Ashley Morgan Cosmetics is a new company that launched earlier this year. Created by makeup artist Emily Eads after her own struggles with migraines, endocrine disruption, and other symptoms of toxicity, the company creates high quality makeup completely free of harmful ingredients and designed to really work.
I've been trying out several products over the last couple months and I'm eager to share my thoughts on everything!
Liquid Mineral Foundation
First off, this foundation smells exactly like cotton candy to me. It's super sweet and vanilla-y, but, even as someone who's often sensitive to strong scents, I don't find it ever crosses the line to sickly or cloying. The coverage is a very natural looking light to medium and the foundation, which is pretty thin in consistency, feels very lightweight on the skin. It does a great job evening out skin tone and covering minor imperfections, but it's not something that's going to offer a flawless full coverage. Personally, I usually prefer a more natural, skin-like base anyways and I liked the formula a lot, but Natural Ivory was, unfortunately, not a great color match for me. As you can see in the swatch below, it's both too dark and somewhat too yellow/warm-toned for my skin.
Natural Concealer
The color of the concealer, on the other hand, was great. Pure, the lightest shade, is nice and light and also runs more peachy/neutral, which is perfect for me. The concealer has a very creamy and emollient texture and stays that way until set with a powder. In terms of coverage, I'd put it at around a medium coverage. My favorite use has been on blemishes and imperfections on the face, as it covers well, blends easily, and, once set with a powder, truly does stay in place all day without budging. It works okay under the eyes too, but I usually prefer a bit of a drier/less emollient concealer for that area.
High Definition Powder
The HD Powders are invisible silica-based loose powders great for setting liquid and cream products. They can also be used on their own for a slight blurring effect. I tried both the Translucent (untinted) and the Light, and to be completely honest, I don't notice much difference between the two. Both shades are very finely milled and silky and are basically imperceptible on the skin. I don't notice any whitecast from the Translucent and I similarly don't notice any discernible color from the Light. Silica powders are great for soaking up oil and the HD Powders work really well for setting foundation and concealer while slightly blurring fine lines and imperfections. I'd be cautious using them for flash photography since silica is notorious for that dreaded flashback effect, but otherwise I think they're great.
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| (L to R) Natural Ivory Foundation, Pure Concealer, Light HD Powder, Rose Tinted Lip Balm |
Possibly my favorite out of everything! With a traditional bristle brush and a thicker formula, this mascara does a fantastic job building volume. I've been layering it with my longtime favorite Zuzu Luxe mascara the last few weeks and the two together create some seriously impressive lashes. I'm loving the combo, but the Ashley Morgan also works great by itself. I love that it doesn't irritate my eyes in the slightest and that it stays put throughout the day without flaking or smudging.
Organic Tinted Lip Balm
There were these mineral lip tints that I wore way back in my early high school years and this balm is nostalgically reminiscent of those for me. It feels nice on the lips and offers a pleasant minty tingle along with sheer but buildable color. Rose is a warm pink shade, with some coppery and reddish tones running through it. It looks pretty shimmery or even metallic in a swatch, but on the lips, it's much more subtle. I love tinted balms in general and I like this one a lot.
The Bottom Line
Ashley Morgan Cosmetics is a brand to watch! Ingredients are top notch and the products consistently perform well. I'd love to see an expanded shade range in the Liquid Minerals Foundation, but beyond that, I was super happy with everything I tried.
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