I wanted to give KleanColor a shot, since it looked promising. Most of these products I've purchased from the site ShopMissA, where everything listed is a dollar. Others I tracked down to purchase through Ebay, which I will note under the photos of the product so you are aware of the shift. For being so cheap, can they compete, or are they flops?*
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The Airy Minerals are the Loose Powder Eyeshadow that KleanColor offers. I'm really pleased with the shape of the packaging, because I find that it's easier to store square packaging compared to round packaging. It just ends up fitting better in storage. The downside is that the packaging is REALLY bulky. It's easier to store, and stack, but it just doesn't... fit quite right. What a shame.
The plastic is pretty cheap to be honest, and tapping it with your nail even gives off the sound of cheap plastic. Shape? Love it. (Wish it were smaller!) Quality? Not so much.
Inside was a complete disaster. Though they have built-in sifters, they didn't do much to help keep things clean. Inside is a dusty mess. The pigment of the eyeshadow is EVERYWHERE, and even closing the containers gives off poofs of the pigment into the air. For those sensitive to dust, watch out! This could irritate your sinuses, I know I had a sneeze or two.
Also, the mirrors in the packaging are not attached well at all. It would have been better for them not to add a mirror at all. For one, they are far too tiny to get any use out of. Secondly, they are just going to end up falling off anyway. It's ridiculous how cheap these were constructed.
Bachelorette:
A warm taupe shade. Very powdery. It looks pretty, but there's not too much to it.
Destiny:
A green-tinted khaki brown.
Spirit:
My favorite shade out of all of them, also the worst. It's powdery, but also gritty to the touch. The pigmentation isn't that bad, but with the texture it isn't easy to get it even either.
Each of the shades is very powdery, gets everywhere, and just feels... cheap. Without a good base, or using them wet, they get brushed away easily. Even though they seem like a good deal, pass them. The packaging is awful, and the product inside isn't good enough to make up for it.
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American Eyedol Baked Shadow
I was really interested with these products, because baked shadows are like hidden gems. Sometimes they're amazing dry, but they're always gorgeous when you use them wet (like with water, or with a setting spray).
The plastic still feels really cheap, but the packaging looks really unique. They look a bit like throwing stars. They're really great, because they stand up on their own, making them easy to store.
Malt:
A warm brown base with blue duo-chrome. Like a watered down version of MAC - Blue Brown. It's pretty, and a subdued alternative if you're someone (like me!) who really likes duo-chromes and wants to wear them all of the time.
Taupe:
It looks nothing like any taupe you have come to know and love. It's more like a brass, than a taupe.
Burgundy:
This is an okay shade, more or less like a rust rather than a burgundy. Whoever decided on these names were not very on-point.
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| Malt, and Toffee |
A deep taupe, with a slight blue shimmer. Similar to Malt, but with less duo-chrome and a darker brown base.
The eyeshadows feel cheap, like the loose eyeshadows. When used dry, they're also easily brushed away. Disappointing, but when used wet they're really pretty. These are more or less pass or fail. Either they're really gorgeous and worth keeping, or they're just okay and not worth it. It's up to you to decide, because they're easy to use and you might just find a few gems in the rough. Also noted, do not rely on the shade names to make a decision, so find swatches online if you can!
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Lip Liner and Eyeliner Pencils
The Kleancolor Pencils are a variety of different, as well as standard, pencils. Meant for the lips, eyes, and eyebrows, these pencils give a nice variety of color choices to suit your needs. Of course, be wary, I use these all on my lips, though I could use some on my eyes. *Be careful of this, as those made for lips might not be the best for eyes, and vice versa.* I'm okay with this, but I take measures not to cross-contaminate, by using alcohol to sanitize he pencil and then sharpening it so that I can have a "fresh" product, depending if I'm switching or not.
Barbie Pink:
Bright, white-based pink. True to the name.
Violet:
Also true to the name, this one comes out rather streaky and might need to be passed over a few times to get an even coverage.
Charcoal:
A charcoal off-black grey.
I was really impressed with these, as they seemed like they'd be really dry (sometimes they tug!) but the pigment payoff is surprisingly descent. The color payoff matches the description on the label, and there wasn't any surprises to be had. They work both on the eyes and the lips (be careful though!) and I haven't noticed any issues.
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Ms. Chick Blush
The Ms. Chick blushes come in a round, domed-top container. The plastic is better quality than say, their eyeshadows, but they're a hassle. The domed-top makes them really difficult to store, and since they're rounded, they don't stand up on their sides very well. Unless you have willpower, they're better suited to sitting flat in your collection, as standing them on their sides gave me too much of a headache.
The product inside is rounded too, and very soft. I was really surprised because the shadows felt really powdery, but these had more of a substance to them. There are a so many different blushes to choose from, and I played it safe with the blush shades I knew I'd like; some warm neutrals and a mauve.
Coral:
A little on the red side, but otherwise a coral pink.
Gypsy:
My favorite out of all of them, a neutral pink with just the right amount of warm and cool tones to the skin. (Really hate the name for this though, I think they could have done better without a slur)
Redwood:
A very red toned ruddy pink.
Mauve:
A mauve pink.
Each of the shades applied well in swatches, but when it came to blending out on the cheeks they ended up being such a disaster. They apply rather patchy, and I would have to build up a lot of product onto my cheeks to make it look well-blended, and then it had the adverse-effect of looking too over the top. I was really disappointed, because I really do love Gypsy, but it just doesn't work for me at all.
I would pass on these, there are better blushes out there that aren't expensive at all.
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Airy Minerals Matte Finishing Powder
Similar to the Loose Eyeshadows, the Airy Milerals Matte Finishing powder is also housed in a terrible plastic packaging nightmare. With the same issue that the powder just gets all over the place. I can't even move it around without powder escaping and just getting in my face/on my clothes/on my makeup are. It's frustrating.
The powder itself is pretty awful. It goes on with a bit of a white cast, even on my skin, so darker skin tones would end up looking ashy. The feel of the powder feels cheap, and putting it on my skin wasn't something I appreciated. It didn't set my makeup well at all, and I found myself reaching for it to touch up about halfway through the day, which I usually never do.
It doesn't feel comfortable on the skin, like there's just a layer of powder, and the quality is poor. Skip this product over.
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Kleanista Lipgloss
The lipgloss isn't anything revolutionary, by any means. It's packaged in a softer plastic case, with a hard plastic cap. The branding is nothing more than a sticker, and I can guarantee it will come off if used often. There is no sticker with the name attached.
Tea Rose:
Light pink rose, opaque gloss.
I was really blown away with this gloss. It was a cream soft rose pink shade that looks really flattering on the lips, the application was good, and the gloss feels good. It isn't too tacky, it isn't too slick, I think it's a good medium. It doesn't last too terribly long, it is a gloss after all, but I noticed that it faded rather evenly (unless I was using a straw) instead of in odd patches.
The only thing that I hate about this product, is the smell/taste. Like super sweet, sugary candy. It isn't very pleasant, and smells fake. I'd even prefer peppermint to this flavor, and that's saying a lot seeing as I HATE peppermint in lip products. The flavor lingers too, and it's pretty terrible, but I'm really loving this gloss. It's something easy and effortless to wear.
This product is great! I'd definitely recommend picking this up, as long as strong scents aren't an issue.
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Kleanista Lipstick
Each of these shades come in a bullet-shaped container. The lipsticks are at an angle, similar to the Wet n Wild Megalast Matte lipsticks, and I find that it makes them easier to apply, however, not as precise. The formula is okay, very creamy, but that makes these not as opaque, and also they slide around very easily. They do best with a lip liner underneath. The scent they have is also very annoyingly sweet, like candy. I'm not a fan, as it reminds me of little-kid-makeup. For a dollar, they're pretty nice, with a variety of different shades to choose from, but if you're looking for a lipstick that's going to last all day, these aren't it.
Also, if you use these right out of the tube, they are really annoying, because while some of the lighter shades go on in a few passes, the darker shades took up to TEN passes of the lipstick to build up to a suitable coverage.
Jewelry Box:
Mint green.
Cast a Spell:
Lavender. Really pigmented of a shade, and a bit blue-toned.
Tea Rose:
A really nice, soft rose pink. Very flattering.
Fiesta:
Bright fuchsia pink. Not that strange of a shade, and there are much better formulas out there. This one has a bit of extra violet.
Purple Machine:
Violet lipstick. This one can be built up, but it looks strange. It isn't as wearable as I expected it to be.
After Hours:
Blue lipstick. This one is a bit patchy, and also would be best with a liner underneath.
Envious Desire:
Yellow-Green. This one is really sheer, and would look best with a liner underneath.
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| After cutting a bit off the top. |
Since the payoff wasn't amazing with how they came, and it took me a few passes to build up coverage, I cut a bit of the tops of each lipstick to try to get to the creamy center. It worked! The amount of passes was cut IN HALF for each lipstick I used. If you get these, they need to be cut in order to get them as pigmented as they need to be. Of course this means they slide a bit more.
It's also to be noted, that you just have to remember what these are called, as they don't have a sticker or a label with the name on these lipsticks. So either you need a fantastic memory, or document them in some way like I did here.
It's also to be noted, that you just have to remember what these are called, as they don't have a sticker or a label with the name on these lipsticks. So either you need a fantastic memory, or document them in some way like I did here.
If you want to try experimenting with colors, these are a good, cheap option. Of course they're not the most amazing, so if you're looking to wear shades for every day these are not it.
New VS Old
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| Old on the top, New on the bottom. |
The old version of Jewelry Box is a mint green with a white base. The new version is much more pigmented with mint, not relying so much on the white base. I find the new version to be more wearable, and much more pigmented. Plus, the new version is easier to store, and not as bulky. The new formula for pre-existing shades was a great move, they work so much better.
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Nail Polishes
With all of these different polishes I bought, the one constant is that they all smell pretty damn terrible, like chemicals. I can handle it, but I am aware that many cannot.
Chunky Holo Purple:
Bought off Ebay. This polish is okay. It's an iridescent glitter polish suspended in a light violet base. Nothing to write home about. Even with layering it many times it just doesn't look as beautiful as it does in the bottle.
Holo Pink:
Holographic glitter in a pink jelly base. This polish is really pretty, and applies well. I have two coats in the photos above, but might just look better with three coats.
Pastel Teal:
This polish is very bright, for being considered pastel. A basic white-based teal polish. Applies fully opaque in two coats.
Chunky Holo Black:
Bought of Ebay. This is everything I expected it to be. A variety of hex, holo glitter suspended in a black base. Doesn't darken the underlying polish too much, but does add a shade difference. Really pretty, and really unique. I used one coat for the photos above over a Rue 21 Pink Ice polish.
Holo Chrome:
Bought off Ebay. I really fell in love with this polish once I saw swatches of it online. Holo Chrome is a beautiful blue-violet jelly with beautiful holo shimmer. It's something that i couldn't resist. I used two layers for the swatches shown above, perhaps it needs three, maybe even four to be opaque. I might try it with another polish underneath, but I'm not certain. It's a beautiful shade, and if you can get your hands on it I suggest that you do.
The polishes aren't bad, especially for the price point. I'm not really drawn to any of the other shades, and the smell really turns me off. I'm going to stick with Sinful Colors if I need my cheap nail polish fix. At least those don't smell like a terrible chemical abomination.
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Thanks for reading!
*Any bumps present in swatches are from a chemical reaction, and aren't at the fault of the product unless otherwise stated.
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