Apart from skin care products, today’s natural beauty cosmetics offer also a wide range of makeup products suited even for professional use – including mascaras, despite high quality mascara’s being notoriously difficult to produce.
Still, I’ve yet to find the perfect natural cosmetics makeup range. (That is what I’m attempting to create, of course. I’ve even sketched out a plan on paper, down to each individual eye shadow shade, and used the current best products as reference for each of my own.) The Australian brand Zuii is without a doubt one of the best as far as makeup goes, and I have several staple items from their range in my makeup bag. Since becoming acquainted with their products last fall, however, New York based Kjaer Weis has replaced Zuii as number one.
After thorough testing, I have become a sworn user of Kjaer’s products. The range’s mascara* is indisputably the best in the world. It provides volume, separates lashes, stays put all day and, most importantly, it doesn’t straighten the lashes after curling. I also use Kjaer’s foundation (Illusion* in the summer, Just Sheer in the winter) and, along with Zuii’s, the eye shadows belong to my favorites. (Whether you have one already, or are thinking of purchasing some in the future, here is a tip to applying Kjaer’s foundations: use a brush. A thick foundation brush works best.)
Kjaer Weis is impressive not only due to the high quality of the brand’s products, but also the design of the packaging, which makes synthetic brands pale in comparison – another reason the range has me all a-flutter. As things stand, brands like Patyka and Absolution leave Dior and other dated, golden-capped ranges in the dust. Kjaer’s packaging is also ingenious: the heavy metal packaging is durable and won’t get scuffed up (you will be given a polishing cloth for the product upon purchase) and it is refillable.
I’ve never come across refillable packaging that stays nice while still doing its job. And the refills are affordable.
Kjaer Weis’s selection is simple, and eyeliners, brow pencils, and concealers have yet to make an appearance. Kjaer offers a selection of cream blushes, and lip tints instead of lipsticks, but I find myself missing the traditional options – in this capacity Zuii remains the expert. It will be interesting to see whether Kjaer Weis will expand its range in the future to include these staples.
New natural cosmetics skin care ranges seem to be cropping up left and right. I keep myself updated on new products and choose the most interesting and potent ones for testing – it isn’t difficult to strike gold. But the makeup side of the business confuses me. There is a definite niche in the market for a complete makeup range, especially as worthy competition is few and far between. Why no one has seized the opportunity to take over the world is beyond me.
Kjaer Weis products are sold in Finland with exclusive rights by Jolie.
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Photos Katja Kokko
Translation Katja Nikula
