"Shark Tank" star Kevin O'Leary, also known as Mr. Wonderful, infamously referred to two Black women [3] as "colorful cockroaches" during their pitch in 2015. Unsurprisingly, many people, myself included, waited anxiously when, years later, two other Black women — Myisha Fantroy [4] and Alicia Scott [5] — went on the show a few weeks ago to pitch their own cosmetics line. Their company, Range Beauty, makes products that are inclusive [6] of a wide range of skin tones and skin conditions. (Scott has experienced both acne [7] and eczema [8].)
They received funding (sans degrading insults), so I naturally had to try the "Shark Tank"-approved makeup line everyone was buzzing about. Makeup that won't irritate my acne-prone skin [9]? Sign me up.
To make the color-matching process easier, the brand lets you try quite a few sampling options. I chose the True Intentions Hydrating Foundation Sample Kit [10] ($20, originally $23) in Brown to see which shade would work best for my skin tone.
The kit came with five samples, each housed in what looked like a mini lip-gloss tube and equipped with a doe-foot applicator. The bottles were transparent, so I was able to eyeball which shades I thought would work best for me. Sahara's Rose ended up being too dark and Rio too yellow, so I mixed the colors to create a custom shade. Using my Nyx Professional Makeup Can't Stop Won't Stop Foundation Brush [11] ($15), I buffed the product into my skin using circular motions to mix the colors and blend the foundation simultaneously.
Not only was the color match exquisite, but I also felt like I had nothing on my face at all — there was no sticky residue or product transfer when I touched my face. Best of all? My skin had a beautiful glow without feeling at all greasy.
As someone who prefers a dewy-foundation effect but also has combination-to-oily skin, the spring and summer seasons often have me struggling to achieve glow without grease. This product has already done half the work for me — the formula gives a glowy "satin" finish [12] without the mess that can come from some dewy foundations. The coverage was also light to medium, with some of my darker marks still peeking through — creating a "my skin, but better" effect.
My only gripe is one that I have with almost all cosmetic lines: I would have to buy two shades of the foundation to get my perfect match. My skin has a slightly unusual (or just difficult-to-pinpoint) undertone, so it's not unheard of for me to buy multiple foundation shades to mix. Still, I don't like having to spend double to get the same results, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a shade-range extension in the future that focuses a bit more on undertones.
Overall, however, this foundation is definitely worth the hype, and I'll be trying more products from the line.
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