Sephora Just Stocked Its First Black-Owned, Clean Makeup Line Ever
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As a beauty buff, I've had the opportunity to test a bunch of makeup products. But as I've grown to be more conscious of what I'm putting on my skin, I noticed there aren't many clean options that work well for my skin tone. So when I heard that Sephora's first Black-owned clean makeup line was launching this month, I was ecstatic. LYS Beauty landed at Sephora in mid-February with a variety of makeup products, including foundation, primer, lip oil, and blush. Of course, I had to get my hands on it.
Because I've never had an easy time finding foundations that work with my skin undertones, I was pleasantly surprised to see how many options LYS Beauty had. With 35 shades available, the line made it simple to find one that matched my skin. The first product I tried was the Triple Fix Serum Foundation, and it definitely lives up to its name. The texture is velvety smooth and looks like a veil on my skin. Another factor that's important to me is blendability; if a formula doesn't blend easily, then it's simply not for me. However, that isn't the case with this foundation, because the blending process was seamless and the color melted into my skin flawlessly. The color also worked very well for my skin tone, and I didn't feel the need to mix it with anything else in order to get the proper coverage — which leads me to the next thing I love about these products: the actual coverage.
Shop now: $22; sephora.com
I've found that a lot of clean foundations provide minimal coverage (which is great if that's what you prefer!), but I like mine to offer at least medium coverage. I found that this one has buildable coverage so you can increase it depending on your preferences.
The foundation is made with Ashwagandha, an herb that can combat signs of stress in the skin, turmeric for brightening, and hyaluronic acid for maximum hydration. And I'm not the only one who thinks it's a great formula — despite being a fairly new product, it already has a 4.8-star rating from Sephora shoppers. "I hate the feeling of heavy makeup on my face and this is super lightweight and covers my blemishes so I am Zoom-ready for my never-ending conference calls," wrote one customer. "Best foundation I have ever used. I am obsessed with the coverage, feel and finish," said another. The fact that the Triple Fix foundation has this many great details and still doesn't use any toxic ingredients makes it a total game-changer for me.
I also got my hands on the LYS Beauty Secure Skin Gripping Serum Primer. Now, just to be clear, I'm not a big primer girl to begin with. I typically find that by using the right serum and moisturizer, my makeup blends and stays put just the same, but I was curious about this one since the brand claims it's a good option for dark spots. I've suffered from hormonal acne for a few years now, which has resulted in scarring along my chin and jawline.
Shop now: $20; sephora.com
Created for combination and acne-prone skin, the primer's key ingredient is grapefruit extract, which is rich in vitamin C to brighten skin, along with niacinamide and an exfoliating AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) blend to smooth pores.
Just like the foundation, this primer has a lightweight feel to it, which is of the utmost importance to me. I don't like layers of thick or heavy product on my face, and this one results in an airbrush-like finish that makes my skin feel smooth before I apply the rest of my makeup.
All in all, I'm very impressed with the quality of both the primer and the foundation. Sephora's LYS Beauty collection makes it easy to transition over to clean makeup products while supporting a Black-owned business.