There is one makeup brand that I find myself reaching for time and time again lately, and seeing all over my FYP, it’s Refy Beauty. Created by founder Jess Hunt, the brand has a curated edit of multi-functional products in equally aesthetically pleasing packaging. The brand is all about streamlining your beauty routine so you can do a natural yet pulled together look in less than 10 minutes. There’s no high maintenance foundation, complicated eyeshadow or contouring here. These are all products you can pat or swipe on fast to create a ‘no makeup’ makeup vibe and easily throw in your bag for quick touch-ups. Think impeccably groomed brows, dewy skin and glossy lips.
Beauty editor Eleanor Vousden wearing a full face of Refy Beauty products.
I’m already a fan of the Refy Cream Bronzer (I’ve hit pan, and I’m sad about it) and the Brow Pencil, but there are a few products of the brand that I’m yet to try. So, I decided to road-test every product from the brand to see which ones are really worth a deserving place in your makeup bag. Below, you can read my honest review of the full Refy line.
I’ve had this brush for over a year now and it’s one I reach for every single day. One one end is a fluffy stipling brush and on the other is a denser brush. They can both be used in so many ways, but I love the fluffy end for applying cream bronzer and the shorter end for patting in cream blusher. As its double-ended, it save on space and is ideal for touching up makeup when you’re out and about.
This might be my favourite Refy product of the lot. The cream bronzers are *chef’s kiss*. It’s so creamy, has zero shimmer and melts into the skin to deliver a healthy glow. It has an almost a sheer quality to it which makes it look both radiant and natural when buffed into the skin with the fluffy end of the Duo Brush. That being said, you can easily layer it for more intensity. I like the fairest shade, Dune, for my skin tone, but there are four shades in total to choose from which can cater to a spectrum of skin tones. If you only buy one product, I’d make it this one.
This is one of the OG Refy products that put the brand on the map. The Brow Sculpt was truly innovative on its launch for creating a fluffy, laminated brow effect with long-lasting, non-flaking hold. You use the pomade to brush the solution through brows before using the comb brushes on the other end to lift and set brows into place. While it does really hold brows in place without that dried glue feeling, I’d advise applying this before foundation or any base makeup underneath, and before applying any other brow products. I say this because as you comb through your brows, it can pick up product underneath which can gather in the brows.
I really, really love Refy lip liners. Having tried a couple of the shades now, I can attest that these lip liners are among the longest lasting around. On the end of the pencil is a setting solution, a kind of sheer, matte balm, that you apply over the lip liner to lock it into place. And it really works well. The twist-up nib is so easy to apply on the go and the shade range features three pinks and three browns in different undertones, as well as a suits-all cherry red. IMO, this is a must try if you’re big on your lip liner.
I love the concept of this primer. The roller applicator means you can massage and sculpt as you prime your skin for makeup with its serum formula, which contains niacinamide and glycerin to address oiliness and hydrate. However, I feel like I could skip this product. It’s nice to have, but I don’t see drastic improvements on the longevity of my base makeup. Refy doesn’t yet have a skin tint or foundation, but I have a feeling they would nail it.
Refy’s cream blushers are a thing of beauty. They’re creamy and nicely pigmented, but not so much that you end up with too much colour. I dab the shorter end of the Duo Brush into these and press into the skin for a healthy flush. They have a radiant finish which makes your skin look juicy and healthy and can be built up to the intensity you like. I have the shades Rose (a bright pink) and Cherry pictured here, which is a bright pink, but there are three other shades to choose from.
Refy has a very extensive brow range, but it is the brow pencils that I favour. They are ultra fine, meaning you can create realistic individual brow strokes, and the formula isn’t too hard that it drags, nor too soft that it melts off. These are great if you want to add some subtle definition to brows, and the spoolie brush on the other end helps to brush brows into place and diffuse any product so it looks seamless with your own brow hairs. I can’t live without it now.
I’m usually wary of brow gels of the tinted variety (I find they deposit too much product in all the wrong places) but this one has surprised me. It has a glossy formula that even coats brows and leaves a subtle tint, with zero flakiness. It grooms brows into place nicely while offering a medium hold that doesn’t turn crusty come 2pm. The spherical brush manages to capture even the little hairs, so you get a consistent coating.
Refy’s lip glosses combine the benefits of a hydrating lip balm with an ultra-glassy sheen. They come in matching shades to the lip liners, with the addition of a clear gloss too, so you can go matchy-matchy with the corresponding shades, or mix and match with products you own already. The combination of shea butter, hyaluronic acid and jojoba oil leave the lips hydrated and plumped, and the metal applicator is so cooling on contact with the lips—a great little experiential luxury.
I’ve seen mixed reviews about these lip blushes, but I’m a fan. I personally think its all in the application. You can apply this as a traditional lipstick, but I prefer dabbing it on to my lips for a blurred, effortless finish. Think a lived-in flush that looks like your lips, but better. It has a matte finish which lends itself well to this application, but some have noted it’s quite drying on the lips if you swipe it on. I actually really love using this as a blush to add a hint of colour to the cheeks.
Hate glittery highlighters? Me too. This highlighter is all sheen without any sparkle or spangle. It gives a wet look highlight to cheekbones or anywhere you choose to apply it. It’s lightly tinted with a metallic topaz hue, but on the skin it reads as a pretty, translucent glow. I return to this product every summer when I want to finish my makeup with a touch of radiance.
Beauty editor Eleanor Vousden wearing the Gloss Highlighter in shade Topaz.
If you want to fill in larger areas of your brows, then the brow pomade is certainly worth a try for covering more ground. I personally prefer the brow pencil, but I love that Refy has catered to everyone on the brow front—we love a brand that gives us options. The packaging on this is really well thought out; one end houses the pomade and on the other end, an angled brush that makes defining your brows both easy and fuss free if you need to top-up on the go, without the fear of anything exploding in your makeup bag. Simply dip the brush into the pomade to pick up some product and swipe through brows to create shape, add volume and define.
I discovered this product in the depths of winter, when my lips always suffer with dryness. While lip balm helps, if I’m out and want to refresh my lips, sometimes you just need something to exfoliate your lips prior to applying anything on top, and Refy has solved this problem. It has a bristled applicator that, in tandem with the hydrating serum inside the tube, works to buff away dry flakes while delivering moisture to the lips. It’s been a game-changer. What I will say is that because it’s really effective at removing dead skin, it can (forgive me for being a little gross here) collect in the bristled and can be tricky to remove as the nibs are quite firm.
Come summer, I adore coming back to this product. It’s essentially a serum highlighter for your body, which you can apply to your décolletage, shins, or anywhere you require a little glow. Like the highlighter for the face, this has zero glitter, and leaves a glossy, wet-look sheen that I can only imagine would leave the likes of supermodels jealous. It isn’t sticky and although it has a subtle bronze tint, it doesn’t provide coverage like body makeup. Think more of a translucent sheen. It’s also fragrance-free and hydrating, making it ideal for sensitive or dry skin too.
I don’t know what kind of sorcery this is, but this powder is magical. It’s water based, which sounds strange given that this is a powder product, but it essentially sets makeup and mattifies areas of shine without drying the skin or caking throughout the day. It kind of feels cooling on the skin at you pat it on, and it works well to blur pores and reduce areas of unwanted shine. I’m always so impressed at how it basically makes the pores around my nose look non-existent. There are two shades, 01, which has a yellow, warm undertone and 02, a pink hue that better suits cooler complexions.
I find that this sponge is best to apply the powder, as the pointed shape allows you to precisely apply powder around the nose or the areas where you want to de-shine. It would describe it as a nice to have sponge, but you don’t need to have it if you prefer using a another sponge or powder puff to apply powder. That being said, its a great sponge for blending in concealer if you want to use it for this purpose.
This isn’t your average makeup bag. You’d be right in thinking that a white makeup bag isn’t a good idea, but this one is made from a patent-pending material that can be wiped free. This means that all the mess that can come from makeup brushes or product explosions inside the bag can be wiped away, and the same goes for the exterior. I was sceptical, but having kept my makeup brushes and products in here, I’m delighted to confirm that it really works. It’s also really roomy to hold all of your products, and it comes with an internal zip section for smaller items that you might want to separate.
Want to try some of Refy’s hero product? This set allows you to save money on the individual prices (a saving of £28) and you can choose the blusher, bronzer and powder shade to best suit you.
This mini set of the brow sculpt and highlighter is so cute—great for travelling or throwing in your bag for touch-ups.
Refy’s iconic brow products can be used together for your fullest, fluffiest brows yet.
I own this kit of cherry red blush, lip liner and gloss and it’s perfect for creating a glossy red lip. It also comes with a very chic compact mirror.
This duo is perfect if you want to pair your lip liner with your gloss—you can choose the shades that you like best.
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