Beauty,  True to Hue

Our Shade of Brown: The Blaq Vixen Beauty Review

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Blaq Vixen Beauty reviews Our Shade of Brown.
Our Shade of Brown, February 2012 Edition

After weeks of playing around with the first installment of Our Shade of Brown, two beauty trends you can easily try are hot pink lips and a smooth, satin complexion, courtesy of Big Girl Cosmetics Lip Shine and Yana Cosmetics Satin Finish Foundation, respectfully.

Yana Cosmetics and Big Girl Cosmetics in Our Shade of Brown Pillow Box

Natural/Organic Beauty | Our Shade of Brown

A prevalent theme in this first pillow box is the natural/organic beauty motif. Four out of five products are organic with the exception of the lip shine. Then there’s the price—you won’t find too many beauty boxes that cost $10/month and offer great products that work well for women of color. Overall, for their first effort, I’d say Our Shade of Brown shows promise. In future installments, I hope Our Shade of Brown continues to include brands of this caliber.

In the meantime, score fuchsia lips and satin skin!

Big Girl Cosmetics Lip Shine in Blossom | Our Shade of Brown

Model at Betsey Johnson Spring 2012 | Our Shade of Brown

I am such a die-hard lipstick fan now, but I was still excited to find Big Girl Cosmetics Lip Shine in Blossom in my package. It’s a highly pigmented gloss perfect for fierce, fiberglass fuchsia lips.

While I LOVED the color and finish, the smell and taste reminded me of melted plastic.  That flaw aside, I really liked that this was a full-size sample. The brush-on applicator was a nice touch as you can really get in the corners of the mouth and achieve a rich, even application.

Yana Cosmetics Satin Finish Foundation in #12 | Our Shade of Brown

Models at Tracy Reese Spring 2012 | Our Shade of Brown

I received the Yana Cosmetics Satin Finish Foundation in #12, which is “a luxurious, creamy, rich, hydrating, non-oily pigmented foundation with built-in highlighters.” I’d use this shade as a contour.

According to Yana Cosmetics’ Celebrity Shade Finder, singer Estelle would wear this shade in their foundation range. I’m more of a mix between #7 (Rihanna and Beyonce) and #8 (Michelle Obama). The whipped formula is very silky and perfect for achieving that satin foundation finish.

If Our Shade of Brown wanted to include foundation samples in the next pillow box, it might be a great idea to include a shade finder during checkout so the sample you receive will be closer (if not an exact match) to your skin tone.

Yana Cosmetics and Big GIrl Cosmetics | Our Shade of Brown

Subscription Options | Our Shade of Brown

Our Shade of Brown offers two subscription options. A monthly subscription is $10 while a yearly subscription is $110 with two bonuses. The yearly subscription includes one month free plus 110 Loyalty Points and $10 off your first full-size product purchase from the Our Shade of Brown website.

Furthermore, enjoy free shipping on the products in this month’s pillow box and receive free shipping on orders over $50. Based on my experiences, I’d love to stock up on Pooka Pure and Simple Body Butters. I’d also check out the other shades in the Big Girl Cosmetics Lip Shine range.

Did you order/win a February 2012 Our Shade of Brown pillow box? Which Spring 2012 were you able to try with your products?