14e cosmetics soothes, smooths skin w/aloe

If you're anything like me, you've been following @14ecosmetics on Instagram, wondering if these all-natural, organic, cruelty-free and vegan sheer tints and foundations can make your skin as flawless as those featured wearing this aloe-based makeup. Lucky for me, I recently won a bottle of the 14e cosmetics SPF 10 Aloe Nourish Sheer Tint to try.

Professional makeup artist and founder of 14e cosmetics, Emma Fortini, did an amazing job of selecting my shade (03-Bamboo), and was kind enough to toss in three SPF 23 Aloe Nourish Foundation samples in 01-Seashell, 02-Sand and 03-Bamboo). Working with an Ayurvedic molecular biologist, she created these products with aloe vera as the base and skin calming ingredients, such as Gotu Kola and licorice root, to target both acne and early signs of aging (intrigued, right?).

First of all, I'm impressed that Emma picked out the perfect shade of sheer tint for me, based on my Instagram photos (I seriously need to work on my photo-quality, but somehow she got the color just right). This sheer tint is light in texture, although not so sheer that it doesn't do anything for me. It provides a bit of an airbrush finish, without covering my freckles (I love freckles). It doesn't settle into fine lines and feels light as air on my skin. The best part is how it keeps my skin moisturized all day, without melting away in this summer heat. I stay fresh-faced from morning 'til night.

If I need a tad more coverage or some dimension, I'll add those foundation samples into the mix. Btw, how cute is the presentation in this little black bag? You can actually purchase samples from the website (two samples for $6) to narrow down your exact shade in advance and/or to experiment with mixing shades.

The foundation is similar to the sheer tint, but with more coverage and a higher SPF. Here are swatches of the foundation samples next to the sheer tint. From left to right (bottom to the top) are the sheer tint in 03-Bamboo, and the foundations in 03-Bamboo, 02-Sand and 01-Seashell. Although not blended into my skin, you can see how the 03-Bamboo is a perfect match for me. 02-Sand is too light on it's own, but I like to use it as an under-eye concealer. I've also had success using 01-Seashell as a highlighter. There also are two darker shades available, which include 04-Sunkissed and 05-Coconut (not pictured).

Here's a pic I posted on Instagram earlier in the week. It's just a quick photo I took of me wearing the 14e cosmetics SPF 10 Aloe Nourish Sheer Tint in 03-Bamboo, with a tiny bit of the SPF 23 Aloe Nourish Foundation in 02-Sand as an under-eye concealer. Although the quality of this photo isn't the best, you can still get a good idea of the color, as well as how this product soothes and smooths out my complexion. This stuff is so good.

Have you tried 14e cosmetics? What are your thoughts? Let me know on Twitter at @Rawdorable and/or Instagram (also @Rawdorable).

* 14e cosmetics sent me this sheer tint and samples. All opinions are my own :)