DIBS is an acronym: Desert Island Beauty Status. Jeff Lee and Courtney Shields, the co-founders, launched the color-cosmetics brand in September 2021 with a simple provocation. The question was what you would take to a desert island if you could only bring a handful of things. Their answer was makeup that is multifunctional and portable, with no 12-step routines. I find that refreshing, because most people I know are already tired of routines.

The Desert Island Duos and the Status Sticks are the brand's hero products, and you can see the thinking in the first grid. Desert Island Duo is a blush and bronzer in one stick, which makes it the natural place to begin. Status Stick is a face-and-body highlighter stick you can swipe anywhere you want a sheen and blend with a finger. Jam Jam Lip and Go To Glossy Balm are the lip pieces, and I would start with the balm if you like a softer finish. LoveBeam Perfector is a liquid illuminator you can use as a primer or a highlighter, and GlowTour Duo is a blush and contour stick with a little shimmer. I put both where light naturally lands, on the cheekbones and the bridge of the nose.

My test for any multitasker is whether I would use it in the back of a taxi. If it needs a mirror, a brush and a steady hand, it is not really portable. The best of these need only a finger, a tap and a check in a phone screen.

I would call dibs on the Desert Island Duo first, then add the Status Stick when you know how much glow you like. A growth-equity firm came on board in April 2023, which tells you the idea has found an audience.

A cream bronzer stick does something a powder cannot: it warms skin from the inside, as though you had spent an afternoon outdoors. It is also forgiving to apply, which is why it suits a desert island.

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez's Warm Wishes is a cream bronzer stick that blends with a finger or a sponge. Dior's Forever Skin Cream Contour Sculpting Face Stick is the one for shape, a stick you can drag under cheekbones. Too Faced's Chocolate Soleil is a melting bronzing and sculpting stick, warm and sweet-looking, if you like a deeper glow. Fenty Beauty by Rihanna's Match Stix Matte Contour Skinstick has no shimmer, so it is the one I use for a shadowy sculpt.

Benefit Cosmetics' Hoola Wave Cream Bronzer Balm is a soft, balm-like formula that makes the whole face look sunlit, and Merit's Bronze Balm Sheer Sculpting Bronzer is the subtle one, sheer enough that you can build it in small layers.

Put cream bronzer on before any powder, and place it where sun would hit: forehead, tops of the cheeks, the bridge of the nose and along the jaw. Blend upward and outward, and keep a little on the back of your hand to press into the edges. If it looks patchy, warm it with your fingertips for a few seconds first. Body heat makes cream formulas glide, and a minute of patience saves a lot of correcting.

Cream blush is where a desert-island kit really pays off. It takes seconds, it looks like skin, and you can blend it with the same finger you just used on your bronzer.

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez's Soft Pinch Liquid Blush is a small-dose formula, so start with a single dot. Huda Beauty's Blush Filter Soft Glow Liquid Blush leaves a softly lit finish. Saie's Dew Blush is a liquid cream that gives a fresh, dewy flush, and Merit's Flush Balm is a cream that presses in like a balm. Makeup by Mario's Soft Pop Plumping Cream Blush Veil is sheer and easy to wear, and Armani Beauty's Cheek Tint is a longwear, lightweight liquid blush for long days.

Dot it on the apples of the cheeks, tap outward with your ring finger, and stop earlier than you think you should. You can always add another dot.

What I would skip: layering a liquid blush over a lot of powder, or setting it right away with a big fluffy brush. It drags the color and leaves patches. Apply cream color over bare skin or over a light layer of base, wait a minute for it to settle, and only then dust a little translucent powder on the areas that shine.

If I were packing for a week, I would take one multi-use stick, one cream bronzer, one cream blush and a lip balm with a hint of tint. Everything goes on with fingers, so nothing needs cleaning.

I would test the whole thing at home first, in daylight, and take a photo. Cream color looks different from powder once it has settled, and you want to know before the plane, not on it. Check the shades against your neck, not only your cheek, so the color feels connected to the rest of you. Give yourself a few days with the same three products, and you will see which ones deserve to stay in the bag and which ones were just there to keep you company. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Hot Girl Summer Makeup, From a Megan Thee Stallion Line to a Heat-Proof Kit and How I Would Work Through A Laura Geller Makeup Kit, Feature By Feature.