From the heavily sculpted contour lines that sought to redefine our facial architecture — popularised by Kim Kardashian and her longtime makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic — to the oversized brow phenomenon that swept across social media, and then our beauty cabinets, the 2010s were an era of beauty defined by maximalism. Lips were inflated, locks were dip-dyed in ombre colour palettes, and faux tans intensified. But it was also a time that gave rise to the millennial pink-washed direct-to-consumer beauty juggernaut Glossier. Founded by Emily Weiss as an extension of her popular blog “Into The Gloss”, Glossier arrived as a reaction (or rejection) to the extreme cosmetic aesthetic of the decade.
Glossier harnessed the consumer sentiments published in the “Into The Gloss” comment section and released a compact skincare collection designed to make beauty “accessible and uncomplicated”. Makeup, fragrance and body care formulations soon followed, but the party line remained the same: ‘Skin first. Makeup Second.’
Ten years have passed since Glossier’s launch, but ‘skin first’ remains an enduring motto, with a number of new brands and products appearing on retail shelves and in social media algorithms to support consumer demand. Which might help explain how we came to find ourselves in the age of the pigmented complexion balm.
Packaged in sticks or compacts, complexion (or beauty) balms offer lightweight, buildable colour veils for lips, cheeks and eyes, promising efficient application and skin-like results. “Most of us aren’t makeup artists or experts – we just want to enjoy getting ready easily and quickly, with products that make us feel good,” says Alia Morin, the chief marketing officer at the US-based vegan makeup brand Merit. Founded in 2021 by Katherine Power (the founder of Who What Wear and Versed skincare), Merit’s philosophy was not dissimilar to Glossier’s: “impossible to mess up everyday essentials”.
“Right from the start, we prioritised multi-tasking formulas with sheer yet buildable pigment payoff,” says Morin. The brand’s multi-use Flush Balm – “a favourite from our community”, available in nine hues for $48 each – was part of Merit’s launch assortment, and epitomises its offering of intuitive, on-the-go friendly essentials, with the added benefit of skincare ingredients like vitamin E.
“All of our colour products have some sort of skincare element to them,” explains Morin. “Flush Balm with formulated in accordance with celebrity facialist Biba De Sousa’s “no” list of over 70 pore-clogging and acne-triggering ingredients.”
At present, Flush Balm is the best selling cream blush at Sephora in North America, and the second most popular Merit product since the brand launched in the Australian market earlier this year. According to Morin, the following comes down to Flush Balm’s “one-of-a-kind formula”. “It gives a subtle, gorgeous lit-from-within glow, without any harsh lines or cakey-ness,” she says. “Rather than a matte or shimmery finish, Flush Balm’s is more of a satin – a natural-looking wash of colour that melts into your skin. It’s also buildable and lightweight, so you can add as much pigment as you want without worrying about that heavy feeling.”
Closer to home, the Australian skincare brand Rationale has recently expanded its category set to include three pigmented beauty balms for lips and cheeks, and one highlighter balm. “The Beautiful Balms are the next evolution of our Zinc Fusion Superfluid SPF50+ technology, representing a new synergy of skincare and makeup,” explains Richard Parker, Rationale’s founder and director of research.
Conceived to be used as a “translucent, lightweight enhancement of your skin’s natural glow”, the Beautiful Balms ($82 for a single balm or $296 for the Signature Glow Set of four) work double duty to nourish with skin identical ceramide lipids and a combination of zinc, vitamin E and Water Lily extract. Designed to layer as a step in your existing skincare regimen, Parker advises to “apply the balms over your existing skincare serums, hydrators and sunscreen as your final complexion enhancing step”, for a dewy, polished and natural finish.
