Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty Is Getting Mixed Reviews From Some Beauty YouTubers

Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty recently made its official debut on Sept. 3, joining the ever-growing list of celebrity-founded beauty brands. I know what you're thinking: How many celebrities are going to launch their own makeup line before the cosmetics industry implodes? Sadly, I can't answer that. Regardless, the brand is here, and so far, Rare Beauty's been met with relatively mixed reviews across the beauty YouTuber space. Of course, a beauty YouTuber's opinion is not gospel, and one person's trash is another person's treasure and all that jazz. But, as some of the big names in the BeauTuber arena, PatrickStarrr's, Jackie Aina's, and Nyma Tang's Rare Beauty reviews all offer an honest look at how the brand's products stack up IRL.

Rare Beauty was introduced to the world in February 2020, and since then, the brand has built up a ton of hype around its eventual launch. Gomez's vision with the brand was to create a community that fostered a celebration of everyone's individual beauty — what makes them "rare," if you will. On Sept. 3, Rare launched with a foundation, concealer, primer, mist, lip cream, lip balm, liquid highlighter, liquid blush, blotting materials, a brow pencil and gel combo, a liquid eyeliner, and various tools. Relatively speaking, most beauty influencers are pleased with the line, especially given how celebrity makeup ventures are often a hit or miss. Still, some products clearly stood out above the rest, according to these beauty gurus:

Jackie Aina Rare Beauty Review: Buy The Blushes, Skip The Concealer

TL;DW (too long; didn't watch): The hilarious Jackie Aina gave viewers alllllll the helpful opinions in her review. It was clear her favorite product of the line was the Soft Pinch Liquid Blush ($20, Rare Beauty) for its beautiful pigment, blendable nature, and staying power. At first, she seemed a bit skeptical of the Lip Soufflé Matte Lip Cream ($20, Rare Beauty) — the shade Inspire looked more opaque on Gomez's promo image than it first appeared on Aina — but after a few layers, she was pleased with the color.

Aina wasn't vibing with two products in particular: the Liquid Touch Brightening Concealer ($19, Rare Beauty) and the Brow Harmony Pencil and Gel ($22, Rare Beauty). The brand launched with a necessary 48 shades in both the concealer and the Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation ($29, Rare Beauty), but Aina didn't receive the best matches in either product. That aside, the concealer's formula, to her, was too sheer to provide her with the coverage she usually prefers, resulting in her layering it several times. Aina also didn't receive the correct shade of the brow pencil, so she didn't love the look it left her with.

She did, however, like the find the finish and feel of the foundation pretty unique, although she commented that the product was a bit too hydrating and liquid-y for her oily skin. If your skin is on the drier side, it sounds like this one's for you. Overall, it seems she was pleasantly surprised by some products, but not overly blown away.

PatrickStarrr Rare Beauty Review: Not For The Cakers & Bakers

TL;DW: I will preface this by saying PatrickStarrr's Rare Beauty review, at times, felt a little like an ad for his new brand ONE/SIZE. But hey, you've gotta secure your bag, so who can blame him? Right off the bat, Starrr notes that, if you like primers that offer a subtle glow, you'll like the Always An Optimist Illuminating Primer ($26, Rare Beauty). But if you need a pore-filling primer, this one may not be it for you. Both Aina and Starrr noted that the foundation was particularly liquid-y, with Starrr saying he personally prefers a thicker formula that'll cover his pores. Still, he liked the finish overall.

In terms of the brand's Liquid Touch Multi-Tasking Sponge ($14, Rare Beauty), Starrr, like Aina, was a bit skeptical of its super porous appearance (they feared it might leave spots), but Starrr appeared impressed with the application. Both he and Aina were also quick to stress that the Blot & Glow Touch-Up Kit ($26, Rare Beauty) was, in fact, just a puff blotter and blotting sheets, and not a setting powder; the two seemed neutral about this kit.

Starrr was pretty impressed by the blushes, commenting on their glow and vibrant pigment. He wasn't really impressed by the stiffness he felt in the brand's Perfect Strokes Matte Liquid Liner ($19, Rare Beauty), and he felt the pigment appeared more grey than black. Yes, he even did a side-by-side swatch with ONE/SIZE's Point Made Liquid Eyeliner Pen ($19, ONE/SIZE). Take from that what you will. Finally, Starrr was a big fan of the With Gratitude Dewy Lip Balm ($16, Rare Beauty) and said it "felt great" on his lips.

Nyma Tang Rare Beauty Review: Bomb Blush & Concealer For Dry Eyes

TL;DW: Let it be known you can always trust Nyma Tang for a helpful review. Starting off with the primer, Tang found that, if you have a deeper skin tone like hers, the primer's pearlescent pigments might leave a grey cast behind on your skin. This was a bit evident on Tang's skin, with Rare Beauty's primer leaving behind a silvery pigment. Because of this, Tang opts for warmer, darker shade Captivate in the brand's Positive Light Liquid Luminizer ($22, Rare Beauty) and felt it blended nicely into her skin, although it's a bit more red and "bronze-y" than she typically goes for.

Similar to the other BeauTubers, Tang's a bit caught off-guard by how liquid-y (and a teensy bit messy) the foundation's formula is initially. Still, she's not mad at its luminous, glowy finish, especially on her drier skin, or the amount of coverage she got. She felt the same for the concealer, too. Blush-wise, Tang was definitely surprised by the amount of pigment the blushes pack (maybe a little too surprised), but she felt it was very pretty and that it didn't lift any of her foundation.

As for lip products, Tang mixed the brown and red shades of the Lip Soufflé together. Although the brown had a little too much of a red undertone, she liked how the product felt. "It feels powdery, but not in a bad way," she said. "It feels light and fluffy powdery." At the very end, she tried the brand's Always An Optimist 4-In-1 Mist ($24, Rare Beauty), but found it was too dewy for her. That said, if you have oily skin or prefer a solid matte finish, Rare Beauty miiiiiiight not be what you're looking for just yet.