Au Naturale Clean Beauty Resolutions Holiday Starter Kit (swatches, review)
My clean beauty section was feeling a little neglected lately, so today I wanted to share first impressions and swatches of Au Naturale Clean Beauty Resolutions Holiday Starter Kit ($65 / $111 value). This kit is a mini collection of four hand-picked, full-sized products from the brand to help you get started on your clean beauty journey. Currently, the kit comes in two varieties – Nude and Bold – each one featuring completely different colors. I am more into neutrals, so I will be showing you the Nude version, but you can check out both of them online on this page.
‘Nude’ Clean Beauty Resolutions Holiday Starter Kit includes:
- Anywhere Crème Multistick in Sweetheart
- Crème de la Crème Eye Shadow in Ivory
- Swipe On Essential Eye Pencil in Coco
- NEW Lip Slick Tinted Lip Oil in Gala
- $15 Gift Card to complete your clean beauty wishlist
I still remember using roll-on lip oils in middle school, and looks like the glossy lip trend is back again! Au Naturale recently came out with their own Lip Slick Tinted Lip Oil ($15), and my kit came with the apricot orange shade Gala. It is actually a lot more subtle on the lips, and looks maybe peachy-golden, but definitely not orange. I don’t treat it as color cosmetics at all, it’s more of a lip treatment and I use it as such. I apply a thin layer when I go to bed, and also use it throughout the day as needed when I feel like my lips are starting to get dehydrated. I wouldn’t say this formula is super moisturizing, but it does soften any crusty and dry areas in minutes. I sometimes use it as a primer when my lips are in bad shape just so I can apply lipstick on top without making it look patchy and overly textured.
By the way, the applicator is not your standard doe foot wand, you get an actual little brush. I like it, it’s different, but I don’t really think about it when I use my oil.
Au Naturale Crème de la Crème Eye Shadow ($24) formula is a hit and a miss for me. Sometimes they crease and sometimes they don’t, and I just never know which one it will be until I try wearing it all day. Ivory is a light shimmery champagne, so it can also be used as a highlighter stick or as a base for other eyeshadows. I kinda like wearing it on its own though, there’s something magical about the way it sparkles when it catches the light. So far I wore it on many occasions and it stayed put on my oily lids even without primer. We’ll see how it fares in the summer, but so far so good.
There is one negative thing that I dislike about these – the sticks are a bit stiff so I tend to apply them with my fingers and build up the color that way. If I apply straight from the bullet, the waxes don’t melt fast enough and the stick ends up dragging on the skin, which can be pretty uncomfortable. It doesn’t bother me much, but maybe it could be a potential dealbreaker for some, so I thought I’d mention that.
Au Naturale has one of the best eyeliner formulas among clean beauty brands that rivals even conventional bestsellers. My Swipe On Essential Eye Pencil ($22) in Coco was richly pigmented and glided on the skin without dragging. You also have a little more time to smudge it out for that perfect smokey eye look, which is nice because sometimes eyeliner sets too quickly and you’re left with unevenly blended edges. If you like eyeliner pencils and don’t mind manual sharpening, you’re in for a delightful experience. It’s a pretty fool-proof recommendation really, you can’t go wrong with these.
I saved the best for last! This is my favorite product from Au Naturale, and if I could have only one thing from the brand it would be Anywhere Crème Multistick ($35). My kit came with the shade Sweetheart, which is a beautiful warm rosy plum. It’s a universally flattering color that will look gorgeous on all complexions. I adore the formula as well – even though it’s a cream product, it actually stays on my combination skin throughout the day. In fact, I think it looks even better in the evening than it does in the morning because the waxes sort of melt into the skin and create a healthy tint paired with a nice, dewy glow. Honestly, I can’t think of a single negative thing to say about these.
In case you are not familiar with Au Naturale, they are an indie clean beauty brand known for high-performance natural makeup. The entire line is handmade in the USA in small batches in a privately owned lab in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The formulas are also organic, non-toxic, vegan, gluten-free, paraben-free, and cruelty-free. The prices are more in the mid-range category, but with Au Naturale, you get what you pay for. We all have different priorities in life, but if ethical, clean beauty is something that you passionately care about, then you might want to check out what this brand has to offer. I recommend trying the eyeliner pencils and the multisticks regardless of your stance on clean beauty – they are both phenomenal!
