3 Editors Try the Viral DIBS Beauty Desert Island Duo—Here Are Their Takes

The beauty stick is a great size to grasp and glide across the skin. It also fits well in a small purse—plus, the caps are secure, so I don’t have to fret about my bag getting an accidental makeover. Though the packaging its’t flashy, it has a vintage aesthetic to it that I would gladly display in my collection. Plus, the large ‘Dibs’ lettering and faded lines give off VHS vibes, and as a ‘90s kid, I dig it. 

In terms of the product itself, we all applied the bronzer on our foreheads, nose, cheekbones and jawline for some dimension and/or warmth. Meanwhile, we placed the blush on our cheeks for a natural flush. The brand recommends using a makeup brush to gather product and gently pat to blend on the face or apply straight from the stick to your face and gently blend with your fingertips.

We all preferred the latter as LaBarbera explained, “I'm not one for contouring, so I simply blended the bronzer evenly across my face (the same way I would with a liquid bronzer or drops) and then added the blush afterwards. I just used my fingers (no cleaning of makeup brushes needed!) and thought it blended super smoothly.” FYI: A little goes a long way. Just one swipe was enough for full coverage and a pop of color (or warmth) to our skin.

I personally found it layered well with other products like foundation, concealer and highlighter. Although it goes on creamy, it leaves a satiny finish once it’s blended out. All thanks to the skincare ingredients—like hyaluronic acid and mango seed butter—it helped maintain moisture and avoid any dry patches or overall cakey makeup.

The combinations complemented our skin tones, but some colors might’ve missed the mark. Although we tried two shade combos, one ultimately became our favorite.

“The Shade 5.5 ‘Cocoa Kiss’ contour was unfortunately too light for my skin tone, so it didn’t really work for defining or sculpting. On the other hand, I absolutely loved the ‘Wine Not’ blush—it showed up as a subtle Barbie-pink on my skin and blended into that dreamy, doll-like flush,” Long told me. “The Shade 6 ‘Level Up/Plot Twist’ duo my match; ‘Plot Twist’ was deep enough to create a natural-looking shadow without being too harsh, and the ‘Level Up’ blush turned into a gorgeous berry tone that complimented my complexion really well.” 

In my case, I preferred Shade 4 ‘Iced Chai,’ which worked better as a bronzer to bring warmth to my face, while shade 5 'Wing Woman' seem more like a contour but was too light for my complexion. The Shade 4 ‘Not So Basic’ blush also was a fave for offering a natural, peachy look, whereas Shade 5 ‘Ride or Die’ was for a more dramatic, super flushed finish. 

"I liked both combos! I just prefer a bit more color in my blush and Shade 3 'Full Deets' was a little more muted. I was really looking for what was the most flattering for my skin," she shared. "I liked Shade 2 ‘You Do You/Mood Boost’ because the blush was just a bit more pigmented and the bronzer blended a bit better with my skin tone," shared LaBarbera.

We give the Desert Duo stick a 97 out of 100. We all found it was easy to use and love the convenience of having both a contour (sometimes a bronzer) and a blush in one product. “I love how easy it is to blend with the duo stick. You can add more or less depending on how much pigment you want to see,” said LaBarbera. It also gets high praises for its creamy formula, satiny finish and high pigment payoff that worked well for our complexions. “It complemented my skin tone well and felt lightweight on my skin, which I love as someone who keeps a pretty minimal beauty routine,” she added.

Although we love the shade combos, some shades just worked better than others. Long explained it best: “I wish I had the ability to customize the contour and blush shades in the duo. Since the contour side of one stick didn’t suit me, it felt like a bit of a waste—though I might try repurposing it as a concealer since it’s on the lighter side.”

Surprisingly enough, the scent was also enticing. The Desert Duo Stick has vanillin (a form of vanilla) that smells wonderful—almost like eating a delicious scoop of ice cream. It’s very subtle and not overpowering at all. 

Overall, just one less item to carry around, so win-win yet again. 

Fast Facts

• Shades: 9
• Key Ingredients: mango seed butter, jojoba oil, hyaluronic acid
• Finish: satin
• Formulation: stick