Antonym Cosmetics was kind enough to send me products to wear and review for all of you. In January I went through a “crazy health phase” as my friend called it and threw out every single makeup item I had because I was using brands that contained a lot of toxic ingredients. I had a realization that if I take the time to monitor what I consume why shouldn’t I be as selective when it comes to my face and body products? After all, skin is the largest organ of our body. I’m not going to lie, starting over from square one was difficult and reading the horror stories of beauty gurus using all-natural makeup products left me feeling unsettled. I was relieved when the products arrived and I could experience them for myself and form my own opinion. One thing I noticed when watching or reading reviews is the minimal amount of makeup the natural beauty tutorials/ gurus like to use. When it comes to makeup I like having the option of going more natural with minimal makeup or full glam. Antonym’s products helped me to find my groove again and to experiment with my look. I chose a few things I normally would not gravitate towards, and oh my goodness am I happy to have selected these babies!
Foundation is my lifesaver. While I do (for the most part) have clear skin, it is incredibly sensitive. I can’t leave the house without a BB cream on because I’m so allergic to the allergens outside and my skin turns bright pink. The foundations I have tried in the past were a watery liquid base as opposed to more mousse consistency like the foundation, “Skin Esteem“, below.
This foundation worked well with the texture of my skin and is transitioning nicely throughout the seasons. When I was sent this in January my skin was drier from the winter weather, as opposed to my usual combination skin with a bit of excess oil in the t-zone due to the warmer weather. The formula was not clinging to the dry spots on my forehead or cheeks.
The foundation has not moved around my face (with or without powder). It stays put all day long until I decide to remove it. I also like how I do not need to touch up the product throughout the day. Additionally, when I put the foundation on, the color does not oxidize or fade. Due to having fair skin, most foundations look extremely orange or yellow on me after it sets. If you have more fair skin, I highly recommend this product! I was a bit nervous to select a foundation shade online since most often the colors are completely different in person versus the image or graphic. I was pleasantly surprised when the color I requested was true to their advertisement and photographs on the website. The color I am using is beige medium light. This shade is a bit dark for me, but if I blend it down my neck and use bronzer, it looks natural. When I re-order I will be purchasing one shade lighter.
Click each type to shop: Foundation | Eye Shadow Brush | Bronzer
Besides a good base, I have been experimenting more with bronzer, and quickly falling in love. My favorite matte bronzer had a tragic accident. The poor thing fell out of my purse and I didn’t realize it. Needless to say, I ended up running over and squishing it with my car- it was truly a tragic day. RIP little bronzer. The Copper Baked Blush (yes, I know it’s technically a blush but it works amazingly as a bronzer) came into my life at just the right time and is filling the void. I do have to say it was an adjustment going from a matte bronzer to a shimmer one. If you’re a bronzer lover and contour queen, you will absolutely LOVE this product. It is extremely buildable and doesn’t cake on your face when you apply the next layer (because gross, nobody likes that!). I love this product when I’m wearing a tank top. I apply a subtle amount on my chest/ collar bone and it looks beautiful and gives me that natural glow.
Antonym was kind enough to include a mascara as well. In my opinion a girl can never have too many pairs of shoes or tubes of mascara. I have lashes that are more long than thick, so I have to layer this product with a volumizing mascara prior to use or else I look like I have zero lashes. For my lashes this product does not work by itself, however I use it every day layered, which really amps up my eyelash game. Seriously, if you haven’t tried layering mascaras before, do it- your life will never be the same!
What I like about Antonym aside from the amazing products, is how they stride to challenge the beauty industry. They are FSC certified, meaning “products come from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social and economic benefits”. They are also Ecocert certified for natural and organic ingredients. Additionally they are certified vegan, and Leaping Bunny certified. They are 100% cruelty free and do not test on animals.
I naturally gravitate towards neutral eyeshadow colors, so this time around I decided to step waaaay outside of my makeup comfort zone and use darker ones. It’s been a blast having more colorful lids and testing out smoky eyes with this pallet. The thing I have found with Antonym is all of their products are buildable, allowing for the user to create a different intensity level with each look. The shadows did not crease or smudge. I have more oily eyelids, so I usually prime my lids with my foundation and/ or concealer before I use any sort of products. I used these shadows with and without the primer and I have to admit I am impressed with the coverage when I went straight on my lids with the product. The coverage was more on the minimal side, but I think that may have to do with my eyelids versus the actual product. If you’re worried about creasing or a lack of pigmentation, I suggest priming your eyelids prior to eyeshadow use.
I quite enjoyed using the large shader brush to apply the eyeshadow products. The bristles do not scratch my eyes or shed- I hate when both of those things happen! I also noticed how incredibly easy it was to clean the brush. The bristles were more durable and the product came off easily.
To balance out the bronzer action going on, I use this amazing highlighter. I’ve never experimented with a highlighter that was swirled with other colors. There are pink undertones in it, which I was a bit nervous about seeing as I have more red in my skin and I didn’t want to look like a stop sign. The shade of pink gave my cheeks a subtle glow without making me look like I ran a marathon and I’m out of breath. It was the perfect balance of shimmer, as well.
Overall I am incredibly happy and satisfied with Antonym Cosmetics and their products. I believe in the chemical and cruelty free mission, in addition to their products. I will 100% be repurchasing all of these products when I run out, in addition to picking up these few items : Eyeshadow ‘Noisette’ Quattro, Large Pencil Brush, and the Koral Lip Pencil– I can already see the beautiful summer looks with these products, which are on my wish list!
Products Mentioned:
Organic Baked Highlighter Endless Summer
Certified Organic Mascara Lola Lash Too
Skin Esteem Organic Liquid Foundation in Beige Medium Light
Large Eye Shader Brush
Organic Eye Quattro Eyeshadow To The Moon & Back
Thank you again to Antonym Cosmetics for gifting me the products featured in this post. Comment below if you would like me to film a tutorial using these products!
