We See Beauty is a for-benefit marketplace of ideas, stories and products that support the cooperative movement. A movement that believes that through shared ownership we can establish a more equitable and beautiful society for all. We believe in starting local with the hope that these ideas spread globally. By selling beautiful ideas and products, including MAKE - the first for-benefit brand of We See Beauty - we can empower local economies and strengthen communities, starting with our own in New York.According to the website, 1/3 of all profits from the site go directly to the We See Beauty Foundation, which is a non-profit that supports the development and success of co-op's. I'm personally a huge fan of co-op's and love cosmetics with further purpose if both the cosmetics and efforts are good ones.
All products reviewed below can be found on MAKE Colour's website HERE. I love that they're not tested on animals, cruelty-free, vegan, fragrance-free, paraben-free, and hypoallergenic. Definitely HUGE pluses in my book, but then again you know how ingredient-conscious I am.
Clockwise - MAKE Colour Soft Focus Foundation in Cool #3, MAKE Colour lipstick in Scarlet, MAKE Colour shadow in Star Anise, MAKE Colour shadow in Ivy
MAKE Colour Soft Focus Foundation in Cool #3
As you can see, MAKE Colour Foundation in Cool #3 is a fairly deep tan color.
Here I've blended the MAKE Colour Foundation in Cool #3 into my hand. When testing out new face products I always try them out on my hand first as my skin is extremely sensitive. The first thing I noticed was that a little goes a long way. The dollop shown in the picture above was far too much for just the surface of my hand, but once I took a good portion of the foundation away and blended it in I was impressed by how well it blended in.
MAKE Colour Soft Focus Foundation in Cool #3 on my face. I used a moisturizer prior to applying it, but did not use a primer (though this is recommended by the product packaging). I used a foundation brush to apply as that is my preference, though the packaging recommends a sponge. This blended smoothly over my face and blended in well.
Thoughts on MAKE Colour Soft Focus Foundation in Cool #3
I am pretty impressed by the formula and coverage of this foundation. Granted, I don't suffer from any serious issues with my skin (other than extreme sensitivity), this provided moderate coverage and really evened out the color of my skin, especially when it came to photographing my face. I did notice slight oxidation (very faint) on my nose, but where it's the end of winter and I've been sick on and off for the last 3 months I'm not sure it would be an issue if my skin were as moisturized as it normally is. I didn't find this irritating to my skin as of yet. I can't predict whether or not this would start to bother me long-term or during the summer when my allergies are at their worst, but so far so good!This foundation does include dimethicone, which is not something I personally choose to use on a daily basis in my cosmetics. Occasionally I will, but for personal reasons I choose not to constantly. That being said, I find dimethicone or some form of silicone is in most face products that are meant to provide an even appearance--for obvious reasons since it's made up of spherical particles. So if dimethicone isn't an issue for you or you're like me and want something for special occasions then I definitely recommend giving this a try.
Finish
I did find that this had a "dewy" finish, which I often prefer, but if you prefer a matte finish you may want to dust on some finishing powder.
Shade Match
I would say that if you're on the lighter side of medium that Cool #3 will probably be too dark for you. I was actually surprised to see that Cool #3 is meant for "light complexions with pin undertones" as I'm definitely not light and this is probably half a shade darker than a perfect match for me at the end of a long winter up here, but definitely right on for spring/summer! I'm a fairly neutral olive around MAC NC30 for the most part. MAKE offers a wide variety of shades--16 in total. Since I'm fairly neutral I'd be interested to see how the comparable "warm" shade #3 would match my skin as well. I wish I could compare #2-4 in both cool and warm shades as I'm interested to see how they range! I have 3 younger sisters and they all vary in skin tone, but I'm by far the darkest of us. I know one of them is so fair she can rarely find something that matches her well. I wonder if #1 in cool would work for her if #3 is so close to me. The shades do look as though they go fairly deep so for girls with darker complexions sick of having difficulty finding a match you may want to check out MAKE Colour's selection.
Price: This retails on MAKE's site for $32.50 for 1 fl oz.
MAKE Colour Lipstick in Scarlet
Scarlet is a bright, slight orange-toned red with a matte finish. MAKE's lipsticks come in an interesting shape, which I found fun to look at! Note: my tube was a tad dented, probably due to shipping, so that is what you're seeing on the edge there.
MAKE Colour Scarlet lipstick is amazing. It's matte, but not flat--just perfect! I had shared this swatch on instagram earlier this week and quite a few people were taken with it.
Thoughts on MAKE Colour Lipstick in Scarlet
I am in love! The consistency was creamy and even though it's a matte, it was not in any way drying and remained creamy on my lips for hours while I wore it. I also loved that it is light as a feather on your lips. This may sound odd, but I am very particular when it comes to lipstick formulas and I hate lipsticks that feel "heavy". This was so beautifully pigmented and provided full coverage on my lips (as you can see above), yet it had a barely-there feel to it.I noticed that on the website Scarlet is described as a blue-toned red. I may be crazy, but I find on my lips it is slightly more orange-toned than blue-toned, though it's so close to be right in the middle perhaps it varies from one eye to the next.
Application
I always find that lipsticks with non-traditional shapes can be a bit tricky. One the one hand, because this lipstick had angled corners it almost made it easier to keep within the lines of my lips. On the other hand, I personally found overall that it was easier to use a lip brush for application. Keep in mind, I have no issues using a lip brush regularly and tend to make my choice depending on the lipstick formula as I find some simply apply better with a brush and some better from the tube.Price: This lipstick retails for $18 for a .12 oz tube.
MAKE Colour Satin Finish Eyeshadow in Star Anise and Ivy
MAKE Colour eyeshadow in Star Anise is a chocolate-colored brown with tiny flecks of bronze shimmer (which for some reason wasn't caught in this picture). Note: this cracked during shipping, but despite that hasn't turned into completely powder like other compacts I've received with a crack in the pan.
MAKE Colour eyeshadow in Ivy at first glance looks like a dark emerald, but on further inspection you can see it actually has a slightly blackened base. It is more shimmery than this picture depicts.
Left to Right: Star Anise, Ivy
Thoughts on MAKE Colour Satin Finish Eyeshadow in Star Anise & Ivy
First of all, the consistency and formula on these was amazing! They are buttery-smooth and reminded me of a cross between TheBalm shadows and Urban Decay, though a tad more feather-light. They were both very pigmented. Ironically, I found these applied better with a makeup brush on my lids than they even swatched--which is rare in my experience. Sometimes I'll swatch and then during application on my eye find they're not quite as easy to work with, but these were amazing to work with. They applied well by patting and swiping and blended well. They're not heavy on your lids, yet they're pigmented.According to the packaging they can be applied wet or dry. I've only used them dry thus far, but as I love foiling I will definitely try these wet in the near future.
Keep in mind, these are talc-based, so if you prefer to avoid talc these may not be a good fit for you. If that isn't an issue then I highly recommend giving these a try. The shadows I reviewed came in the satin finish, but there are multiple finishes available on the site--they look fabulous!
Price: These retail for $18 per 2.8 gram pan.
Final Thoughts
I am thoroughly impressed with the purpose and performance of these cosmetics by MAKE Colour. While a few of the ingredients in the products aren't ones I use on a daily basis, they also steer clear from using chemicals I stay away from such as fragrance and parabens. I love that they're cruelty-free and don't do animal testing as well. I loved perusing the site and seeing all of the fabulous products they offer. My overall first impression is that these are comparable to other high-end brands I regularly prefer and are worth giving a try, especially given that these are for-benefit cosmetics.What do you think? Will you be giving MAKE Colour a try?