Ogee Makeup: Certified Organic Color from Vermont

Ogee Makeup: Certified Organic Color from Vermont

Ogee makeup comes from a Vermont brand that certifies its formulas as organic, and it is named after a curve. Here is how I would wear the face sticks, serum foundation and lip oil, plus the cream blushes, bronzers and face oils that sit well beside them.

An ogee is an architectural curve, a double S that you see on old moldings and arches, and the brand borrowed the word for the natural curve of the cheekbone. That tells you a lot about how Ogee thinks. It began in Burlington, Vermont, started by Abbott Stark, who worked on formulas, and Mark Rice, who came from fashion, and its first small collection launched in August 2016. Every product is certified to the NSF/ANSI 305 organic personal care standard, which asks for at least 70 percent organic content. That is unusual for Ogee makeup, where most of the conversation stays on claims rather than certificates.

I would start with the Sculpted Face Stick in Rose Quartz, a matte rose blush in a multi-use stick that the brand says can be used as blush, contour or highlighter, with a dewy finish and buildable color. The Lid Sculpt Liquid Eyeshadow in Copper is a warm cocoa shimmer, and the Beyond Clean Lip Gloss in Cosmo is a sheer delicate pink. For the base, the Complexion Perfecting Serum Foundation in Birch is described by Ogee as light to medium coverage with a dewy finish. Rosewood is a fair, cool concealer, the Sculpted Complexion Foundation Stick in Poplar is for fair skin with white pink undertones, Azalea Tinted Sculpted Lip Oil is a vibrant fuchsia, and the Setting Powder in Stone is translucent.

A quick test: swipe the face stick on your cheek and blend with a fingertip. If it looks patchy, warm it on your skin first.

Big numbers collage for Ogee Makeup: six products from Ogee, ILIA and Elemis, each set beside a large numeral
Ogee Makeup

Ogee makeup

Cream color that melts in

Cream color is where an organic formula really shows its hand, because there is nowhere to hide. ILIA Multi-Stick in In the Mood is a golden peach pearl that works on cheeks and lips, and the brand describes it as a buildable wash of color with a dewy finish. MERIT Flush Balm in Cheeky is a cool pink stick with a radiant finish. Makeup by Mario Soft Pop Cream Blush Stick in Pale Petal is a soft pink with medium buildable coverage, and the stick is dual ended. Kosas Impressionist Multistick in Nuance is a dusty warm beige for cheeks and lips. LYS Beauty Higher Standard Cream Glow Blush Stick in Focused is a warm cinnamon pink, and the LYS No Limits Cream Bronzer in Honest is a warm bronzer stick for medium to tan skin. Rare Beauty Warm Wishes Cream Bronzer Stick in Power Boost is a true tan with neutral undertones. DIOR Forever Skin Perfect Foundation Stick in 4W Warm is the one here meant for 24 hour wear.

Pairing tip: use a cream bronzer only where the sun would hit, high on the cheekbones and along the temples. Then tap a pink stick onto the apples.

What I would skip: a cream blush over a thick powder base. Cream needs skin or a light liquid underneath, so set it afterward with a little translucent powder.

Cream blush, bronzer and base

Oils and tints for a lit-up finish

Finish is the part that makes a face look lived in, and oils do it best. Elemis Superfood Facial Oil blends nine oils and the brand calls it light and non-greasy. Sunday Riley C.E.O Glow is a vitamin C and turmeric oil, and Sunday Riley Juno is a superfood seed oil for normal, dry or sensitive skin. Biossance Vitamin C Rose Face Oil is made with squalane, and Yepoda The Glow Hero mixes bakuchiol with jojoba. I press one or two drops into damp skin before any base.

For the top layer, Saie Glowy Super Gel in Beachglow is a soft golden bronze liquid highlighter that can be mixed into foundation. Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Blush Balm is a sheer cool rose that works on lips, and the rhode Peptide Lip Tint in Ribbon is a sheer pink glaze with a glossy finish. Together with the Ogee lip oil, that gives you three ways to finish the mouth.

What I would skip: layering more than one face oil under a serum foundation. The base will slide. Pick one oil, give it a minute, then go ahead with the color.

Face oils, lip tints and glow

How I would build the routine

To build a routine around Ogee makeup, start with skin. One oil, one serum foundation, concealer only where needed. Then add a single cream stick for the cheeks and use a lip oil for the finish, so the whole face reads soft rather than layered. If you like the idea of certified organic but want your usual shades, swap one piece at a time, such as the Ogee face stick for a blush you already love. Match the undertone before the depth, and look at the shade notes: cool, neutral, warm. Then wear it for a full day and check the mirror at lunch. The best base is the one that still looks like skin by then.