Hi friends!
So it’s no secret that Makeup by Mario has been one of my favorite beauty brands for years (We all love Kim K, right?) Created by celebrity makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic, the brand combines professional artistry with formulas that are approachable enough to use at home!
Mario is best known for creating soft-glam makeup and beautifully sculpted complexion looks for clients such as Kim Kardashian. What I appreciate about his brand is that many of the products can be applied in light layers. You can keep your makeup natural for everyday wear or build it up when you want something more dramatic.
When I originally created this list in 2023, it leaned heavily toward eyeshadow products. Since then, Makeup by Mario has expanded its complexion and lip collections, and many of those newer products have become some of the brand’s biggest standouts. Current beauty-editor favorites now include its foundations, sculpting products, skin enhancer, and lip serum alongside the brand’s popular neutral eyeshadow palettes.
For this update, I compared my original recommendations with the products that are currently available, the brand’s official product information, and recommendations from today’s beauty editors. Two original favorites remain, while three older choices have been replaced with products that better represent what Makeup by Mario does best today.
All product recommendations are independently selected based on my personal experience, testing, and honest opinions. If I include affiliate links, I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through those links, at no additional cost to you. These commissions help support my blog, but they never influence which products I recommend or the opinions I share.
Master Mattes™ Eyeshadow Palette: The Neutrals
The Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette was one of my original recommendations, and a version of it still deserves a place on this updated list. This time, however, I am recommending Master Mattes: The Neutrals.
The palette includes 12 matte shades ranging from soft cream and muted beige to taupe, mauve, cool brown, gray, and intense black. The shades are creamy, buildable, and designed to create everything from a simple everyday eye to a deeper smoky look.
What makes this palette especially useful is how easily the colors work together. The lighter shades can brighten or create a base, the medium tones add shape to the crease, and the deeper browns and black provide definition. You do not have to be a professional makeup artist to understand where each color belongs.
The original Master Mattes palette is still a great option, especially if you prefer warmer, skin-tone-inspired browns. However, The Neutrals gives you a more balanced selection of warm, cool, and neutral shades. InStyle also selected it as its best neutral eyeshadow palette of 2026, with a professional makeup artist praising how easily the shades can be used for both natural makeup and heavier glam.
The only thing to consider is that every shade is matte. If you prefer a palette that includes shimmer and metallic finishes, the Ethereal Eyes palette may be a better fit.
Best For: Anyone looking for one reliable matte palette that can create everyday, work, soft-glam, and smoky eye looks.
Soft Sculpt™ Shaping Stick
Some products remain popular for a reason, and the SoftSculpt Shaping Stick is one of them. It earned a place on my original list and continues to be one of the best Makeup by Mario products available.
This dual-ended cream contour stick has a buildable formula that creates soft definition without making the face look overly sharp or heavily contoured. The product has a soft-matte finish and includes a built-in brush for blending. It is currently offered in seven shades.
The formula is especially helpful for anyone who finds contouring intimidating. Instead of applying a dark stripe and hoping it blends out, you can start with a small amount beneath the cheekbones, around the forehead, along the jawline, or down the sides of the nose. From there, gradually build the color until you reach the definition you want.
Allure named the shaping stick a Best of Beauty winner and concluded that the attention and frequent sellouts surrounding it were deserved. InStyle also continues to recommend it as Makeup by Mario’s best contour product because of its creamy texture and seamless blendability.
One thing to keep in mind is the shade range. Seven options may not provide the same level of undertone variety as some larger contour collections. Choose a color that resembles a natural shadow on your skin rather than a warm bronzer.
This product also appears in our roundup of the best makeup products because it makes sculpting the face feel much easier and less time-consuming.
Best For: Beginners or anyone who wants a quick, blendable cream contour with a natural-looking finish.
SurrealSkin® Natural Finish Foundation
The SurrealSkin Natural Finish Foundation is one of the biggest changes to this updated list. It replaces the Glam Eyeshadow Quad, which now feels more like a legacy or limited-edition product than one of the brand’s current must-haves.
This foundation provides weightless medium coverage with a balanced, second-skin finish. According to Makeup by Mario, it is designed to smooth and blur the complexion while providing all-day shine control and up to 16 hours of hydration. It is currently offered in 32 shades.
What stands out about the Natural Finish formula is that it is not intended to look extremely matte or noticeably shiny. Instead, it falls somewhere in the middle, which can make it easier to wear for work, errands, dinners, or other occasions when you want your skin to look polished without looking heavily made up.
There is some understandable confusion between this product and the original SurrealSkin Foundation. The original formula remains available and provides a more luminous finish, while the newer Natural Finish Foundation focuses more on blurring, balance, and shine control. The original foundation also currently has a larger shade range.
For dry skin or anyone who loves a noticeable glow, the original luminous version may still be the better choice. For combination skin, warmer weather, or anyone who prefers a more balanced everyday base, I would choose the Natural Finish Foundation.
Beauty editors have praised the Natural Finish formula for feeling lightweight while still covering redness and uneven texture. It can also be layered in areas where you need more coverage instead of applying a heavy amount across the entire face.
Best For: Anyone who wants buildable medium coverage with a natural, skin-like finish that is neither extremely matte nor overly dewy.
SoftSculpt Transforming Skin Enhancer®
The SoftSculpt Transforming Skin Enhancer replaces the Master Metallics Eyeshadow Palette on this list. Master Metallics is still a beautiful option for anyone who specifically wants dramatic metallic eye colors, but the Skin Enhancer is a more versatile product and better represents the soft, natural complexion looks for which Makeup by Mario is now known.
Despite its name, this is not a traditional foundation or contour product. It is a three-in-one cream bronzer balm designed to warm, lightly shape, and even out the complexion. It offers light-to-medium coverage with a dewy finish and can be applied across the face or concentrated around the areas where you normally apply bronzer.
Think of it as a sheer bronzing tint that makes the complexion look warmer and more even without covering the skin completely. It can be worn on bare skin for a minimal makeup day, layered over foundation, or used around the perimeter of the face to create subtle definition.
The formula is especially appealing if you like the no-makeup makeup look. Glamour editors praised its lightweight, skin-like texture and noted that it creates a sun-kissed appearance without looking like a heavy layer of bronzer.
The Skin Enhancer is currently offered in six flexible shades, so each shade is designed to work across a range of skin tones. However, someone looking for very precise contour undertones may find the SoftSculpt Shaping Stick easier to match.
The dewy, balmy finish may also require a small amount of powder if you have oily skin or prefer your makeup to remain more matte throughout the day.
Best For: Normal-to-dry skin, minimal makeup routines, or anyone who wants a sheer, softly bronzed glow instead of a sharply contoured look.
MoistureGlow™ Plumping Lip Serum
The MoistureGlow Plumping Lip Serum replaces Master Secret Glow from my original list. Master Secret Glow is still available, but the lip serum has become a much more recognizable and widely recommended product from the brand.
This product falls somewhere between a tinted balm, lip gloss, and conditioning treatment. Its soft formula melts across the lips and uses a blend of vegan oils to help nourish, hydrate, and visibly plump them while leaving behind a glossy finish.
It is a great option for days when you want your lips to look polished without committing to a full lipstick. Depending on the shade, you can get anything from a barely noticeable wash of color to a richer, glossy tint. It can be worn alone or layered over a lip pencil for more definition.
InStyle selected the MoistureGlow Plumping Lip Serum as the brand’s best lip product for 2026, highlighting its hydrating serum texture and dewy, glossy shine. The main drawback noted by editors is that application can become a little messy.
Because the formula is so soft and melty, start with a small amount. Twisting up too much product or applying several heavy layers may make it harder to control.
This may not replace a traditional lipstick when you want strong, long-lasting color, but it is one of the easiest products in the line to wear on a normal day.
Best For: Anyone who loves glossy, hydrated lips and wants the comfort of a balm with a sheer tint and plumping effect.
What Changed From the Original 2023 List?
The Master Mattes palette and SoftSculpt Shaping Stick both earned their places on the updated list because they remain useful, widely recommended products. The palette recommendation has simply been updated to The Neutrals for its more balanced color selection.
The Master Metallics Eyeshadow Palette is also still available and remains a good choice for people who love bold metallic eye makeup. However, it is more specialized than the Skin Enhancer and does not appear as consistently in current best-of-the-brand recommendations.
The Glam Eyeshadow Quad has become difficult to consider an evergreen recommendation because it is no longer one of the brand’s most visible or widely available products. SurrealSkin Natural Finish Foundation is a much stronger replacement for readers who want to explore what the brand offers today.
Master Secret Glow still provides a glass-like, balmy effect, but the MoistureGlow Plumping Lip Serum has stronger current popularity and gives this list a more useful range of products for the eyes, lips, and complexion.
Final Thoughts on the Best Makeup by Mario Products
Makeup by Mario has grown considerably since I first created this list. While the brand originally received much of its attention for eye products and contouring, it has developed an impressive collection of foundations, bronzers, blushes, lip products, and complexion enhancers.
The Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette and SoftSculpt Shaping Stick remain two of the brand’s most dependable products. SurrealSkin Natural Finish Foundation, the Transforming Skin Enhancer, and the MoistureGlow Plumping Lip Serum show how the brand has evolved toward natural-looking, buildable makeup that makes the skin look polished without hiding it completely.
You certainly do not need every product in the collection. The right one depends on which part of your routine you want to improve. For a dependable eye palette, choose Master Mattes. For easy contouring, start with the Shaping Stick. For a natural base, try SurrealSkin. For a soft bronze glow, choose the Skin Enhancer. For an easy, everyday lip, the MoistureGlow Lip Serum is the winner.
Whichever product you choose, remember Mario’s approach of building makeup gradually. Starting with a light layer gives you much more control and usually creates the most natural-looking result.
Thank you for reading! Be sure to explore our other makeup reviews, product guides, and everyday beauty tips here on Biedazzle Beauty! Bye friends!
