Review: IMAN Cosmetics
There seems to be a business model floating around the runways of Paris and New York that requires a turning a former it model into a brand. They accomplish this by trying to act or sing or by creating/endorsing a fragrance or fashion line. Along the way, if she snags the requisite rock star, billionaire, or president (à la Stephanie Seymour and Carla Bruni), more power to them! But there are some concrete reasons to have confidence in former supermodels when makeup is on the table: They know how to enhance and conceal like no one else out there; they once had access to every product and makeup artist under the sun and can discern the good from the bad; a model doesn’t stay relevant long after their glory years unless there have an aptitude in the business of beauty.
Enter Iman, wife of rocker David Bowie, and perhaps the best known Somalian export in the world. She possesses a look comprised of equal parts elegance and fine features that made fashion magazine editors bow to her. In 1994, she founded IMAN Cosmetics. Some figures point to roughly $25 million in sales annually, but regardless of the exact figure, her line has a clear fan base among women all over the world. Her makeup line is about having options for all different shades of skin and having a reasonable price point. Plus, she entered the market just when women of color were demanding more from makeup companies.
One of my beauty needs is finding that suitable and convenient loose powder. The Second to None Semi Loose Powder ($13.99) contains an internal shave mill. Oh la la! One easy turn produces delightful, loose powder easily added to my visage. The Clay Medium shade does a fair job of making me look more polished and less shiny. My southern belle tester -who admittedly has an almost perfect medium brown complexion – liked the Earth Medium shade because “it blended well and had a smooth finish.”
The Luxury Blushing Powder ($9.99) in Posh was a two-shade duo. One generous sweep of the brush and then onto the apples of my cheeks, produced a healthy summer color that went well with my tan complexion, or so said my merry lunch companions. The eye shadow duo was put on my eyes dry and Bejeweled produced a purplish shade with a pearl finish. It can also be applied wet. The lip pencil in tan (reasonably priced at $6.99) could be the base for a lighter color or the complement to a darker more dramatic shade. The Iced Tea lipstick would look particularly lovely on the Latina and Black beauties out there! One nice touch is that the top of the tube has a little plastic peephole window for easier viewing of the color within.
The price points for the tested cosmetics were all under $15! So, now you too can be beautiful naturally without breaking the bank. You can use the money you saved to splurge on other items on your fall beauty list.
For more information or to purchase IMAN products visit imancosmetics.com
