Review of the Aveda Uruku Collection

Aveda has been partnered with the Yawanawa people of the Brazilian Amazon since 1993. For the anniversary celebration they are re-launching their Uruku collection, including some new additions. The collection includes lipsticks, cheek and lip cream, eye cream, bronzer, eye and lip liner, and a non-animal hair kabuki brush. Current colors are available and new products and added shades will be available August 10, 2008. *Update*: All Products are available in August, except for the Face Bronzer. It will not be released yet.

Uruku Face Bronzer and Uruku Cheek-Lip Crème. The Uruku Face Bronzer is a dual-toned bronzer that you can use on your face, neck, décolleté, or anywhere you want instant color. The bronzer contains no synthetic pigments, but powdered urukum pigments instead. The powder also contains good-for-you ingredients, such as vitamin E from soy, antioxidants, and soy emollients. The Uruku Cheek-Lip Crème is a buildable color cream that can be used on both cheeks and lips. The cream is chocked full of natural oils and antioxidants, including Buriti oil, organic Jojoba oil, and vitamin E. Aveda also added a wonderful blend of uplifting essential oils to enhance your experience.

When I tried both products I wanted to test them by themselves. However, I'm not big on going without foundation or at least something to even out my skin. But I tried to use the Cheek-Lip Crème with the Bronzer alone and absolutely loved it. By using the combination of both products I was given just enough natural looking color for my skin, which made it seem like I had just gotten back from the beach; on my face and décolleté area anyway. Both are available in multiple shades. The suggested retail price of Uruku Bronzer is $22.50, and Uruku Cheek-Lip Crème is $16.00.

Uruku Eye Accent cream is a very lightweight cream that transforms to a powder once applied. The color lasts all day without creasing, and comes in an assortment of earth-friendly shades. The Eye Accent cream is formulated with natural color oils, such as Babassu oil, jojoba oil, and uruku pigment. Aveda also has a Uruku Eye-Lip Color Liner, and it is listed in the "Lips" section.

When I first received the Uruku collection and found a cream-based eye color I was thrilled. I absolutely love easy eye color, especially when it's in a natural tone so it's not apparent that you applied it in seconds. I really liked how there was a nice shimmery sheen to the eye color, plus how it lasted all day without moving or creasing. The extra benefit of natural ingredients is wonderful, and the only scent that you get from it is from the natural ingredients. Uruku Eye Accent cream is available in several shades. Suggested retail price - $16.00.

Uruku Eye-Lip Color Liner and Uruku Lip Pigment. The Uruku Lip Pigment is their wonderfully pigmented lipstick. It is very rich with pigmentation, and give your lips great conditioning and added shine. The Lip Pigment is formulated with natural ingredients such as Babassu oil, organic Jojoba oil, and vitamin E. It is also infused with an invigorating blend of minty organic essential oils. The Eye-Lip Color Liner can be used on both the eyes and the lips. It has a 100% plant-based formula, which gives you a long-lasting smooth and creamy application. Just as with the other Uruku products, the pencil is formulated with natural ingredients such as Buriti, organic Jojoba oil, and Cupuacu butter..

I did not try the Eye-Lip Color Liner, but I did try two of the new colors in the Lip Pigments. The colors of the lipsticks were absolutely fabulous and very high in pigmentation. Even the more neutral tone gave me a very natural, yet enhanced color. I really liked how creamy the lipstick was, but it wasn't slick so it stayed in place very well. One thing I noticed right away was the minty aroma, which was really nice. Since mint is so invigorating, I suppose you could actually use this in the morning in place of your coffee. Ok, maybe not, but it wouldn't hurt to try. Both products are available in several shades. The suggested retail price of Uruku Lip Pigment is $14.00 and Uruku Eye-Lip Color Liner is $12.00.

Uruku Bronzer Brush is not only beautiful but extremely soft as well. Excellent to use with the Uruku Bronzer, the brush is made from non-animal taklon bristles. The color of the brush was inspired by the pigment of the urukum, and is eco-dyed a red-orange hue to show the inspiration. The brush comes with a certified organic cotton pouch, printed with the Yawanawa anaconda snake symbols.

When I pulled the brush from the pouch, the first word out of my mouth was "whoa". The colors are simply astonishing. When I felt the bristles I swear is has to be the softest brush I had ever felt, and it also felt like silk on my skin. There was absolutely no shedding of the brush what-so-ever when I tried it with the Uruku Bronzer. It also picked up the color of the bronzer very well without trapping too much in the bristles, which led to a perfect bronzer application. If I could only buy one brush this year, it would definitely be the Uruku Bronzer Brush. The suggested retail price of the brush is $37.50.