Throw the words ‘Beauty Pie’ into the conversation when you’re next out for dinner with the girls, and chances are at least one pair of eyes will light up. (Spoiler alert: it’ll probably be your friend with the glowiest, most enviable complexion.)
Yes, pretty much everyone that tries this unique members-only beauty club becomes swiftly obsessed, working their way through the ever-growing offerings like an obsessive beauty addict.
Beauty Pie has been impressing its following for years now, but recently it's really been showing off. First came an outrageously good collaboration with legendary make-up artist Pati Dubroff, then a haircare capsule with none other than Luke Hersheson. Next came the Happy Face moisture-barrier balm, which brings irritated complexions back from the brink for less than £15 (rosacea-prone people, snap it up, half the ELLE UK team use it loyally).
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We thought Beauty Pie had peaked with its super-sciencey skincare collection formulated with a dermatologist, Youthbomb. But then the brand dropped a Micro-Caviar Overnight Moisture Mask and we stood corrected: this formula is made with 100,00 Omega-9 bubbles that pop upon application to hydrate and nourish skin.
If you're late to the party, or you've been toying with the idea of a membership for some time, let us talk you through how it all works. The good news is, you can sign up for a two months – just enough time for you to get hooked on the Hot Cleansing Balm – trial and pay absolutely nothing at all.
What is Beauty Pie?
Inspired by the staggering mark-ups that are commonplace in the beauty industry (a shocker: your face cream probably only cost a few quid to produce), Beauty Pie is a subscription service from industry game-changer Marcia Kilgore (not hyperbole: she’s also the woman behind Soaper Duper, Soap & Glory and Bliss Spa, so she’s definitely earned the title).
Once you're a member, you'll gain access to a huge collection of straight-from-the-suppliers skincare, make-up, fragrance, body and hair-care products without the luxury mark-up. Think Italian lipsticks, South-Korean microneedling patches, Swiss night creams and Japanese serums for the price of an oat-milk latte, and you’re on the right track.
Unsurprisingly, the concept shook the industry when it launched in 2017, and once the masses realised how genuinely brilliant the products are, cult status quickly followed. Naturally, such feverish demand has led to several big launches selling out in seconds, so you'll have to keep your eye on the site to grab the ones you really want to try.
Demonstrating just how tapped into the beauty zeitgeist Kilgore is, the brand also boasts a strong online community. Its Instagram account is a wholly interactive space, where loyal members share reviews and Kilgore herself calls out for feedback on new launches, as well as sounding out the demand for new innovations from her dedicated #PIEFAM.
Beauty Pie Membership, explained
Now there is a slight caveat involved in Beauty Pie: you will need to pay for a membership to get access to all those tiny price tags. But happily, the brand has recently switched up the small print to make things easier, more flexible, and even more affordable than ever before...
While the previous membership tier system restricted you to a monthly shopping limit, the new scheme gives you unlimited access to the entire site, so you can shop to your heart's content, whenever you like. For £59 per year (that's under a fiver a month) you can purchase single products while also bulk-buying the ones you really get through – think shower gels, cleansers and shampoos. By making bigger orders less frequently, you'll cut down on packaging and shipping emissions too.
If you're hesitant to hand over your annual fee, there's some really good news in store: right now, you can claim 60 days totally free membership to explore the site and try as many products as you like with those tempting Member's Prices. There's no catch whatsoever.
Once you're in the club, you're likely to become overwhelmed: the brand now sells everything from fancy scented candles to vitamin C capsules. But I'm here to help: I've been intrigued by the brand since its beginnings, and have tried dozens of its buzziest new launches. Here, I've whittled the list down to the 10 I think can genuinely take on (and often, surpass) the luxury beauty players. Prepare to save a fortune...
The ELLE Expert Review
The active-packed eye cream
Keen Beauty Pie fans will notice that this eye cream is £11 more than the brand's long-standing Superluminous offering, but what's inside each tiny jar is nothing short of a miracle. We'll try to break this down for you as simply as we can, but in short this formula will reduce the appearance of wrinkles within just a few weeks – if studies are anything to go by.
What it will do instantly is de-puff those bags and round-out the creases that come from more than just a bad night's sleep. It's all down to next-gen ingredients like the adaptagen Caffeyelike vita, marine plankton exopolysaccharide (a sugar-based polymer substance that fills in lines upon application), altheostem (deriving from lab-grown rose petal stem cells) and argireline peptides.
The new overnight mask on the block
Overnight masks are having a serious moment (check out Laneige's new launch here). And, yes, they have moved on quite a bit since the 1980s when everyone and their mum was slathering thick creams all over their face and neck every night.
Newgen formulas are lighter, but still have that delicious, cooling effect on the skin – something we crave after a long day and a good old double cleanse – and get to work at a cellular level as you snooze.
Take Beauty Pie's new drop, with its clever Micro Caviar technology: there are 100,000 tiny bubbles in each jar that pop to let Omega-9 oleic acid melt into the dermis upon application. Cherry blossom infusion and saffron extract (all the rage in wellness right now for a reason) brighten, while the shea butter, meadowfoam seed oil and glycerin intensely hydrate and restore your skin's barrier.
The cream bronzer to end all bronzers
I'll be the first to admit I was vehemently against cream bronzers until I tried this Beauty Pie version. Without conjuring Dream Matt Mousse connotations, the texture is more light-as-a-feather soufflé than cream; which means it dusts onto cheekbones like a powder, but doesn't settle into your pores like one.
To get the most of this product, definitely don't treat it like your favourite fingers-in-pot cream blush, use a bronzing brush to contour and tan. And don't hang around if you're tempted to purchase this £18 bronzer that has been compared to some very luxe alternatives in the glowing (pun intended) reviews, because it sold out last year and is now available on a limited-edition basis.
The perfect blow-dry in a bottle
This is not your average heat protector. In this bottle is essentially a hair serum in spray form – think Color Wow's Dream Coat mixed with your favourite hydrating hair oil. A good old spritz post shower and you'll that not only is it easier and faster to blow dry your tresses, but the blow dry stays put (by which we also mean frizz-free) all day long. The shine is off the charts, too.
The miracle body wash
As someone who's been addicted to Mario Badescu's harsh-but-effective AHA body wash for too long now, I was thrilled to see Beauty Pie had launched something similar – but better. This product is formulated with 2% Salicylic Acid and 3% C-X-Papaya Enzyme Complex to exfoliate, yes, but sooth and reduce inflammation in the process. It's an absolute wonder drug for KP, acne, blackheads and ingrown hairs. One bottle will last you a long time and you can use for both body and face. Just let it sit for a minute in the shower to really feel the smoothing benefits.
The troublesome skin solution
Of all the skincare ingredients that come and go, few have made quite an impact amongst the ELLE beauty team as azelaic acid. Equally adored by dermatologists, this inflammation-fighting powerhouse is truly brilliant at tackling the surface symptoms of rosacea, acne and even melasma. As it's a tricky ingredient to formulate with, the shelves haven't historically been heaving with products, and most loyal users tend to get their azelaic acid via prescription. But now, Beauty Pie has delivered the calming, clarifying treatment cream of dreams. Do not sleep on this one.
The skin tint
This one will divide the masses: if you prefer a thick tinted moisturiser or a full-coverage foundation, it won't be for you. But if you're looking for something that'll create that light, hyper-dewy finish, it is absolute perfection. The texture is akin to a watery serum, and the coverage surprisingly substantial. In short, is makes skin look bright, healthy and glowy, with no caking or settling into pores.
The cleansing balm
If your Elemis pro-collagen habit is getting you in a financial pickle, you obviously don't know about Beauty Pie's best-kept secret: the Hot Oil Double Cleansing Balm. I look forward to using this luxurious, warming cleanser at the end of the day – twice. First to cleanse, then to facilitate a spot of facial massage. This £15.50 bargain is currently out of stock, unsurprisingly, but the new Apricot version (made with Rosehip Seed Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil and vitamin E) is an upgraded version with a delicious scent that's worth the extra £10.
The everything face cream
If you skimmed over the new Youthbomb Biologic Collagen Peptide Cream during your last Beauty Pie scrolling session, you'd be forgiven: this kind of hypey, non-specific product name isn't the most compelling in the age of straight-talking skincare. The brand's claims are likely to raise a few beauty-sceptic eyebrows too: can a single cream really firm, lift, tighten, reduce wrinkles and boost radiance?
But Youthbomb deserves your attention, despite the beauty hyperbole plastered over its packaging. This fast-absorbing cream really delivers: in short, it's a suits-all luminosity booster that works with, not against, the actives already in your routine.
Brightening niacinamide, pigment-reducing peptides, protein-rich elastin boosters and calming plant extracts combine to refresh tired, pollution-ravaged skin, bringing about a week of 'you look well' comments.
It won't give you Kardashian-style facial tightness – nor will any topical product, for that matter – but it does work wonders on skin tone and brightness. Consider it a top coat for your skin, making everything look glowier, smoother and generally healthier.
The spa treat
Beauty Pie's latest collaboration is one that anyone into aromatherapy should jump straight on. The brand has collaborated with ex beauty director Kathy Phillips on a collection of four bath and body oils, each one designed to speak to differing emotional states. Each blend of nourishing carrier oils (think coconut and evening primrose) plays host to a seriously potent blend of essential oils, which will transform your bathroom into a mood-altering escape. My personal favourite, The Firewall Blend is a head-clearing menthol aroma with eucalyptus and peppermint over a grounding base of frankincense. It's perfect for sluggish days, doubtful moments, and post-dry January hangovers (just saying).
The luxe candle
Beauty Pie's candles sell out almost as soon as they come back into stock – and for good reason. My pick of the bunch, Bahia De Miel is the perfect choice for wintry nights in: think slightly sweet, musky comfort on a base on lingering, sophisticated woods. Made in Grasse and with a burn time of 60 hours, the value here is inarguable.
How does Beauty Pie work?
Sound too good to be true? Stay with us – here’s how they’ve made it possible.
By cutting out all the frills and flourishes that are so common in the beauty industry – think costly celebrity marketing campaigns, fancy packaging and TV ads – Kilgore has side-stepped the mark-ups to bring you great products without paying for all the shiny extras.
Turns out, once you strip back all those additional costs, the price of your actual product is surprisingly small. Of course, you won’t get the heavy lipstick click-cases, frosted-glass jars or gilded foundation bottles here, but it’s what’s inside that counts, remember? For example, a Beauty Pie retinol serum, produced in Switzerland, (likely in the same factory as your big-brand favourite) costs £18.50, despite being full of slow-release encapsulated retinol, ferulic acid and vitamin C (and free from fragrance, mineral oil and parabens).
Roberta Schroeder is the Senior Ecommerce Editor at Harper's Bazaar, ELLE and Esquire, overseeing shopping strategy and content across fashion, beauty, and travel. Roberta has reported on everything from market-leading skincare brands to the world’s most iconic fashion pieces, while also regularly updating a range of shopping guides, including LED masks, heritage cashmere brands and niche new dress brands to know.
Roberta has more than 15 years' experience in the luxury sector, spanning editorial consultancy, trend forecasting and journalism. Over the years, she has worked for global brands including Farfetch, Chanel, and Vogue.
When not testing beauty products, trialling trends and curating content that spotlights the very best in fashion and beauty, Roberta can usually be found trawling resale sites and vintage stores for a long-coveted designer find. Follow Roberta on Instagram at @roberta__schroeder
Abigail Southan is our Senior Fashion Ecommerce Editor and has five years' experience as a writer and editor in the industry. Abigail has a BA in History from the University of Bristol and an MA in Fashion Journalism from Central Saint Martins. Abigail currently covers all things style and shopping across titles including Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE, Esquire and Red. On a daily basis, she helps readers buy better with how-to-wear guides, first-person product reviews and deep dives into the latest trends. Previously, Abigail has worked for The Sunday Times’ Style and Fabulous magazine as their first ecommerce writer and was a founding editor of Sun Selects. She has also written for Net-a-Porter, I-D, Man About Town, Wonderland and 1 Granary, and has interviewed the likes of Paris Hilton, Dua Lipa and Christopher Bailey. You can follow Abigail on Instagram at @abigailsouthan.
