Honest Beauty Haul

I will get straight to the point. I have finally managed to get my hands on some Honest Beauty products! I have wanted to try this brand for sooo long now. For those of you may not have heard of this brand it is the new company started by the very beautiful Jessica Alba. Her range includes skincare and makeup free of nasty chemicals like parabens, phthalates, petrolatum and sulfates.

I had researched where her store was so that when I was in LA I could pay it a visit and check out what was on offer. I found it really easily and I am glad to say that it was a really beautifully designed shop and was very welcoming. In fact I have to give a huge shout out to the staff and especially the male Makeup Artist/Sales Assistant who went above and beyond the call of duty and was so helpful and showed me tips and how to use loads of the products and helped me with colour choices. I have to say he was one of the most knowledgeable and helpful people I have ever encountered in a shop! I wish all sales assistants were as kind, polite, helpful and not pushy as him as all shops would make a lot more profits if that were the case! He gave me loads of great advice and then two other female members of staff joined in the conversation who were also really nice and offered more little useful nuggets of information. I must have spent over an hour in there in the end and I came out with a big bag full of stuff (even though I was only planning on getting one or two things to test……..I think this may be a habit that I have to learn how to kerb) and a lot of that is definitely down to the staff and their passion and knowledge of the brand. Another point I noticed was that all the packaging is really good quality and makes everything seem far more expensive that it is. I personally like this from brands but for them sometimes it can be a double edged sword as it can scare some people off thinking that the products will cost a lot more than they actually do! So now to the products that actually ended up in my basket……

True Velvet Eyeliner in Truly Black – I’ve been using the same Bourjois eyeliner for years as it’s simply the best I have ever tried; highly pigmented, creamy and long lasting! I have constantly tested new ones throughout that time but none of them were ever as good as the Bourjois. However, it was coming to the end of its life so I thought what better time to give a new one a go and see how a natural eyeliner compares.

Truly Kissable Lip Crayon in Honey Kiss – I swatched all of Honest Beauty’s demi matte lipsticks and all the colors are beautiful (which of course made the decision so much harder). The one I ended up choosing was, unsurprisingly for me, a nude (it’s not like I needed another though as I have millions of nude hahaha). The formula is very creamy, moisturising and the color Honey Kiss seems to be just about the perfect nude!

Everything Tinted Moisturizer in Honestly Honey – I was a bit surprised with the texture of this tinted moisturiser, it’s thicker than the consistency I’m accustomed to. In general, tinted moisturisers have a light base but this one is different and seem more like a foundation. I don’t really like full coverage so I was a bit worried but I read some reviews saying it was amazing so I had to test it out before I can state a proper opinion. I went with the shade Honestly Honest which is darker than my usual ones but as summer is coming I am sure (or desperately hope at least) that I’ll get a bit more tanned.

Concealer Duo in Balanced Beige – The makeup artist tried it on me in the shop as I am convinced that he saw my dark circles and probably thought she really needs help! He did a great job of hiding them though! The texture is quite concentrated so he said you just need to use a tiny amount and advised me to apply it with a fluffy brush and blend using small circular motions. I was amazingly pleased with the result so I obviously bought it….how could I not?

Eyeshadow Trio in Truly Magnetic Heather Mauve – When it comes to eyeshadow I nearly always wear brown tones so as usual I was going to get a brown palette but the sales assistant convince me to try the mauve palette saying that it would definitely suit me more! I hesitated but after swatching them I was completely sold. The shadows are pretty pigmented and seem like good quality. There are 3 beautiful shades of purple; dusty mauve, deep plum and a shimmer shell pink. The three come in a little compact with a mirror and a card that shows you how to apply it.

Eye Cream Deep Hydration – I have always had sensitive eyes and the skin around my eyes is very dehydrated so I really have to give it extra care! This means I am always on the hunt for the perfect eye cream. The formula for this one seems pretty good, it’s a deep hydrating eye cream which contains hyaluronic acid, barbary fig, and baobab fruit which are all rich in essential fatty acids. Chamomile and calendula help to calm and soothe. The products claims that eyes will look younger, brighter and more refreshed, so let’s hope it does what it says as I have heard those claims more than once or twice before.^^

Refreshing Clean Powder Cleanser  – This box contains 30 single packets of powder. It’s quite unique and unusual packaging for a cleanser which I thought will be great for when you are traveling or to use after a gym session as they are so light. The assistant showed me how to use this by mixing it with a small amount of water but I will go into more detail when I do a full review as I have never used a cleanser like this before.

Try Me Kit for balanced Kit – This kit was very kindly gifted to me by the sales assistant after we chatted so much about my love of natural products (the truth is probably that it was because I spent so much money in their shop)! It comes in a cute, good quality, grey makeup bag and includes 3 minis, one of which is a gel cleanser called ‘Refreshingly Clean’. I was really hesitating over whether to buy it as I had already decided to get the powder cleanser which helped me manage to resist. I was then obviously very happy when he added it to my bag of purchases. On the down side however it also includes a moisturiser called ‘Even Brighter’ which sadly contains dimethicone. For me now this means I won’t even try it as I don’t use any silicone in my skincare. The last item contained in the kit is an SPF 30 ‘Beyond Protected’ sunscreen which will be perfect to test this summer.

I can’t wait to try everything and share my thoughts about them with you. Infuriatingly though, Honest Beauty don’t deliver internationally and I was told by their staff that unfortunately they are not planning to open a shop in EU for the moment……but let’s hope this changes soon! :( Have you tried any Honest Beauty products? Let me know what you thought as I would love to know more about the rest of the range.