As a former chemistry student, “without chemicals” is a weird term to me. Everything is chemicals. However, as time goes on, I discover more and more benefits of natural and organic cosmetics, because it is so much more than just “without chemicals”. Today: Mádara Cosmetics Test.
Mádara Cosmetics Test
Who or what is Mádara Organic Skincare?
Mádara is a Latvian brand, founded by four women, that produces certified organic cosmetics. Its focus is local ingredients, like birch sap. At the moment Mádara manufactures skin care, hair care and makeup.
Mádara Skin Equal Soft Glow Foundation (10)
cruelty-free, vegan, ecocert, gluten free, nut free
Price: 33€
Amount: 30ml
Packaging: Glass with pump
Shade Range: there are 10 shades with different undertones; there is definitely a lot of room for improvement, but at least the range from very light to very deep is quite good
Best before: I bought this in December 2020 and it expires in June 2021; so about 6 months
Coverage: light to medium; two pumps are enough for light coverage of the entire face; it is buildable
Skin-type: dry to normal skin; I think it is possible to use this with oily skin, but proper skin prep is required
Finish: very glowy and skin like; for a nice finish, I suggest using your fingers or a sponge, as it may settle in large pores with a brush
SPF: 15; zinc oxide. However, I do have to mention again: your foundation will not be adequate skin protection, as you will never use enough of it to work properly
Durability: normal; it survived my oiliness pretty well, but failed as soon as I put my mask on. The advantage is, that it doesn’t rub off in a weird way, but just kind of disappears
Ingredients: The main ingredient is Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe) Leaf Juice. This is an amazing skincare ingredient that hydrates, strengthens the protective barrier of the skin and calms irritation. Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin C and Vitamin E protect and nourish. Another interesting ingredient is Vaccinium myrtillus (blueberry) fruit extract.
The Concealer: Perfecting Concealer (15)
cruelty-free, vegan, ecocert, gluten free, nut fre
Price: 20€
Amount: 4ml
Packaging: recyclable plastic with a doe foot applicator
Shade Range: bad; there are only 6 different tones, it doesn’t go deep enough at all and most lean quite warm
Best before: bought in December 2020, best before September 2022; nearly 2 years!
Coverage: light, but buildable; the consistency reminds me more a a serum than a concealer, which is nice for the delicate under eye area
Skin-type: suitable for all skin types, even the dry under eye area
Finish: natural
Ingredients: very similar to the Skin Equal Foundation with extra hydrating factors, such as Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit Butter and without SPF
Cosmic Drops: Buildable Highlighter (Naked Chromosphere 1, Aurora Borealis 4)
cruetly-free, vegan, ecocert, gluten free, nut fre
Price: 25€
Amount: 13,5ml
Packaging: Glass with a dropper
Shade Range: there are four different colors; a golden and a pink one for lighter skin, a golden one for deeper skin and a pink/purple/blue colorful one that is suitable for all skin tones, in my opinion
Best before: bought in December 2020, best before June 2022; so around 18 Months
Texture: very liquid and light; melts in with the skin; very easy to blend
Finish: beautiful shine without large glitter particles; to get a more intense finish, it is buildable, but one layer is already quite pigmented
Ingredients: like all of Mádara makeup, this also contains skin nourishing ingredients like Aloe Leaf Juice, Sodium Levulinate and hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid
Mádara Guilty Sheds: Eye & Cheek Multishadow (Seduction 63)
cruelty-free, vegan, ecocert, gluten free, nut fre
Price: 22€
Amount: 4ml
Packaging: recyclable plastic with a doe foot applicator
Shade Range: 5 shimmery shades (gold, pink, orange, brown, green)
Best before: bought in December 2020, best before October 2022
Texture: pretty stiff creme; easily blendable, melts into the skin
Finish: Mádara describes on their website that this dries down quickly, for me it was left at more of a semi-matte finish that did crease on my eye lids
Ingredients: Again, great skin nourishing ingredients like Aloe Vera, apricot oil and olive oil
Glossy Venom: Lip Gloss
cruelty-free, vegan, ecocert, gluten free, nut fre
Price: 19€
Amount: 4ml
Packaging: recyclable plastic with a doe foot applicator
Shade Range: 8 different shades; I think everyone will be able to find something they like
Best before: bought in December 2020, best before April 2022
Texture: light and not very sticky; feels almost like a lip oil
Finish: glossy (duh)
Durability: not very good, but pretty standard for a lip gloss
Ingredients: a mixture of oils makes this very comfortable to wear. For example: Blueberry Seed Oil or Rice Bran Oil; the plant waxes make this glossy and Vitamin E nourishes
My Conclusion: Mádara Makeup
I love it. I found Mádara Cosmetics, because I was looking for makeup that is good for the skin, that can be applied after facials and skin treatments. Other brands like Jane Iredale, bareMinerals and Inika have not met my expectations, because of their shade ranges and weird textures.
In my opinion, Mádara Makeup is able to achieve something that most other organic makeup brands cannot: you do not notice that they are an organic makeup brand. It does not fulfill any of the typical clichés.
Mádara makeup is creative, innovative and eccentric and at the same time skin nourishing, cruelty-free and environmentally conscious. What else could you want?
A couple of things…
Advertisement
I love the way Mádara advertises their products. We see real, untouched (or minimally retouched) skin. We see men and women, light and deep skin types. Reality FTW!
Pro Discount
Mádara offers a pro discount, which is open to people in the beauty industry. You only need to provide a link to your portfolio.
Free Samples
This practice is normal in North America, but not in Europe. So it is amazing that Mádara offers up to 5 free samples. You just need to pay for the packaging.
I’m excited to try more!
Maike Make up Artist Wien – Your cruelty-free makeup artist in Vienna