Lunar Beauty Review: Unleashing Creativity Through Cosmetics
In the vast and ever-evolving landscape of beauty brands, Lunar Beauty has quickly risen to prominence since its launch in 2018. Founded by beauty guru and influencer Manny Gutierrez, better known as Manny MUA to his millions of followers, Lunar Beauty is more than just another celebrity cosmetics line. It‘s a brand with heart, purpose, and a mission to empower self-expression for all.
As a longtime fan of Manny MUA and a makeup enthusiast myself, I was intrigued to take a closer look at Lunar Beauty. In this comprehensive review, I‘ll dive deep into the brand‘s origins, values, and must-have products. By the end, you‘ll have a clearer picture of what makes Lunar Beauty special and whether it‘s worth adding to your collection. Let‘s get started!
The Story Behind Lunar Beauty
To understand Lunar Beauty, you need to know a bit about its founder. Manny Gutierrez first made a name for himself as a trailblazing male beauty YouTuber. As a gay Latino man, Manny faced discrimination and challenges in an industry that wasn‘t always welcoming. But through talent, charisma, and authenticity, he built a massive following of over 4 million on Instagram alone.
Lunar Beauty emerged from Manny‘s lifelong love affair with makeup and his desire to, in his words, "create a world filled with color and beauty." More than that, he wanted to build an inclusive community where everyone is free to express themselves. The brand launched in 2018 to instant online buzz, fueled by the loyalty of Manny‘s fans.
From the very beginning, Lunar Beauty has been proudly cruelty-free and 100% vegan. Manny insisted on creating high-quality, high-performance products that never compromise on ethics. The bold color stories and sleek packaging are designed to spark joy and encourage experimentation.
For indecisive types, Lunar Beauty occasionally offers mystery boxes featuring a guaranteed eyeshadow palette along with other surprise goodies. It‘s the perfect way to dive into the brand and try out products you might not pick for yourself.
Of course, no brand is perfect. Some of the biggest pros of Lunar Beauty include its inclusive identity, cruelty-free and vegan formulas, and unique shade ranges at competitive prices. On the downside, products can sell out quickly and be slow to restock. International shipping is available, but you may get hit with customs fees.
Lunar Beauty‘s Must-Have Products
While Lunar Beauty offers a full range of cosmetics, from eyeshadows to lipsticks to highlighters, I want to focus on a few standouts. After all, there‘s nothing worse than investing in products that don‘t live up to the hype.
Let‘s start with eyeshadow, since that‘s really where Lunar Beauty shines (pun intended). The brand is known for its stunning, versatile eyeshadow palettes that encourage you to play with both neutral and bold looks. Here are three bestsellers I personally recommend:
Life‘s a Drag Facelift Palette
An updated version of Lunar Beauty‘s original, groundbreaking eyeshadow palette, Life‘s a Drag Facelift features a jaw-dropping 21 shades in matte and shimmer finishes. As the name suggests, this palette is an ode to Manny‘s background in drag artistry and a celebration of breaking boundaries.
With wearable earthy neutrals like warm brown "mud" alongside vibrant pops like matte yellow "campy," this is a palette that can take you from subdued to stage-ready. The formula is a dream to work with—pigmented, creamy, and effortlessly blendable. At $48, it‘s an incredible value for the quality and shade range.
Strawberry Dream Palette
Strawberry Dream evokes exactly what the name promises: sweet, summery vibes with a hint of whimsy. This 15-pan palette comes in an adorable clouds-and-stars package that sparks instant joy.
While you‘ll find the usual matte and shimmer finishes, what sets Strawberry Dream apart are the glistening metallic shades. Standouts include frosty lavender "flirty," juicy orange-red "sweet," and opalescent pinky-peach "summer." At $48, it‘s the same great deal as Life‘s a Drag Facelift.
Eternal Eclipse Palette
For a moodier take on eyeshadow, check out Eternal Eclipse. With its mysterious moon artwork and twilight-hued shadows, it‘s giving dark romance in all the best ways. The 15 shades include seven mattes and eight shimmers in a range of smoldering neutrals and deep jewel tones.
Some of my favorite colors are matte eggplant "hex," metallic gunmetal "stone," and pearlescent champagne "eternal." Like Lunar Beauty‘s other palettes, the formula is a joy to apply and blend out. And yes, you guessed it—it‘s also $48.
Moon Prism Blush Palette
I couldn‘t write a Lunar Beauty review without mentioning my holy grail blush palette. Moon Prism is a thing of beauty, with six ultra-pigmented shades ranging from pale pink to spicy cinnamon. You get five velvety mattes and one luminous shimmer.
What I adore about this palette is its versatility. The buildable formula lets you go from a subtle wash of color to an intense flush. You can even use the shades as eyeshadow for a lovely monochromatic look. At $35, Moon Prism offers amazing value and quality.
Life‘s a Drag Brush Bundle
If you‘re just starting out with eyeshadow or want to expand your brush collection, Lunar Beauty‘s Life‘s a Drag Facelift Brush Bundle is a smart buy. For $70 (a $99 value), you get the iconic Life‘s a Drag Facelift palette and a set of seven vegan brushes in a sleek carrying case.
The synthetic brushes come in a variety of shapes and sizes to help you create any look you desire. I especially love the big fluffy LBE-1 for effortless crease blending and the flat, dense LBE-5 for packing shimmer on the lid. The fact that they‘re vegan and easy to clean is a huge plus.
How Does Lunar Beauty Compare to the Competition?
In a market flooded with celebrity and influencer-led brands, it‘s natural to wonder how Lunar Beauty measures up. For the sake of comparison, let‘s look at Revolution Beauty—another cruelty-free brand with a wide selection of affordable palettes.
Like Lunar Beauty, Revolution does not test on animals. However, it‘s not a fully vegan brand, so you‘ll need to check individual product ingredients if that‘s a concern. Price-wise, Revolution is generally more budget-friendly. For example, their 18-shade Disney Jasmine Palette is just $20.
That said, Lunar Beauty‘s $48 palettes offer excellent value for the quality, shade range, and amount of product you get. The pans are generously sized and the formulas are top-notch. Another key difference is that Lunar Beauty is first and foremost Manny MUA‘s creative vision, while Revolution collaborates widely with influencers and brands.
At the end of the day, both are solid options. But if you want to support an independent, influencer-owned brand with a strong identity and inclusive mission, Lunar Beauty may be the way to go.
What Customers Are Saying About Lunar Beauty
Don‘t just take my word for it—let‘s see what customers have to say about their Lunar Beauty experience. I scoured the brand‘s website, Influenster, and Reddit to get a balanced picture.
Overwhelmingly, the reviews are positive. On the Lunar Beauty site, the brand‘s bestselling palettes and blushes boast near-perfect ratings, with customers gushing over the pigmentation, blendability, and packaging. The Moon Prism Blush Palette is a clear favorite, with many calling it their go-to blush.
One fan raved, "I am OBSESSED with this blush palette. The pigment is amazing the colors are chef‘s kiss and I love it for it‘s versatility. I can use Gravity in my crease or as a bronzer, soleil as a highlight and of course all of them as blushes."
Over on Influenster, the Life‘s a Drag and Strawberry Dream palettes earned 4.7 and 4.8 out of 5 stars, respectively. Reviewers praised the mix of wearable neutrals and bold pops of color, with one saying Life‘s a Drag "opened up a creative side of me."
Even on Reddit‘s brutally honest makeup forums, Lunar Beauty gets plenty of love. Fans appreciated the frequent 50% off sales and reliable shipping. One user reported, "Everything arrived in a timely manner, and packaged very well, no payment issues, etc."
No product is perfect, of course. A few reviewers wished the palettes included more matte transition shades. Some found certain shadows too glittery for everyday wear. But overall, the feedback is enthusiastic, with many planning to buy more from the brand.
Final Thoughts on Lunar Beauty
As I come to the end of this Lunar Beauty review, I have to say I‘m thoroughly impressed. Yes, the products are fantastic—pigmented, long-wearing, and a joy to apply. But what really sets this brand apart is its heart and purpose.
In a world that often tries to place people into neat, narrow boxes, Lunar Beauty encourages us to express every colorful facet of who we are. Diversity, creativity, and community are built into the brand‘s DNA. And with Manny MUA at the helm, you know you‘re supporting someone who lives and breathes those values.
Whether you‘re a total makeup newbie or a seasoned pro, I think you‘ll find something to love in Lunar Beauty‘s lineup. The eyeshadow palettes offer unmatched versatility and quality for the price, while the blushes are perfect for adding a gorgeous flush to any look.
So go ahead and unleash a new side of yourself with Lunar Beauty. Experiment with colors outside your comfort zone. Get messy and have fun. After all, that‘s what playing with makeup is all about. I hope this review has inspired you to check out this one-of-a-kind brand and discover your own lunar magic.
