Gabriel Color, part of Gabriel Cosmetics, Inc., is one of the leading brands of natural cosmetics in the United States. After testing out some of their products, it's not at all difficult to see why! If you're a regular shopper at any major health food grocery store, you've probably seen their cosmetics hanging out in the beauty department. While I had always been intrigued by their products, I had never actually purchased them before, opting instead for their daughter brand, Zuzu Luxe, with its more contemporary packaging and color palette.
Gabriel Cosmetics was kind enough to send me over some of their products to share with you on the blog. Among these were their Dual Powder Foundation ($26.35), Gabriel Lipstick gluten and lead free ($16.75), and Gabriel Blush ($18.35).
Dual Powder Foundation in Medium Beige:
top level : mirror & foundation
bottom level: sponge/applicator
My skin is very oily so I have major problems with foundation. The major-ist of all major-osities being that my face loves to look like an oil slick within an hour or so after applying my foundation *shakes fists*. Luckily for me, this powder foundation is one of the few that works well to keep my face from looking like shine city for as long as possible. The foundation didn't roll off my face (i.e. MELT) in the summer sun and my skin remained matte for a good amount of time. The formula is (thankfully) quite mattifying and (thankfully) non-drying to the skin and can be applied sheer or thick for full coverage. The medium beige color works well as both a foundation or a bronzer for those lovely non-summer months. I would recommend locating a retailer and testing out the colors since the powder foundation is only offered in 5 shades.
As for the packaging, I just didn't care much for the applicator/powder puff. It's slightly more dense than some other sponges which made spreading the makeup evenly a little more difficult, but that is pretty much the only complaint that I have. The compact itself is nicely designed with a very sleek look and a great, durable construction.
Gabriel Blush in Apricot:
Words cannot express how much I love this blush, particularly in this shade. First off, the blush is completely matte, no sparkles or shimmer at all. Second, it's a great peachy pink color that is super flattering. Peach has been the "it" color for many years now, and this is certainly a great peach! The blush has a nice amount of pigmentation, just the right amount to apply it softly (great for pale skin) or with a bit of a heavier hand for a more made up look. Either way, the blush looks great on and blends into the skin nice and evenly. The blush lasted all day for me with no need to reapply and gave my face a bright, youthful glow. This is has become my everyday blush, I am absolutely in love with this product!
Gabriel Lipstick in Sheer Rose:
Sheer rose lipstick blotted gently:
This lipstick is so smooth, gentle and moisturizing. I have to admit, I am very much a gloss person because, well, my lips are kinda dry and are often subject to those little peely things *shakes fists yet again*. Enter Gabriel Lipstick: super moisturizing and soft with a little bit of shine, perfect! I can't believe how smoothly this lipstick glides on and how great it looks. Lipstick convert here.
I tried out the lipstick in Sheer Rose which is not sheer in the least but is VERY pretty! Gorgeous even. Normally I opt for nude colors so even this pink was quite a stretch for me. The color makes me think of a great runway looks with its fresh, flattering color. The pigmentation is excellent and the color is so vibrant and beautiful. I feel like it also gives the illusion of plumper lips! Actually, one of my favorite things about Gabriel Colors is their.... colors (surprise!). Their lipstick color choices have a really nice and unique range, colors that would be appealing to mature tastes (and I mean mature like your great, great aunt Gladys, and it is rare for brands to cater to Gladys anymore), but also appealing to the fashion forward younger crowd.
Sasquatch Swatch actually did some AMAZING swatches of Gabriel Lipsticks which you can see here. Be aware that the colors seem to be applied quite heavily in those swatches. I found that by blotting gently I was able to obtain a more muted colors that were more wearable for me.
Here are some of my arm swatches of the blush (left) and the lipstick (right). The lipstick is shown in a thin, blotted layer under a single swipe:
Unlike many cosmetics, Gabriel Color products are naturally based, vegan, and gluten free. In fact, for all of August, Gabriel Cosmetics is donating 5% of all of its online sales to the Celiac Disease Foundation. I know a lot of you who follow the blog are vegan/vegetarian or live a gluten free lifestyle so definitely check out this brand, for those of you that aren't I still highly recommend it!
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Courtesy of Gabriel Cosmetics, Inc. one of you will win ALL of the products featured on this post + some goodies from Zuzu Luxe! Just visit this post to enter the giveaway! Please note that the lipstick in the giveaway will be in "clay" rather than "sheer rose".
**I was provided with the products mentioned in this post free of charge. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post & was not obligated to give a positive review of the product. All opinions expressed here are mine. Others experiences with these products may differ from mine. **
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