By Amanda @afrolatinas January 28, 2018
Got nudes? Until recently, shopping for "nude" anything typically meant that I was looking at products that cater to the much lighter (whiter) skin tones - from panty hose, to lipstick, to shape wear, even crayons. Many of us have grown up used to this discrepancy, trying to make do with what's available to us, while simultaneously thinking, "Is there nothing made with us women of color in mind?" Thankfully, we're seeing more and more representation in the beauty industry with companies venturing out and showing their consideration for the variety of skin tones God made on this beautiful Earth.
Fortunately, I was granted the opportunity (thank you!) to check out one of those companies: Mented Cosmetics, a black-owned cosmetics company created by KJ Miller and Amanda Johnson. Mented Cosmetics aims to give every woman the opportunity to see herself in the world of beauty by giving them the perfect nude lippies (woo for representation!) and all their lipsticks are vegan, paraben-free, non-toxic, cruelty free, and proudly made in the USA.
(L to R: Mented #5, Dark Night, Pretty in Pink, Foxy Brown, Dope Taupe, and Nude LaLa)
The packaging was super cute (as you can see), with each lipstick having a clean, minimalistic matte capsule, but I also appreciated the nice peachy packing within the box! The lipsticks themselves are not matte, but a satin finish. In my package was Mented's 6-shade Capsule Collection (see swatches below).
These are pure lip swatches. I haven’t used any other product (not even chapstick). Next time, I might use a lipliner beforehand so I'm not stressing about clean lines or smudging. At times, I found myself just using the lipstick to apply around the edges because I found the color smearing during application when I used my lip brush to outline my lips. You can’t even tell in the pictures, though! These lipsticks are very comfortable and are great for day to day wearing. My personal favorites are Pretty in Pink, Foxy Brown, and Nude LaLa. I thought Pretty in Pink is the perfect “girly” color, Nude LaLa is the most similar to my natural lip color, and Foxy Brown has a nice yellow undertone that I love! Dope Taupe is another fave, as well.
If you want to see live swatches, check out my YouTube video!
Which shades from this collection were your fave? Have you tried Mented?
Love,
YAA
Original Article on Youraverageafrolatina.com
