I have to be honest. I never imagined that my makeup life and Huda Beauty would ever cross paths.
I have dabbled in her mini eyeshadow palettes in the past. I own the Lilac Obsessions and Mint Obsessions palettes, and I think they’re great! But that’s where I thought Huda and my makeup lives met and parted. Her whole aesthetic, the baking, the huge lips, the fake eyelashes, the acrylic nails…all of that made me dismiss the rest of her makeup line (and her) without even trying it.
But I have to admit that I misjudged Huda. I made a lot of assumptions of what her makeup and by extension, she, was like. I decided it wasn’t for me, without even looking into it, and it is truly humbling to realize how harshly I judged her without knowing anything about her.
As a makeup girlie, I should honestly be ashamed. How often have we been belittled, and made to feel vapid and lesser than because we like makeup? Traditional female interests and pursuits are deemed so unserious and unworthy. Even to us! The victims of this mindset!!! That is how pervasive and toxic the patriarchy is. As a proud feminist, internalized misogyny is still my default setting. Until we recognize this is true of all of us, we will never truly be able to dismantle the patriarchy.
But back to Huda. When she had the opportunity to say nothing about Israel’s assault on Gaza, as so many brands and influencers have chosen to do, she chose to take a stand, regardless of the fallout. She knew she’d get so much hate, and potentially lose money, but she did it anyway. Out of principle. Out of empathy.
As a nobody, I risk pretty much nothing by speaking out about anything. But Huda’s a business owner, a brand with millions of followers, an internet personality…and she chose people over profits. The moral courage she has shown these past few months is truly admirable.
There are so many ways I’ve been awoken and radicalized in the past few months, and I’m trying to change the system in my own small way, such as through the brands I purchase and support. People like to say, “Well, if you care about this issue, you also have to care about that and that and that, so you’re actually being hypocritical…” This kind of “all or nothing” thinking is such a cheap cop-out for caring about others. It’s one of the many ways people love to dismiss those of us who are trying to change the world, and justify their own inaction with a feeling of moral superiority.
You know who has the luxury of not having to dream of a better world and believing that small steps make a big impact? You know who’s the least impacted by most of the world’s problems? You know whose lives probably won’t change no matter the outcome of any global conflict? You know who benefits most from this kind of “all or nothing” thinking that upholds the status quo? Well, rich people (obvi) but if you guessed people who are of the printer paper variety, you are also correct.
All I’m saying is, I now look up brands before I buy from them. I want to know and choose more consciously where my money is going. I’m so cognizant of my purchasing power, quite honestly the only power I hold besides voting, that it’s becoming second nature to me. Even if my purchases impact nothing else, I’m at least doing it for the good of my own soul and conscience. It’s that simple.
If you’re still here, thank you for listening. My rant is over. I’m gonna talk about makeup now. And just because I’m a new Huda stan, doesn’t mean I’m not going to be honest with you! Read on for my impressions of my mini Huda Beauty haul.
Mini Matte & Metal Melted Shadows
I’m a huge fan of cream and liquid eye shadows, so when I saw these Mini Matte & Metal Melted Shadow trios, I had to get both sets. But I thought the colours would be more of a soft, dusty rose story and an everyday light browns situation. You can’t tell from the swatches on my hand, but if you check the full look photos at the bottom of this post, you’ll see just how pink the pinks are and how peachy the browns are! I was also expecting the “metal” shades to be more shimmery, but they are definitely metallic. I should have known that by the name, duh.
Left to right: Mini Melted Shadows in Warm Browns (Drop Top, Double Pump Latte, Cinnamon Toast), Mini Melted Shadows in Soft Pinks (Shimmering Sunset, Private Jet, Bubble Bath)
All colours were extremely fast-drying and budge-proof, so you need to work fast. Overall, they’re a nice formula, with good pigmentation. But personally, if I’m working with browns and pinks, I prefer it to look more like a soft wash of muted colour rather than full-on, saturated, bright pinks and peaches. I love using the metallic shades as liner though! And I would love to see this mini trio concept in a cool taupes or purples, maybe some blues or greens.
Life Liner Precision Liquid Eye Liner
Here’s what I like about the Life Liner Precision Liquid Eye Liner: the pen is very precise and I can get a teeny tiny baby wing out of it, which I am never able to do with other pens. Also, the formula is super matte! I’ve used black liquid liner that ends up looking wet even if it’s dried, and I’m not into that look. I can also wear this without primer on my lids, and it lasts all day without transferring to my upper lid. I have heavily hooded/oily lids, and I’ve only ever found one other liner that I can wear without primer!
Here’s what I don’t like: I didn’t know when I bought it that it has to be stored tip down. I store all of my makeup on its side inside my vanity, so I have to put this pen with my brushes. It’s not like a deal-breaker for me, I just prefer my makeup to be organized a certain way.
But the biggest bummer is, on the second day I tried it, it seemed like the pen had completely dried out??? I even stored it for a full day on its tip so that couldn’t have been the problem.
I wrote to customer service, thinking they’d just sent me a bad pen by mistake, and they were very quick to reply. They said I had to run the pen tip under water to “activate” the ink. This worked to get the pen going and I’ve been using it ever since, but I find I have to wet it practically every other time I use it. If this is truly just how it works, it might be the most inconvenient liner I’ve ever used.
Left to right: Sephora Collection Intense Felt-Tip Liquid Waterproof Eyeliner in Satin Deep Black, Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eye Liner in Intense Black, Huda Beauty Life Liner Quick ‘N Easy in Black
Here it is swatched against the other black liners I have in my collection. As you can see, it’s super matte and you can get a really thin line out of it. I did a kind of double line just so you could see it better! I’m still kind of convinced I accidentally got sent a bad one. But it’s such a great liner, I think I’m going to buy another one just to see if my experience is any different. If it really requires so much work to use, I can’t say it’s worth the hassle for me. I’ll update this review once I’ve tested the second one I get!
GloWish Soft Radiance Bronzer Mini
It’s always a struggle to find a shade of bronzer that doesn’t translate too red or orange on me, and the GloWish Soft Radiance Bronzer Mini in Tan Light is the exact right kind of neutral that’s perfect for my skin tone.
It’s worth noting that the swirl effect is not just overspray. It’s like that throughout the product! Isn’t it wild that the two colours in the pan translates to a swatch like this once you mix them together?? It’s hard to know exactly how it will end up on you until you try it!
Left to right: Hourglass Bronzer in Golden Light Bronze (from the Ambient Lighting Edit Mini Sculpture Unlocked Palette), NARS Bonzer in Laguna, GloWish Soft Radiance Bronzing Powder Mini in 03 Tan Light
As you can see from the swatches, it’s comparable to Laguna by Nars or Golden Light Bronze by Hourglass, but it’s more pigmented and slightly more matte. Soft radiance is actually the perfect way to describe this product. I think I prefer a more luminous bronzer in the summer, but this is a good option in the winter time. I just have to be careful not to pack the brush too much because it’s much more pigmented than I’m used to in a bronzer!
And here are a couple of full looks I did with all the products!
This might be my preferred trio out of the two. I’ve worn the darker matte shade on its own a few times as just a one-and-done look, and it’s great for when you want something on your eyes, but nothing too crazy. I would be interested in a cool browns trio though for sure, because as I mentioned, these colours come off very peachy on me.
Mini Melted Shadows in Warm Browns, GloWish Soft Radiance Bronzing Powder Mini in 03 Tan Light
I don’t know what it is about my eyelids, but the pinks are reeeealllly pink on me. I would’ve never guessed that’s how the colour would end up looking from how it looks in the tube. To be fair though, I was using them with other like colours, which might have made it come off even more pink. Maybe my hair even makes a difference!
Side note: check out how thin and pointy that wing is. It’s just *chef’s kiss.*
Mini Melted Shadows in Soft Pinks, GloWish Soft Radiance Bronzing Powder Mini in 03 Tan Light, Life Liner Quick ‘N Easy in Black
When I said I’d try to get back to blogging regularly at the beginning of the year, I had no idea how much I’d ramble on about things. But a lot has been going on in the world, and in my own life personally, and blogging is supposed to be personal. I like to think when I have something important on my mind, I can share it, and maybe it will resonate with someone else’s experiences, and we can both feel less alone.
That’s all any of us can hope for in this life, I think.
xoxo
