The Lip Bar’s Newest Launch Will Take A Weight Off Your Makeup Bag

There are two kinds of people in this world: the ones who pack only lip balm for a trip and those who travel with a lifetime supply of makeup for a weekend getaway, just in case. I fall into the latter category.

My daily face includes foundation, setting powder, bronzer, highlighter, blush, and then some — and nothing gets left behind when it's time to pack. But as much as I adore my go-to products, they take up too much valuable real estate in my carry-on, and let's not talk about the added weight on my shoulders.

Lately, I've been making an effort to use products that are small and multifunctional. So, I reserve my 12-pan eyeshadow palettes for when I'm home and use travel-friendly shadow pots on-the-go. I leave my full-size bottle of Esteé Lauder foundation on my bedroom vanity, while mini Flesh sticks get tossed into my purse. But when it's time to pack the rest of my face makeup, I always end up with a bunch of compacts floating in the bottom of my bag.

Melissa Butler, the founder of The Lip Bar, understands my struggle. In fact, it was her own need for convenience that birthed the six new Minute Finish face palettes. "I travel a lot and don't have a lot of time or space," Butler says. "I've seen people buy and pack multiple compacts — one for blush, highlighter, and contour — and I've always thought that it's extremely excessive." Each Minute Finish palette comes with face powder, contour powder, blush, and highlighter.

The kits cater to a wide range of complexions, from Stay Ready (the fairest option) to Squad Goals (the deepest quad). According to Butler, dozens of focus groups were conducted to make sure the shades worked on a wide range of skin tones. "My goal was to create a kit curated by complexion, so you don't have to do the math on whether or not a blush or contour powder works for you," Butler says.

I tested the Stuntin' palette, which falls right in the middle of the color spectrum. For the first time in forever, I used every single color in a face palette. I swept the darkest contour shade just below my cheekbones to chisel my face. Then, I layered on the highlighter, which glided on like 24-karat gold dust. The poppy blush is super pigmented, and a gentle tap with a brush gave my cheeks a bright coral kiss. Finally, the lighter brown shade was the perfect color to feather over my shiny T-zone.

My entire face was done in less than two minutes, and no pan was left untapped. The best part? No purse straps or shoulder blades were broken after I threw the palette into my tote.