Favourite Five: LA’s Coolest Makeup Brand, Kosas

August 27 | 4 minute read

Words by Kerri Gordon & Arabella Roden

A recent trip to Los Angeles taught me one thing: though it may be perceived that the Californian secret to glowing skin, perfect brows and plump lips is sunshine, Erewhon smoothies and genetics, it’s not quite the truth. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much makeup in my life.

The mistakenly makeupless ‘clean aesthetic’ revolves around a ‘work smarter, not harder’ approach to makeup, relying on formulas that create the illusion of sleep, hydration and a 12-step skincare routine (and work beneath the surface to maintain it).

It’s the bread and butter of LA-born beauty brand Kosas, led by founder Sheena Zadeh and loved by ‘it’ girls globally (Hailey Bieber, Madeline Argy, Gwyneth Paltrow, to name a few). The brand prides itself in creating “makeup for skincare freaks” – a cult-status concealer that doubles as eye cream; a blush that smooths and hydrates with skincare ingredients like squalane and hyaluronic acid; and even a peptide-spiked brow gel that encourages thicker, fuller brows.

You really can’t go wrong with any of the brand’s easy-to-use formulations – but these are our five Kosas favourites.

Revealer Concealer

If you’re new to Kosas, the brand’s signature concealer tells you everything you need to know. Founder Sheena Zadeh says: “It’s changing the idea of what concealer is, revealing the areas that you want to brighten and highlight. Apply anywhere you want to brighten, highlight or smooth – under-eyes, blemishes, cheekbones. You literally can’t mess it up.”

Medium coverage yet super lightweight, it melts into skin to instantly brighten and hydrate the under-eyes. And with the addition of peptides and hyaluronic acid to plump skin and lock in hydration, it’s bang-on when it comes to the brand’s mission to create makeup that works like skincare. Revealer Concealer is also a game-changer when it comes to blurring blemishes, (with or without foundation!) leaving them to heal as they hide. No wonder it’s a repeat MECCA Beauty Election Winner.

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Air Brow Fluff & Hold Treatment Gel

Feathery, face-framing brows are essential for any makeup look, and this strong-hold yet supremely natural-looking tint lifts and defines your hairs with just one swipe. With a perfectly voluminous spoolie brush, you can achieve that full, brushed-up look with just a flick of the wrist – no hours in front of the mirror required. But it’s the inclusion of castor oil to nourish brows and encourage growth that’s a real strike of genius. Plus, panthenol gives your brows a shiny, fuller look, while biodegradable plant fibers boost volume. There’s more than meets the eye(brow) with this all-in-one brow makeover.

Wet Lip Oil Plumping Treatment Gloss

True to Kosas form, this versatile gloss-meets-treatment isn’t just about the look (although the look is reason enough to add to cart.) While the gloss gives your lips a vinyl-like sheen sans stickiness, it also acts as a nourishing lip treatment, with hydrating hyaluronic acid and konjac root to lock in moisture. The ingredient lineup also features peptides for a visible plump (no needles required) and the triple whammy of evening primrose oil, avocado oil and shea butter for a powerful punch of nourishment. Wear these sheer, flattering shades alone, or paired with the brand’s cleverly designed Hotliner Hyaluronic Acid Contouring Lip Liners to complete the LA ‘it’ girl aesthetic.

Blush is Life Baked Dimensional and Brightening Blush

With a degree in biology, Zadeh’s science-y fascinations result in new and never-been-done-before iterations of beauty bag classics. Kosas’ baked blush is the epitome of this; before taking its final form, the blush is whipped up like a mousse, which allows for active ingredients like hyaluronic acid to be mixed in. Swirl the colour pigment with a streak of shimmer and bake it in the oven, and the blurred, perfectly diffused look of a traditional powder blush gets a new lease on life, thanks to skin benefits once reserved for your favourite serum. From cool pinks to warm corals and fleshy neutrals, there is a shade for everyone - multiple, in fact.

Cloud Set Baked Setting and Smoothing Powder

“I have not typically been a powder wearer,” says Zadeh of the story behind Cloud Set, “because I like to have a glow. But I do have naturally oily skin, so I wanted to find a way to be able to control some of that oil, but still let my glow show through. That’s how Cloud Set was born.” The result? A smoothing, blurring and shine-minimising triple-threat powder which has won legions of fans for its ability to whisk away oiliness and reduce the appearance of pores, while setting makeup in place.

Like all Kosas products, this powder harnesses plant-derived ingredients to treat skin while you wear it. In the case of Cloud Set, that’s Chinese peony and bamboo stem extract to help balance oil production, and passionfruit leaf extract to smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. And, because it’s a baked formulation rather than a loose powder, this is one compact that won’t leave a mess on your bathroom shelf or in your makeup bag. Bonus – it leaves skin still looking like skin and comes in 10 shades.