In 2000, a 17-year-old from the Bronx started training as a makeup artist on the floor of a Flatiron District beauty store in New York. Twenty years later, on October 1, 2020, his 37th birthday, Mario Dedivanovic launched his own brand on the anniversary of that first day. As a teenager he had filled a shoebox with products because he did not have a kit. That is the story behind Makeup by Mario, and I think it explains why the line feels like a working artist's bag rather than a celebrity label.

Mario is the artist behind Kim Kardashian's contour, and he started The Master Class in 2009 to teach his methods. The brand is built the same way: Allure reported that he funded it himself at the start and that he is in the office every day. Each product turns one of his techniques into something you can hold. It is a small, pointed range, and I find that easier to shop than a wall of shades.

For October I would begin with the face, because the SurrealSkin line is where the skin tone work shows. The Luminous Hydrating Foundation, here in 2N, 3W and 4.5N, is the medium-coverage, radiant one, with up to 12 hours of hydration on the page. The Natural Finish Foundation in 2 N and 8 N is the quieter pick, weightless with shine control, which I would choose for a long day in a coat and a scarf.

Then the Awakening Concealer in 120, 140 and 160, a slim doe-foot tube meant to be used all over the face. My tip: put the shades on your jaw and neck in daylight, not on your wrist, and pick the one that disappears.

The lip story is the one I would tell a friend first. Mario teaches a lip lift technique that overlines only a couple of key areas, not the whole lip, so the space between nose and lip looks shorter and the mouth looks lifted. It came with the Ultra Suede launch, which is why the Sculpting Lip Pencil sits at the center of this group.

The Ultra Suede Sculpting Lip Pencil in Toasty and Niels is dual-ended, with a full-coverage matte liner on one side and a brush to blend on the other. The Edge Long-Lasting Shaping Lip Liner in Rose Silk and Rich Velvet is the slimmer twist-up option, a transfer-proof nude with a soft-matte finish. Pick the liner one shade deeper than your lipstick for a cleaner edge.

On top, the Ultra Suede Lipstick in Amanda and Sierra is a weightless matte with a suede-like feel. The SuperSatin Lipstick in Bronx Baby and Rockefeller is the creamy one with a soft sheen, and the names are a nod to where he is from. For fall I would wear the satin with a knit and the matte with a black coat.

What I would skip: a satin lipstick under a mask or a scarf you plan to pull on and off. The matte pencil is the better call there.

Master Mattes is the product the whole brand grew from. Allure reported that Mario surveyed skin tones and base makeup to build it, and that the shadows have intentional transparency, like foundation. That is why a matte palette here reads as a set of skin tones rather than a set of colors.

I would put the Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette in The Original next to The Neutrals. The Original is the universal 12-pan, formulated without fallout, and The Neutrals is the creamy, buildable, brown-leaning one. The Master Metallics Eyeshadow Palette is the foil: twelve creamy metallics in pink, gold and teal, which you pat on over a matte. The Ethereal Eyes Palette mixes shimmer, matte and metallic finishes in one silver case, a good single choice for travel.

For lines, the Master Pigment Pro Eyeliner Pencil comes in Super Black, a classic brown and Bronze, and the Master Mattes Liquid Eyeliner has a flexible tip. Try the pencil on the back of your hand first and see if the line holds without smudging, then decide between black and brown.

What I would skip: the liquid liner if you are in a hurry before the train. The pencil forgives more.

Contour is the reason most people know his name, so SoftSculpt is where I would look if you want the technique in a product. The SoftSculpt Cream Contour & Bronzer Shaping Stick comes in Light Medium and Medium, a dual-ended stick with a brush on one end and buildable coverage. Draw a line under the cheekbone and blend up, then stop.

The powder version is the SoftSculpt Talc-Free Blurring Bronzer in Light Medium and Medium Dark, listed as sweat- and humidity-proof. Then there are two softer takes: the Transforming Skin Enhancer in Light Medium, a dewy cream bronzer, and the Multi-Use Bronzing & Shaping Serum with hyaluronic acid, a liquid that gives a second-skin finish. I would use the serum under foundation on days I want warmth without a line.

For blush, the Soft Pop Cream Blush Stick in Soft Peach and the Soft Pop Powder Blush in Desert Rose cover both textures. Peach looks good against an olive green sweater, and Desert Rose is the one for a camel coat.

What I would skip: a cream stick over powder that is already set. Go cream first, then powder, or the color drags.

Mario said every product he makes is something he uses in his own pro kit, and the brushes are the part of that I trust most, since an artist has opinions about handles. They are all white-handled, dual-ended and vegan and cruelty-free, so they are easy to tell apart in a bag.

The F4 Dual-Ended Foundation and Face Brush handles liquid, cream and powder, which makes it the one I would buy first. The F1 Contour and Blush Brush blends cream complexion products, and the F2 Powder Brush has large fluffy hair for bronzer or powder. The F3 Precision Powder Brush has softly tapered hairs for blush and highlighter. For eyes, the E6 Eyeshadow Brush is narrow and dense, and the EF2 Blending Brush softens edges.

The SurrealSkin Talc-Free Soft Blur Setting Powder comes in 2 Neutral Light and 4 Warm Honey, a loose powder said to set makeup for up to 12 hours and control shine. Check it in daylight on your cheek, since powder that is a half shade off looks gray in photos.

What I would skip: pressing powder all over a dry day. Set only the T-zone and under the eyes.

I would start with one foundation and one concealer, add the Ultra Suede pencil and a lipstick, and then choose a single palette. Master Mattes is the one with the story, so it would be mine.

Brushes come last, and the F4 first. Contour and bronzer can wait until the weather asks for them, and blush can come along whenever a coat makes your face look tired.

When you shop each piece, check the shade in daylight and read the texture on the page before you commit.

It began with a teenager and a shoebox, and I think the line still behaves like one. A few things, chosen by someone who had to carry them.

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