Bundle of truth // HONEST BEAUTY BUNDLE
"I honestly love you" is the song that best defines my first impressions of the Honest Beauty line. Green makeup/skincare devotees have been raving about it to the point where I was like, "Jeez, it's just makeup people." But it really is very good. And honestly (yeah, sorry I am going to do that a lot in this post), it's better than it has any right to be.
I'm generally skeptical of any celebrity created brands, simply because I never know what level of input they actually have in the products themselves. But Honest is truly Jessica Alba's baby, and she has done a phenomenal job.
I went ahead and pulled the trigger on one of the bundles. The bundle deal allows you to get any 3 products for $50, and then any 5 products after that at a 25% discount. It's definitely your best bet to try a range of items for the best price. *ALERT* These bundles are reoccurring each month unless you cancel them over the phone (which, for the record, I have heard is really easy to do).
A good litmus test for any makeup brand is how they formulate foundation, so the first item I chose was the Everything Cream Foundation in the shade 'Linen'. I've never been a big fan of cream foundation compacts, but that's all changed now. This stuff is the 'ish'. It more than lives up to it's creamy name, and delivers smooth, full coverage that's not heavy. 'Linen' happens to be a perfect shade for me, but they offer a pretty good range of 8 shades from light to deep. The compact comes with a full-size mirror (which I appreciate and have been using daily for touch-ups), as well as a sponge applicator. So far I have liked applying this best with my new best friend, the NüYU Sili Sponge! It saves product, and applies in really thin, buildable layers. Have to shout out Chrissstttiiine for the recco in her videos, without which I never would have tried this and subsequently fallen in love.
The second item I chose was the Luminizing Powder in the lightest shade, 'Midnight Reflection'. I definitely still need to use this product more, but I'm happy to report my first impressions are good. Though not quite as super finely milled as other similar products (like the Hourglass powders), these are still very well made, and give a soft-focus glow without feeling glittery. You can use this as an all over setting powder when applied with a light hand, or you could really apply heavily on your cheek bones for more of a highlighter effect. Out of the three products I tried, this was probably the least exciting one for me, but only because the other two were so stellar.
The final bundle product was the Magic Balm. This incredibly simple product has been, oddly enough, the one to revolutionize my makeup routine. Suddenly, I am putting balm on freakin' everything... my lips, my cheeks, my eyelids, my cuticles. This no color, no scent balm has a mystical way of making everything better, softer and more lived-in. It's easily made it's way to my number one go-to Spring product.
So if I was grading things, at this point I'd give Honest Beauty a big fat A. That said, I still have a lot of products left to try... famous last beauty hoarder words.
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Website // honestbeauty.com (available on Target)
Price Point // $15 - $35
Best For // Olivia Newton John karaoke, perfect face days, and balm addicts
Claims // made without: parabens, paraffins, silicones, talc, petrolatum, mineral oil, or synthetic fragrances, and cruelty-free
