I Tried $317 Worth Of Kosas Makeup & These Products Impressed Me The Most

If you were to take a look inside any beauty editor’s makeup bag, it’s likely that you’d spot one brand in particular: Kosas Cosmetics.

The BB Burst Tinted Gel Cream is a favorite of our deputy beauty editor, Jacqueline Kilikita, while senior writer Karina Hoshikawa always finishes the Wet Lip Oil Gloss to the very last drop. (The product is currently sold out at Sephora in multiple shades, which is a testament to its popularity.)

Don't just take our word for it, though. TikTok’s beauty enthusiasts and viral makeup artists like Katie Jane Hughes are equally as enamored by Kosas, which serves up “makeup for skincare freaks”. With ingredients like hydrating hyaluronic acid and skin-strengthening peptides, it’s not just about color cosmetics. Everything from the brand’s skin tints to blushes look after the integrity of skin, too.

Having heard incredible things, I was eager to test out the brand for myself, so I got my hands on Kosas’ makeup and skincare bestsellers. Read ahead to see which products are actually worth the investment — and what I would gladly purchase again and again.

This was what got Kosas on my radar in the first place. Our deputy beauty director Jacqueline Kilikita tested Kosas’ BB Burst for a roundup of the best skin tints and crowned it the champion. It only takes one swipe of the product to understand why: The souffle-like formula spreads so nicely on the skin, effortlessly blurring out my acne scars and dark spots while leaving no creases. It’s by far the most weightless complexion makeup product I’ve tried.

According to Sheena Zadeh, founder of Kosas, this skin-like gel is packed with a slew of ingredients that provides hydration on three levels. “Copper peptides, the star of BB Burst, are one of my favorite ingredients for their sheer power — they work to support collagen and overall improve the integrity of the skin,” she tells Refinery29. “It also contains saccharide isomerate to smooth and support the skin barrier, sodium PCA to hydrate and retain moisture, and zinc oxide to soothe sensitive skin and help with [reducing] redness.” The results? A dewy, healthy glow on my skin that lasts well into the evening, and keeps me reaching for it again and again.

I have standards when it comes to the perfect concealer: It needs to have decent coverage, but the formula has to be hydrating without any creasing. The Revealer Concealer passes the test with flying colors. The product feels like a cooling smoothie; it melts into my skin seamlessly, instantly making me look more awake without emphasizing the texture of my blemishes. “[This concealer] is lightweight but substantial — it covers dark circles and red skin staining left behind by breakouts without any chalkiness,” Kilikita adds.

After checking the ingredients list, it was clear why I was so drawn to this concealer. It contains several names I always look for in my eye creams: hyaluronic acid and peptides (which top up moisture levels and improve elasticity), vitamin B5 (which is soothing and improves uneven texture), and caffeine (which brightens and depuffs). You’re essentially getting a concealer that doubles as an eye cream. An honorable mention goes to the Revealer Dual-Ended Makeup Blender, $14, which comes with a super-pointed end that reaches the inner corners of my hooded eyes.

In a world of understated liquid blushes and cheek tints, this shimmery, highly pigmented baked blush stands out in the best way. Each shade features a swirl of two colors to give that multi-dimensional look to your cheekbones, and is packed with a healthy dose of (talc-free) sparkle. I love how Hype, a warm poppy pink and what I’m wearing above, makes me look naturally flushed. Butterflies, a cool fuschia, is what I reach for when I want a more dramatic look. Just one swipe using the Angled Cheek Brush, $28, will generate tons of pigment and sparkle. I’ve been using this as a blush-meets-highlighter on top of my favorite mauve liquid blush, and it helps set the makeup underneath while casting a lovely glow on my cheekbones.

Let’s just say that as a long-time devotee of Glossier’s Boy Brow, I’ve now made a permanent switch to this product. Kilikita also swears by Air Brow and has finished multiple tubes. “I love this product for beefing up scant patches and keeping my wiry hairs in place,” she says. It really delivers on that bushy brow look by not just tinting your brow hairs, but making them appear fuller and darker — without looking drawn in.

Ingredients like castor oil and amino acid peptides, both nourishing ingredients that moisturize the hair and support hair growth, are also present. The triangular applicator disperses the fine fibers, which firmly grips onto each brow hair, without any clumps attached. The staying power is impressive, as I never notice any product rubbing off by the end of the day. There is also a clear version if you prefer just to tidy up your bare brows.

This is one of Kosas’ most well-known creations. Hailey Bieber is famously a fan and has been using the setting powder in her GRWM videos. It’s a silky, super-fine powder that adequately takes away the shininess in my T-zone without making my pores look more prominent or changing the color of my foundation. This is due to hydrating ingredients like passion fruit extract, which hydrates the skin, and bamboo extract, which absorbs extra sebum (oil) production. I’ve been using Candy, one of the three brightening shades the brand recently released, and really enjoy how the product shields my makeup without settling into the fine lines. I will say that the plastic case looks a bit flimsy and juvenile for the price, and I’ve read accounts of the lid breaking off easily. That feels like something the brand should work on fine tuning for future releases.

I don’t go anywhere without making sure this moisturizing lipstick is in my bag. It offers a beautiful satin-y sheen and makes my lips look so smooth and alluring. This product has helped my lips stay moisturized and soft — even better than some of the lip balms I own. With a formulation that includes ceramides (an ingredient that strengthens the skin barrier) and squalane (which locks in the moisture), the lipstick glides on like a dream. Island High, a toasted red shade, is my current favorite for the fall.

This gel eyeliner claims to be waterproof and smudge resistant, and in my experience, this was about halfway true. While the product offers excellent color payoff and a creamy texture that blends out nicely, the wear time leaves something to be desired. I lined my upper lids with Allure, a dark brown, on a hot day out — and it all but disappeared in a couple of hours. Interestingly enough, it didn’t leave any smudging behind. Given how flighty the color was, I wouldn’t recommend using this on your lower lash line. The range of colors is so gorgeous though; I am particularly drawn to Mesmerize, a matte lavender, and Cosmic, a satin oceanic blue. Here’s hoping there will be more upgrades to the formula in the future.

Not to be dramatic, but I’ve got email alerts set up for every sold-out shade of this lip oil — I am just that obsessed and am eager to collect the full set. The comfortable, totally non-sticky formula is reason enough for me to be impressed, but it also makes my lips look so luscious and shiny, like they’ve been Photoshopped for a Y2K lipstick commercial. Thanks to a star-studded roster of hydrating ingredients, including hyaluronic acid, peptides, avocado oil, and shea butter, my lips stay plump and smooth all day. I get so many compliments whenever I wear FruitJuice, a vibrant magenta shade (pictured above).

I notice a difference in the staying power of my makeup whenever I use this Kosas spray-on serum as a first step before my base makeup. It’s a very lightweight mist that instantly lifts and preps my skin, with firming vegan collagen, moisturizing hyaluronic acid, and plumping peptides. At $48, this doesn’t come cheap and does have a slightly off-putting plastic smell. If you’re looking for a more affordable alternative, I’d highly recommend the e.l.f. Cosmetics Power Grip Dewy Setting Spray, $10, which does a similar thing at a fraction of the cost.