Our Story

"Flaws Allowed, Perfection Optional"

In a London flat above her grandmother’s Caribbean takeaway, 28-year-old Aaliyah Barrington spent nights watching hundreds of lipsticks on her arm and testing products that to harsh on her melanin-rich skin. Frustrated by brands that called her melanin-rich skin "hard to match," this Brixton-born beauty obsessive made it her mission to find the best products that actually work for us. 

### 2024: The Beauty Detective Era

After wasting £££ on hyped products that failed darker skin, Aaliyah:  

 Created the UK's first Melanin Beauty Benchmark™ - our 37-point testing protocol  

 Exposed 3 viral products with deceptive swatches in her IG exposés (100K+ shares)  

 Built a 5,000-woman testing panel - real feedback from sizes 6-26, skin tones 1-10  

Why We’re Different

"We Tried It So You Don’t Have To"  

- No Guesswork: Every product survives our 5-point melanin test  

- Hidden Gems: Spotlighting brands the high street ignores  

- No Filter Reviews: See swatches on 10 different skin tones  

Our Unapologetic Promises

 "The Harsh Truth"  

If it oxidizes, transfers or disappears on melanin - we won’t sell it."No Loyalty to Brands" 

We’ll drop products the second quality slips  

 "Real Clean Beauty"

No "greenwashing" - just honest ingredient breakdowns  

Join The Smart Shopping Revolution  

"Your beauty budget deserves respect