3 Underrated Beauty Brands

Hey guys! I had the idea to write today’s post as I was writing and reading the comments on my July Boxycharm post. I received a bronzer trio from Alamar Cosmetics, a brand I love but feel doesn’t get enough love online. So today I’m going to share three brands and three products from each brand that I think deserve more love.

Alamar Cosmetics

The first brand is Alamar Cosmetics, the brand that inspired this blog post. The brand was created by Cuban-American influencer Gabriela Trujillo, who worked for Boxycharm before starting her brand. Because of her connection to Boxycharm I’ve received many of their products in my box. The quality is amazing and I’m always happy to get the brand in my box.

The first product recommendation from Alamar Cosmetics is their eyeshadow palettes. I have the Reina Del Caribe Eyeshadow Palette and it’s beautiful. The eyeshadows are great quality and look so good. The blue shade Varadero is one of the best blues I’ve ever used. The next product recommendation is their face palettes. I got their Brighten & Bronze Complexion Trio recently but I can tell it’s already an all-time favourite. I also had their blush trios and those were so good as well. The powders are creamy and blend very easily on the face. The final product recommendation is their DesNUDEAs Lip Gloss. I have their shade Birthday Suit which is a gorgeous pink with diamond glitter in it. Their glosses have a high gloss finish and medium coverage, so the gloss can be worn by itself or overtop another lip product. And one more quick recommendation is their brushes – I have so many and their great quality!

Ace Beaute

The next brand is Ace Beaute. This is another brand that I discovered through Boxycharm that I love. Ace Beaute is a black, women-owned small business that is absolutely killing it. All their products are also cruelty-free!

Their eyeshadow quality is amazing. I have their Vintage Dawn and Grandiose Palette. The eyeshadows are so pigmented, especially the bright matte shades which can be hard to do well. I love their colour stories, they’re unique but also make sense. I also have their Glimmer Shadows (not pictured) and they are some of the best potted eyeshadows I’ve tried. They rival Colourpop’s Super Shock Shadows in terms of pigmentation and payoff. They’re sooo good! The final recommendation is the Bronzed in Paradise Palette. Now I know I say that I don’t normally like palettes that have all the shades in them. But there are very commendable qualities about this palette. The range of shades is so vast that it’s actually a palette for everyone. And because it’s bronzer palette so I can use the shades as eyeshadows. Finally, the quality is great. It’s pigmented and easy to use. So many great products from Ace Beaute!

Burt's Bee

The final underrated brand is one from the drugstore. I feel like Burt’s Bee is a well-known brand but doesn’t get enough hype. Burt’s Bee is known for using natural ingredients in their products and all their products are cruelty-free. I use their products all the time and everyone is surprised when I mention they’re from Burt’s Bee!

The first recommendation is the Satin Lipsticks. I have the shade Blush Basin which is a great everyday shade. These lipsticks are satin so they have a creamy quality to them and are very comfortable on the lips. Another great lip product from Burt’s Bee is their Lip Shines. If you don’t like thick glosses this is the product for you. It’s a quite thin formula but still provides some shine and colour. And it’s very comfortable on the lips. My final recommendation is the Burt’s Bee Blush. This is a lightweight, mineral formula which means that it goes on light but is easy to build. This is great because it’s so easy to over-apply blush. I also love the shade range. I have the shade Fresh Apricot but I want to buy more because I love the shades.

And those are my three underrated brands and their product recommendations! Let me know in the comments what your favourite underrated brand is in the comments!

xoxo

Lea

July Boxycharm 2021

Hey guys! Can you believe July is almost over already? It feels just like yesterday that I was writing my June Boxycharm post. I’ve been so busy this month that it’s made the time fly by. Anyway today I am sharing my review of the products I received in my July Boxycharm. If you want to know what my first impressions were or to see the products visually, check out my Youtube video!

A variation of Boxycharm's July box.

The first product in my box is the Alamar Cosmetics Brighten & Bronze Complexion Trio. I received the shade fair/light, which matches me perfectly. I much prefer getting something that matches my skin tone than a palette that is for everyone because I can use every single powder in the trio. The trio has a brightening shade, a bronze shade and a deeper contour shade. The powders are very buttery and apply well to the skin. There is a slight sheen to the powders as well. The sheen is nice for the bronzer but I’m not a fan of having the sheen in the highlight shade. I prefer a matte setting powder but that’s my personal preference. If you have dry skin you’ll love this. Overall I think the trio is great and I see myself reaching for this very often. Price: $25 US

The next product is The Lyfestyle Co. Detox Hair Serum. This serum is meant to soothe dry and itchy scalp, strengthen hair and promote hair growth. I did check and it is Curly Girl approved – if you want to learn more about that check out my curly hair blog post. I only used this serum twice because I kept on forgetting to use it in my hair since it’s supposed to be used on the scalp after washing it. The first time I only added a bit and didn’t notice a difference. The second time I used more and found my hair looked so greasy. I don’t use hair serums so I’m not sure what’s the correct amount. Overall I’m not sure how much I’m going to use this serum, it’s just not something I need. And since it’s such a high price tag not sure I would recommend it. Price: $79 US

Another expensive product is the Mudmasky Vitamin Infused Eye Serum. This eye serum is a blend of vitamin c and other ingredients to firm and hydrate the eye area. It takes a couple of weeks to see results but so far I like it! This eye serum goes on easily because it’s quite liquid. It doesn’t have a scent. What I like the most is that it quickly absorbs into the skin. This is great in the morning when I apply makeup after doing my skincare. Some eye creams take a while to absorb and can affect my makeup application. I have no problem with this serum. The only thing I’m not a huge fan of is the packaging. It looks a little cheap and the cap isn’t smooth, the edge feels unfiled. I won’t give my stamp of approval until I’ve tested it for the recommended three to four weeks, but so far so good! Price: $63 US, $79 CAD

The next product is the Grande Cosmetics Grandeglow Plumping Liquid Highlight. I got the shade French Pearl. This highlight is meant to have a plumping system to firm and tighten fine lines while also giving the skin a radiant, luminescent glow. I love how this highlight looks on my skin. It doesn’t have any glitter or chunks, instead it gives a natural glow to the skin. The formula is a little tricky to work with. It dries quickly so I have to work quickly or otherwise it becomes patchy or won’t blend. So not the most user-friendly highlight. Also the first time I used the highlight I didn’t feel any plumping effect, but the second time I used more and felt a tingle on my face. I don’t necessarily need a plumping highlight, my face is already round enough haha. I will say that the tingle effect isn’t consistent. Sometimes I feel it and sometimes I don’t. Overall I like the highlight for its look and I would recommend it for that reason. Price: $25 US

The final product in my box is the Billion Dollar Brows Brows On Point Micro Pencil. I got the shade Taupe, which is quite deceiving. Most brands will call their light brown shade taupe so I didn’t think this would match me. But Billion Dollar Brows named their medium to dark brunette Taupe so it matches me perfectly. The pencil itself is pretty average. It’s quite pigmented so if I press too hard it shows up very dark. But it’s creamy enough that I can smudge away any mistakes. I have noticed that the spoolie at the end is a little short, I’m used to something longer. Overall I found with brow pencils as long as their the right shade I can make it work. It’s nothing special but also not bad. Price: $16 US

The final total of the box is $208 US. The total is high because of the eye serum and hair serum. Overall a pretty good box. I thin besides the hair serum I see myself using all the products. If you get Boxycharm, let me know in the comments what products you got! I’m always curious what the other variations are!

xoxo

Lea