Autumnal with Arbonne

Arbonne is a brand I've been interested by recently as I'd seen it popping up on quite a few beauty blogs I follow, and gaining quite a number of glowing reviews! I'd never taken the step to ordering any of their products because a) they are on the higher end of things and b) they are online or via consultant only which I wasn't the hugest fan of, especially for the amount of money they cost. However, when Arbonne offered to send me some products to try, I was absolutely ecstatic! With the coming cooler months and its associating trends, these are a couple of products I was sent.

First up is their eye shadow in the shade Cabernet*. The packaging of their shadows is very nice, a sleek black plastic compact with a clear window through which you can clearly see the shade inside. While the packaging isn't the most luxe, or reflective of its price - it is very functional with a easy-to-open clasp that snaps shut securely.

The formula is lovely and a pleasure to use. The shadow is soft, but not so much that it kicks up a lot of powder, or causes a lot of fallout.The pigmentation of this shade is actually medium in my opinion. Due to Cabernet's dark colour, I was expecting full blown pigment but actually it's quite light and more of a formula you build to your desired opacity. In that sense, I quite enjoy it because it makes the shadow a bit easier to use and in a multitude of different ways, such as a smokey eye or a soft crease shade. In saying that, this wasn't that amazing to blend - it did blend well however it took a tad more effort as the shade sort of stuck where it was applied. This could be down to the primer I used though, but ultimately it did blend pretty seamlessly.

In the pan, Cabernet appears to be a shimmery, deep plummy purple. However, when swatched - what I'm guessing is - the brown base comes through a lot more. It therefore takes on more of a deep warm brown, with a plummy tinge. It is also less shimmery and more of a satin-matte with minimal shimmer and more of a slight purple/silver sheen.

Eyeshadow in Cabernet, Lipstick in Jam

Arbonne's Lipstick in the shade Jam* is cased in a very thin and long square tube.The tube has a decent weight to it and the lid closes pretty securely. The lipstick bullet itself is also very skinny making it very easy to get a precise and even coverage, despite it not having a pointed tip.

For the most part, I agree with their description of the formula provided on the box and website. It does glide on very well and has quite a thin balmy texture with a slight shine. It's pigmentation is not completely opaque though, so I don't agree with the 'full coverage' claim. It is very pigmented however still retains the slightest translucency. Don't get me wrong though, the lipstick is certainly buildable and you can get impactful colour from it. I also wouldn't agree that it 'intensely' hydrates the lips. Because of its balmy texture, it isn't at all drying, and could be considered hydrating but definitely not to an 'intense' extent. The longevity is pretty good. The sheen wears down rather quickly but this particular shade does stain the lips slightly meaning you could probably go without reapplication if you wanted - even after light eating. 

Jam is on the deeper side of things, being a berry toned red. It is very wearable and because of its rather buildable pigmentation, you can wear it sheerly or as a somewhat bold lip. Either way, it very much fits in with the Autumnal trend of a deeper berry lip. In the swatch below I'd say I've applied it to a medium pigmentation.

I've been thoroughly enjoying these two products and they'll both be getting a lot of use these coming cooler seasons. I'm not sure however that they are worth the rather hefty price tags (AUD$27 for the eyeshadow and $37 for the lipstick) but they certainly are lovely products that I do recommend.

* Products were sent for consideration.