I just tried Saie Beauty’s entire makeup range – and here's what happened
When my friends ask me what it’s like to be a beauty writer, I often say that it’s like being on a dating app. I’m constantly trying new brands, ingredients, innovations and gadgets – either choosing to introduce them to said friends or ghosting after a failed date over my bathroom sink.
Both in my beauty and dating life, I have discovered that I am rather picky. I have a “type”, you could say. I’ve tested many brands that don't impress me, but when I find one that tickles my fancy, I fall for it quicker than Beyonce’s Renaissance tour tickets sold out.
So my latest crush? Saie Beauty is the coolest makeup brand that's got the looks and personality (meaning, both the packaging and formulas are just 10/10). And before we go any further, it’s pronounced ‘say’, in case you were wondering.
Saie has been around since 2019, but only recently has it popped onto my radar. A little late to the party I admit, but since I’ve gotten to know its dewy formulas, I quickly discovered that it’s a brand I would wink at from across the room (jokes, I’d never do that).
The top line is that Saie is a makeup brand with beautifully chic packaging, products that flatter your complexion – rather than conceal it – and formulas that are infused with skin-kind ingredients. If you’re a fan of natural-looking makeup that’s comfortable to wear, I think you’ll love this.
Saie describes itself as a clean brand, which in the beauty world, is a bit of a contentious conversation. If a product is labelled ‘clean’ its ingredients will be considered safe for both humans and the environment. However, there is no defined definition of clean beauty, and its standards are still open to interpretation. Mostly, it’s down to the founders and consumers to decide what clean beauty means to them.
For Laney Crowell, founder of Saie, it’s all about making skincare the priority and putting makeup second. “I believe makeup should be good for our skin; to me, that's what clean is all about. Instead of fillers and silicones, our products are packed with incredibly nourishing ingredients,” she says.
Just like eating the right foods to keep your body healthy, Laney suggests using the correct ingredients is vital to keeping your skin happy. “When you eat nutrient-rich foods, you feel and look better because you're fuelling your body with clean ingredients. That's the basis of my clean philosophy,” says Laney. “Each of our formulas starts with a base of nourishing skincare that's tailor-made for each product. Then we stack even more skin-loving ingredients on top and the final layer is pigment,” she adds.
While it’s a wise idea to arm yourself with products that can play both the makeup and skincare role, know that it’s not your hall pass to ditch your skincare routine. Please. The critical beauty journalist in me is here to say that a foundation won’t work as hard as your favourite serum or moisturiser (sorry). Makeup with a skin-first approach should be used as a way to benefit your skincare routine, not as a method to replace it.
Anyways, after rigorous TikTok and Insta stalking to find out everything there is to know about Saie, it wasn’t long till its entire collection of skin-glowing and skin-loving formulas landed on my desk for me to delve into.
Here, see the ones I’d swipe right for.
The best Saie Beauty products to try...
If you’re after dewy, light-reflecting finishes, you need this primer/highlighter hybrid in your life. The cooling formula feels like a refreshing serum which is infused with shimmery pigments. As you turn your head, your skin glistens in a way that looks radiant, not oily or shiny.
I love that there’re so many ways to use it. Layer it in between your moisturiser and foundation for a lit-from-within finish, or if you’re like me, pump a few dollops into your foundation for some next-level glow. You can also use it as a highlighter as the finishing touch to your makeup or wear it alone and bask in the luminosity.
I am a sucker for a tinted moisturiser, especially during the summer. They deliver the perfect amount of coverage, a dewy sheen and are often very lightweight, so they won’t have you swimming in makeup by midday. Saie’s Slip Tint ticks all these boxes, in case you hadn’t guessed.
I love that this will cover redness and areas of pigmentation, but it still allows freckles to be seen. Enriched with hyaluronic acid and vitamin C, it keeps my skin feeling moisturised for as long as I wear it. A great player to bring on your next vacay.
If you’re adding one Saie product to your basket, please, please, please, let it be this. With a serum-like texture and a consistency that feels weightless, it makes wearing and applying foundation a breeze. You can layer it for a little more coverage or stick to a pared-back look for some serious ‘my-skin-but-glowier' energy.
My only gripe (and I’m being picky here), the coverage starts to fade over dry patches or areas of oiliness, so ensure you’ve prepped your skin properly to keep everything in place.
Me 🤝 coffee, which unfortunately allows me to think I can stay up till the early hours watching Netflix. Trust me, I do it successfully, but I’ve also got dark circles to show for it. Coverage wise, this concealer is on the lighter side, so use it to perk up tired eyes rather than cover an angry breakout.
The formula is very hydrating – shoutout to squalane and glycerin – so it doesn’t settle into fine lines or dry zones but leaves a seamless finish that makes your eyes look radiant and awakened.
If we were in the Love Island villa, this is the bombshell that would turn my head. The comforting formula contains colloidal oatmeal – one of my favourite skincare ingredients – which ensures your skin stays moisturised and nourished. The finish is neither matte nor dewy but gives your complexion a healthy, bronzed glow that looks completely realistic (if anyone asks, just say you spent two weeks in the Mediterranean sun).
I find that you get the best finish when buffing it in with a fluffy brush to achieve an all-over glow, rather than using it as a contour product. Even if you’re suspicious of cream bronzers, you’ll be converted.
This highlighting blush is the Saie family’s latest member, and already it’s reached viral success. Combining both colour and light-reflecting pigments, it gives the kind of flush you’d expect after a rejuvenating facial.
The concept of these compacts is quite clever: the multi-purpose, cream-to-powder formula can be used as a blush, highlighter, and heck, as an eyeshadow too. The shade Mauveglow – a muted, berry pink – really spoke to me; however, if you’re after more highlighter than blush, go for the shade Pinkglow.
I’ve already loaded up my cart with the rest of the colours, and I regret nothing.
If a guy can’t make my heart skip a beat, this insanely pigmented blush surely can. The balance between colour and dew is spot on. Its consistency is rich and creamy, meaning you only need a small amount of product to go a long way.
To create the illusion of higher cheekbones, dot it on the high points of your cheeks and dab it with your finger. The cream sinks into your skin to leave a seamless finish and a stunning pop of colour. I’d recommend this to anyone I’d pass on the street.
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t convinced when I first tried this brow butter. The spoolie is very small, so I found it hard to pick up enough product to bush out my brows the way I like them. So, if you’re after a striking, filled brow, this isn’t the one.
If I'm reaching for it, it’s on the days when I'm not wearing any makeup, but still fancy a little pigment through my mousey brown hairs. TBF though, the tiny brush makes shaping and brushing your brows in place a breeze. So opt for this if your brows are more 90s Pam Anderson rather than Cara Delevingne-esque.
As a gloss girlie through and through, I find that lip balms rarely excite me. But it’s official, I’ve found a formula that I genuinely love. There's not much gloss to it, but what has captured my interest is the pearly iridescence. With a delicate hint of pigment too, it makes my lips look very inviting 👀. And of course, playing its role as a great balm, it does a stellar job at keeping my lips nourished and moisturised without feeling sticky.
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