Review – ÉbèneNoire

Worth the hype? Glossier’s NEW solution

Published on February 21, 2018February 20, 2018 by SameeraLeave a comment

Now I’m here for brands snatching my edges every once in a while, and a brand that I will let take my wig along with my edges, is none other than Glossier. The brand once again proved they know their customer base and its needs when they dropped a brand new product called SOLUTION, with nary a peep to the general populace.

Girls went crazy as you’d expect, and the launch in a manner very similar to their fragrance launch, has drawn a wide range of reviews (eye emoji, eye emoji, eye emoji). I took myself to their showroom once again and picked up a brand spanking $24 bottle, in the hopes of giving my own two cents.

The toner claims to transform skin in four weeks by

Gently sloughing dead cells away through chemical exfoliation, dissolving the bonds gluing problematic dead cells to the healthy skin beneath.

With daily use, expect cleared acne and blackheads, smaller pores, and reduced redness. Skin’s texture will be smoother and softer, and the fabled glow of balanced, healthy skin will be in full force.

They honestly had me at “smaller pores” and the rest of the things it does sounds mighty great. My my main excitement however was on the beautiful list of key ingredients. Y’all know how I feel about glycolic acid so guess how excited I was to see the below.

I already love my AHA + BHA mask and my 7% Glycolic acid toner from The Ordinary so I’m super excited to see what this does for my skin. Fingers crossed it DOES NOT unseat my current HG toner from The Ordinary because I’ll take $7 > $24 any day!!

Have you guys tried the solution from Glossier? Did you like it, love it, want to marry it?

PC GLOSSIER

The Ordinary: top picks

Published on February 20, 2018February 20, 2018 by Sameera2 Comments

The ordinary recently opened a location in Soho and while browsing in their Uber cool space, I made a list of what to try if you’re new to the infamous brand.

1) Glycolic acid toner

This is my HG toner. I’ve been on a mission to find the best toner and I’ve found it in this toner with a 7% glycolic acid content. We all know how much I love glycolic acid so this isn’t a surprise. This toner doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin and helps gently exfoliate while helping all my other products penetrate deeper into the skin.

2) Coverage foundation

This $7 foundation that broke records for the longest waitlist in the beauty industry was indeed worth the wait. It gives me the perfect amount of coverage while not being too heavy. It comes with a pump and has beaten out all my other drugstore foundation favorites.

3) AHA + BHA peel

I was late to this peel party. The main reason I was skeptical was due to the purple content and I’ll be honest, because of the word “peel”. I’ve seen too many YouTube videos of women with recovering faces who had peels which made me run in the other direction the first time I saw this. I’ve completely changed my tune though as this peels isn’t anything to be scared of. It felt slightly tingly the first time I put it on but after I rinsed it off after the recommended 10 minutes, my skin was glowing!

4) Buffet

For all my girls out there who can’t be bothered to slather on a cocktail of serums each night, this one’s for you! The store associate claimed this serum like the name suggests is a buffet of all the best skincare ingredients. I use it in the mornings and have been loving the results.

5) 2% Retinoid

This is another HG in my skincare cupboard. As a skincare junkie, retinol has been something I’ve been dying to incorporate into my routine. It’s one of the few things that actually works on the skin but my skin always had adverse reactions to any kind of retinol I tried. That was until the beautiful people at Deciem created the retinoid which does everything a retinol does, without any of the irritation. I use it religiously and love how smooth it keeps my skin.

What are some of the products you guys love from the brand?

Top 5: Eyeliners

Published on December 3, 2017 by Sameera1 Comment

5. NYX slide on eye liner

This is a great eyeliner if you’re in between paychecks and can’t justify that $57 Tom Ford eyeliner (yikes!). It’s really smooth and easy to apply, and at $8 can’t be beat! It really reminds me of the Urban 24/7 and just feels a little bit less “glide-ey” than the cult 24/7 liner.

4. Laura Geller gel liner

I received this in an allure beauty box and I LOVED IT! It was so so so dark on me which as an ebony skinned women, was miraculous! I’d tried sooo many “super pigmented” black eyeliners before this and never found them to be as pigmented. I tried rebuying it and making it a staple and found the $20 price tag just a tad too steep at the time ( I was a broke college student y’all). I am however going back to this and can’t wait to have super pigmented kohl lined lids!

3. Urban Decay 24/7 glide on

This $20 eyeliner is one of the most popular eyeliners in the beauty community and for good reason! Like the name suggests, it lasts a really long time and glides on very smoothly. The only negative I have about this is that the other colors in the range aren’t as smudge proof. I highly recommend the black shade (perversion), as it’s highly pigmented and lasts forever on the lids.

2. Benefit Push up liner

This uber famous liner which had one of the best launch marketing strategies (in my humble opinion) is phenomenal!! I fell in love with it in my quest to master winged liner and it was the best decision ever! The tip which was created to help make creating winged liners easier is so helpful. I used to wear the best, fiercest, thickest cat eyes when I wore this every day. The only downside to this liner is the amount of product that comes out each time you twist the bottom. It’s so long lasting g and so dark and I honestly don’t know why I’m not currently using it!

1. Wet N Wild

THIS! I found this eyeliner so randomly on a comment on a random beauty post and haven’t looked back since. I wish I could remember the person who mentioned this because I’d treat her to the best overpriced brunch ever! This $3 liner is so pigmented and so easy to use, it’s honestly such a surprise that it’s not a cult favorite. It’s also TRULY waterproof and lasts until you grab that eye makeup remover and swipe it off. I love the ease of the wand which makes creating delicate cat eyes so easy. I love this so much and hope some of you try it and love it as much as I do because at $3, it’s honestly a steal!!!

What are your favorite eyeliners?

Photo credit 1|2|3|4|5|6|

Attn Glossier Fans: New Fragrance Launch

Published on October 24, 2017October 24, 2017 by SameeraLeave a comment

Like any beauty brand mogul, Emily Weiss, is letting everyone know that she didn’t come to play. Please meet her fresh new ‘cool girl’ fragrance that just dropped this morning; Glossier you

The $60 fragrance is being described as “the ultimate personal fragrance” and features a Creamy, sparkling, clean, warm scent that “smells like you”…intriguing

The three base notes are…

_ambrox: smooth, salty, animalistic
_musk: long-lasting, addictive

with the top notes being…

_iris root: earthy, green, woody
_pink pepper: spice, sparkling

I don’t know about you guys but the minute I get off work, I’ll be marching myself to the Glossier showroom in Soho to pick up a bottle because this is Emily’s world and we’re just living in it.

Have you guys smelled it? What product do you think the brand will drop next?

PC 1

The only celeb makeup launch I’ll be buying-Fenty Beauty

Published on September 10, 2017February 20, 2018 by Sameera1 Comment

Fenty beauty launched yesterday and yes, I did stay up to make sure I got my hands on the products in case they sold out.

This launch took two years to create and according to the creator aka Rihanna, ” Gotta represent for all the girls that come in all shades”. The line features 16 products with the standout being the ‘Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation’ which comes in a standout 40 shades!!!

For a launch to have 40 foundation shades is outstanding. 3 of the darkest shades were already sold out with the testers broken so so I can’t confirm my shade until my goodies get to me on Monday!

The second standout of the launch is the ‘Gloss bomb universal’ which as the name suggests is a universal lipgloss! It’s only $18 and is a beautiful shimmering rose nude. This was featured in one of the sneak peek videos on RiRi’s Insta where she features such a conglomeration of diverse models! Fractured in the video sporting the gloss are Duckie Thot- a gorgeous Sudanese model heating up NYFW at the moment. She also features Slick Woods with the beautiful signature gap tooth and also Halima Aden who made waves as the first Hijab model to walk the designer runways.

Other noteworthy items in the launch include a mattifying primer, the Killawatt highlighter (best name ever!), and the match stix.

I’m so happy with everything to do with this launch and can’t wait to give a full review when I receive my products!!!

I’m especially happy that so many people of colour were featured in the marketing. I loved Rihanna before but I absolutely adore her after this launch.
Go buy FENTY
Go buy it!

The Ordinary- Review Update

Published on June 26, 2017February 20, 2018 by SameeraLeave a comment

Ir’s been over three months since I reviewed a wide selection of items from The Ordinary. I’ve since fallen out of love with some of products and more deeply in love with others. Check out below which made the cut and which you shouldn’t add to cart.

Continue reading “The Ordinary- Review Update” →

NARS: Top picks

Published on June 21, 2017February 20, 2018 by SameeraLeave a comment

NARS has been a favorite of mine as far as luxury makeup brands go and I have a staple number of products that I always repurchase. In this new series called Crème de la crème, I’ll be sharing the best of from a certain brand. Keep reading for my favorite NARS products below. Continue reading “NARS: Top picks” →

Top 5 Summer Foundations

Published on June 18, 2017June 18, 2017 by Sameera4 Comments

With the arrival of summer comes all the shine. As a combination oily gal, I have spent a lot of $$$ looking for the one foundation that will stand the test of the New York humidity! Find your new fave below! Continue reading “Top 5 Summer Foundations” →

DE SLICK! Best Mattifying Primers

Published on May 18, 2017February 20, 2018 by Sameera1 Comment

As summer is right around the corner, I’ve had a clear out of my makeup drawer and have since put away all the hydrating products and replaced them with mattifying ones. Post clear out, I went on a mission to find the best mattifying primer and I’m glad to report that I have found the one! Continue reading “DE SLICK! Best Mattifying Primers” →

The Ordinary-initial review

Published on March 26, 2017February 20, 2018 by Sameera2 Comments

I’m sure by now you must’ve heard of The Ordinary brand. For those of you who haven’t, let me introduce you to the very famous skincare brand that’s been blowing up on Instagram over these past couple of months. The Ordinary is under the Deciem umbrella of brands and is meant to be a solution for all those skincare aficionados or enthusiasts who want their skincare ingredients and don’t want to pay hundreds of dollars for them.

They call themselves the abnormal beauty company and state on their website, their main aims-“The Ordinary exists to communicate with integrity and bring to market effective, more familiar technologies at honorable prices.” This immediately caught my attention and I went online to purchase some of their products that could help even my skin tone. They have physical locations in Canada and the U.K but have yet to open stores in the U.S.

The items I was most intrigued and excited to pick up after watching a review by beauty vlogger FleurDeForce were:

I waited quite a bit before placing my order due to the marula oil and primer being out of stock for some time. I finally went ahead and placed my order a week ago and received my box a quick seven days later. I was very excited when i got the box as I’m on a healthy skin state of mind. I was however a bit disappointed when I realized a whole 24hrs after playing with all seven of the products that I’d received that there was a problem with my order. They accidentally sent me the Alpha Arbutin serum instead of the Marula oil which I was really looking forward to using. I emailed them about the mistake as they don;t have a helpful customer service phone contact and I’m currently waiting for a response.

I have however gone on to use the rest of the products that I’d intentionally ordered and have great first impressions of all of them.

Advance Retinoid 2%

Retinol, which is one of the very few ingredients in skincare products that have been proven effective to work has long been an ingredient that I’ve wanted to incorporate in my regime. Having seen The ordinary’s modern version of the ingredient, I was very excited to try this. After a couple of uses I can definitely say there have been no reactions and I will be keeping it as a staple part of my once weekly treatment part of my regime. 8/10, $9.80

Vitamin C suspension

This is a product I was very excited about since regular vitamin C serums go for $90+ in the current market. After watching Gothamista‘s review however, I was very apprehensive to put it on my skin. She reported i stinging and having to wash it off. I tried a bit to test if it would burn and went ahead to spread it once no stinging occurred. I will need about four weeks to give a full review but so far I’ll give it a 7/10 only owing to the fact that there are granules in the product that make its application not the smoothest.$5.80

Glycolic Acid toner

This I was very excited to get out of the box. As I’m sure you know, glycolic acid is a direct acid that helps even skin tone. A product in the market that I use continuously and would call holy grail is the Pixi gycolic toner toner for it’s glycolic acid. I however run out quite quickly and have been on the market for an alternative. I therefore jumped when I saw this on their site with 7% glycolic acid compared to Pixi’s 5% and at more that 50% less the price. I felt no stinging or irritation and give the toner a 9/10! $8.70 for 8oz

High adherence silicone primer

I found this primer quite easy to spread and a good substitute for my regular winter primer. It’s not too slippery and although it’s not as mattifying as I would like, it kept my makeup on for the majority of the workday. 7.5/10 $4.90.

Caffeine Solution 5%

I searched for an eye cream on the site and this came up! I was getting tired of my kiehl’s creamy avocado eye treatment and decided to pick this up as a more potent replacement. I am so far enjoying it. Its main ingredient of 5% of concentrated caffeine helps to reduce the appearance of puffiness and darkness in the eye contours. I haven;t seen any major changes yet but will keep y ou updated in the 6 week update. 7/10

Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

This I admit was a product/ingredient I was unfamiliar with. It was suggested to me on their regimen guide for pigmentation issues and I therefore decided to give it a shot . I have since read up more on this ingredient and have learned that it’s very a an effective skin-restoring ingredient that offers multiple benefits for aging skin. Among these benefits is the ability to visibly improve the appearance of enlarged pores, uneven skin tone, fine lines, dullness, and a weakened skin surface. I found it applied quite easily and I’m definitely keeping it in my rotation skincare products. $5.90

Overall, I found the ordering and receipt process to be quite easy. The website was very easy to navigate and I’ve been educated on so many skincare ingredients. I am still waiting on an answer on my marula oil /alpha arbutin shipment mishap but I’m quite happy with the products I received.

Update to come in 6 weeks!