Beauty review: RMS Beauty's all new Master Radiance Base

Celebrity makeup artist and the organic beauty mogul behind RMS Beauty, Rose-Marie Swift has been a make-up artist for over 35 years, so when I was given the chance to get up close and personal with her a few years ago I was beyond excited.
Swift’s work has been featured in Vogue (French, Italian, American, Nippon, China, Russian) W, Harper's Bazaar, I.D., Self Service, V, Allure, Numéro, Marie Claire, Glamour, Interview, and Elle. Her make-up has appeared in ads for the likes of Diane Von Furstenberg, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Louis Vuitton, and her photographic partners over the years include Mario Sorrenti, Peter Lindbergh, David Simms, Annie Leibovitz, Arthur Elgort, and Patrick Demarchelier. The words “industry legend” have been bandied about, and with good reason.
She visited New Zealand for the first time when we met as a guest of Mecca Cosmetica, who stock her products exclusively Down Under. After us she was flying to Australia and then on to Los Angeles, where she was to be a guest at supermodel Miranda Kerr’s wedding to tech mogul Evan Spiegel. I spent a morning speaking to her about her unique approach to makeup, which has that ever-elusive “glow” as its end goal, and came away with so many beauty hacks I felt like my brain was going to explode!
Clearly one smart cookie, the ageless beauty also gives some great insight into natural and organic beauty solutions, stressing that we mustn’t be so affected by marketing, product claims and brand names: “just get cleaner makeup”. All of which bring me to her line, RMS Beauty. It is essentially an original, pure, organic colour cosmetic line that performs and then some. Based on living and organic principles, each product is created to hydrate and illuminate vital, radiant skin and is the perfect choice for your best ever ‘natural’ look. rms beauty is dedicated to transforming the way women use makeup, creating a product that is not only non-toxic, but actually heals and nourishes skin. Consider it skincare with mineral colour - giving make-up a whole new meaning.

RMS Beauty already makes the most beauty editor-approved highlighter on the planet in the form of the legendary Living Luminiser, which I have been using in various shades since meeting its creator and absolutely adore. So it was with EXTREME excitement that I greeted news that the all-natural beauty brand has released Master Radiance Base – an insanely flattering, incandescent cream highlighter that works in four ways to blur imperfections and create the ultimate glow. Needless to say I was even more excited when I was gifted a sample to play with, and now having fallen head over heels in love I am all about spreading the news.
A highlighting cream and then some, the super velvety formula contains a combination of organic jojoba, chia and meadowfoam seed oils to hydrate, firm and smooth the skin while light-reflecting pearls go to work helping to diffuse imperfections with a soft radiant glow. It’s pretty much like a soft focus lens across the face, and you can choose to narrow that focus depending on how you use it: alone, as a base, mixed with foundation or as a highlighter.
Rose Marie says that the idea of Master Radiance Base was “somewhat of a happy accident! I thought I had “Un” Cover-Up 22 in my hand and when I went to blend it on the woman’s face everyone gasped at the results and I quickly realised I applied (the brand’s) Master Mixer. It was so beautifully forgiving on her skin and elevated the whole texture of it. I took this concept to formulate more of a whipped, creamy texture that could be easily applied all over the face with the addition of ingredients like chia and meadowfoam seed oils to create the skin’s most gorgeous canvas.”
The product is magical for enhancing the skin and creating radiance without greasiness, and I love how it beautifully evens out imperfections whilst still keeping the skin looking “real”. Like all RMS products a little definitely goes a long way, so be careful that you don’t overload on first attempt and really work the product in if you're using it as a base. I mixed it with my RMS foundation and really blended it out with my fingers, which I found to be super effective. But like everything these days, make sure to wash those hands well first!
In terms of shades, this beauty comes in two: Rich in radiance - a rose gold incandescence for light to medium skin tones that is best suited for "un" cover-up shades 00-55 and Deep in radiance: an auburn incandescence for deeper skin tones that is best suited for "un" cover-up shades: 66-122. Apparently it also doubles really well as a sun-kissed bronzer for lighter skin tones, who often miss out in that area.
RMS Master Radiance Base RRP $53, launches September 15, 2020 exclusively at MECCA and comes highly recommended x