Brand Review: Flower Beauty

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I have always been interested in Flower Beauty. I remember years ago it was in Walmart Canada, but the products I bought just didn’t really sing to me. When the brand left Canada, I didn’t think much of it. Then, I began to see the blush bombs, and the foundation, and highlighter being used by some of my favourite content creators. I was really pleased when I saw the brand was put on well.ca. 

Here is the story according to their website:  “FLOWER Beauty was the brainchild and mission of Drew Barrymore and her straight forward, no-nonsense philosophy of empowerment: that women everywhere deserve the best quality, most efficacious products at an affordable price.  Growing up in the makeup artists chair, Drew has learned a thing or two about beauty. Now as a mother, award-winning actress, entrepreneur, producer and best-selling author she wants to share her passion. Drew’s gift to everyone, FLOWER empowers women by developing products that help you look and feel great in your Own skin, and to embrace your individual beauty with the support of inspired, luxurious products made with you in mind. At FLOWER our passion is creating cosmetics and tools that not only make life easier and more fun, but look and feel amazing- from our prestige quality formulas to packaging that’s designed for performance”

I was interested in gathering only a few items from the brand including their cult-favourite blush bombs and the highlighting palette that Andrea Matilliano uses. I also got the concealer and the blush pyramid. 

Let’s start with the concealer. I’d say this is just a classic concealer, nothing too special about it. It wears and blends out really nicely. I got the shade fair. This is a good shade for me, though the shade range could be expanded. This is a really nice lightweight concealer, I find that this concealer really covers the dark circles without looking cakey or heavy. 

The flower beauty blush bomb is the next product I was excited to try. I got the shade melon. I would say these are similar to the Glossier cloud paints but the cloud pants are less liquid and airier than the flower. I find the Flower Beauty ones almost have a thicker consistency whereas the glossier has a lighter consistency and dry more satin whereas the Flower Beauty one dries a bit more glossy. 

The highlighting palette is called the shimmer and strobe highlighting palette. There is champagne, pink champagne, and a more golden highlighter in the palette. The palette is super smooth and buttery and appears shimmery on the skin not metallic. I am not surprised by the quality of the palette, but I am pleased that it has the same feeling as a high end highlighter This is a lovely gem and I think if you like a highlighter and want something that can be built up or sheered out this is the perfect palette for you. 

The blush pyramid in peach glow. I bought this thing it might be similar to the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick. This is not similar. I am not really sure how to use this. As a blush, this does work, but it does appear a bit chunky on the skin. I like this as an eyeshadow but I want to continue trying to use it as a blush. I love me an all in one shimmer brick so I am going to keep try to use it and see if it can be diffused into the skin the way I like most of my blushes.

 

Overall I would give this brand a 4/5 stars. This brand is expensive for the drugstore. I really enjoy this brand, and enjoy that the packaging and product feels high quality. If you are Canadian you can buy this on well.ca 

The swatches

First three shades are the highlighing palette,
Then the peach pyramid, and then everything mixed together
Light illusion concealer in fair, Melon blush bomb

Bobbi Brown Brand Focus

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Back in December I outlined 12 brands I wanted to try in 2020. I took to Instagram to ask the people what they would like to see, and by a landslide, Bobbi Brown won against Em Cosmetics. I’ve been toying with how exactly I am going to purchase from brands, whether that be by only getting best sellers or getting 4-5 items from each brand to try or just getting what really suits my fancy. Since not all brands are the same price point on that list, for Bobbi Brown I wanted to go with the most popular and iconic products from the brand as well as a lipstick I have been eyeing for awhile.

Let’s start with what the brand is about: The brand was founded 30 years ago by Bobbi Brown. The brand originated as a makeup brand with an artists eye. They came out with a wide range of foundation, for the time, in their stick foundation which was an iconic product. The approach of the brand was different for the time and was all about achieving the fresh-faced looked and enhancing what you already have. Bobbi Brown has since left the brand. 

Okay, so the brand is definitely not a millennial brand and I do think that rebranding is swaying towards the young millennial space, but also I like that Bobbi Brown doesn’t try to always get into the market. As a young professional, I was really attracted to the luxuriousness and simplicity of the products in this brand. 

The first product I knew I wanted to get was one of the shimmer bricks. I couldn’t decide which one to get, but after much internal deliberation I landed on the Rose one. I thought to myself that I moslty just have peach blushes in my collection so I went with this 3 in one product. I was suprised at how hard-pressed the product is, but effective. It is very tightly packed in the compact and really just gives you that glow from within look which is always what I’m going for. I would repurchase this 100% in the same shade and in the bronze shade. 

The second product I wanted was one of their colour crush lipsticks. I had swatched Grenadine last year and love the feel and glide of the formula, but at the time I swatched it I just didn’t have the money to spend on such an expensive lipstick. I bought this shade because I found that it is really a nice mix between a red, and a berry, and also is wearable for daily and super easy to apply. 

The third product, which I bought at the convincing of the lovely Sephora Employee, was the vitamin enriched face base. DAMMIT. This is freakin lovely. It makes your skin feels soft and smooth and all makeup sits beautifully on it. It also doubles a skincare product so you are able to have that benefit as well as have a priming benefit. 

The fourth product I bought was the highlighting powder in pink glow. What a beautiful, soft, easy glow for the daily. I find that this is the perfect, subtle but buildable highlighter for a workday. You can apply it with fingers and build it up with a brush. Or apply it with a brush and really work it into the skin. I love that it matches my skin tone perfectly. It feels to lean on the neutral side of the spectrum for my fair skin.

wearing Grenadine and the cheek products
Left to right: Rose highlighting brick, Pink Glow highlighter

Cheekbone Beauty Brand Review

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You know me – I love trying new brands and discovering new brands especially ones with a Canadian background and brands for a cause. When I listened to the breaking beauty podcast with the found of Cheekbone Beauty Jenn Harper, who is an Indigenous woman from Thunder Bay. I was so excited that finally a brand with a great cause. The founder herself strives to educate people on Residential schools and its impact on generations of Indigenous people. The brand supports the  First Nations Child & Family Caring Society (FNCFCS). You need to read about this brand – it is literally makeup that advocates. The founder of this brand is also extremely inspiring! They also have great customer service – when you order she emails you and says thank you for supporting. Their lip kits on the website also donate 100% of the profits go to the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society.

You can buy this brand on cheekbonebeauty.ca. I bought three products: their stardust highlighting palette, their warrior women liquid lipstick and their lip gloss!

Let’s start with their most iconic product: their warrior women liquid lipsticks. These retail for $29 CAD. I got the shade Melina. The cool thing about this lipstick collection is they are named after indigenous activists. This is directly from their website: “Melina was named after an Indigenous Rights advocate from the Lubicon Cree First Nation in Alberta, Canada, Melina Laboucan-Massimo. Melina has been a vocal advocate for Indigenous rights for the past 10 years and is a Climate and Energy Campaigner with Greenpeace Canada. Melina has also produced short documentaries on water issues as well as Indigenous cultural revitalization”.  The liquid lipstick in this collection is a lovely velvet matte formula. I find they are similar to the NYX Soft Matte Lip creams but have better pigment and last longer. I find I can put this lipstick on and it lasts literally all day.

The lipgloss is also a lovely formula.The lipgloss retails for $24CAD. I don’t usually go for a colored lipgloss but the colour sundance spoke to me as I love coral. This is a lovely non-sticky formula that somehow lasts quite awhile.

The Stardust highlighting palette is perhaps one of my favourite products. The highlighter palette retails for $48CAD. The highlighters in this are a bit dark for my skin tone but I find with a light hand and mixing the lightest one with the gold one they give such a nice glow. They aren’t metallic but still gives a lovely sheen and glow to the skin.

The swatches:

Liquid Lipstick in Melina, Lip gloss in Sundance
Swatches of the stardust highlighting palette

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