There’s 10 shades in Selena Gomez’s new Rare Beauty lipstick and lipliner range – and we tried them all

Fans had eagerly awaited the arrival of Selena Gomez’s cosmetic brand Rare Beauty following the rave reviews that its 2020 US launch gathered. And thankfully, it landed UK-wide earlier this year. A beauty collection with core messaging around embracing self-acceptance and positivity, products include everything from concealer and blusher to eyeshadow, lip balm and make-up brushes.

As of 7 July, there’s a new global Rare Beauty drop in the form of kind words, which features a matte lipstick and lipliner range showcasing ten different shades from peachy neutrals to deep brown tones. Like the rest of the Rare range, they each sit somewhere in the mid-to-premium price section at £14 and £19 respectively.

Described as luxury lip product additions by the brand, these vegan-friendly, cruelty-free formulas are dermatologist tested and suitable for sensitive skin. While the waterproof lipliner is said to glide on, its lipstick counterpart apparently creates a moisturising, long-wearing finish.

But can these matte lip buys create a non-cakey effect that stays put without drying out our pout? We sampled every single shade in this ten-colour collection to deliver our tried and tested verdict.

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How we tested

We spent a week wearing the brand-new Rare Beauty kind words lipstick and lip liner collection in all ten shades. Our tester looked at packaging, formula, colour wearability and finish, plus how well they stayed put. With the lipliner billed as being lightweight and the lipstick said to be long-lasting and softening, here’s our thoughts after putting these bold claims to the test.

Rating: 8/10

Packaging

Presented in a slimline, pale pink, crayon-like tube, the twist-up pencil cleverly comes complete with a sharpener attached to the base. We twisted off the end and uncovered this attachment which features a neat plastic shape to sharpen the lip liner.

Our tester did have to be careful when doing this, as at first, we were heavy handed and managed to pull the entire internal lip liner structure out by mistake. However, it’s undoubtedly an innovative integral touch, especially as this waxy kind of liner usually can’t be sharpened easily.

Formula

The creamy formula coated our pout with ease and created enough standalone colour to wear without additional lipstick. Its precision shape lines lips effortlessly, and the smoothing effect also meant there was no pulling on our skin.

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Although it’s a matte lip liner, we were pleased with how softening application felt, thanks to the inclusion of ingredients like sunflower seed oil and carnauba wax.

Finish

The full shade selection includes ten picks, and they span across neutral beige and mauve to warm brown and berry. These are: talented, creative, lively, worthy, humble, fun, wise, bold, gifted, and strong. Straightaway, we liked the names as an original touch to inspire compliments based on personality attributes.

Having tried them all, our favourite liner shades include the subtle pop of colour from lively (£14, Spacenk.com) which is a rose-pink shade with an edgy, earthy effect. We layered it up depending on how much lip definition our tester fancied, and found this option works equally well for a strong nude as a light lip tint.

Talented (£14, Spacenk.com) is the lightest liner pick, bringing a gentle beige finish that fades a little easier than the other shades if you do prefer a more natural look. Meanwhile, gifted (£14, Spacenk.com) has both plum and deep brown tones and is highly pigmented to create a punchy Nineties-inspired pout.

On the darker end of the brown scale, strong (£14, Spacenk.com) is a rich chocolate colour, that’s perfect for creating a stunning statement lip or pairing with a slightly lighter lippy shade to add extra definition.

Each shade sampled leaves lips with a matte look, minus any colour clinging to lines or creases. The level of lipliner drama did depend on how dark a shade we wore, and our tester noted how buildable the pigment is too.

We can confirm the lipliner is completely waterproof because we tested this thoroughly by applying colour to our hand and then running them under a tap. Despite being completely soaked with water, the swatches didn’t move. Impressive!

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Rating: 8.5/10

Packaging

The pale pink lipstick holder has a minimalist finish with only gold branding and a Rare logo on the lid, making it look pretty sophisticated in our make-up bag. There’s a metallic push-up base which we pressed and watched subsequently pull back to reveal the bullet.

The entire case feels robust, perfect for popping in our handbag and the compact case sits neatly in hold thanks to an ergonomic shape with a base that juts out, making lipstick application comfortable too. Our tester also loved the chic aesthetic which is both fun and luxurious.

Formula

Our tester quickly noticed the brilliantly shaped bullet, which has a pointy tip and angled edge to evenly cover lips and shape them too. The formula glides on and is softening while smoothing over lines and balancing out drier skin patches.

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Moisturising ingredients include sunflower seed oil while flower extracts leave the hint of a light botanical scent for extra application appeal.

Finish

For lipsticks with a matte effect, we still saw a certain amount of creaminess to ensure our lips didn’t appear cakey. We found that when applying the lippy over a matching liner, our pout retained its lingering colour for much longer.

In fact, even after eating and drinking, we still saw some lipstick in place, minus any smudges. Plus, the lipstick feels comfy and faded all over with wear, rather than rubbing off in random places.

Much like the lipliners, we saw that darker shades offered better coverage, and the rich brown wise (£19, Spacenk.com) added an even warming sweep of lip colour. We also liked the lighter fun shade (£19, Spacenk.com) for its neutral mauve notes. This colour appeared one of the most nourishing and left a matte sheen.

For a pink mauve, humble (£19, Spacenk.com) ticks the rosy blush shade box if you prefer a less overt lip colour. We did find ourselves topping up the light colours more regularly, but this can often be the case with paler shades anyway.

Bold (£19, Spacenk.com) is probably the closest to a pop of bright colour and delivers an earthy red and brown combination. This was by far our favourite shade, as it provided a flattering finish that accentuated our natural lip shape.

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The verdict: Rare Beauty kind words lipstick and lipliner

Our tester was impressed with the chic packaging and thought-out design details in this range, from a built-in sharpener to a cleverly shaped lipstick case. The ten shades encompass warm, bold, earthy, and neutral tones and would suit many a make-up mood. We particularly favoured the darker shades, for long-wearing colour and dramatic pigment.

As matte lip products go, both the lipstick and lip liner successfully strike that tricky balance between offering an even tone and providing softening coverage. The buildable formulas fit around subtle and statement lippy days, and we’ll be stashing them in our bag for a regular pout pick-me-up.

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We put the entire Rare Beauty range to the test – and trust us, it’s really worth the hype