Robyn Valentine: 2018

Medix Beauty App Review

Starting from humble beginnings as a skin care brand known as Twin Medix, the brand announced in October 2017 that they would be developing an app that would be named Medix Beauty. Since their initial announcement, Medix Beauty has recruited a star-studded cast of professional makeup artists including James Vincent, Orlando Santiago, Jasen Kaplan, Jeremy Dell, AJ Crimson, Sahara Pasha, Danessa Myricks, Ve Neill, Aga Kaskiewicz, and Beathany Towenes. Medix Beauty is free to download, however the app works on a monthly subscription basis. To subscribe to an artist costs $2.99 per month to have access to all the videos they've uploaded thus far, but note that there are no promises as to how many, if any tutorials will be uploaded each month. When I first heard of this app, I was absolutely floored to see the industry professionals that had been recruited and right away I subscribed to Danessa Myricks and AJ Crimson's channel. Unfortunately, after testing this app for the last three months I have to say, I'm not very impressed.
The whole time I've had this app, I've been constantly checking to see if any of the brands which are supposed to have tutorials available, have uploaded on their channels, but none still have. Although the app did allow me to subscribe to the Embryolisse USA channel even though they had no content to offer. Despite, having videos produced for Danessa Myricks and AJ Crimson's personal channel, they haven't published any videos for their brand's channels. Every time I try to subscribe, a box pops up that says "Product identifier not found." When I click the watch intro button for the brand channels, they're all a video that says coming soon, except for Temptu who oddly has Aga Kaskiewicz's intro video as their own intro video. Perhaps Medix Beauty is having trouble coordinating filming with these brands (I know that they're currently in the process of filming tutorials with Roque Cozzette owner of Cozzette). To be completely honest, the app in my opinion seems quite rushed, considering all the problems it has.
Problem #1, this app is terribly glitchy, many people including myself will find that some days the app will tell you that you're not subscribed to a makeup artists that you are subscribed to. I know that this is a problem on their end because the charges still show up in my band account, proving that my subscription wasn't inexplicably cancelled. Luckily, this isn't an issue that lasts a long time.
Problem #2 the app has categorized all of it's tutorials into categories, by clicking a category box, for example, eyebrows, it'll pull up all the tutorials on the app relating to eyebrows. My problem with this, is that there are many categories which have no videos to offer and it feels pointless to keep these empty category boxes up if there's nothing to look at. Keep in mind, that the only videos in each category you'll be able to watch are from artists you've subscribed too, meaning that it'll show me videos from other artists that are relevant, but I can't watch them until I subscribe to their channels.
Problem #3 as mentioned earlier, I've waited for months and not a single brand has uploaded videos to their channels.
Problem #4 when you look at the videos available to watch from an artist, there's no image of the makeup you're going to watch, you have to use the title alone to figure out if the video is for the makeup you're looking for.
Maybe I'm hopeful for the app because I want to continue seeing tutorials from some of my favorite artists, but I'd like to believe there's a lot of potential for this app to be great. Yes, I want to stop seeing all this empty space of products coming soon, but more so I want regularly posted content, even if this means one video a month because I'm quite sure no new tutorials have been uploaded to AJ Crimson's channel since I first subscribed three months ago. Additionally, I feel as though they should consider using different images within the app because, right now, they look like they were free images taken from google. They'd be better off, licensing the art of their own makeup artists, so their images wouldn't look so generic. By no means am I saying to pass on Medix Beauty as they've yet to peak, but perhaps hold off until they upload more content and pull the app further together.

If you've made it this far, I would just like to say thank you for reading my article! Your feedback matters a great deal to me, please feel free to message me through my email therobynvalentine@gmail.com regarding any feedback or questions you may have. Also while your here, I would greatly appreciate it, if you consider contributing to my website by making a donation to my Paypal using the email provided. Thank you again for all your continued support, it truly means the world to me.

5:52 PM No comments

Maréna Beauté Le Teint Tarou Review #indiefeature

Today's review will be a little different than the other foundation reviews I've written so far. Normally, when I review foundations, I'll try wearing the product 5 different ways (if possible), I try to write thorough reviews that encompass the many different ways people may prefer to wear their foundations. My review will be based solely on the first impressions I've had applying this foundation to my good friend Tracia, who you can follow on Instagram and Youtube.

They currently offer 6 different shades ranging from a medium dark to deep brown with mostly red to neutral undertones, with one shade being a yellow undertone. You're receiving 9 g/0.32 oz of product for $30. The foundation is described to be creamy, with medium to full coverage, it has a satin finish that's long lasting, and suitable for all skin types. The foundation has been formulated without preservatives and has a shelf life of 24 months, the product was made in Italy. Maréna Beauté is a cruelty free and vegan company based out of Sweden.

About the Brand:

Maréna Beauté was founded in 2015 by Swedish professional makeup artist Diarry Maréna. Their brand focuses on high quality makeup, made to match the complexions and needs of darker skin tones. They are Sweden's first brand geared towards darker skin (Brundell, 2016) and want to close the gap between high quality makeup and darker skin. Maréna who was originally from Senegal, Africa moved to Sweden as a teenager. She worked as a makeup artist and makeup consultant for 12 years and saw first hand the lack of diversity in the beauty industry. Before Maréna created her brand, she recalled having to mix 8 different foundations to achieve decent shade matches for her darker skinned clients, this was published in an article by Arbetarbladet.

In mid March of 2016 it was announced that Maréna Beauté would be carried online by retailer Åhléns who later began carrying their cosmetics in store by late June of the same year. Since then, Maréna Beauté has expanded their line into additional retailers internationally. Diarry who is a proud sponsor and supporter of Unicef has used her and her companies' platforms to raise awareness for issues such as the lack of diversity in the makeup industry, self confidence for people of color, and international humanitarian support.

Shipping:

All their prices, including shipping, contain value-added taxes (VAT) to the products when ordering within the European Union (EU) and their prices are listed in Swedish krona (SEK, kr). Their shipping is Delivered Duty Unpaid (DDU), which means additional taxes and fees may apply depending on your area. Shipping within Sweden is free and take 2-4 days, in the EU and Norway orders cost 59sek to ship and take 5-8 days, orders over 600sek qualify for free shipping, outside of Europe shipping costs 79sek and takes 6-12 days, likewise, orders over 600sek qualify for free shipping. They offer a 14 day return period, however the customer is responsible for return shipping fees, with refunds being issued within 30 days of recieving the returned product at the latest.
I placed my order on March 19th and it arrived on April 10th. I did try contacting customer service twice to see if they could give me a tracking number, when the 14 day mark approached. I was nervous that the package would arrive beyond the return period and they would no longer accept a return if something went wrong. I did reach out to the company on Instagram where I was promptly helped; I was told when the package was shipped, given a link to track the package, and told to stay in contact with them if the package didn't arrive by Wednesday of that same week.

Description/ Initial thoughts:

While I may not have received this product as PR, I would like to note that I was given a 50% coupon by the company for suggesting that a Youtuber known as Shalom Blac try their makeup for an upcoming video she's filming. The coupon was completely unexpected, but I'm pleasantly surprised by how the company choose to show their gratitude for my promotion of their brand.
Compared to the compact that the foundation comes in I will say that the box was bulky, however the product was well packaged; the foundation was covered in a thin layer of foam and black tissue paper, the rest of the box was occupied by thick bubble wrap. The package came with a copy of my recite and a postcard advertising their foundations and powders.
Maybe it's just me, but I really love the simple white box with copper lettering that the foundation comes in, it contrasts the black compact of the foundation quite nicely. In my opinion the compact is a bit large for my liking and perhaps not the most travel friendly, but in the compacts defense, it does have a well that contains a small square sized sponge. Observing the foundation in the pan, it does have beads of liquid on the top layer, my guess is that the foundation "sweated" during it's travel to the US, nothing I'm concerned with, just wanted to make note of it. I really appreciate that they've included a mirror into their compact, I like having mirrors in my compacts for making touch ups in public or just checking to see how my makeup is sitting throughout the day. I did swatch the foundation on the palm of my hand to not only get a better idea of the color, but the consistency of the foundation. From swatching the foundation I can confirm that the product is indeed medium to full coverage and quite creamy. I took a picture of the foundation on my wrist and I was excited to find no flashback. I was pleasantly surprised by how light weight it felt on my wrist, I feel as though the foundation became creamier when it came in contact with the warmth of my fingers. I absolutely love this quality in foundations because regardless of whether or not you're using your fingers for application, it's much easier to work foundation into a client's skin when their body heat is helping to melt the product.

First Impressions (Review):

Before I begin writing my review of the foundation, I would like to explain why this review will be different from my normal wear test procedure. Having a light to medium complexion, I didn't believe their lightest shade of foundation would fit my skin tone, but I really wanted to try their foundations. Rather than buying a foundation to match my skin, I decided to buy their deepest foundation shade. Being that the brand specializes in makeup for deeper skin I was curious to see how deep their line ran with it's initial launch. I went ahead and ordered their Le Teint Tarou (Flawless Luminous Compact Makeup) in the shade Khartoum. The first impressions (review) is based on the experience of my friend Tracia and my thoughts on how the foundation looked on her by the end of our graduation photo shoot, the whole process lasted roughly 4 hours.
Now that I've clarified why this review will be different from the rest, let's get into the first impressions (review). I must say that I'm quite impressed with the shade I purchased. The foundation does have red undertones, but it's not obnoxiously red like some of the other red undertoned foundations I've come across, this is what a red undertone foundation for deeper skin should look like!
I used a Beauty Blender to apply the foundation and it didn't give me any trouble in terms of application, it looked incredibly smooth on Tracia's skin. The foundation was 1 shade darker than my friend, but I used my Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Skin: Conceal in (R4) to help brighten the foundation, and I used my A.P.D.G. Nude Pigment in (CC33) for contour. The foundation blended well with both of the other foundations, there was no breaking up of color or uneven blending.
To set the foundation I used my Cover FX Perfect Setting Powder in Deep. The powder does have a soft luminous finish to it, but it helped set the foundation in a way that kept the skin looking healthy. When it came time to take Tracia's graduation photos 2 hours later, her skin was a bit shiny, but again, the Cover FX powder I used has a luminous finish to it, which likely exaggerated the shine of her skin. Using a little more of my Cover FX powder, I mattified the T zone which layered quite well, there was no cakeyness from the extra powder I used. After the photos were taken, I looked at her skin again (this was at the 4 hour mark) there was slight creasing in the inner corners of her mouth, but it wasn't very noticeable. Staying true to the claim of being satiny, I appreciate that even when powdering the foundation it still remained quite skin like and not heavy. While satiny foundation may not be the best choice for people with oily skin, it does make for a nice natural finish, I will say. I asked Tracia how the foundation felt on her and she told me that it felt like she had nothing on her face. She was quite impressed with the finish of the foundation as well as the evenness it provided. The foundation doesn't claim to have smoothing properties, but it appears to be one of those cream foundations that fills in pores when applied a little heavier handed.

Final Thoughts:

As someone who's always on the search for new indie brands to support, I was delighted to come across Maréna Beauté. This brand peaked my interest because aside from being an indie company, they're cruelty free, vegan, and they succeed at specializing in makeup for deeper skin. We've been conditioned for so long to find subpar cosmetics inclusive of deeper skin that I believe many individuals don't realize how much higher the bar can be set. I've come across many brands, who on the surface seem to cater to all skin tones, but the minute you compare their products to a brand like Maréna Beauté it becomes apparent that these brands can still do better. It's 2018 and many brands still can't seem to nail red undertones, let alone neutral or cool undertones for deeper skin, many brands who offer cosmetics with "deep skin" options still run to orange or red to look natural or aren't dark enough to fit deeper skin tones, let alone to contour with, and don't even get me started with the problematic "universal" palettes! Needless to say I'm rooting for this brand, I'm just so impressed to find another brand who actually makes cosmetics suitable for deeper skin because right now, this is what we need more of. Do not sleep on this brand!

References:

Brundell, Linnea. “Diarry Maréna Gör Smink För Personer Med Mörka Hudtoner.”Arbetarbladet.se, 17 May 2016, www.arbetarbladet.se/diarry-marena-gor-smink-for-personer-med-morka-hudtoner.

If you've made it this far, I would just like to say thank you for reading my article! Your feedback matters a great deal to me, please feel free to message me through my email therobynvalentine@gmail.com regarding any feedback or questions you may have. Also while your here, I would greatly appreciate it, if you consider contributing to my website by making a donation to my Paypal using the email provided. Thank you again for all your continued support, it truly means the world to me.

11:17 AM No comments

bareMinerals Vegan Products List:

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Not vegan:

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Danessa Myricks Beauty Waterproof Cream Palettes Review #indiefeature

What's Vegan at SUVA Beauty?

Medix Beauty App Review

Maréna Beauté Le Teint Tarou Review #indiefeature

About the Brand:

Shipping:

Description/ Initial thoughts:

First Impressions (Review):

Final Thoughts:

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