Makeup brands · 14 brands reviewed
Makeup index
The makeup brands that work on Australian skin tones, in Australian conditions. Drugstore icons that earn the shelf. Luxury houses that earn the price. Reviewed across foundation match, finish, longevity and shade range.
Editor's top three.
All makeup brands.
14 brands · sorted by scoreFenty Beauty
Rihanna's brand that reset the industry on shade range. Pro Filt'r still leads.
Charlotte Tilbury
British beauty institution. Pillow Talk legacy, Magic Cream cult, Flawless Filter staple.
Pat McGrath Labs
Couture-level pigments. Skin Fetish Highlighter is the cleanest sheen on the market.
NARS
Pro-favourite blushes, Radiant Creamy Concealer the long-running benchmark.
Rare Beauty
Selena Gomez's brand. Soft Pinch Liquid Blush is the most-copied product of 2024.
Tower 28
California gentle. Sensitive-skin makeup that genuinely works for reactive types.
Merit
Minimalist, modern, professional finish. The Flush Balm is the standout.
Anastasia Beverly Hills
The brand that built the modern Australian brow. Brow Wiz remains the category leader.
MAC
The brand that taught a generation of Australian beauty professionals how to do makeup. Ruby Woo, Velvet Teddy, Diva.
Glossier
Millennial pink era over but Balm Dotcom still earns its handbag spot.
Lancôme
L'Oréal-owned French heritage. Lash Idôle outperformed only by Maybelline Sky High at one-third the price.
Maybelline
Sky High Mascara is the most important product to launch in the AU makeup market in five years.
Benefit
The brow-bar brand that owned the early-2010s Australian beauty floor. Buy Hoola, Gimme Brow, Benetint. Skip the rest.
Mecca Max
Mecca's house brand. Competent at fair price; struggles for attention against the prestige brands shelved beside it.
All 14 brands in the makeup category are independently reviewed by named Glow editors against the same four-axis rubric. No paid rankings.
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