Price & Purchase Process & Packaging:
I have been actively participating in the BOMB challenge since early summer when it was brought to my attention. It is an opportunity to feature, highlight, patronize, and partner with Black Owned Makeup Brands, in particular, Indie companies. There are three that I continually invest time, energy and finances towards in terms of thorough research and product development. I am quite comfortable and confident in speaking about these companies: Juvia's Place, Beauty Bakerie, & the subject of this review, Coloured Raine.
Before Coloured Raine was even a YouTube sensation, I was studying diligently about makeup products, their composition, and what job each component had in order to make the shadow. I spent time on skin care and the effects of various chemicals on the eyelids and skin. Unfortunately, more often than not consumers are unaware, underinformed, and victims the well-oiled machine that is hypercommercialism (™) and maniconsumerism (™). We are a society that emphasizing capitalism, hypercommercialism, and manicconsumerism in a way that is appeal and almost necessary to our society, but more importantly our society stands tenuously and delicately on the mass production of products ranging from pet food, to underwear, to soap, and yes, to beauty and cosmetics. As I continued my research and digging, I came to have a deep appreciation for nonconglomerative, functioning companies, such as Indie companies, who interests was not solely based on profit, but rather on providing consumers quality products at a reasonable price with tangible, human interactive, shared, cooperative customer relations.
That’s when I discovered Coloured Raine. Before Nikkie Tutorials and before all the major YouTube knew about this brand, what their mission was or what their principles were, I had already successfully purchased from Coloured Raine twice – Once to procure the coveted Queen of Hearts Eyeshadow Palette and second, the obtain a very distinct selection of their single eyeshadows! I was over the moon about my purchases from the brand and even more stoked that I was supporting a black-owned makeup brand (indie).
When the opportunity came about to secure the Coloured Raine Mini Palettes, I jumped at the chance and purchased the entire bundle pre-sale, and distribution was set to release on October 20th (I think!). After the release date, I received my package within a few days unscathed and ready to test. The bundle features four mini palettes, which I will admit are a little expensive for my taste. You have a Beauty Rust Mini Palette, with gorgeous sandy red colors. Next, there is the Berry Cute Mini Palette (which, incidentally is my favorite), which rocks some beautifully rich majesty purples and rosy pink colors. The cooler toned palette, The Lovelies Mini Palette, contains this wonderfully rich blue, that is deep and inviting. Lastly, is the Smoke Show Mini Palette, which is more of your classic smoky shades, perfect for an evening, or a sexy, alluring eye look. Each Mini comes in a decorative sleeve with its accompanying 6 pan palette. Both the names and the sleeve colors of the palettes coordinate, giving a great indication of the theme of the palette, so you don’t have to turn your drawers upside down trying to find the right one, which is uber convenient.
Pigmentation & Color Payoff & Performance:
Coloured Raine came to fame through numerous influencers including, bloggers, vloggers, YouTube Personalities, other Indie Brands, and other various Indie Brand supporters. When the Queen Of Hearts Palette launched, social media vacant personalities (™) or people that live their lives outside of the Cyberspace including, traditional consumers who purchased products from a brick & mortar establishment, consumers that receive product information via traditional television, or news outlets, did not that accessibility to the palette as opposed to many of us, in particular millennials, that are engrossed in the revolutionary hamster wheel known as social media. The companies best marketing strategy was attack a market group that was prime for accessibility and would create exposure and generate chatter among the many facets of the beauty community.
What made Queen of Hearts so cherished and revered in the beauty community was in part due to the masterfully crafted marketing strategy of the community, the popularity of Indie companies, specifically black owned makeup brands, and the undeniable excellence and quality of the product itself.
Fast forward to the launch of the “Minis”. Each palette is priced at $36 dollars (as of 11/20/17 they are discounted to $27 per mini each) and during pre-sale, consumers were able to purchase all 4 minis for a discounted price in a bundle package. Each palette represents a color concepts that accurately depicts the flow of current trends in the beauty community.
Beauty Rust is a warm-toned palette, similar to Colourpop’s Yes Please! Palette & Natasha Denona’s Sunset Palette. The palette’s color selection is a bit myopic, but yet the colors work wonderfully together and this mini would make a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration eye look which would sure to have you the talk of turkey town!! Berry Cute is a berry/pink toned palette that highlights both warm and cool tones in a diverse and unique color palette, similar to Colourpop’s She Palette & Elements of Surprise Palette as well as, Natasha Denona’s Lila Palette. As you know, I am a massive Natasha Denona Super Fan and I don’t think there’s anything that comes close to her variety, color selection and diversity in shadow texture and consistency, however, the color payoff gives the Lila Palette a run for their money and a fight for my heart! Then you have the Lovelies palette that is most obviously a cool toned and perfect for the Autumn & Winter seasons. One must air on the side of caution when working with the darker shades in this palette, because they undoubtedly pack a punch, and let’s just say, you don’t want a black eye. Smoke Show rounds out the bunch with spectacular yet traditional colors that could smoked\ out any look or create a captivating smoky eye. You go never go wrong with a smoky eye done with precision and fine-tuned application skills. I like it when a brand comes out with a series of palettes and/or mini palette and includes something for the sophisticated person who can rock a smoked out lower lash like no other.
Overall Product Presentation:
I am a proud Afro-American, “Bougie” woman. I hold everything and everybody to the same standard of quality, ethics, self-discipline, and reflection that I practice. It is my duty and obligation to continue to encourage others to be the best version of who they are and to promote businesses that excel in industry standards and push the envelope of creative development, innovation, and progressive and forward-thinking productivity. As an active and engaging participant of the BOMB Challenge, I would say with confidence that Coloured Raine is a cut above the rest, breaking the chains or ordinary and undoing the restraints of complacent normalcy. I not only recommend them as a brand but urge you as a consumer to insist to place industries and brands to a higher level of authenticity and product quality. You can’t go wrong with Coloured Raine.
Rating: 5/5
✭✭✭✭✭
