NEW CRUELTY FREE MAKEUP – REVIEW OF AZELIQUE COSMETICS

NEW CRUELTY FREE MAKEUP: AZELIQUE COSMETICS

This blog post is sponsored by iHerb. The best part of my job is that I get to constantly try new cruelty free makeup and beauty products – sometimes even before they are released. I recently got some brand new makeup to try out from Azelique Cosmetics. The brand has previously only done anti-aging skincare, but they are branching out with color cosmetics. They are being sold exclusively at one of my favorite online natural product retailers, iHerb. I’ve written about iHerb a few times before – they have a HUGE selection of supplements, herbs, natural foods, skincare and makeup, and all with great prices. They told me they have over 35,000 products and they ship to over 160 countries!

iHerb sent me a sampling of the new cruelty free makeup from Azelique Cosmetics. They sent primer, tinted moisturizer, powder foundation, lip gloss and lipstick. All of the Azelique products are vegan, cruelty free, gluten-free, and made with botanical ingredients that contain antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Upon close inspection of the ingredient lists, I can say that these products are perfect for normal to dry skin. There are some very hydrating and nourishing ingredients like coconut oil, sesame seed oil, castor oil, avocado oil and aloe vera.

Let’s start with the lipsticks. Pictured from top to bottom: Ready Red, Go Pink, Stay Nude, Gone Mauve. I was pleased to see they are super hydrating. My lips are dry pretty much year-round, but especially in the winter. The formula is made with avocado oil, sesame seed oil, castor seed oil, sunflower seed oil, and cocoa seed butter (all but the avocado oil are organic). The color payoff is good, and there’s very little (if any) drag when applying. Let me just tell you how obsessed I am with Ready Red (the one I’m wearing in the photo at the top of the page)! It’s a true warm red that works well with my skintone. If you have neutral to warm undertones, I think you’ll love this one. Go Pink is super wearable and Stay Nude is “My Lips But Better” but slightly warmer and peachier, which I like. Gone Mauve came out as more of a berry shade on me and was more sheer than the others.

My lips are pretty dark, so here are some hand swatches so you can see how the colors look on my skin.

If you like the wet look, try the Azelique Cosmetics Lip Gloss. I tried Soft Violet, Berry Kiss, Dusty Rose and Coral Crush. Three out of four had mega shimmer and all of them were super glossy and hydrating. I’m not really a lip gloss kind of girl because my lips are so dark. Most of the time lip gloss colors don’t really show up on me. But I have friends who are lip gloss obsessed and I know they would love these colors! They have a fruity scent, and after looking at the ingredients I’m not sure what exactly gives them that scent, but I love it!

The Azelique Cosmetics Skin Smoothing Face Primer is perfect for normal to dry skin types. I put it on underneath the tinted moisturizer and I felt like it really gave something for the foundation to stick to. It’s made with organic aloe vera and coconut oil, as well as mica, dimethicone and bamboo powder. The dimethicone helps to temporarily even out texture in your skin and the mica diffuses the light. It’s not a shimmery primer, but the oils and mica give is a slightly glowy look.

The Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer comes in four shades: Fair, Light, Medium and Tan-Deep. For those with light to tan skin who like a little coverage along with hydration and broad spectrum SPF 20 (zinc oxide), this is a perfect fit. The formula includes aloe vera, coconut oil, avocado oil, rosehip seed oil, non-GMO glycerin, Vit E, and jojoba oil. It’s also infused with green tea, thyme, rosemary and sage. I’m wearing “Fair” in the photo at the beginning of this post. It was a little light for me, but “Light” was a little too pink. These are nice tinted moisturizers for normal to dry skin, and I hope they will come out with more shades after they launch.

The Pressed Powder Satin Foundation is made with triple-milled minerals, and comes in the same four shades as the tinted moisturizer. You can use these on top of the tinted moisturizer for a little extra coverage, or use them alone. I was able to use shades “Fair” and “Light”. Light was a TINY bit darker than my natural skin tone but it worked. I found that these were easily buildable depending on how much coverage you want. If you have dry skin, you’ll want to stick to the tinted moisturizer and dust on a small amount of the powder to your t-zone or any areas that produce more oil throughout the day. The formula includes mica, zinc stearate, corn starch, castor seed oil, magnesium silicate, kaolin clay, hibiscus flower, rosemary, sage and calendula.

If you want to set your tinted moisturizer without any extra coverage or color, try the Translucent Loose Setting Powder. It’s SUPER finely milled and can be used on any skin tone. Ingredients include: mica, corn starch, zinc stearate, castor oil, kaolin clay, rosemary, sage, calendula and hibiscus. It’s perfect for setting makeup and reducing shine (which I have plenty of)!