Dual-use cosmetics offer women creative control over their look.

Dual-use cosmetics are becoming increasingly popular, offering women creative control over their look and streamlining their beauty routine. Kate Weaver-gibbs dives into the world of wet and dry make-up

Women today are time-poor and want their products to work harder. Make-up they can use wet or dry is a way of getting more,” says Charlotte Tilbury, make-up artist to the stars. Enter dual-use cosmetics—a single product that becomes multifunctional, delivering strikingly different results when used wet or dry.

Brands such as Estée Lauder are using technological advances to transform the way we use the old faithfuls: blushers that offer a delicate wash of colour or a bold, popping cheek, and powder foundations that deliver liquid-like coverage with the sweep of a damp sponge. Or light eyeshadows such as Clarins Eye Quartet Mineral Palette in Skin Tone that become dark eyeliners when wet.

While the wet-dry movement may have been inspired by insider tricks—“i used to mix balm with powder eyeshadow to create the perfect wet look I wanted,” says Tilbury—it’s no longer a case of taking a wet brush to your make-up bag and unleashing Monet-style creativity. Today’s dual-use products are specifically formulated to deliver adaptable ontrend results that allow you to simplify your choice at the cosmetic counter and streamline your make-up bag.