I Found the Only Two Multi-Sticks You’ll Ever Need
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This essay first appeared on Wednesday, February 21, inThe Strategist Beauty Brief,a weekly newsletter in which our beauty writers share their must-tries, can-skips, and can’t-live-withouts. But we liked it so much we wanted to share it with all of our readers. If you want more first impressions of buzzy launches, quick takes on what’s trending on TikTok and Instagram, and deep dives into the week’s best beauty launches, sign uphere.The Strategist Beauty Briefis delivered every Wednesday.
Multi-sticks are convenience makeup. They can be a lipstick,lip liner, eyeliner, eye shadow,blush, and even a highlighter — all in a tube that’s no bigger than agloss. And you get a real bang for your buck: Multi-sticks are usually only a couple dollars more than a lipstick in the same line. But you might be thinking, How good can one be at all those things? The thing is, you’re not buying into a sort of two-in-one shampoo-slash-conditioner deal. There’s now a whole category of high-end multi-sticks that go beyond just shades synonymous with pink and work for a range of skin tones (rather than just “porcelain”).
Our columnist Rio Viera-Newton wrote aboutCharlotte Tilbury’s Beach Stickback in 2018, but the pace of multi-stick launches really picked up in the last year.Mango People’scame toSephora. Then the eyeliner/eye shadow/highlighter fromRare Beauty.Ami Colédebuted one thatOprahloves. Milk Makeup, which already has anothermulti-stickin its lineup, launched its Jolly Rancher–likeJelly Tint. All the newness left me wondering which arereallyworth it?
I set out to test some of these launches and more — including fromMeritandAxiology— for a grand total of nine multi-sticks over the last few months. I was looking for something pigmented, long-lasting, and easy to use. Not crazy criteria. Some were forgettable, others just okay. For example, Ilia’sthreefer— a blush, highlighter, and lip tint, and arguably the most famous multi-stick right now — had a barely-there finish that was hardly noticeable. I was counting on the shade “cosmic dancer” for glimmer, and got almost nothing. Then cameBaby Cheeks by Westman Atelier, which screams “rich lady” down to the $48 price tag. It gives you a powdery,Madame de Pompadourcheek and a pretty enough pout. But it’ssucha splurge, and it didn’t feel splurge worthy.
After all the testing days (these had to hold up through sweat and tears), I can now confidently say you only really needTower28’s OneLinerandByredo’s Colour Stick. The OneLiner is a hardworking multitasker — for your eyes, cheeks, and lips. (Two shades, “Draw Me” and “Work of Art,” even makefauxfreckles.) When I applied it to the bow of my lips and along my bottom lip, I got a sharp-looking, defined line. The formula is creamy and doesn’t drag; it was like nothing I’d tried before. As for my eyes, I’m one for lots of eyeliner. I usually draw aheavy half-moonunderneath my lash line. I can’t do that with all liners, which sometimes don’t go on seamlessly enough. And if I do get it on, they smear. But the Tower28 stick glides along my lash line perfectly. One day, after eight hours of doing interviews, attending a host of meetings, and finally crying over an overdue deadline, it did not budge. On my cheeks, I felt like I had so much more control over the application — more than I do with regular blush. It didn’t take much to blend out, either. Each stroke was blendable, and the final look was a pinched pink, and very natural. (Application tip: Use the side of the pencil instead of the tip. The color goes on more evenly.) And at $15, it’s the cheapest multi-stick I tried.
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The Byredo Colour Stick is on the higher end, at $35. Even then, I wouldn’t call it a splurge — it’s that great. I’m a sucker for thesignature sleek silver packagingand the magnetized lid that makes that satisfying click. It’s unlike most multi-sticks (which count vermillion as their most vivid shade) because the colors it comes in are borderlinetoomuch. There’s “Sick Pink,” a fuchsia, and “Destroyer,” the most intense jet black. I love “Coleoptera” — described as a “beetle brown with turquoise glitter.” It’s what I imagine the floor of Studio 54 looked like at the end of a night. When I’m wearing the shade and a light hits the iridescence just right, I feel like I’m wearing diamond dust. A little goes a long way. I have worn it as a highlighter (after blending out the brown), eye shadow (even on my oily lids), and lipstick (it resembles the color of my favorite lip gloss of all time: the discontinuedCh-Ch-Changes by Marc Jacobs Beauty). The finish of the formula, dry to dewy, depends on the shade — “Purple Stinger” looks wet once on. I feel like my most adventurous self when it’s coating my lips.
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Settling this multi-stick matter feels like correcting the record. When I was researching this piece, lurking in multi-stick sub-Reddits and TikToks, I didn’t see Tower28 or Byredo mentioned often. They’re not getting the love they should. But trust me, if you buy them, they will not end up at the bottom of yourmakeup bag. Byredo and Tower28 promise to do it all, and together, they actuallydo.
This article originally appeared inTheStrategist Beauty Brief, a weekly newsletter from our beauty writers on their must-tries, can-skips, and can’t-live-withouts.Sign up here.
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