I Tried Everything From Saie Beauty & Here’s What I Think

Over the last few years, many of us have embraced a pared down version of beauty. Whether you've ditched heavy foundation for just a touch of concealer or skipped your signature lipstick for a slick of balm or lip tint, it's all about choosing lighter, more sheer products that make us feel a little bit more ourselves in seconds. It's why brands like Glossier and Trinny London, both known for their natural and super speedy approach to beauty, are consistently popular among editors, influencers and makeup lovers alike. But there's another selfie-worthy makeup brand vying for our attention. Enter: Saie.

Saie (pronounced 'say') aims to bring things back to basics, starting with glowing skin. Delectably named products like Glowy Super Gel and Dew Blush are infused with buzzy skincare ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and squalane for deep hydration, shea butter to lock in moisture, and glycerin, the most popular glow-boosting ingredient on the block right now. The Glowy Super Skin Foundation, can be considered more skincare than makeup as it combines 85% serum with 15% weightless pigment to lightly tint the face. Curious about what's in each product? The brand also offers clear reasoning behind each ingredient and what it does for your skin.

Hoping to see whether the products truly live up to the hype, we tested out everything in Saie's lineup over the span of two months. Is the glow really that good IRL? Do the products actually benefit your skin's health in the long term? And do Saie's lightweight formulas stand up to the hustle and bustle of modern life? 

Read on to discover our honest thoughts (and which products we think are worth your money).

This stuff feels so good on the skin. It's an ultra-light cooling cream gel and though it's initially quite a wet, liquid texture, it absorbs in seconds. I find it works like a foundation primer and highlighter to blur acne scars and pigmentation but the shimmery pigment also bathes skin in light. It's the ultimate multitasker.

Apply in a light layer and you'll be left with a really nice dewy glow that makes foundation look better when applied on top. For comparison, I would say this is a more subtle version of Glossier’s Futuredew, £28. If you want to, you can layer up on Glowy Super Gel for more of a shimmer (which I do on my cheekbones).

While there are currently only two shades, Starglow (a light champagne gold) and Sunglow (a warm golden bronze), both are so sheer that they suit all skin tones — I swap to Sunglow in the summer for a light bronzed look that rivals the ever popular, ever sold-out Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Drops, £34. If you're only going to buy one Saie product, I would recommend this one. It’s also a winner in my books because of how much product you get for your money. I’ve used my bottle almost every day for about three months now and it’s still going strong. 

When you look at the ingredients in the Glowy Super Skin Foundation you would be forgiven for thinking it’s a skincare product rather than makeup. 85% of the formula is a mix of hydrating hyaluronic acid, skin-strengthening peptides, moisturising squalane and quenching glycerin, and the other 15% is lightweight pigment. Saying this, I haven’t yet noticed any dramatic changes to the condition of my skin. However, because it is so lightweight and breathable, it feels so much better; not suffocated or clogged up like it does when I use other foundation products.

Part of its skincare-as-makeup appeal is that Super Skin — like Super Gel —  has a thin, watery formula that’s easy to blend so I'd recommend pumping out only a little on the back of your hand before applying. I've found that using my fingers to dot it over my face and then buffing in with a dense brush (Saie’s The Big Brush, £23) achieves the best results. Because it's so lightweight it's perfect for natural, my-skin-but-better looks and summer wear. If you want a bit more coverage, you can layer up if needed (it doesn't pill).

However, because it's so light, it exaggerated my dry patches. I'm naturally a dry gal so my skincare routine already includes oily, creamy serums and a thick day cream (my forever favourite is Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream, £79) so this hasn't been too much of an issue for me — you just need to prep the skin properly first. That said, because of my dry skin, I've found that I don't need to set this too much with powder.

This is one of my favourite concealers. I've been using it for about a year now (it was the first Saie product I tried). I will note, it doesn’t have the highest coverage — rather, it's more like a tinted eye serum. It works a treat on the dry, crepey skin around my under-eyes because it's so hydrating and nourishing thanks to a combination of moisturising squalane and glycerin. This means it doesn't settle into my fine lines. I've found that for long-lasting coverage, it's best to let it 'dry down' a little before blending in. I use my fingers as it's so creamy. It’s buildable, too.

One thing to note is that this concealer contains a micro shimmer (teeny, tiny light reflecting particles) which adds to its illuminating powers. Because of this I wouldn’t recommend it for concealing anything raised on the skin like spots as it could accentuate them.

This is Saie’s latest addition and though it’s generating a lot of hype (it’s won a fan in our senior writer, Karina), I’m not so sure it’s beaten Hydrabeam in my books. Like Hydrabeam, it is ultra lightweight and creamy, melting into the skin beautifully, and is made with hydrating skincare goodness (think niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and glycerin). Unlike Hydrabeam though, Slip Tint offers a higher, matte coverage and 12-hour wear. Personally, I’ve found that I need to touch up every few hours. Just like the Super Skin Foundation, skin prep is essential here for us dry girlies. As this concealer dried down it started to cling to and reveal my dry patches, especially around the under-eyes. Going forward, I’ll keep Hydrabeam for my under-eyes and Slip Tint for covering acne. 

This is  a saviour for my dry skin in the summer, especially those hot days when I can barely be bothered with skincare, let alone makeup. It's formulated with hyaluronic acid and SPF35 to hydrate and protect the skin but it also has great staying power. It lends a subtle 'boost' to my skin, evening the tone and adding a glow.

Like Saie's other face products, I love the pump function for ease and cleanliness but the formula itself can sometimes separate and come out either super oily or thick. All you need to do is massage the tube a little beforehand.

At first I wasn't too fussed with the Airset Radiant Setting Powder. But as time has gone on, I've started to appreciate that because it's so fine and light, it doesn't leave my skin looking dry and powdery. It doesn’t add any coverage. I found that it didn’t dull the dewiness and glow imparted by the Super Gel and Super Skin Foundation. Once again, it's one for those with dry skin and best applied using a fluffy brush like Saie's Pinpoint Brush, £18.

I love, love, love this bronzer. Everything about it; how naturally it warms up my face without looking orange, the formula (it's so light, blendable and buildable, and best applied with a big fluffy brush), the application (it never looks patchy), and how much product you get in the pan. It's a great dupe for Charlotte Tilbury’s Beautiful Skin Sun-Kissed Glow Bronzer, £45. 

If you're after colour payoff and a blendable, long-lasting formula, then Dew Blush is for you. Nudging it above similar products (like Glossier Cloud Paint, £22 and Rare Beauty Soft Pinch, £22), Dew Blush lives up to its name and adds a touch of dewiness and glow to the skin as well as believable colour.

While most Saie products work best applied with your fingers, the Glow Sculpt Blush — a shimmering, blush meets highlighter with a hybrid powder-cream formula — is best applied with a fluffy blush, just like the Sun Melt Bronzer. This is mostly because it is so sheer. Applied with my finger, I only got a whisper of colour but I could easily layer it for a really natural flush. It is more subdued than the Dew Blush and definitely not so pigmented, but once you nail the application technique, I’m almost certain you’ll be pleased with the natural glow.

Brow Butter is a pro vs con situation for me. I really like the brush — it's a lot smaller than many others I've used for a tinted brow gel and perfect for delicately grooming each hair. The formula itself is where I'm umming and ahhing. My issue is with the colour payoff. I have dark hair, pale skin and sparse brows so I need a little more of a tint to balance out the two. I probably would repurchase the clear version of Brow Butter (for this story I tried it in Deep Brown) but I’d use a brow pencil first underneath. On the plus side, it boasts cacao seed butter, candelilla wax and jojoba oil to moisturise the hair and surrounding skin, leaving brows fluffy and natural-looking (not sticky or crunchy) all day.

Mascara 101 is a winner. It's also pretty unique. The brush boasts extra combs at the tip to make defining even the tiniest of lashes easy. While it did take me a couple of coats to achieve length and volume, the product stays put pretty well without smudging or flaking (unless it's really damp or humid) thanks to the star ingredient, beeswax, which moisturises the lashes. That does mean the brand isn't entirely vegan but it does have cruelty-free status. For the way it really thickens and lengthens my fine lashes, I'll take a light smudge here and there.

As someone who is lipstick-averse, I really like Lip Blur. It has a consistency more like a nourishing balm and looks really natural. The colour payoff is great, too. I tried the shade Modern, a brown-berry colour that looks just as great on my pale skin as it does on my housemate, who has a warm, light brown, mixed complexion (we drunkenly and giddily realised we were wearing the same shade on a night out once and spent way too long gushing in the club bathroom). It's not transfer-proof and does need to be topped up throughout the day but I'm okay with this as I consider it more of a tinted balm.

Angels should be singing and light should emanate from some vague middle-distance every time I open this bottle. Glossybounce is the ultimate trifecta: it’s super nourishing and drenches my lips in moisture thanks to jojoba oil and hyaluronic acid. It also makes lips look super shiny (more like a lip lacquer) and the formula itself is highly pigmented. After the Glowy Super Gel, this is my favourite Saie product.