A while ago, I started a feature on vegan beauty (you can read all the posts so far here), and after taking a short break over Christmas, I'm back with loads of great products I want to share with you cruelty-free fans! First up is this Pure Primer and Liquid Foundation combo from Australian brand, Inika. Selling all kinds of beauty products, the ten year old brand ships worldwide and has a long list of credentials under its belt. This week, I'm putting their primer and liquid foundation to the test in order to show that vegan, organic products does not necessarily mean a compromise on quality.
What I love about Inika is that the packaging tells you the percentage of the ingredients which is certified organic. This is a brand which takes its natural, vegan status seriously. Certified organic by Australia's Organic Food Chain, 100% halal, totally cruelty-free and registered with the UK Vegan Society, these products contain natural ingredients which feature no animal derivatives whatsoever. Aside from all of these credentials, Inika's packaging (bottles, tubes and pots) are made from recycled products and are recyclable themselves. Not only are they an incredibly ethical beauty brand, but they are environmentally conscious too.
Onto the products! The primer (81% certified organic ingredients) is incredibly rich and creamy in texture, providing quite a lot of moisture. Unlike a lot of primers which leave you with a super-soft powdery touch, this Pure Primer does smooth out skin but definitely feels a lot more like a moisturiser than anything else. Whilst it doesn't leave a perfectly powdered finish, it does smooth skin out and I have noticed it does an amazing job at keeping foundation in place all day which, in my opinion, is the most important role of a primer. It's a thick formula that needs a lot of working in, but once it has been, it completely soaks in to the point where you cannot feel it on your skin at all. It's a decent primer, especially if you suffer from dry skin due to the added moisturising element, and can see it working great with mineral foundations. The one thing that really puts me off is the smell; my housemate also has this primer but it smells nothing like mine. Hers is quite pleasant, whereas mine (I'm not sure whether it is an older or newer version, or just a random dodgy one) smells so bad that it actually puts me off using it. It's an incredibly herbal smell; in fact, it smells a lot like weed (which I am 100% not a fan of!).
Unlike the primer, I would not recommend the liquid foundation (76% organic ingredients) to dry-skinned gals. I absolutely love the consistency, the medium coverage and perfect level of dewy finish; it really does makes your skin look flawless. However, even with the extra moisturising primer underneath, it has a tendency to cling to any dry patches of skin. I am definitely going to try this out again once my skin has returned to normal as I think this could be a fab little product; I can imagine it is perfect for normal combination skin types, but perhaps a tad too dewy for oily skin (although it depends what kind of looks you like). It comes in three different shades; I have 'cream', the lightest, and although it seems quite dark at first (I am very pale), once blended in the colour matches perfectly to my skin tone.
Overall, these two products are pretty good. The primer is more suited to dry skin, whereas the liquid foundation is aimed more at normal skin types. I am really impressed by the coverage this Inika foundation gives- it's just such a shame that it has a tendency to cling and bring any dry patches to light. This is a brand which really cares about its ethics and status as a vegan, organic brand; if you are committed to vegan beauty, this is certainly a brand you can trust to share your ethics. The primer costs £29.50 for 50ml, while the foundation is £29.50 for 30ml. It's not the cheapest but well worth the investment if you're serious about cruelty-free. I've got my eye on a few of their lipsticks....
Have you tried anything from Inika? Which vegan beauty brands do you love?
I really want to try and convert to began make up as I am desperately trying to in my diet but failing, my skin is quite oily prone so the foundation might actually be okay on me, I will definitely endeavour to give the primer and foundation a go- scared about the weed smell though haha xxx
ReplyDeleteYes, I think it would be perfect for combination or oily skins. The weed smell is still a mystery to me...I don't know if I have a particularly dodgy one or not! xxx
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