Makeup by Mario is a brand that I’ve wanted to be drawn to since its launch simply because of Mario Dedivanovic’s work and experience, but nothing had managed to pull me in – until now. Recently, he launched cream face products as part of the Soft Sculpt collection, and I was immediately sold. I picked up two of the Soft Sculpt Shaping Sticks (cream bronzers) and one of the Soft Pop Blush Sticks (cream blushes).
PACKAGING
Each product retails for $28 and comes with 10.5 g / 0.37 oz. They come packaged in a black paper box with the branding on the front and the ingredients and other product information on the back. Though the boxes were paper, they didn’t feel cheap and had an almost fibrous feel to them. A sticker was affixed to one end of the box to indicate which shade within a particular line was contained inside.
Note: I ordered directly from the brand’s website, as the sculpting sticks (which I was most interested in) were not available at Sephora on launch date. The box came filled with those black squiggly pieces of paper, which while I understand they protect the products in transit, can just get absolutely everywhere. Just something to expect if you plan to order directly instead of from a stockist.
The components themselves are minimalistic in style, being a white plastic with black text. They’re cylindrical in shape, though larger than expected. (For reference, they’re thicker and taller than a Nudestix component.) The product and shade name are labeled in a sticker on the bottom – my blush stick was missing this, though it’s still easily identifiable to me since the others have the sticker. They’re also double ended, where the larger section contains the cream product and the smaller section contains a unique brush. The brush is slightly slanted and has five little “nubs” that supposedly help blend the product better. The brush does detach by twisting and popping off so that you can remove it for cleaning. The larger section rolls both up and down – the twisting part feels a little flimsy to me but is completely functional. Be sure to completely roll down the product after use, or you will end up smooshing it on the inside of the cap. Thankfully mine was only just barely above the top of the component, but that’s also how I know how important it is to ensure it’s completely rolled down – learn from my experience!
I really wish that the black ring, which is the stationary part of the component, was wider so that it was easier to grab. More than once, I’ve unintentionally pulled off the brush cap while actually trying to remove the product cap because my fingers would slide down such that they were on both the ring and part of the brush cap. Maybe that’s a personal issue, and since becoming aware of it, it doesn’t happen nearly as often but is still annoying when it does.
Speaking of which… I hate the brush. I hate it. I know it’s supposed to be part of what makes this product unique, but I’d so much rather have a shorter component without the brush being there. It could *maybe* work in a pinch, but I would sooner use my fingers if I didn’t have a different brush nearby. My experience is that it tends to grab both the product and the base underneath and tug them both around, leaving patchy areas on your face. This brush and I just don’t agree, whether I use a stippling motion or use the tapping method recommended by Mario. Do yourself a favor and get the Elf Airbrush Stipple brush – you’ll be much happier.
Another reason I wish this brush was not on there is because it can be tricky to put the cap back over it without splaying the bristles. They have a tendency to want to catch just outside of the cap so that they’re pushed out. It hasn’t been too much of an issue for me, especially if I start at the tallest end of the brush slant and work towards the shortest end. However, I could see this being a much bigger complaint if you are one who actually does like the brush, as it will naturally spread out a little over time and make putting the cap over it more difficult.
FORMULA
Packaging gripes aside, the formulas are really beautiful. They apply really evenly, as the products aren’t too emollient nor too stiff. They readily transfer to the skin but don’t slip around once on. They also blend very quickly and seamlessly (as long as you use your own brush!), and because of they are slightly sheer/more buildable, they look more natural than other cream bronzing products.
For the Soft Sculpt Shaping Sticks, I picked up the shades Light and Light Medium. Light is described as being a neutral shade for fair to light skin tones, while Light Medium is described as being an understated cool shade for light to light-medium skin tones. I could have sworn that the original description for Light also mentioned having a hint of pink, but if that’s the case, the description has since been edited. In the end, I’m glad I grabbed both because while Light is the appropriate depth for me, it’s definitely more golden than I anticipated and would have liked for a “sculpting” collection. Light Medium is much more of my preferred undertone and is the one I tend to grab for more often – I just have to use a lighter hand.
As for the Soft Pop Blush Stick, I chose the shade Dusty Rose, which is a beautiful rosy mauve shade that isn’t too cool nor too warm. Upon initial application it almost pulls slightly berry on me but turns into the expected color when blended out.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I’m really such a fan of how these products perform and look on the face. The packaging definitely has some flaws in my opinion, but the the formulas are beautiful and very user-friendly. After trying these cream products, I now have my eye on some of the brand’s powder products, such as the Soft Sculpt Bronzer and Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette. If you’ve tried either of those, I’d be really keen to hear your experiences with them.
Have you tried the Makeup by Mario Soft Sculpt collection?