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| "Uplift the beauty in you... naturally!" |
Typically when I review a company, I try picking one I've already heard
of, maybe one I've been meaning to try but just haven't gotten around to
it. However, in the case of ROYAL by NATURE, it was one of those random Etsy finds I stumbled across.
Initially I was most curious about the gel liner, but I just couldn't
help myself and wound up sampling more! So what's ROYAL by NATURE about?
ROYAL by NATURE
ROYAL by NATURE has very special meaning. It simply means that we are all royalty. Our natural beauty should always be allowed to shine.The shop's owner Asiyah began like many other indie companies, making concoctions with more natural ingredients that caught on with family and friends and eventually blossomed into something bigger.
All of our hair, body and face products are pure and natural and our ingredients are sourced locally when available. No artificial colorants, or fragrance oils are used. 100% pure essential oils are used when scent is desired. We use paraben free and/or vegetable derived preservatives when necessary. Rest assured that we use only the minimal amounts. Each item is handcrafted to order. Bar soaps are made in small batches to allow for curing time.
Selection
ROYAL by NATURE categorizes their shop as such:
This is a huge assortment! I was actually a little overwhelmed at first,
but I really appreciate how clearly everything is categorized. There
are already some items I've bookmarked for future purposes, but this
time I was only interested in cosmetics and looked at eyeshadows,
lipsticks and the gel liner.
Samples
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| Generous sample-sized jars make it much easier to decide if a full-sized purchase is right. |
The lack of readily available samples usually is enough to drive me away from a shop. If I can't test out something that's going on my skin, I get skittish. Sensitive skin doesn't like to mess around! I shot Asiyah a message asking if there were any samples available, and she put some aside just for me! I really appreciate how she went out of her way to do that for me, but I also think it pushes away potential customers when samples aren't readily available for purchase.
Packaging
Quality
Instead of discussing "quality" as a whole, I'm going to break things down by product since my experience was so varied.
I purchased two shades: Moonbeam and Amethyst. This was kind of a gamble for a couple of reasons. All eye shadows were called "Azalea", but that's not the actual color name. This made it tricky to pick out what I wanted because in the listings they ALL appeared to be named "Azalea" due to the naming convention used. Furthermore, there's no description for each shadow's color, nor are there any swatches. The only information you have to go by is the photo of the pigment itself. Is it matte? Is it shimmery? Is it a duochrome? It's a surprise!
For the record, I actually strongly dislike eyeshadow surprises - I like knowing what I'm getting myself into! So Moonbeam looked like a taupe-ish matte, and Amethyst appeared to be plummy with maybe a bit of shimmer. So was I correct?
Partly. Amethyst really IS a lovely plummy shade with a hint of golden shimmer. It's very pigmented and applies smoothly over both a primer (left swatch) and bare skin (right swatch). It reminds me of the discontinued "Plush" shade from Silk Naturals only a bit cooler.
Moonbeam on the other hand... poor Moonbeam. This is such a glitterbomb! Who'd have thought? The glitter fallout is reminiscent of some of the earlier shadows from Backstreets Makeup Co., it's like it's going through some sort of rebellious teen phase. Pat it on your eyelids and blink a few times - voila! 90% of the glitter will probably fall off. Color-wise Moonbeam is a pleasantly neutral peach with a bit of a sheen to it, but it's rather unremarkable. The glitter makes it tricky to apply smoothly. It was a struggle to avoid a patchy finish.
Here's the ingredient list: Zinc Oxide, Magnesium Stearate, Sericite Mica, Mica, Oxide
Aurora looks like a classic pretty-in-pink shade. In the pot it has a bit of golden shimmer. This is a VERY sheer lip color. It took many coats to try and build up anything noticeable. Maybe it's meant to be a classic "my lips but better" color.
Cameo appears to be a slightly darker, more brownish-hued sibling to Aurora, but really they're practically identical twins who were separated at birth. I seriously could not tell the difference between the two, although Cameo seems a smidge less shimmery.
Cashmere (not to be confused with another infamous lip product) is gorgeous in the pot! Something about its swirling copper shimmers reminds me of the planet Jupiter. This was the most pigmented lipstick of the bunch, and on my lips it's a really lovely rust. Unfortunately, it streaks easily - just smacking my lips together smudged everything! Applying it evenly was a challenge, and getting it to stay put even moreso.
Caponata was an "out of my comfort zone" choice - purples are not something I typically wear. This is almost as pigmented as Cashmere. Given how dark the color is in the pot, I'd expect it to be super dark on my lips as well, but it's also very sheer. It has streaking/patchy issues but is better behaved compared to Cashmere. On my skintone though it makes me look a bit sickish (no fault of the product itself!) so it's not something I would consider buying.
So the naming conventions are tricky to follow, the colors aren't pigmented, and they tend to smudge... but the formula is EXCELLENT. I absolutely love how these lipsticks FEEL on my lips - here's the ingredients list: Grapeseed Oil, Castor Oil, Jojoba Oil, Rosehip Oil, Beeswax, Carnauba Wax, Mica, Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Vit E
Silk Naturals might be my one-true-love when it comes to indie lipsticks, but for formula I am impressed with these. My lips feel so soft and hydrated, and it lasts a long time afterwards. There are also lip glosses that may be more pigmented... if ROYAL by NATURE were to perhaps release a line of lipsticks that were far more pigmented and had better staying power and application, I'd snap them up! The formula feels great.
The gel liners from ROYAL by NATURE come in two colors, "Bistre" (dark dark brown) and "Midnight" (black). Again, they're ALL named "Gloriosa" and there are no swatches (sad). I was tremendously grateful that Asiyah allowed me to sample the liner, and I think there should be sample sizes available in the shop regularly! Unfortunately at the time of this post they are all out of stock, but I'll be checking back so I can update the links when they're in stock again.
Here are the ingredients: Beeswax, Grapeseed Oil,Vit E, Jojoba Oil, kaolin Clay, Serecite Mica, Sweet Almond Oil, Magnesium Stearate, Glycerin, Iron Oxide
I really like this liner. It applies smoothly and doesn't tug at my lids. I'm no eyeliner pro and haven't dabbled too much with other indie liners, but I do struggle with gel liners dragging on my skin. The gel liner also lasts a really long time and doesn't smudge or flake. I had to break out my jojoba oil to remove it at the end of the day! I was really impressed. This little sample jar will last me a long time.
Eyeshadows:
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| Moonbeam and Amethyst eyeshadows from ROYAL by NATURE |
I purchased two shades: Moonbeam and Amethyst. This was kind of a gamble for a couple of reasons. All eye shadows were called "Azalea", but that's not the actual color name. This made it tricky to pick out what I wanted because in the listings they ALL appeared to be named "Azalea" due to the naming convention used. Furthermore, there's no description for each shadow's color, nor are there any swatches. The only information you have to go by is the photo of the pigment itself. Is it matte? Is it shimmery? Is it a duochrome? It's a surprise!
For the record, I actually strongly dislike eyeshadow surprises - I like knowing what I'm getting myself into! So Moonbeam looked like a taupe-ish matte, and Amethyst appeared to be plummy with maybe a bit of shimmer. So was I correct?
Partly. Amethyst really IS a lovely plummy shade with a hint of golden shimmer. It's very pigmented and applies smoothly over both a primer (left swatch) and bare skin (right swatch). It reminds me of the discontinued "Plush" shade from Silk Naturals only a bit cooler.
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| Amethyst over primer (left) and bare skin (right) |
Moonbeam on the other hand... poor Moonbeam. This is such a glitterbomb! Who'd have thought? The glitter fallout is reminiscent of some of the earlier shadows from Backstreets Makeup Co., it's like it's going through some sort of rebellious teen phase. Pat it on your eyelids and blink a few times - voila! 90% of the glitter will probably fall off. Color-wise Moonbeam is a pleasantly neutral peach with a bit of a sheen to it, but it's rather unremarkable. The glitter makes it tricky to apply smoothly. It was a struggle to avoid a patchy finish.
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| Moonbeam over primer (left) and bare skin (right) |
Here's the ingredient list: Zinc Oxide, Magnesium Stearate, Sericite Mica, Mica, Oxide
Lipsticks:
This was also a gamble for pretty much the same issue as the eyeshadows. Zero swatches and ALL the lipsticks were titled "Ambrosia" despite that not being the actual color names. I sampled four colors:Aurora looks like a classic pretty-in-pink shade. In the pot it has a bit of golden shimmer. This is a VERY sheer lip color. It took many coats to try and build up anything noticeable. Maybe it's meant to be a classic "my lips but better" color.
 |
| Aurora lipstick from ROYAL by NATURE |
Cameo appears to be a slightly darker, more brownish-hued sibling to Aurora, but really they're practically identical twins who were separated at birth. I seriously could not tell the difference between the two, although Cameo seems a smidge less shimmery.
 |
| Cameo lipstick from ROYAL by NATURE |
Cashmere (not to be confused with another infamous lip product) is gorgeous in the pot! Something about its swirling copper shimmers reminds me of the planet Jupiter. This was the most pigmented lipstick of the bunch, and on my lips it's a really lovely rust. Unfortunately, it streaks easily - just smacking my lips together smudged everything! Applying it evenly was a challenge, and getting it to stay put even moreso.
 |
| Cashmere lipstick from ROYAL by NATURE |
Caponata was an "out of my comfort zone" choice - purples are not something I typically wear. This is almost as pigmented as Cashmere. Given how dark the color is in the pot, I'd expect it to be super dark on my lips as well, but it's also very sheer. It has streaking/patchy issues but is better behaved compared to Cashmere. On my skintone though it makes me look a bit sickish (no fault of the product itself!) so it's not something I would consider buying.
 |
| Caponata lipstick from ROYAL by NATURE |
So the naming conventions are tricky to follow, the colors aren't pigmented, and they tend to smudge... but the formula is EXCELLENT. I absolutely love how these lipsticks FEEL on my lips - here's the ingredients list: Grapeseed Oil, Castor Oil, Jojoba Oil, Rosehip Oil, Beeswax, Carnauba Wax, Mica, Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Vit E
Silk Naturals might be my one-true-love when it comes to indie lipsticks, but for formula I am impressed with these. My lips feel so soft and hydrated, and it lasts a long time afterwards. There are also lip glosses that may be more pigmented... if ROYAL by NATURE were to perhaps release a line of lipsticks that were far more pigmented and had better staying power and application, I'd snap them up! The formula feels great.
Gel Liner:
This was what brought me to ROYAL by NATURE in the first place. I'm not much of a liner girl...I rarely ever wear it, and I'm also pretty inept at applying it. But I got a Real Techniques silicone eyeliner brush and was curious to try it out. |
| Bistre gel liner from ROYAL by NATURE (please pardon my liner novice-ness) |
The gel liners from ROYAL by NATURE come in two colors, "Bistre" (dark dark brown) and "Midnight" (black). Again, they're ALL named "Gloriosa" and there are no swatches (sad). I was tremendously grateful that Asiyah allowed me to sample the liner, and I think there should be sample sizes available in the shop regularly! Unfortunately at the time of this post they are all out of stock, but I'll be checking back so I can update the links when they're in stock again.
Here are the ingredients: Beeswax, Grapeseed Oil,Vit E, Jojoba Oil, kaolin Clay, Serecite Mica, Sweet Almond Oil, Magnesium Stearate, Glycerin, Iron Oxide
I really like this liner. It applies smoothly and doesn't tug at my lids. I'm no eyeliner pro and haven't dabbled too much with other indie liners, but I do struggle with gel liners dragging on my skin. The gel liner also lasts a really long time and doesn't smudge or flake. I had to break out my jojoba oil to remove it at the end of the day! I was really impressed. This little sample jar will last me a long time.
Cost
Since I purchased samples, the prices I paid were not the same as the full sizes.
- Eyeshadow samples: $2.25
- Lipstick samples: $3.50
Most
of the products' prices are on-par with other indies. Some are a
downright steal ($3.75 for lipbalm) whereas other are a bit on the steep
side ($22 for a milk bath soak).
Customer service
TAT & Shipping
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| Bonus EOTD with Moonbeam, Amethyst and the Bistre gel liner |
Personal Thoughts
Another thing that sets ROYAL by NATURE apart is the wide variety of hair products, and I don't typically see as many products marketed towards kinky, curly hair on the indie side of things. My own hair is baby fine, limp and thin, so this is not my forte, but I can still appreciate it.
I think the focus on quality ingredients gives ROYAL by NATURE a leg up. I think with a more obvious naming convention, clear swatch photos, and regularly available samples they could really do well for themselves. The lipstick formula really impressed me. I think we a bit of tweaking to adjust the pigmentation and staying power and it'd be a killer product!
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