Dopamine Beauty: 15 Makeup Products to Brighten Your Face and Boost Your Mood
Stroking tiny little puppies, dancing in your living room to Taylor Swift and winning the lotto are all things that can help turn your week around and put you in a contagiously good mood. But did you know that reaching for a bright lippy — or a glittery eyeshadow, for that matter — can also be a mood booster?
According to ~*science*~ looking at bright colours raises dopamine levels – which is otherwise known as the happy hormone. Put simply, dopamine is a chemical that’s released in the brain that makes you feel good.
Sooooo if just looking at bright colours boosts your mood, imagine the mental euphoria you’ll experience every time you glance in the mirror if your face looks like a bright, pretty rainbow-hued kaleidoscope.
The idea of dopamine beauty has quickly gained traction since the world’s first Fashion Psychologist Dr. Dawnn Karen touched on it in her 2020 book Dress Your Best Life.
“Cosmetics and even fragrance can have a psychological impact on your body and a significant effect on how you feel,” she writes.
If cold hard research and science aren’t enough to convince you to switch your neutrals in for some bolder colours, maybe the fact that even Beyonce’s make-up artist Sir John has embraced the trend (fact?) will be.
“Gray is the colour of solitude and isolation,” he told Psycom before revealing that he’s coined the term “Dopamine Glam”. This feels slightly like he stole Dr Dawnn Karen’s thunder, but it goes without saying that Queen Bey’s MUA gets a free pass.
Anyway, it’s impossible to disagree with the fact that bright makeup is FUN!
So, if you’re game to mix up your routine and are keen to strut out of your bathroom feeling like one of those annoying people that are always happy, then read on for some positively vibrant beauty products you can use to achieve just that.
15 beauty products that’ll leave you in a better mood
Eyeshadow: Huda Beauty Colour Block Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette
We’ve got glitter, we’ve got metallics and we’ve even got liner all in beautiful contrasting hues of oranges, purples and blues — what’s not to love? I don’t know about you, but just looking at the beautiful array of hues has already boosted my mood. The highly-pigmented colours were created with an easy-to-blend formula and have also been chosen to suit all skin tones.
Price: $44
Eyeshadow: Mecca Max Single Eyeshadow in 90s kid
The only thing more stunning than the Mecca Max eyeshadow in the 90s Kid shade is the fact that Mecca is actually selling an actual product (not refil!) for just ten bucks.
Price: $10
Blush: Benefit Cosmetics Crystah Strawberry Pink Bush
Benefit products have been embracing dopamine beauty way before it was even a thing with their super-cute packaging. And, in this case, you can totally judge a book by its cover, because the bright, slightly glittery, strawberry pigment inside is just as phenomenal as its container.
Price: $54
Liquid Blush: Benefit Cosmetics GoGo Cheek and Lip Tint
As far as bright cheek colours go, it’s really hard to go past Benefit — they’ve nailed a balance between flattering and bright, meaning that their carefully crafted hues don’t leave you looking washed out, at all. If you’re not a cheek powder gal, give their GoGo Tint a whirl for an instant pop of bright cherry colour.
Price: $38
Eyeshadow pencil: Nude Stix Magnetic Eye Colour
Nudestix’s Magnetic Eye Colour Pencils have been hailed as one of most coveted eye makeup pencils out, and for good reason. They’re a 4-in-1 makeup pencil that can be used as an eyeshadow, eyelid primer, eyeliner pencil and a cream highlighter stick and come in a whopping 35 different shades, meaning you can wear a different colour every day of the month.
Price: $44
Eyeliner: MAC Colour Excess Gel Pencil Eyeliner in Commitment Issues
Admittedly, it can be hard to find an eyeliner in a beautiful bright colour. However, MAC have you sorted with their Colour Excess Gel Pencil Eyeliner in the beautiful lilac shade of Commitment Issues. Their teal shade called The Last Word and the cobalt blue shade called Perpetual Shock are definitely worth a looksee, too.
Price: $47
Liquid Eyeliner: Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner
Re-enter your Y2K era with Urban Decay’s Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner — this stuff is truly *chefs kiss*. The glitter is super fine so you won’t end up with globs in your eyes, but you will end up looking like a rock star.
Price: $39
Mascara: Christian Dior Dior Show Mascara in Blue
It’s pretty common knowledge that cobalt mascara makes blue eyes *pop* but even if you’re not part of the baby blues club, you can still rock some bright lashes and boost your mood while you’re at it.
Price: $62
Illuminator: Benefit Highbeam Liquid Highlighter
Bright makeup colours are great! But even we willl admit that painting on some bright green highlighter may be borderline (read: very) questionable. That’s why Benefit’s High Beam satiny pink complexion highlighter is perf. It’ll give you a glowy and glittery look without making you look like an, erm, alien.
Price: $35
Lip Gloss: Rare Beauty Lip Souffle Matte Lip Cream in Inspire
When it comes to dopamine beauty a poppy lip colour is just as important as a bright eyeshadow hue, and, boy, do we have the perfect product for you. Beauty aficionados consider Rare Beauty’s Lip Souffle Matte Lip Cream a cult product because it’s light (air-whipped, actually) but still provides a healthy dose of colour all while keeping your lips hydrated. And the Inspire shade is a great colour to contrast with a purple pop of eye colour.
Price: $35
Nars Lipstick in Schiap
Schiap is one of the Nars lip colours that’s been around for decades. It’s basically a bright-pink version of the cliched put-together red lip look. It’s a non-negotiable for the cool-toned girlies out there.
Price: $43
Eyebrows: Benefit 24 Hour Eyebrow Setter
Look, if you’re game to scrape some coloured gel into your eyebrows, then more power to you, we say! But, for those who’d prefer to keep their eyebrows tame and leave the colour focus for their eyes, cheeks and lips, then Benefit 24-Hour Brow Setter is the perfect prod. It’s clear, it doesn’t leave your brow hairs crusty, and it sets them in place alllll day long – giving a temporary eyebrow lamination look.
Price: $48
Brushes: Spectrum Ten Piece Set
Technically, there are no rules when it comes to dopamine makeup. And, while these brushes aren’t technically contributing any colour to your face, they do look damn pretty.
Price: $54
Makeup Sponge: Morphe Highlight Contour Beauty Sponge
Question: what’s better than a brightly coloured make-up sponge? Answer: a brightly coloured makeup sponge that blends smoothly. Enter: Morphe’s Highlight Contour Beauty Sponge. It’s soft, it’s bouncy and is the MVP when it comes to blending and contouring.
Price: $14
Nail Polish: Essie Polish
Bright nails are socially accepted basically everywhere, so if you’re looking to ease your way into the world of dopamine beauty, why not start with a vibrant nail colour? Esse has a huuuuuge range of choices, but our particular fave is this perky blue hue called Mesmerised.
Price: $16