Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Product Review: Honest Beauty

I was hoping that the new Honest Beauty line would be coming to Target, as they already carry plenty of other Honest Company products. But according to WWD, Jessica Alba says that while she’s open to retail in the future, the temporary pop-up shop she had last September was the only planned brick & mortar store.  Instead, Jessica wants customers to buy online at her Honest Beauty site. Over the holidays I ordered (and tried) 3 different products, and here is my capsule review:

Everything Tinted Moisturizer/Oil-Free with SPF 20 in "Nectar" ($28)
Shown here, this product contains "Chamomile and Calendula help to calm and soothe" and "Aloe Vera to moisturize" while still being oil-free. It also boasts a "mineral-based broad spectrum sunscreen using non-nano Zinc Oxide." I felt that Nectar was a good color match for my skin, and was surprised by its thickness; I'm used to tinted-moisturizers that have a more fluid consistency, whereas this one has almost a foundation-like coverage. I liked how it held up during the day, and best of all it didn't irritate my skin or make me break out (like many other foundations, BB creams, and tinted moisturizers have done in the past).

Truly Kissable Lip Crayon/Demi-Matte in "Mulberry Kiss" ($18)
For some reason Jessica shied away from producing an actual lipstick for her launch, and instead went with a crayon. And while the Mulberry Kiss color is lovely, I would have liked a more fluid consistency rather than a waxy finish. This left my lips dry and cracked, and was unwearable without some sort of lip balm or gloss over it.

With Mango Seed oil, Vitamin E and Macadamia oil, this liner truly is creamy and goes on like a dream. However, the plush consistency is also part of the problem, as this liner has no staying power and wears off after a couple of hours.

Keep in mind that I only tried a smattering of what's offered by Honest Beauty. The full range includes 17 skin care products — cleansers, a facial mist, moisturizers, wipes, etc. — and over 60 makeup products. One gimmick the Honest Beauty site uses to drive sales is to push "Beauty Bundles", where you get 3 products of your choice for only $50 a month. The catch? It's on a subscription basis (which, they claim, you can cancel at any time). 

I will say I was impressed by the sleek, minimalistic packaging, which isn't at all like the cutesy-style of other Honest Company products. The white and silver accents reminded me of Clinique's packaging, minus the mint green.

Overall I really liked the Oil-Free Moisturizer and will buy it again. The Eyeliner was just so-so, and I'd steer clear of the Lip Crayon, as it's just too dry and waxy.

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