Upon unboxing Prados Beauty new Lauren Good Day line, the beauty of the indigenous art designs illustrated on the kit took my breath away. When I opened the ombre box, there were four mini eyeshadow palettes, three liquid lipsticks, three sets of lashes, one liquid eyeliner, and one regular-sized eyeshadow palette.
Launched on October 6th, 2023, the line was presented as a part of an annual Indigenous People’s Day collection release. Lauren Good Day, renowned native artist, is said to have dedicated her life’s work to promoting and revitalizing the art of her people. With a colorful variety of art forms, Lauren can now add one more to her resume: cosmetics. The collaboration was inspired by Lauren’s vibrant and intricate designs, and features products that honor the culturally rich traditions of indigenous people.
The Lauren Good Day line, as beautiful and vibrant as it may be, is one of the various collaborations Prados has done to bring forward indigiousnous empowerment. Founder and CEO of Prados, Cece Meadows, is a proud Xicana and Yoeme indigena, who launched this line in 2019 to shine a positive light on the indigenous community.
“As an Indigenous woman, I created Prados Beauty because I wanted to create products that would help Indigenous people feel seen and celebrated. The Prados Beauty color palettes are reflections of my indigenous roots and things I grew up seeing on the traditional homelands of my family in Mexica. The colors are inspired by the nature, traditions, and community of my culture,” says Cece.
Since its launch three years ago, Prados has moved forward in groundbreaking ways, winning the Allure Best of Beauty award in 2022 and is currently an impact finalist in the 2023 Beauty Matter NEXT awards.
But just how fab is the brand really? Well beauty queens, I had the utmost honor of reviewing the brand’s latest Lauren Good Day line, and I am ready to spill all the deets on this vegan beauty brand.
6 Pan Eyeshadow
Sun Fire, Plant Medicine, Mother Earth, and Healing Waters are the names of the 6-pan eyeshadow palettes from the Lauren Good Day line. Selling for a retail price of $18 a palette, these shadows are very beautifully pigmented. They are rich and vibrant in color. Not to mention, long-lasting. You’re sure to get loads of compliments while wearing your fav looks with these palettes.
Grand Entry Eyeshadow Palette
This 30-pan palette retails for $55. Like the mini palettes, the vibrancy of the colors were phenom! With added colors, the possibilities for a glam ombre smokey-eye look are endless. However, neither this palette nor the 6 pan palettes are without flaws, and these flaws lie within the glitter shadow.
OK glam gals, this is the moment of truth. It’s no secret that glitter shadows add that extra sass to your looks. It’s that sparkle you never knew you needed. The slight issue I found with Prados glitter shadow was that some colors would clump up upon application, while others just didn’t deliver that ‘wow’ glitter beauty I had hoped for without the extra effort of layering several coats of shadow.
When is there too much pigment? Another notably obvious fact about the eyeshadow line is that the colors are so deep and luscious. In most cases, rich pigment shouldn’t be a flaw, BUT in the case of the darker colors for this line such as ‘black’ and ‘deep brown’, I felt myself having to work in the color a bit more to get an even blend for the perfect smokey-eye. But once those colors were on and the tones were blended, the results were worth the extra wrist work!
Yes there is room for improvement, but what I will say is that both ‘flaws’ mentioned are so minimal that in spite of them, I was still able to create some truly amazing and downright fab looks. In comparison to other brands of vegan eyeshadows I have used in the past, I found Prados Beauty eyeshadow to be a top pick.
But why take my word for it? Check it out for yourself.
Liquid Eyeliner
Liquid eyeliner has been a crowd favorite over the last few years with the wing eyeliner phase. The ‘Brown Baddie’ felt tip eyeliner is on the market for just $18. But does it live up to those flawless winged liner expectations? Unfortunately for me, the Prados liner did not cut it. The water base of the liner made it difficult to build up that bold look we all love from a liner without it becoming a bit ‘messy’ and untamed. To accomplish that clean-lined look, I found it easiest to draw your single line and allow it dry prior to going over it again with your felt-tipped liner. Yet another downfall of this eyeliner was that the water-base made it easily removable. Too easy. One whip of a finger or towelette would have your liner completely wiped clean. I’m afraid this made the eyeliner a bit too unreliable for my liking. But can I say with complete certainty that this risky ordeal is a total deal breaker? On the ‘up’ side, I did manage to wear this liner during a four-hour event with no noticeable smears. This tiny detail makes the liner a suitable choice for evening wear or a brief event, such as a brunch or dinner selection or quick meet-and-greet.
Liquid Lipstick
I can’t say enough good things about the Prados liquid lipsticks. These matte beauties are absolute show-stoppers! Chief Woman Matte Liquid Lip, Little Elk, and Sacred Butterfly are the three matte colors available for $18 a piece. These lipsticks are beautiful, vibrant and definitely long-wear. The only con I would have to note is that as lovely as these lipsticks look, you may not share the same feelings when it comes to the product’s feel on the skin. This product does not possess that weightless feel that many on-the-go business women adore. On the contrary, it’s quite the opposite when it comes to texture and consistency. The thickness of the lipstick is very present, leaving the feel of a clay mask on your lips. If you can get past this, you will absolutely love the Prados Liquid Lip line. I sure did!
Lashes
The Mink Lashes are a must-have. They are high quality and, truthfully speaking, the softest eyelashes I’ve ever worn. These lashes were full and luscious, I could not get over how thick and fab these were. They were the absolute cherry on top for my eye look. The Prados lashes for this line were the Tradish Lashes, Jingle Lashes and Fancy Lashes, running at $15 per set. For that price point, you’re definitely getting a good bang for your buck.
“We are really good at formulating really beautiful and long lasting cosmetics that are vegan friendly, talc free and cruelty free always, people love that,” says Cece Meadows.
Prados Beauty is truly one of a kind. With its bold color palette, it’s empowering to the community and the everyday woman without being transparent. You never really know the potential of these looks you may create with all that’s available in the Prados variety. The Prados VIP Box with all their must-haves is available for $225 or a more standard kit for $205. Do yourself a favor and don’t wait to try out the Prados Beauty Lauren Good Day Line. You won’t regret it!
XOXO,
Your fashion bestie
