UOMA BEAUTY CARNIVAL COLLECTION
MY THOUGHTS ON THE NEW COLLECTION FROM UOMA BEAUTY.
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As soon as I saw the teasers for this collection all over Instagram back in February, I knew I HAD to try it! Not many brands I know of have truly embraced the vibrancy and rich cultures of Carnival in the same way as UOMA. The collection reads to me, as a love letter to a time of celebration and joy and not ‘just’ a nod to festival season. I like that.
The campaign, fronted by the incredible Jackie Aina and Patrick Starr is BEAUTIFUL. I loved watching the behind the scenes video of the shoot and the way they amplified smaller creators, with a stronger affiliation to the cultural celebration of carnival on the back of this.
The collection itself is joy inducing, vibrant and fun- but if at first you think this might not be for you, you might want to take a closer look…
Let’s get into the product. The entire 8 piece collection centres around the eyeshadow palette, accompanied by 2 highlighting bronzers, 2 metallic lipsticks and 3 false lashes, all of which are named after iconic carnival locations around the world!
CARNIVAL EYESHADOW PALETTE
This is a no brainer for anyone who loves colour. It’s a great, buildable formula that gives you control and blendability. It doesn’t leave you with a load of pigment at first swipe which I like, as the more pigmented the formula, the harder it can be to work with!
The shimmers are where this palette shines (no pun intended), beautifully creamy with a subtle duality in all of the shades, making them pop on every skin tone. These are great used with a fluffy blending brush but my preference is packing them on with a Zoeva 237 brush, whilst wet to amplify the pigment. You’ll be able to see from the swatches that they are more wearable than they appear in the pan!
The mattes are good quality too, though the more vibrant shades, as always will need to be built for opacity; but they can always be used as a wash of colour if an opaque cut crease isn’t what you’re looking for.
Without Flash
Top Row, L-R: Mardi Gras, Trinidad, Notting Hill, Rio & Oruro
Bottom Row,L-R: Barranquilla, Bahia, Tenerife, Barbados & Mazatlan
With Flash
Top Row, L-R: Mardi Gras, Trinidad, Notting Hill, Rio & Oruro
Bottom Row,L-R: Barranquilla, Bahia, Tenerife, Barbados & Mazatlan
CARNIVAL BRONZING HIGHLIGHTERS
So I know what you’re thinking. A bronzing highlighter? Pick a side. I thought the same until I got this on my face (and smelt it)- more on that later!
This is ABSOLUTELY a highlighter, there are no questions about it. However the shades are so expertly created that the shade you wear, depending on your skin tone will make your skin appear sun drenched and fresh. I’m getting a Barbados sun vibe here- or maybe I’m just at that point where I REALLY need a holiday!
How do they do this? Well both shades take on a rose gold hue, so you wont see any harsh frosty silver or yellow golds. A well formulated rose gold is often the most universally flattering. (Can anyone say VBxEL Modern Mercury?!)
Notting Hill, which is better suited to light/medium skintones is the one I use. This is a classic rose gold, in a coconut scented buttery formula that glides on without any issues. Whilst Barbados is a deeper, bronzed rose gold and suits skins that are deeper, the same gorgeous effect without the ash. Obvs.
Top: Notting Hill, Swatched and Blended
Bottom: Barbados, Swatched and Blended
LIPS AND LASHES
Last but by no means least, the lips and lashes.
UOMA play to their strength here and use their secret weapon- the most incredible metallic lipstick formula. I thought we were all ‘done’ with metallic, remember when every brand had an awful glittery, textured liquid lipstick? That was an… interesting time in beauty.
This is a classic bullet lipstick, a proper lipstick- if you will. Though these appear super shiny both in the bullet and on the lip, the texture is not a problem. One swipe will give you full impact of both pigment and shimmer. Maybe not one for staying at home, but I know a few people who would wear Trinidad in summer!
Trinidad is a shocking pink, with cool toned reflect and Bahia is a muted brown with mauve reflect.
The collection is kept fun and lighthearted with the addition of three sets of lashes, Bahia, Trinidad and Rio. Whilst these aren’t an everyday lash for most, that’s kind of the point! I love that UOMA agree that a look isn’t complete until the lashes go on!
L-R: Black Magic Metallic Lipstick in Bahia & Trinidad.
I hope that this is helpful and you can see that though this is a bright collection that would be at home in a make up artist kit and that corner of your collection for festivals- There are elements that would slot into your daily routine easily without being a drastic change!
Especially the highlighter. I’m thinking we should all still smell like holiday, even if we aren’t going away!
UOMA BEAUTY is available in the US on their site and in stores exclusively at Ulta.
In the UK you can shop the brand exclusively at Selfridges in store and online at Cult Beauty.
Feel free to drop me a tweet or a IG message if you have any questions!