Almay Class of '18 + YouTube

Back in my early days getting into makeup Almay was my go to brand. I mean it! I virtually owned everything from powder foundation, liquid foundation, to every type of black eyeliner they sold. 

I was so blessed to be invited to join the Almay Class of 2018. The class of 2018 has the hopes of being glam, silly, wild, dorky, mysterious, and natural. Ultimately Almay wants this class to be whoever we want to be and reveal the true you! Which are all mottos I can get behind. I also think that its really cool Rashida Jones is the spokesperson behind the brand right now.

I loved that this PR package was so thoughtful. I was about in tears by the time I opened it up. I feel very honored that Almay included me in this! Although I had a hard time choosing a yearbook quote to change my sign out I decided to pick, "Non, je ne regrette rien," from the iconic Edith Piaf (more pictures to come later).

Almay also challenged me to pick a superlative for the class of 2018. This was hard for me to pick as well! Maybe most likely to drop everything to audition for Mia when La La Land goes to Broadway.

Almay Shadow Squad / $6.99 / 0.12 oz

This eyeshadow is monochromatic eyeshadow with four different finishes.  The top two shades are matte and glitter and the bottom two shades are metallic and satin. Shadow Squad claims to have a velvety smooth texture, with rich color. These eyeshadows are hypoallergenic and safe for sensitive eyes!

I received ten shades to try:
190 Unapologetic - A pretty pink terracotta red. A very neutral red. This shadow squad was my favorite. Its very werable and has a great 10-12 hour wear time.
110 Cause a Stir - A taupe grey.
Here Goes Nothing - This is a light beige. Similar to Less is More this is a great transition shade or perfect for a very natural look.
Less is More - This is a true cream. Its a great transition shade. This quad is great for starting eye shadow looks or adding a little sparkle that looks rather natural.
120 Never Settle - A medium cream eyeshadow. This was a lighter version of Own It. I could see myself wearing this eyeshadow everyday as well.
230 Own It - A rosy medium. This eyeshadow is perfect because it matches really well with my natural skintone. I love eyeshadows like these especially when I don't feel like breaking out a palette and burning through a transition shade. This eyeshadow is great for days when I just want to focus on lips or wear just one eyeshadow.
150 Pure Gold, Baby - Gold! This was one of the prettiest Shadow Squads. I loved every finish of this quad.
160 Thrill Seeker - Teal! Definitely not my jam, but I gave it to my bff Abbey who pulls of blue like its no one's business.
240 Throwing Shade - A dark grey, looks brown up close. Its perfect for a Mary Kate and Ashley smokey eye. This shade isn't really my jam as I don't really do a smoky eye anymore but if I wanted to sub out eyeliner I could with this shade.
170 Individualist - Dark chocolate brown. The glitter and metallic shades were the prettiest.

I apologize for not swatching all of them. There is definitely differentiation between them all but these are definitely very true to the matte shade (the first shade on the left).  Only a few of these quads really spoke to me. Unapolegetic, Never Settle, and Own It. While they claim to have rich color the payoff is pretty weak. It was really hard for me to swatch especially because I've tanned so much lately on my walks my skin tone has definitely become more of a tan medium.

I personally don't get much color out of these eyeshadows. For me that's not ideal but I could see these working for people who aren't huge about bold eyeshadow looks (not what the eyeshadow claims though). The eyeshadows are kind of chalky, but build-able. I found myself having to really go back a few times to get the pigmentation I wanted out of these shadows. Personally I like the matte shade the best but the glitter shades are pretty too.

Almay Instant Glow Highlighting Duo

Soft Glow (on sale originally $11.99 now 8.39) - This highlighter is hypoallergenic and claims to give a healthy level glow.  After trying it a few times I was pleased with the results. It definitely is a more natural looking highlighter for someone who doesn't prefer a super strobe-y look. I like that its a 2 in 1 so I have the choice to use the liquid or the cream to powder side. I would say that this highlighter is pretty sheer but doesn't blend the best into my foundations.

Pop It On - Similar to Soft Glow, Pop it On is very wearable. I would definitely suggest these highlighters for someone who likes a more natural glow or just getting into makeup. I love adding drops of the liquid into my foundation to add a more dewey look to my makeup. I think I almost love how it works in foundation more than alone. I've almost used it all within the short-ish time I've had it.

Smart Shade Butter Kiss Lipstick

This lipstick comes in 8 unique shades. It claims to be ultra-hydrating with a pop of color. While looking through the shades on Almay's website there seems to only be lipsticks in light, light/medium, and medium. It seems strange to me that there are no colors in deep, but from what their website says it looks like they may be expanding their shade range!

Red - Light/ Medium - At first I was so confused at this name. Is it light or medium red?! I think the name relates to red for skin tones light/medium. I will have to respectfully disagree this lipstick gave me almost no color pay off at all for a red lipstick. It reminded me of Maybelline's Baby Lips' in Cherry Me but with a fourth of its power.

Pink - Light - Similar to the red I really struggled with this lipstick. I could get almost no color on my lips?! I think my lips are rather light as well? I was really disapointed by these two shades. I was hoping they had more pigment.

Nude - Light - This nude worked for me, hooray! I have been wanting a new nude lipstick forever and this shade gives enough color for a nice natural nude lip. This lipstick has 4-5 hour wear.

Almay Pen Eyeliner

This eyeliner was fascinating to me. I was positive it wasn't going to give me any eyeliner or be dark enough but man was I wrong! This eyeliner is so cool. The ballpoint tip is just so strange but it gives a great inky eyeliner. Although I have to start my eyeliner look with a finer eyeliner (Inko or KVD) I go back in with this eyeliner to fill it in. However I think if you can angle this eyeliner and hold it pretty lightly it'll give a good thin line to start with.

Almay Oil Free Makeup Eraser Sticks.

At first I had an impossible time with these things. You're supposed to push up the side with the ring and remover flows through but I swear its like WWE Smackdown with me and these things. I finally got them to work and they're great for the days when my cat eye isn't having it or when things get messy.

For what seems like a long time now I've wanted to start a YouTube channel. A lot of my friends and followers have encouraged me on my first video and I'm really excited to share it with you guys. This package from Almay was a huge push to get it started and I want to thank them for supporting influencers. Many many thanks to my friend Mallory- from MalloryxTaylor for helping me film it, making my room a YouTube studio, and laughing with me along the way. Please give her site a follow and check her out on Instagram.

So here is my review/get ready with me video about these products!

Products Mentioned Above:

Well that's my review folks! Anyone used Almay's products before?


PS How about these pics?! Major thanks to my friend Mallory for helping me bring this post to you all!

I received these products complimentary from Almay for testing purposes. All opinions are always my own.