Honest Beauty Review

If you haven’t heard, now you know-Honest Company came out with a beauty line.  I was skeptical at first.  As most of you know, Honest has a ton of different natural baby products, household products, feminine products, and even things like sunscreen.  They pretty much have taken over the mainstream natural market with their brand.  I do use their diapers for my daughter.  Having them delivered to my house has been amazing!  I recently had someone ask what I thought of Honest products and why I didn’t ever promote them.  I thought about it long after I had answered.  My conclusion?  There are many small organic natural companies out there that are putting their heart and soul into their products and I know they literally check and double check ingredients.  When I get these products I feel like I’m holding a little bit of magic.  Because it was created with so much love.  Plus, I’m all for supporting small businesses and last time I checked Honest doesn’t need me to market for them- they recently hit $1 billion!

I have some friends who are totally on board with green beauty but I have a lot who aren’t.  It’s not that they wouldn’t, but it’s hard switching over their products and pricey.  I had some friends who asked about Honest Beauty and were interested-these are the friends who still use conventional products.  Needless to say I was so excited they were interested, and it definitely sealed the deal for me to try them.  What I realized was this- If my friends are willing to consider Honest Beauty because they recognize the brand, how many others are going to do the same?  If it gets people to switch to cleaner, non-toxic brands I’m all in.  For me, searching for the perfect non-toxic eyeliner is fun but for many others, they just want to go to one place and get all their makeup-I get it.  A lot of people just want one brand and not have to shop at 25 different websites.

Is Honest Beauty economical?  Totally.  I was so impressed with the prices actually.  I’ve been around green beauty long enough to know it’s not cheap, not that conventional makeup is either(think Chanel, Estee Lauder).  However, Honest Beauty’s quality ingredient list rivals many green beauty brands and their price point is lower.  I get it, they’re a billion dollar company and can do that.  However, this is going to make it that much easier for people to make the switch.  Honest Beauty uses the bundle concept just as they do for the diapers, let me explain.   You get 3 products for $50, which is crazy cheap!  That puts every product a little over $16.  Yes, you heard me right!  Once you bundle 3 products, every 5 products after that you get 25% off up to 5 products.  So basically you could have a whole new makeup set for $100-yeah you can’t beat that.  Plus, did I mention free shipping as well.  This is something I feel a lot of people can handle when switching over.  When my foundation alone costs $60, it can be a bit intimidating for the average customer switching over.  Most people don’t have $500+ to invest in new makeup, I know I didn’t when I switched over.  It’s been a gradual process over 5 years.

Ok, time to get to the products.  I got 6 products- The Everything Cream Foundation, Midnight Reflection Luminizing Powder, Cream Blush in Truly Flirting, Truly Kissable Lip Crayon in Sheer Chestnut Kiss, Truly Lush Mascara+Lash Primer, and True Velvet Eyeliner in Truly Cocoa.

Was I impressed with the makeup…very!

The Everything Cream Foundation-

It comes in this magnetic snap silver square compact, that has a mirror inside and pops up to reveal a round sponge applicator.  I didn’t use the applicator but my W3ll People foundation brush.  I love that it has a mirror.  And guys can I say I just really love this foundation!  It goes on super smooth, but offers great coverage.  You can add more for better coverage.  It’s a concealer and foundation in one.  I didn’t even need my concealer.  It gives that airbrushed look similar to Kjaer Weis.  Did it stay throughout the day-you betcha!  It didn’t feel like I was wearing a heavy foundation at all.  I highly recommend it-it’s definitely going in my favorite foundation pile.  I got the color Sand and it matched great.  I use the color Just Sheer for foundation in Kjaer Weis and #22 in RMS Beauty Un Coverup. It retails for $30, which is just insane to me for the quality of the product.

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Luminizing Powder in Midnight Reflection-

I was super excited to try this product especially.  I feel like there are a lot of cream luminizers out there but not a lot of powder ones.  It did not disappoint.  I used it everywhere I normally highlight-under brow bone, upper cheek bone, bridge of the nose, little patch in the middle of forehead and middle of my chin.  I just used a contouring brush.  It stayed the whole day and didn’t crease-something I’ve found can happen with the cream ones.  I also loved using it on the inner corner of my eyes to make them pop.  The color is hint of shimmer-not sparkles but a great glow.  I’m sold!  It also comes in a square mirrored compact. $25.  They also have two other colors in the luminizers-a peach color and then a bronze color.

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Cream Blush in Truly Flirting-

This cream blush consistency is great.  It’s not as goopy as some green beauty cream blushes I’ve tried but goes on so smooth.  It isn’t crazy pigmented, I definitely added more color after the first swipe.  I just used my fingers to apply it and it worked great.  The color Truly Flirting that I got is quite similar to RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek in Modest.  It’s a coral pink/red.  Gives a fresh, revived look…haha if that makes sense.  I really just loved the consistency overall, really easy to work with.  It even smells like berries! The blush comes in a silver circular compact and there’s also a mirror in this compact-which I love.  Retails for $22.

 

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Truly Kissable Lip Crayon in Sheer Chestnut-

This lip crayon comes in a chubby little twist up.  It also smells fruity!  I really liked this as well…is this getting annoying? Yeah, it goes on so smoothly and has a hint of sheen to it.  A good mix between a gloss and lip crayon.  I’m not a huge gloss fan but this is the perfect balance. I love this color.  It’s more of a nude with a hint of brownish/pinkish in it, very subtle.  I will be getting more of these for sure.  They also have lip crayons in demi-matte and lip glosses.  They retail for $18.

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Truly Lush Mascara+Lash Primer-

This mascara was my least favorite.  It has a primer on one end and the other end is the mascara.  You wait 60 seconds after you apply your primer and then apply the mascara.  It definitely gave me length and was very buildable.  It didn’t give me as much thickness as I like with my mascaras.  The real reason I didn’t love it- it stung my eyes every time I took it off.  I know sad.  I tried taking it off different ways too but each time, I could barely open my eyes.  I’m going to send it back and get something else.  That’s the great thing about Honest Beauty…they take anything back.  My eyes aren’t normally sensitive so I’m not sure what the deal is.  Anyways, it might work great for you! $22.

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True Velvet Eyeliner in Truly Cocoa-

Ok, you all are going to need this!  Finding eyeliners in green beauty that stay put has been hard for me.  But this one didn’t budge.  It goes on so smoothly too.  One end is the pencil and the other end is the smudger. It smudged really well.  I always prime my eyelids, otherwise I have a hot mess on my hands!  My eyelids are super oily.  I don’t even apply the foundation to my eyelids, otherwise it will crease I’ve found.  I just apply RMS Beauty Un- Powder in translucent.  I also put a little on the eyeliner to set it as well.  It comes in 5 different shades from black, brown, gold, purple, sapphire and an eye brightening nude.  Obviously I’ll need more!  $16.

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Ok, that’s my huge spill on Honest Beauty.  There are more products of course, in the future I’ll update the post as I sample them.  Have you guys tried any of the beauty products yet-what are your thoughts?

 

 

Cheers, Suzi

Suzi

Suzi is a wife, and mama who is passionate about sharing her natural lifestyle with those around her. She created Gurl Gone Green to show how our everyday decisions, from what we use on our face, home and the food we eat affect us more than we know. She loves holding space where people can weed through the marketing clutter to find truth, and ultimately make the best decision for their families.

49 Comments

  1. Sammie

    Ah! This was great, lady! I can’t wait to try out these products myself. Especially the foundation/luminizer! Thanks for the awesome review! <3

    Reply
    • Suzi

      Aww, thanks Sammie! Yes, they’re great! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Lauren

    Yes to the mascara. I wore it and accidentally got teary and my eyes stung like crazy!!! I just e-mailed honest to see what is up! I thought it looked great but the pain was impossible!

    Reply
    • Suzi

      Lauren! Right?! Haha, I’m not crazy! Yeah, I called them too and asked if anyone else had mentioned that and they said a couple other people had. I’m surprised it made it past so many testers! Thanks for sharing in my pain too 🙂

      Reply
    • Margot

      Hey Lauren – by any chance does it have phenoxyethanol in it? That always gets my eyes.. and a lot of natural brands use it. It is an eye irritant. Check it out.

      Reply
      • Suzi

        Hi Margot! Yeah, it doesn’t have phenoxyethanol-I wouldn’t have bought it if it did! I don’t know, I need take a closer look. There isn’t anything that stood out to me as an irritant.

        Reply
  3. Mia Maree

    I found your review because I literally started tearing up a few minutes ago and my eyes started burning like crazy! It had to be my new mascara from Honest because my eyes have never done that before…so I googled it to see if others were having this issue!

    Reply
    • Suzi

      Mia! I feel ya girl! The same thing happened to me! I literally couldn’t open my eyes…so annoying. I sent mine back. They were really great about it thankfully!

      Reply
  4. Cristian

    Thank you so much for the review! I enjoyed reading it. I tried the foundation in snow in my first bundle. I wasn’t loving it but purchased the primer before making a decision on it. The primer makes an unbelievable difference. I recommend the primer as your next purchase. Glad to know I wasn’t the only one about the mascara! 🙂

    Reply
    • Suzi

      Totally! Yeah, the primer I didn’t get because it has dimethicone and phenoxyethanol in it. 🙁 I wish it was cleaner!

      Reply
  5. Jessica

    Thanks for the review! I’d been curious on the new line. I too have oily eyelids and am searching for a good primer. What do you use or recommend? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Stephanie

      Yes! I have cried with the mascara on and it stings SO BADLY! Don’t ever get teary eyed with it on! That is my only complaint with the Honest Beauty line so far. The makeup is literally the best I have ever used! And I have used only conventional makeup in the past.

      Reply
      • Suzi

        Hi Stephanie! Haha, yes it definitely stings! I’m surprised Honest didn’t catch that with it’s testing. I actually just got another product-they were really good about taking stuff back!

        Reply
  6. Hannah

    Thank you so much for this review! I’m completely new to chemical free makeup so Im not 100% sure what Im doing. I saw you posted that you didnt get the primer because of some of the ingredients. Do you happen to have a list of the ingredients in makeup that should be avoided? I have no idea what those names even mean!

    Reply
    • Suzi

      Hi Hannah! Thanks so much for reading. I’m so excited for you to be transitioning-so cool! I don’t have a list at the moment, will definitely work on that. The best thing to do is get the Think Dirty app. You just scan your products and it will tell you if it’s bad and why. It goes by a number system…1 being the best and 10 being the worst. I would recommend getting the book No More Dirty Looks too. You can get it off Amazon. They list all the dangerous products, as well as what they do. That was the book that really helped me transition. I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook for the latest on blog happenings. 🙂

      Reply
  7. Meagan

    Oh my gosh the mascara burned my eyes really badly too! I thought I was the only one! It stung so bad any time moisture from my eyes would come in contact with the mascara, and especially when I took it off at night. I called and told them about it and they actually posted a credit to my account to get something else which was really nice. My eyes have never been sensitive to mascara before so I don’t know what the deal was.

    Reply
    • Suzi

      Yes, same here Meagan! I’ve never had a problem before. You should try out Hynt Beauty’s mascara…seriously the best non-toxic mascara I’ve come across and no stinging 😉

      Reply
  8. Christina

    Hi Suzi! Just found you post because I’m thinking about going natural with my makeup. Which foundation brand would you recommend – Honest, RMS, Kjaer Weis, Vapour? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Suzi

      Hi Christina! That’s awesome! It really depends on your skin type. I recommend each one for different reasons. In the post it says if it’s for oily, combo or dry skin. Let me know what your skin is like and what you like for coverage. Also, some people prefer lighter coverage and others prefer heavier. If you can give me more details, I can help you out better. 🙂

      Reply
      • Christina

        Hi Suzi, thanks so much for your fast reply!!

        I have combo->oily skin. I used to have breakouts but started using a more gentle skincare routine from Algotherm (a French algae based brand) and it seems to have curbed my breakouts (that, or the hormones from pregnancy and then BFing). So, I’m not opposed to non-oil free formulas, just not super heavy formulas. I tried the whole Tarte line at one point in my effort to be more natural and it failed. I have a constant guilt about the products I use and wanted to give this a try again now that there seem to be so many more products out there. I saw your blog and got inspired! 😉

        I am currently using Laura Mercier Flawless Fluide (which is oil free) and love the coverage and thin, weightless texture. It’s definitely not full coverage, but not as light as a sheer tinted moisturizer. I would love to find a comparable product!

        I’ve been looking at RMS, Honest (not sure which to go with TM or foundation), Jane Iredale, W3ll people, or Kaijer Weis…

        Thank you!

        Reply
        • Suzi

          Hi Christina! Perfect, this helps so much. I think you would really like Fitglow Beauty’s Liquid Foundation. It’s a true liquid foundation but it isn’t super heavy. It gives my skin an overall pulled together look but doesn’t look cakey. It’s more of a medium coverage foundation. RMS Uncover up I love. But it is a little heavier. Not heavy as in feeling heavy on my skin but heavier coverage. I’ll add this after the Fitglow Beauty liquid if I want to cover some redness. I also will brush a little mineral powder on top of it after putting it on so it stays put. It has a more moisturizing feel than the Fitglow Beauty liquid. Honest, is definitely heavier, full coverage foundation-very similar to Kjaer Weis foundation. I don’t think you would like it as much if you like a more weightless texture. Jane IRedale’s BB cream is awesome, like a tinted moisturizer but with more coverage. I really like it a lot. It feels weightless but covers all my redness. Also, W3ll people is great. It’s just a totally different concept with it’s stick feel. It feels weightless and goes on smooth. It’s more of a medium coverage foundation as well. I like it but the only thing I didn’t love was how it kind of faded by the end of the day. It didn’t have as much staying power on me. However, If I dusted with a mineral powder that always helped! Did I help you at all? 🙂 I hope I did. Let me know if you have any other questions!

          Reply
  9. Kate

    This was such a great post. I loved your honesty about speaking to the reality of accessibility and price points of green beauty products. For the green enthusiast, we will search the depths of the Internet for that one shade of organic, vegan foundation that the whole green community is blogging/ig about. For the regular person thinking about some sager products, they want it to be easy, affordable, and the product needs to be THAT GOOD. Otherwise, they easily switch back to their tried and true cover girl or maybelline. And the return policy at honest is bonkers, 365 days, paid postage, no questions asked. This is what billion dollar companies can do! Convincing friends to buy kjaer weis makes me feel like a car salesman, only they don’t get to test drive but will be spending waaayyy more than $25! It’s crucial that the first step into green beauty is successful to cultivate curiosity and commitment towards the luxe brands. I think honest beauty is the gateway for such a thing. I’m totally going to grab some of these items you’ve raved about! Thank you!

    Reply
  10. Christina

    Hi Suzi!
    Thank you so much for your suggestion, it sounds perfect and I’m going to check it out! Do you use the RMS Powder as setting powder?
    Thanks,
    Christina

    Reply
    • Suzi

      Christina, yes RMS is a great setting powder. I also like Zui Organic pressed powder too!

      Reply
    • Suzi

      Thank you so much Kate! Yes, I totally agree. Making green beauty accessible is key. Honest even makes their packaging look similar to mainstream, which I think is a draw for a lot of people. Hope you love your new loot!

      Reply
  11. Courtney L.

    Stumbled upon this post while investigating Honest Beauty mascara. I ordered it as soon as it came out, along with a lot of other products and had the same problem many here have commented on – it stings if my eyes water and when I remove it. I noticed it’s sold out on their website & decided to do some Googling… maybe they are reformulating? I really hope so! Loved the way it looked, just not the way it felt! Other than that, I’m really impressed with Honest Beauty! I love my cream foundation and blush, and the lip gloss is wonderful! I’ve also been using the skin care. I haven’t tried many other green beauty brands except for what I’ve received in my Petit Vour boxes!

    Reply
    • Suzi

      Hi Courtney! Thanks for reading. Yeah, I really hope they are, since so many people have mentioned the same thing. Glad you are loving the other picks from them! 🙂

      Reply
  12. Marisela

    How do the lip and cheek colors pass the green test when they all have artificial color dyes?

    Reply
    • Suzi

      Hi Marisela, thanks for the feedback. While they aren’t 100% natural, they are better than some. It says may/or may not contain on the label. I don’t mention it in the post but I have mentioned it on my periscopes and instagram about the artificial dyes. I think if it gets someone to stop using a completely toxic product, I’m all for it. I should mention this in my post though, especially for those who don’t always read the label. Thanks for mentioning it! 🙂

      Reply
  13. Annie

    Hi Suzi,

    Awesome article! Thank you SO much for the honest review (no pun intended!) I was looking into Honest Beauty as I’m trying to go green with my cosmetics and it is very hard to find something green and performs. I was hoping you can give me some suggestions for some light coverage during the day. After reading through some of the comments, I don’t think the honest foundation/tinted moisturizer would work for me? My favorite, which I have stopped using since I started reading about ingredients, is the NARS Tinted moisturizer in Alaska. I have not been able to find anything green in similar light texture, sheer to barely medium coverage, and perfect match of color. I would really appreciate some suggestions. I’m happy to use whatever you suggest over my day moisturizer. I’m currently using a hourglass veil primer over my day moisturizer and top with either Honest Protect Fluid (with SPF) or the Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation Serum. Not the cleanest but the color is so sheer and gives me some SPF.

    I also need suggestion on something to set the above with something, so I’ve been told, so that I wouldn’t lose color at the end of the day? I used to use BareMineral Matte Foundation only to find all the yucky stuff in it. Sigh. I know some of their stuff is cleaner but I have no idea where to start. If it helps with color, aside from the NARS alaska, the BM Matte Foundation in Light and Golden Medium are also perfect matches depending on the season for me.

    Thank you again for bringing awareness to green products. I’m very glad to see Honest Beauty come on the market to make it more accessible for people to try! Oh and I’m going to give Hynt mascara a try too (based on one of your replies above). Do you have any other recommendations aside from that one? My current favorite is the They’re Real from Benefit. Would like to have something that gives similar performance but with clean ingredients. Thank you!

    Oh, one more thing, what do you think of BeautyCounter? I have a few friends talking to me about it but I’m curious what you think. Sorry this is so long! Thank you in advance for your help and keep up the awesome job!

    Annie

    Reply
    • Suzi

      Hi Annie! Thanks for reading! I really like fit glow beauty foundation. It offers medium coverage. I still use a concealer to spot areas. It feels really light on the skin which I like. You may like the Tinted Moisturizer by 100% Pure. It provides medium coverage too and goes on weightless. My favorite powder is Zuii Organic Pressed Powdered Foundation Powder. I love that it’s pressed-not as messy. It also goes on so smooth, doesn’t look cakey and keep my face the whole day. I love it! I would just get Hynt mascara…haha it’s the best! It gives me length and volume. I’ve tried a ton of the others and they’re ok but not as amazing in my opinion. Yes, Beauty Counter is everywhere huh?! They are trying to be better and that’s commendable but they still have ingredients I consider toxic and wouldn’t use on myself, and therefore wouldn’t recommend to my audience. Hope that helps! 🙂

      Reply
      • Annie

        Thank you Suzi! That’s SO helpful! I’ll definitely give those a try. Any sheer coverage stuff you can recommend? While the medium coverage will be good for days/nights when I need to be put together, I like the sheer stuff for everyday simply because I don’t wear really much make up and worry that the medium would be too much for day to day? Unless I’m wrong of course. LOL! Thank you again! You’re awesome! 🙂

        Reply
      • Annie

        Sorry, one more question, can the Zuii Organic Pressed Powdered Foundation Powder be used as finishing powder? I mean used over the liquid stuff to gently set without creasing and cakey? Thanks!! I will now need to figure out coloring 🙂

        Reply
        • Suzi

          Yes! That’s exactly what I use it for. It’s perfect for setting foundation. It’s not heavy at all! 🙂

          Reply
          • Annie

            Awesome! Thank you! I’m going to have to go thru the rest of your articles to find a good easy to use concealer for a non make up wearer 🙂

          • Annie

            It looks like FitGlow doesn’t have a beauty foundation? It only has a Vita Active Foundation, is that the same?

          • Suzi

            yep, thats the one!

          • Annie

            Thank you so much! I don’t do much under eye concealer (I probably should but hate the way they always crease or make me look old no matter how hard I try to put only the tiniest bit) would I be able to get away with only the uncover from rms or do I need both? I don’t wear a lot of make up but I want to look pulled together so need to have as few items to use as possible or I’ll end up not using them from feeling overwhelmed. Lol. So far, I have the following on my list to get

            Fit glow liquid foundation (apply with finger?)
            Uncover concealer
            Zuii organic pressed powder
            Hynt mascara
            Honest eyeliner (do you have a liquid one you can recommend? Oily lids here and pencil on the top doesn’t stay too well)
            Honest brow pencil
            Honest shadow trio (occasional use)
            Rms cheek

            I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed with the list but I think I can try to use those daily with practice. Do you think that’s a good place to start? Thanks again for all of your help!

          • Suzi

            Yes, I think thats a great list and it won’t seem like a lot once you actually use them. For liquid liner I really like ZuZu Luxe. they have a felt tip applicator which I’ve found is easier for me to use and they stay on all day! The honest pencil is the best I’ve found so far as a pencil that stays for the most part. I still prime my eyes with powder and then set the eyeliner with the same shade of eyeshadow, that helps a ton. I don’t think you need the under eye concealer, I would just put the foundation under for added coverage. 🙂

          • Annie

            Awesome! Thank you so much! Now I simply practice with some YouTube videos. Lol! Thank you again!!

          • Annie

            Suzi, I’m back again. Having a hard time figuring out the color for the Zuii pressed powder and the company has not been getting back to me 🙁 I’ve sent another message so hopefully I’ll hear back soon. Same with FitGlow too. Following up again and fingers crossed I’ll hear back soon. In the mean time, since you’ve used their products, what color would you recommend for light to medium skin with yellow undertone?

            Als, I saw that you’ve recommended the Vapor skin perfector primer, but it seems hard to find. Where do you buy yours? And what color would you recommend for that?

            Thanks again!!
            Annie

          • Suzi

            Hi Annie! I have the pressed Zuii Powder in Creme. I have light to medium skin. Darker in the summer, lighter in the winter. Hopefully that helps! Glad you heard back from FitGlow Beauty. Yeah, the Vapor Skin Perfector is actually discontinued last I heard. I haven’t tried their new ones, so I couldn’t give feedback on those. I would say just to skip the primer though. Especially since you already feel that this is a lot more than normal for you. I don’t ever where a primer. Only special occasions. As far as serums I would recommend May Lindstrom Youth Dew if you can spend the money…it’s awesome! But if you want something a little more budget friendly I would go with the Wonderland Organics Balance serum from what you described of your skin. 😉

          • Annie

            Thank you so much, Suzi! I’m going to give Creme color a try and skip the primer 🙂 I’m also thinking of ordering the un powder from RMS along with the un-cover up as an alternative. What do you think of their powder?

            I got the renewing cream and serum from fitglow along with the foundation per Anna’s recommendation as I need a new moisturizer. She mentioned that the renewing cream will help even my skin out to prep it for the foundation, acting like a primer. Fingers crossed that it will be a good match since I have very sensitive skin 🙂

            Thanks for the serum suggestion. I think I may have to go with budget friendly this time as I transition 🙂 But I’m going to save the best one for the next time.

            By the way, Hyant mascara is AWESOME! Thank you for the recommendation! 🙂

          • Suzi

            Hi Annie! I would just stick with one powder or the other for now, since they both would do the same. I like RMS Unpowder too, they’re both great powders. Thats awesome about the fitlgow products, they have great stuff! I’m so glad you are loving the mascara-it’s the best! 🙂

          • Annie

            OK, thank you again for ALL of your help! I’m very excited with the new routine along this new journey 🙂

          • Holly Eddington

            At least we know they aren’t testing on animals. If they were, this wouldn’t have made it out to us. But, I’d rather we find out and maybe they pull it, then those poor helpless little creatures.

          • Annie

            I heard back from fitGlow and has placed my order 🙂 now onto my search for the primer. Thanks for your help, Suzi!

          • Suzi

            I really love RMA Un-Coverup. It goes on so smooth and looks completely natural. For under the eyes I really like Studio 78 Paris concealer. Doesn’t look cakey but stays put.

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