All we need now are some jingle bells and ribbons! ?
I’m a big fan of giving gifts to yourself during the holidays (and giving gifts to other people, too, of course), but, you know…sometimes, if you don’t do it, who will?
In the spirit of holiday self-gifting, have you checked out any products from Kjær Weis before? They’re my new favorite luxury natural beauty line.
20% off for Friends & Family at Credo Beauty
If you want to #treatyoself, enter code CredoLovesFriends now through December 11th to get 20% off orders over $75 from Credo Beauty, where you can find Kjær Weis and many other fab natural/organic beauty brands. Happy shopping!
Kjær Weis. Um…how do you say that? Is it a hard “k,” hard “j”? Well, it’s pronounced “kee-yar wise,” and it’s the last name of the brand’s founder, New York-based makeup artist Kirsten Kjær Weis.
Kirsten said that when she was creating the products for the brand, she wanted to use natural ingredients, but she wanted everything to perform as well as products from the big beauty brands.
The makeup is made in Italy using certified organic or certified natural ingredients from around the world, and everything is labeled either “certified organic” or “certified natural” by Italy’s organic governing body.
They don’t use any artificial ingredients, so no parabens, petroleums, or artificial colors or fragrances, and everything is cruelty-free.
Also, because a common issue with products that contain natural ingredients sometimes is that the colors vary from one individual item to the next, Kirsten hand-inspects every batch to make sure that the colors and textures are all consistent, which I think is pretty cool.
It’s an elegant “less is more” line with a focus on enhancing your natural features, and the product range has been edited down to the kind of beauty basics a gal might take with her on a weekend trip, like cream foundation, cream blush, cream bronzer and highlighter, lip tints, lipsticks and powder eyeshadow.
They use ingredients like…
- Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract — A medicinal herb that can stimulate collagen production. It’s an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial properties, and it’s supposed to be great for sensitive skin.
- Glyceryl Caprylate — A naturally derived “preservative” from coconut and palm plants that acts as a moisturizer and emulsifying agent with excellent antibacterial properties.
- Cera Alba — A refined form of beeswax. According to Kjær Weis, theirs comes from ecologically sound apiaries, and it’s used as an emulsifier and consistency regulator. Beeswax has a structure that provides a breathable barrier against outside elements while nourishing the skin.
- Rosa Damascena Flower Oil — Derived from the rose plant. A natural perfume.
You can find out more about their ingredients here…
I’m already completely hooked on the line. I’ve only tried three things so far, but I want to try everything else! ERRRRTHANG.
The cream foundation ($68) is gorge! — and not just because of that packaging, which has the heft of good jewelry. Side note: everything in the line — the compacts, the lipstick bullets, everything — is refillable, and refill pans are available in simple paper cartons.
I know, $68 is pricey, but the refills are $40 each, so they’re comparable to other higher-end foundations.
The cream foundation comes in nine shades from light to deep. The one I wear is called Illusion. It’s a warm honey for medium to medium-dark skin tones with golden or golden olive undertones.
The lightweight formula barely feels like anything, and it looks so satiny and natural that I can’t even tell where the makeup ends and my skin begins, not even up close.
It lasts all day for me on my combination skin, and the coverage is medium, but it’s easy to bump it up to full with layers.
The cream blush, which comes in 10 shades, is pigmented, and it blends beautifully with fingers or a brush (no risk of crazy clown circles on your cheeks here). The compact with pan is $56, and the refills are $32.
I’m wearing the shade called Sun Touched, which is a dewy coral for fair to medium-dark skin tones with golden undertones. I think it looks like just-pinched baby cheeks. 🙂
As for the lipsticks, this one I’m wearing above, which is called Love, is intense!
SO opaque. It’s a smooth reddish coral, and it feels like silk when it glides across my lips.
It’s $56 (yes, I know), and refills are $36.
In addition to Love, there’s also Adore (a deep classic red), Believe (a rich plum), Empower (a hot pink), Honor (a nude with pink undertones), KW Red (a classic universal red) and Brilliant (a warm nude).
The products are pretty pricey, but they sure look and feel lovely and luxurious. Everything I’ve tried also performs well, and I love the thoughtful approach to their ingredients.
One to try if you like natural ingredients and elegant makeup.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Ooooh, I had been curious about this range since Lisa Eldridge mentioned it in a video a while ago. It’s the first review I’ve read and I have to say I’m really intrigued! I don’t know of any other luxury natural makeup.
I know you love elegant and streamlined so I think you’ll love it. I’m gonna try the mascara and eyeshadow next and will let you know if it’s good. Hope you’re having a good week so far. How’s the job search going?
All is quiet on that front for now!
I’ve been wanting to try this brand for EVER, I love love love a couple of the blush shades and I’ve been really intrigued by the lip shades that come in the pots! Seriously considering using that promo code, so thanks! Also thanks because you’re the very first blog I’ve seen do a review, and it’s nice to see that the stuff is actually pigmented and pretty! 🙂
xx
You’re welcome! If you make the splurge let me know what you end up getting. I have a few things in my cart right now — a hot pink lipstick and two of the powder eyeshadows. I’m debating on the mascara because I’ve heard it’s great but I dunno, I’m such a sucker for color products.
If you have any questions feel free to ask!
I have one of their eyeshadows. Came in a beauty box. Was pretty impressed with it, but it was not until recently that I actually start to see blogs talk about the brand. Definitely tempted to try more now 🙂
Hm, like Tarte meets Chanel, where have you been all my life! I can’t wait to give this line a try. If I’m going to try one thing what should I get Karen?
I’d say go for the foundation or a lipstick! If you’re a coral person the lippie in Love is gorgeous.
I had never heard of this brand before but it sure sounds intriguing. I’m a cream blush lover and this one looks so gorgeous!
Hi Lulle,
I think you’ll love it! What I’ve tried so far has been really great. If you get the chance give the foundation a go. It’s fabulous!
I have some eyeshadows by Kjaer Weis (I popped them into a Z-palette instead of paying for the packaging), and Cloud 9 is one of my absolute favorite (and most used) eyeshadows ever. For me, it’s the perfect amount of satiny-ness for the shadow I place as a base/highlight from crease to eyebrow; my crease/transition/blending shade goes on over it in the crease, and it helps it to blend better. Matte shadows just emphasize my eye wrinkles too much by making them look really dry, too, but I don’t want anything really shiny for everyday wear. Cloud 9 is just perfect, and Grace is a great crease shade. So maybe I should try some more Kjaer Weis products 🙂
Ha, I was thinking about grabbing a couple of the eyeshadow refills and sticking them in my NARS palette. 😀 I just looked up Cloud Nine and Grace and both are so pretty. I know what you mean about matte shadows making the lids look really dry (I have the same issue), and so I’m always looking for those shiny-but-not-too-shiny shades. The finishes on the shadows sound PERFECT. SO EXCITED! I’ve also heard good things about the mascara, but I’m such a color junkie, ya know?
I heard about this brand from Lisa Eldridge. I definitely want to try the foundations.
Oh, I love color! But my fave Kjaer Weis shadows are the neutrals — Wisdom and Onyx in addition to Cloud 9 and Grace. I hope you like them. I think they’re the perfect not-too-shiny satin that blurs things beautifully.
Looks soelegant and gorgeous on you. I will HAVE tocheck it out so interested
I wish there was a counter or boutique around here so I could play with the brand!
Karen, how do you like to apply the foundation?
Hi Gail,
I use either a the Vanish Seamless Brush by Hourglass or a damp BeautyBlender. Fingers work great too!
Thanks Karen. Have only tried fingers so far but will try your other two suggestions too. I do like the foundation a lot!