INDIE MAKEUP SPOTLIGHT | OPV

I honestly love going onto sites like Beauty Bay and discovering brands I might not have otherwise heard of, so I thought I'd start a new little series spotlighting indie makeup brands that you might not be on your radar yet but really should be! Today we're starting with OPV Beauty...

- ABOUT THE BRAND -

OPV Beauty actually has a sister brand - OPV Hair, which I think came first. This is a UK black-owned beauty brand that was launched by two sisters with the goal of creating an inclusive line of primarily colour products, as an antidote to the wishy-washy 'nude' eyeshadow palettes that are widely available from mainstream brands.

It's all about bold colour that will look dramatic on the skin, whether you're the fairest of the fair or the deepest of the deep. Some of their products are more themed with a focused colour story (like the two palettes I have here) and others are designed more for professional use. These products are all cruelty-free too!

- ABOUT THE PRODUCTS -

I have two palettes from this brand: Yemoja* & Oshun | £29 each. Within these two similarly-themed palettes, I find the formulas to be very much alike, so I'll give you a bit of an overview of the quality and then dive into the individual colour stories of each.

In terms of packaging; yes, it's cardboard, but I've not had any issues in terms of its durability, and I have occasionally travelled with these palettes. There are pretty large in size and the pans are huge too! Each of these palettes has a strong colour story and has an African mythological theme - which I love, as a total nerd for myths and legends. This goes from the illustrations on the packaging through to the shade names. Oshun is a Yoruba goddess and this golden palette gives me 'sun goddess' vibes. Yemoja is a Yoruba water deity so, fittingly, this palette has a blue mermaid theme.

What I love about these palettes is how the different finishes and textures always make me excited to reach for them and do something a little bit creative! There's a normal shimmer formula that's still incredibly beautiful and opaque but has a slightly softer finish. Then there's a foiled formula that gives that incredible metallic finish. We also have these sorts of pressed glitters, which I like to use with a glitter primer or a bit of MAC Fix + to ensure they really stick to my lid. The matte formula is also beautiful; even the usually-tricky brighter and deeper shades are incredibly creamy, pigmented and blend out beautifully! The longevity of these shadows is pretty good and (if you couldn't already tell) I think you can create some beautiful looks with these different finishes.

Oshun is my ultimate warm-toned palette. It contains red, copper, berry, several takes on gold, yellow, orange and brown. You can create a gorgeous sunset eyeshadow look with this or actually something quite wearable and everyday-appropriate. I think it's a well-balanced palette - I usually use Sandalwood as a transition, Aura or Vetiver in the crease and Mystic across the lower lash line but I can still create totally different looks depending on which of the tones I use across the lid. These colours are so easy to blend and don't muddy together, which I love (particularly as someone who isn't a makeup professional).

Yemoja is like a warm-toned jewel palette. I like that this one has a few more mattes and the colour story is beautiful overall. My one little gripe is really that some of these mattes are quite similar - between Oya and Eyo, one has warmer undertones and one has more of a green hue, but they're both very deep charcoal colours that will look virtually the same once applied. I also find that Yewa and Eko are quite similar - the former is more muted and brown and the latter is more vibrant and red, but at the end of the day they're both berry mattes. You get a warm orange-brown crease colour, normal shimmers in deep green and blue (I'm kind of basic like that, so tend to use these on the lower lash line), some copper and berry tones, and that gorgeous bright gold. You can go colourful with this shade selection or create a pretty pinky-berry look I'd wear to the office.

Have you ever tried OPV Beauty? If not, have their products piqued your interest?

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Disclosure - products marked * were gifted to me as unpaid advertisement for the brands / websites mentioned. All opinions expressed are my own. Please read my disclosure page for more information.

Read more posts from this series here!