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Can you believe it’s the middle of August already? My fave season is passing by way too fast! It’s been HOT here; and while I love the heat, it rained lightly today during my run and it felt wonderful! I keep seeing pics of friends and fam in Alaska taking out an iqyax- I’ve never even attempted to use a kayak, but my ancestors were experts, and it looks like so much fun. I’m jealous of their time spent on the water- I NEED to go there!
Anywho, when we started our website, I didn’t know of any other Native beauty bloggers. I think it’s important that all types of people are represented in the beauty world. Inclusiveness is a HUGE thing with beauty, and I’ve always tried to seek out brands that “get” this.
It’s horrifying that there are still brands out there that aren’t inclusive when it comes to shade ranges (I’m thinking of a major brand’s SNAFU with a foundation release, being neglectful with a range). People come in all colors, and people of all colors enjoy experimenting with different looks by using makeup. I’m glad there are companies like Juvia’s Place that understand the importance of being inclusive. Plus, it widens their target market as they’re not limited to to just a handful of buyers. It just makes sense!
I’ve been trying since last year to get a hold of a Juvia’s Place palette and foundation, but every time I’ve checked, they’re always sold out of what I want. Well, we were in Ulta, and I noticed a Juvia’s Place display, and my heart started pounding! I bought a Nubian 2 palette, and a tube of the I Am Magic Foundation in Aruba. It wasn’t quite the shade I wanted, but when I put some on my hand, I thought it would work (They were sold out of the shades that would have worked best.)
The packaging is bright, fun, and attractive. Even Jerry, who is really into Egyptology, thought the brand’s aesthetic was neat- he was oohing and ahhing over the graphics and colors…lol. Then, when we were walking around, a woman zoomed over to us after she saw what was in my bag, and was like, “Omg, where you get that stuff?!?” Jerry pointed out the display, and she made a beeline!
I thought at first these would just be mass produced private label products- the kind where a brand would just slap their name on a pre-made palette with the shades already there, but I have yet to find any like these. Usually with private labeled brands, you can find other brands with the same exact palettes, same shades, same packaging colors, just with different names. So, it seems the brand actually selected a lab and chose their own shades, which is super awesome, especially since the prices are so reasonable.
I chose the Nubian 2 palette, which retails for $20 but was on sale for $15. It has 12 gorgeous shades- some neutrals, some brights, so a plethora of looks is possible. The packaging is the kind of cardboard style that’s more eco-friendly than plastic, and looks really sleek. The palette is light weight because there’s no mirror inside, which also probably helps keep the price down. I like this because it doesn’t weigh down my travel bag, and I never use the mirrors in a palette, anyway, as they tend to get “powdered.” Another great travel-friendly feature is that a magnetic closure keeps it closed more securely.
Juvia’s Place Nubian 2 swatches, L to R: Morocco, Madagascar, Sheba, Yaa, Jezebel, Zuri, Cleopatra, Nefertiti, Nairobi, Leyla, Kenya, Egypt
All 12 shades are gorgeous, and seem to be true to color. As with pretty much any brand, some are a bit more pigmented than others, but they’re all pretty decent. The least pigmented are the shimmery shades, but they’re still better than many comparably-priced brands, and they’re easily buildable. The mattes and Cleopatra are my faves- they’re creamy, silky, and blend SO easily.
With the color choices and performance, I’m pretty excited to try more Juvia’s Place palettes. And at these prices, it won’t break my bank account as badly!
Wearing Juvia’s Place Nubian 2 palette and I Am Magic foundation in Aruba
I Am Magic Foundation
Velvety matte foundation? YES!!! PLEASE!!!! For the past couple years, all I’ve been able to think has been… “For the love of all things, please somebody make a matte foundation!” I think I’m one of few people who refused to jump on the “dewy” bandwagon. Being oily my whole life, I just never liked the dewy stuff, I don’t want to look shiny. Many claim to create “glowing” look, but on me, that translates to “shiny.”
I much prefer a matte or velvety finish, then I can add highlighter or “glow” where I choose. When I saw that the Juvia’s Place I Am Magic Foundation was “velvety matte,” and at only twenty bucks, I couldn’t resist. Remember how I mentioned inclusiveness? There are FORTY-TWO shades, yes 42 glorious shades of velvety matte perfection!
The foundation is housed in a convenient squeeze tube. It may not be as lux as my NARS foundation
in a frosted glass pump bottle, but the flip cap makes it super easy to use, and like the palette, it’s light weight so great for travel. I love the orange color, as well- bright, cheery, and fun!
I found one shade that seemed to be perfect (on my hand), and a few others that would likely work well. We were in a hurry, and I didn’t have time to try any on my face- my face is a different color than the rest of me because of religious SPF use. Anyway, as Murphy’s Law always applies to me, they were out of all the shades I liked best. So, I grabbed the closest shade they had in stock, Aruba.
Shades with golden undertones are usually a safe bet for me, but this was just too yellow and didn’t work at all for me. I was able to go out and about, though, without getting any weird looks…lol. The thing that got me was the finish- it was PERFECT. Not super-matte, so I didn’t look “blah,” but a velvety finish. Not dewy, not shiny, not glowy, but still incredibly vibrant. It lasted all day, and didn’t seem to oxidize. When I wore it over Milk Makeup’s new Hydro Grip Primer, I had more of a hydrated finish with a very slight lit-from-within look, without looking dewy or shiny.
I ended up ordering the shade Giza from Ulta.com, as they had more shades in stock than the two stores we visited. Jerry thought Giza was a bit too light, but I just added a bit of bronzer, and it worked perfectly. The shade will be even more awesome in the winter when I’m lighter.
Wearing Juvia’s Place I Am Magic foundation in Giza
Overall, I’m so happy with the Juvia’s Place Nubian 2 palette and I Am Magic foundation. I love how they took the concept of beauty beginning in Africa (i.e. winged eyeliner, pigmented makeup, etc.), and the brand paying tribute to that. The prices are super-duper reasonable, and above all, the brand was created for everyone.
Available at JuviasPlace.com and Ulta.
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