Floraful
By Hannah @floraful_blog on August 3, 2017
Left–Right: Pretty in Pink, Peach Please, Nude La La, Foxy Brown, Dope Taupe, Dark Night
Guys, I think I'm finally done with searching for (and buying) nude lipsticks.
Since I've started this blog and started getting more and more into makeup, I was always on the hunt for that perfect nude or rosy mauve shade. But most nude shades I bought let me down: they either hardly showed up on my already pinkish lips, blended with my skin tone, or made me look ghastly. I'm talking about the following most popular ones: Kat von D in "Lolita", MAC in "Velvet Teddy", Stila in "Patina", Gerard Cosmetics in "1995", and ColourPop in "Lumiere". Most nude and mauve lipsticks were made for fair-skinned ladies.
It's sad that it's 2017 and the mainstream beauty industry STILL isn't creating shades with ethnic minorities in mind. It's even sadder considering that black women spend 80% more on makeup and skincare than any other groups. Women of color do not just struggle with finding makeup: most nude-colored bras and shoes also lean towards the lighter side, ignoring a larger demographic.
As a Filipino/Indian woman who wears NC40 foundation in MAC (or NC25 in the winter), I've experienced the struggles with finding eyeshadows and blushes that would flatter my skin tone, seeing some brands' darkest foundations are a tad lighter than me, and a nude lipstick I could wear everyday with ease. The women of Mented Cosmetics* shared my struggles, and birthed the brand to develop gorgeous lipstick and nail polish shades for every women. Their name "Mented" came from the "pigmented", to show that there are lipsticks pigmented enough for us brown ladies! Here is a snippet from their biography on the website:
"We created Mented Cosmetics because we believe every woman should be able to find herself in the world of beauty. We know you'll love being put first - because when it comes to beauty, no one deserves to be an afterthought."
I first heard about Mented Cosmetics through an article on Allure Magazine on my Facebook news feed, and I was so intrigued. After a little window shopping on their website, I fell in love with some of their shades. Mented Cosmetics has 9 lipstick shades, and they sent me 3: Pretty in Pink, Peach Please, and Nude La La. I ended up ordering 3 other shades on my own: Foxy Brown, Dope Taupe, and Dark Night. I do not have the other shades (Mented #5, Brown Bare, and Brand Nude). They were also gracious enough to send me their nail polish trio, which I will be trying on and reviewing soon!
A Mented lipstick costs $16.50. Although I don't have the pictures of the caps on here, they are shaped like a bullet, and packaged exactly like the MAC lipsticks. The only difference is that Mented Cosmetics is actually cruelty-free and vegan (yay!!)
Formula-wise, these lipsticks are EXTREMELY creamy and they glide on like butter. They are that smooth. I sometimes have a problem with lipsticks that claim to be a creamy, moisturizing formula but still dry out my lips. I don't care if they fade or if I have to constantly re-apply them after eating: I love them that much. They are perfect for my chronically, iron-and-vitamin-deficient dry lips. Although I do hope that they create lipliners to solve the feathering and bleeding problem. The lipsticks have a bit of a shine too, but you can make them more matte by dusting translucent powder or using the Smashbox Insta-Matte Lipstick Transformer.
Okay, here are a rundown of the shades, and how they look on me:
Pretty in Pink
This baby pink is not my most favorite shade, but still pretty and wearable, especially for spring (this goes well with floral minidresses and sandals). It's more cool-toned which is probably I don't find it as flattering as the other shades.
Peach Please
I usually shy away from peach lipsticks, but I was pleasantly surprised with this! I actually do like this one a lot! It's as light as Pretty in Pink but it suits my warm skin tone a lot more. This is another wonderful spring/summer shade.
Nude La La
Now THIS is my most favorite shade of the bunch. I will absolutely do my best not to lose this, or else I might cry (ok, that's a bit extreme...but I might!) This is described as "a perfect pink for darker lips". This shade was made for me. I would say this is more of a medium pinky-brown. Very workplace friendly too!
Foxy Brown
This is the shade that drew me to Mented Cosmetics in the first place. And it is one of my favorite shades (behind Nude La La, but not too far behind). If you're not sure whether you are in the mood for a vampy brown or a classic red, Foxy Brown blends both into this sexy brick red. There's a bit of golden undertones too. It's one of those shades you can take from the office to a night out with your lover or girls.
Dope Taupe
This is another shade that took me by surprise. But then again, it shouldn't because if you see the swatches on my arm, it looks like a blend of Nude La La and Foxy Brown, both of which I love. It's more on the golden brown side. And this is darker than MAC Taupe, which hardly shows up on my lips.
Dark Night
This deep chocolate is the ultimate 90's grunge shade. It feels to me like a creamier version of Kylie's True Brown K liquid lipstick. I'll set this aside for the fall, as it'll go well with my brown scarves, olive green jacket and black boots. This would AMAZING on deeper skinned ladies.
Guys, I can't express enough my love for the Mented lipsticks. I could've saved SO much money and time (from years of walking around the makeup aisles aimlessly and making impulsive purchases on unflattering nude lipsticks) if I found out about Mented Cosmetics earlier. They are what the beauty industry needs: a way for every women to feel beautiful, no matter what skin tone they are. Because you, you who are reading this, are beautiful no matter what standards society imposes on what the "ideal beautiful woman" should look like. I see so much potential for Mented Cosmetics, and I know they will make it big. According to this Washington Informer article, they are going to release lip glosses, blushes and eyeshadows in 2018. I seriously cannot contain my excitement!
Original article on Floraful
