skin. Its pigmentation is buildable, which lets you buff and layer the product exactly where needed – helped by a domed edge which allows for more precise application on the cheekbones and temples. Pop it on your eyelids too for a natural but dimensional look.

Available at MeritBeauty.com

BEST FOR CHEEKS & EYES

Soft Pop Blush Stick, £32 | Makeup By Mario 

This sheer, emollient-infused formula promises a comfortable wear all day on both the cheeks and eyes. It’s another one that offers the utmost flexibility, meaning you can tailor your coverage based on the look you’re creating. Plus, there are several flattering shades to choose from – from a cool toned mauve to a rosy pink. We won’t judge you for popping a bit on your lips too. 

Available at Sephora.co.uk


BEST FOR HIGHLIGHTING

Lit Up Highlight Stick, £44 | Westman Atelier

If you’re yet to give a cream highlighter a chance, this may be the one to convert you. With an almost translucent gel-like consistency, it can deliver that fresh-faced, glossy look. As well as its reflective properties and flattering sheen, it's brimming with skin-firming ingredients which work to hydrate the skin for a more youthful-looking finish. Put a little on your inner corners and cupid’s bow to make these delicate areas pop.

Available at CultBeauty.co.uk


BEST FOR AN ALL-OVER GLOW

Multi-Stick, £33 | Ilia

Built to glide easily onto cheeks, eyes, highpoints and lips – depending what colour you opt for – this natural all-in-one stick is worth keeping in your kit. Melting with the warmth of your skin, it blends seamlessly. To apply it as a highlight, warm a little up on the back of your hand and use your fingers to tap it on. If you’re opting for a blusher shade, go straight in with a brush and softly blend the product onto your cheeks for a healthy glow.

Available at Sephora.co.uk

BEST FOR A BLUSH

The Multiple, £31.50 | Nars

This cult shade has long been a go-to blusher for its blend of punchy tones and glow-y flecks of highlight. But its creamy stick version introduces the product in a whole new way, with a far silkier consistency that can be tailored to your desired intensity. We love blending a bit on the bridge of the nose and cheeks for a sun-kissed pick-me-up – but it looks great on the lips and lids too.

Available at NarsCosmetics.com


BEST FOR BRONZING

Match Stix Matte Skinstick, £23 | Fenty Beauty

From matte bronzer shades to pearly pink iridescent highlight shades, Fenty Beauty Match Stix are ideal for a number of steps in your make-up routine. The bronzing shades are perfect if you want to speedily sketch a warming dose of colour around the outer corners of your face. Use the chubby-stick design to do exactly this, then go in with a fluffy brush to diffuse the product. If you’d rather define and sculpt, just concentrate the product and use a smaller brush to blend things in.

Available at Boots.com

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