Faces Cosmetics Review - Is it a good drugstore brand? (Hypoallergenic and no animal testing!)

Faces Cosmetics is a Canadian Makeup Brand which (as far as I know) sells mainly in Canada, Mexico, Quebec, India and I think even Honduras.

Faces is pretty famous in India too, maybe not as much as Revlon, Loreal, and Maybelline, but you still see the Faces stall with the others in the mall and there are quite a lot of proper stores in malls too. Faces is a bit more affordable than Revlon (there might be products that are an exception) for the most part and the brand has a decent price range.

Though I don't own all Faces products that are available in India, I do own a lot. I'm only going to review products that I believe are worth the bucks. (But as a heads up, some products that I'm not a fan of are their loose powder eyeshadow pigments and their nail polishes).

One thing that I love about the brand is that the products are hypoallergenic! If you don't know what that means, it basically means that if you have oily/acne-prone/combination skin type, the face products are great for you and won't cause you to break out! The brand also doesn't test on animals, which is great if you are vegan or simply love animals (like me) and don't want to buy products from brands that test on animals.

1. Ultimate Pro Illuminating Powder (a.k.a Highlighter)

This one is definitely on the top of my list. It might even be my favorite makeup product I own right now (partially because I'm in love with highlighters in general). In fact, I will go as far as saying that I like this more than the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish highlighter. Yes, there is the powder flying off if you use a big brush but it isn't a big deal. If you apply it using ur finger (even a light dab on the powder and on to your face is more than enough to make your cheeks pop!) or a small fluffy brush you'll get less powder flying. And it lasts all day long!

2.  Makeup brushes

It may be my lack of experience in the "makeup brush" sector of makeup, but Faces brushes are pretty good. My favorite one is the small fluffy brush for applying eyeshadow (not shown in the picture above because I couldn't find it in time) and the blush brush (which I use for everything but blush. #TeamNoBrushKnowledge). The quality is pretty good and there's no hair fall out.

3. Matte Lip crayons and Lip Pencils

I hate when lipsticks say they are "matte" but have a very visible/noticeable gloss to them. ???. This is one is completely matte and the texture is creamy so you don't feel like you are dragging your lips every time you put it on. There's great pigmentation and it lasts for a decent amount of time. If you eat a lot there will be transfer and you may have to reapply, but otherwise, it should last the whole day! The formula could be a bit drying but if you make sure to moisturize your lips a few minutes/sometime before applying your makeup then you should be fine. (If you have unmanageable dry lips then maybe matte lipsticks just aren't for you in general). The lip pencils are also smooth and easy to apply. They are the right amount of soft if that makes any sense; not too hard but not so soft that it breaks every time you try to line/contour/fill in your lips.

4. Eyebrow pencil 

I have sparse eyebrows, and when I say that, I mean S P A R S E. Many would even say non-existent (I like to believe they're a bit more visible now than they used to be a few years ago - I'm getting there). So filling in my eyebrows is something I like to do frequently. Most eyebrow pencils out there are either way too dark or way too brown (I have black hair) so I'd always just use black eyeshadow to fill in my brows. I've heard beauty gurus say all the time to use dark brown if you have black hair and I didn't realize how much of a difference that made (even though it may not seem so) until I used this product. It's a great waxy formula and the spoolie that it comes with on the other end is a plus point. One problem is that it will spread if you rub your eyebrows (e.g. if you're itchy or whatever, I don't know what you deal with, eh) so it isn't smudge-proof but for the most part, it does the job well. It's really easy to blend out if you put on too much so there's a lot of control as far as the intensity goes, but again I just wish it would become a bit smudge proof after a few minutes of application.

5. Gel Eyeliner

The eyeliner isn't that special (nothing really stands out when compared to other brands) but it does the job and it doesn't break the bank just like the other products from the brand (note that the foundations can be a little higher priced compared to Maybelline's, etc). I do love the fact that the brush comes with the liner and is in the cap (I just realized it would've helped to take a picture of that but basically half of the long extension of the cap snaps off to magically reveal a tiny, cute brush) which makes it more hygienic in a way since the brush isn't lying around in a dirty pouch. It has a very dark, opaque pigment which I like but it does smudge a little (or that just could be because I scratch my eyes every few minutes when I forget I have eyeliner on). It's a good eyeliner if you're not looking for anything super special. I recommend it if you prefer gel eyeliners over felt-tip/liquid eyeliners. I personally prefer gel because the brush gives a more precise and sharp wing.


Is it the best brand? No. Does it fall under my Top 10 favorite drugstore brands? Yes. Overall, I love the brand and will probably try out a few more of their products soon. Out of the above list, I would definitely say that my favorites are the highlighter and the eyebrow pencil.