Honest Beauty

I’ve gotten so many questions and comments regarding the newly launched Honest Beauty, that I felt I should share my experience. So this is where I join the legions of bloggers all cleverly stating that their review is “an honest review of the Honest Company”. However, it is just that- I’m about to tell it like it is. To be clear, my reviews are always honest, but as I generally choose to focus on the best products and things I genuinely love, most of my reviews are for products I highly recommend. While I will tell you why a product did or did not work for me in a review, if the overall line isn’t something I’d purchase again, I usually just omit it from the blog (unless it’s just terrible and people need to be warned). A lot of these brands are smaller companies and there’s no point in bashing them just because something wasn’t suitable for my skin, etc. This is a rare case in which it’s a big enough brand that I don’t feel like I’m necessarily going to hurt their business and it’s garnered enough interest that many people want to know if Honest Beauty can live up to the hype.

For all the negative press and skeptics they’ve recently attained, I’m not a hater of the Honest Company. I think they have done a great job of getting the word out that people need to be aware of what’s in their products, along with supplying a safer choice to the mainstream. I think they serve a purpose and they serve it well. And now they’ve leaked into the beauty world.. SO just how have they measured up so far?

I purchased a bundle which means I could choose 3 products for $50. Not a bad deal. They had a pretty wide selection of products, an easy to navigate website and lots of photos of models wearing the products, which is helpful. I chose to order a lip crayon, luminizing powder and an eyeshadow palette. When they first arrived, I was struck by how reminiscent the packaging was of Clinique’s. In fact, I did a periscope about it and some of the viewers pointed that out right away. It feels a little cheap though. Everything is plastic, with exception to the eyeshadow which is actually in a paper/cardboard type package. Here’s a run down of each product:

Lip Crayon- Demi Matte (Mulberry)– This was a much darker tone than I usually wear, but I was digging it for fall. The crayon glides on very easily and is super moisturizing. It has a slight fruity, pleasant smell and I really loved the shade itself. I had checked the ingredients before purchasing so it wasn’t a surprise that it has artificial food dyes in it and I generally avoid those (and we all know we end up eating our lipstick..), but I knew I wouldn’t be wearing this color daily so I decided to go for it. The biggest downside (besides the ingredients) is how much it bleeds. I think I need a lip liner to wear it, which I don’t have because I’ve never had this issue before. It also transfers onto my teeth easily. Perhaps it’s because it is quite a slick, moisturizing formula. It does stay on for a long amount of time though.

Eyeshadow Trio- Smokey Grey– I really like this eyeshadow. I like the neutral colors and how 2 are matte and the highlight is shimmery (I dislike shimmer all over my eyes). It stays on well and out of everything I tried, this is the one product I would consider purchasing again. 

Luminizing Powder– Yikes. I’m struggling to find something positive here. First, they didn’t leave clear directions whether it was for all over your face or just a highlighter (it’s just a highlight, FYI) and I just hated the look. Too pearly shiny, but still kind of made my skin look matte and dry. It quickly settled into larger pores and fine lines making me ever so aware of all of the imperfections. Not really the look I was going for. The good news is that their customer service was amazing. I called and they happily let me return it for another product for free. 

Cream Foundation- Linen– The last minute change out. This product has turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It’s a tad light for me, but it’s always hard to find a foundation match when ordering online. It gives a full coverage, matte finish and doesn’t feel especially cakey or heavy. It’s slightly more coverage than I prefer, but overall it’s a great foundation that goes on easy and stays on all day. 

So it feels a little strange ending a review on a negative note, but being perfectly honest, I really don’t think I’d purchase any of these products again, aside from the eyeshadow. I feel like I already have products I like much better and there just wouldn’t be a need. If you’re just making the switch to nontoxic, this is an easy way to get a few products swapped out without breaking the bank.. Just know that these will all work ok, but you may find better options down the road. What are your thoughts? Have you tried Honest Beauty? Are you planning on trying them out? xx