These Multitasking Makeup Sticks Are Three Products in One

May 28, 2025 / Kevin harson /

Tired of toting around an overstuffed makeup bag? The best makeup sticks are the modern multitaskers your beauty routine has been waiting for—effortlessly pulling triple duty as eyeshadow, blush, and a sheer wash of lip color. Whether you’re crafting a 10-minute face or streamlining your travel kit, paring things down is more than practical—it’s chic. “As someone who is always on the go, a single product that works three ways is ideal for speeding up my beauty routine!” celebrity makeup artist Jen Tioseco tells Vogue, adding that she favors cream formulas that glide on seamlessly and work across various features.

Vogue’s Favorite Multipurpose Makeup Sticks

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As a bonus, warmer weather offers the perfect excuse to embrace a lighter touch. These creamy, blendable formulas offer weightless, dewy coverage that melts into skin—no brushes required. Minimalist, effortless, and endlessly wearable, multi-use sticks bring intention to your regimen while cutting down on time—and clutter. Ahead, discover eight editor-approved picks designed to deliver all-purpose pigment with ease.

Best Glow: Chanel Baume Essentiel Multi-Use Glow Stick

Chanel

Baume Essentiel Multi-Use Glow Stick

Why We Love It: “This product is like painting with light,” Tasha Reiko Brown previously told Vogue, adding it’s a great “one-product wonder” for all skin types, including mature complexions. This glow stick brings a dose of vibrancy and hydration, no matter where its placed. It ’s a highlighter for those who prefer a subtle, more grown-up approach; an eyeshadow for a sheer wash of color. Apply to the high points of your face, or swipe across lids for a dewy, more awake look.
Key Ingredients: Synthetic wax, carnauba wax
Type: Cream
Finish: Luminous
Shades: 6
Size: 0.28 oz

Best for Shading: Victoria Beckham Beauty Contour Stylus

Why We Love It: VB Beauty’s ultra-slim design makes this the perfect contour stick (or eyeshadow stick) for expert precision anywhere it glides on. Sculpt your cheeks, nose, or jaw, by simply drawing lines and blending in with your finger. For a neutral eyeshadow look, swipe across your lids and blend out the edges. The best part is its buildable color deposit—you’ll never fear applying too much with this creamy, plant-based formula that accommodates a range of undertones.
Ingredients: Squalane, linefill, blue lotus wax
More to Know: Non-comedogenic, vegan, dermatologist tested, hypoallergenic
Type: Cream
Finish: Natural
Shades: 4
Size: 0.04 oz

Best for Precision Color: Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencil

Make Up For Ever

Artist Color Eye, Lip & Brow Pencil

Why We Love It: Suppose you asked beauty writers Kiana Murden and Conçetta Ciarlo to name their favorite multipurpose pencil. In that case, they’d both rave about Make Up For Ever’s Artist Color Pencil—Murden loves the shade Limitless Brown, while Ciarlo reaches for Endless Cacao endlessly. Though they primarily use it as a lip liner, the pencil also works beautifully as eyeshadow, brow filler, nose contour, eyeliner, and more. Wondering how one pencil can do so much? Just watch any TikTok from makeup artist Emily Wood, where she uses this not only for lips but also scribbled on and blended as a blush. Oh, and did we mention that J.Lo is a fan, too?
Key Ingredients: Hydrogenated palm glycerides, synthetic wax, kaolin
Type: Sharpenable Pencil
Finish: Matte
Shades: 12
Size: 0.04 oz

Best Mutli-Finish: Ilia Multi-Stick

Why we love it: Ilia’s multi-stick leaves a natural flush no matter where its swiped onto—this shea butter-infused cream stick melts effortlessly onto skin on contact. Featuring an ultra-lightweight texture, this is the perfect product for the no makeup-makeup look, with a naturally rosy, skin-like result. Senior fashion market editor Madeline Fass considers this one of her favorite makeup products for subtle eye color, plus Brooke Shields and Diana Silvers are fans, too.
Key Ingredients: Shea butter, avocado oil, orange peel wax
Type: Cream
Finish: Available in luminous or natural finishes
Shades: 12
Size: 0.15 oz

Best Sheer Finish: NARS The Multiple Stick

Why We Love It: Not quite a blush nor a highlighter, this multi-stick strikes a balance of subtle luminosity. Designed for maximum versatility, you can swipe onto cheeks, eyes, lips, or even the body (hello, glistening color bones and décolleté!). Whether you’re opting for a velvety lip look, a wet shadow, or a myriad of other applications—the cream-to-powder formula leaves a sheer flush of color, gliding with ease thanks to a blend of vitamin E and açai oil.
Key Ingredients: Microcrystalline wax, candelilla wax, glycerin, tocopherol
Type: Cream-to-powder
Finish: Luminous
Shades: 3
Size: 0.5 oz.

Best Complexion Stick: Merit The Minimalist Stick

Merit

The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick

Why We Love It: Merit’s two-in-one complexion stick functions as both a foundation and spot concealer. Despite complexion sticks and cream foundation getting a bad rep for heavy, cakey formulas, Merit’s stick boasts a lightweight feel and buildable coverage. Formulated in partnership with aesthetician Biba de Sousa, this features a blend of fatty acids and sea daffodil to lock in moisture and minimize the look of dark spots. Celebrity makeup artist Meredith Baraf noted this as one of her favorite foundations for mature skin types, thanks to the hydrating ingredients that prevent the product from creasing into fine lines. Fellow pro makeup artist Amrita Mehta is also a fan, calling it a staple in her kit, reaching for it whenever her clients are after a no-makeup makeup look with long-wear results. Plus, this beauty pick has an impressive shade range.
Key Ingredients: Glycerin, fatty acids, sea-daffodil extract
Type: Cream
Finish: Natural
Shades: 30
Size: .23 oz

Best for Shimmer-Free Color: Jones Road The Overachiever Lip + Cheek Stick

Why We Love It: Glossy, not shimmery, this dual-purpose stick is ideal for a dewy complexion or a tinted lip balm—the color payoff is super natural-looking, and the stick format, a piece of cake to use. The star ingredient? Castor oil, which boasts a combination of essential fatty acids and vitamin E ideal for plumping skin and smoothing the overall appearance of fine lines. It’s an excellent choice for dry skin and mature complexions alike.
Key Ingredients: Castor oil, synthetic wax, titanium dioxide
Type: Cream
Finish: Natural
Shades: 8
Size: 0.32 oz

Best Drugstore: e.l.f Monochromatic Multi Stick

e.l.f.

Monochromatic Multi Stick Creamy

Why We Love It: For an affordable multi stick with strong color payoff, look no further than e.l.f.’s cream-to-powder formula—this versatile beauty pick costs less than an oat latte in a New York coffee shop. The lightweight, non-greasy formula leaves a wash of color on eyes, lips, and cheeks—just swipe and tap to blend for a fool-proof finish. Plus, the tiny packaging fits in any bag, for flawless on-the-go touch-ups.
Key Ingredients: Dimethicone, shea butter, vitamin E, mica, microcrystalline wax
Type: Cream-to-powder
Finish: Luminous
Shades: 7
Size: 0.16 oz

Everything You Need To Know

The Benefits of Using Multi-Use Makeup Sticks

Long story short, multipurpose makeup sticks cut down on your beauty routine time, minimize on highly-coveted storage space, and help keep your beauty look cohesive. “I’m a huge proponent of finding products you can ‘break the rules’ with and apply to multiple areas of the face, which helps with the overall look of makeup cohesion,” pro makeup artist El Debratto previously told Vogue.

Fellow celebrity makeup artist Anastasia Vavina agrees, noting that cutting down on overall products used is the key to achieving a fast glam, encouraging a “one-and-done” approach by applying the same color cosmetics to the cheeks, eyes (or even lips) for a natural flush.

How to Apply a Multi-Purpose Makeup Stick

The experts agree, one of the best aspects of makeup sticks are their fail-proof, beginner-friendly application. “I personally love using my fingers to apply a cream stick as it helps warm the product up for an effortless application!” Tioseco notes.

For pro makeup artist Hannah Isobel Busst, it’s all about direct product-to-skin application. “Swipe straight from stick to your skin and use fingertips to blend upwards and out,” Busst tells Vogue. Though if you are more of a makeup brush person, Tioseco recommends a dual-sized makeup brush. “You can use the larger side for the cheeks and the smaller side for your lips and eyelids!”

Meredith Baraf is a celebrity makeup artist whose clients include Brooke Shields, Erin Andrews, Nasim Pedrad, and more.
El DeBratto is a non-binary New York-based editorial makeup artist whose clients include Coco Rocha, Flower Beauty, Kristin Ess, and Glamour Magazine.
Hannah Isobel Busst is a professional makeup artist based in London. Busst has worked with major fashion and beauty brands including Victoria Beckham Beauty,
Dsquared², Thom Browne, Diesel, Rick Owens, and more.
Amrita Mehta is a New York-based celebrity makeup artist who’s worked with Aoki Lee Simmons and Sophia Culpo.
Tasha Reiko Brown is a Chanel makeup artist and groomer whose clients include Gabrielle Union, Michael B. Jordan, and Alicia Keys.
Jen Tioseco is a Los Angeles-based makeup artist, whose roster includes Madelyn Cline, Camila Mendes, Madelaine Petsch, Meghann Fahy, and Gwen Stefani.
Anastasia Vavina is a professional makeup artist and hairstylist based in New York. In addition to working closely with major model agencies, Vavina’s work has been featured in Numero Netherlands, Elle, and more.