Is the Ofra x Samantha March Collection just another influencer collaboration? Lately, it feels like a new influencer collaboration or celebrity makeup brand drops every week. What once used to be an exciting launch is now routine in the beauty industry.
While some collaborations are adored, other partnerships flop before the products even hit the shelves. It is tiring to see the same brands collaborating with the same 10 influencers to produce limited edition products felt like ill-thought, poorly created cash grabs.
However, when beauty YouTuber, Samantha March, announced her collaboration with Ofra I was beyond excited to see an honest, humble, and hardworking influencer receive this opportunity. Please keep reading for my review of the Ofra x Samantha March collection.
A Little Bit About Samantha March
Samantha March is an American beauty influencer, book blogger, and published author who is best known for popularizing the concept of “Will I Buy It” or “Purchase or Pass” style of videos that have become widespread within the YouTube beauty community. Not only does Sam radiate with positivity, but she always shares honest, heartfelt content that is easy for the average viewer to relate to.
Samantha is beyond gorgeous, inside and out!
To learn more about Samantha, please check out this post on my favorite underrated beauty YouTubers. Click these links to explore Sam’s YouTube Channel, Chick Lit Plus blog, Instagram, and Start Inspired Podcast.
Ofra x Samantha March Collection Claims
- By Samantha March Lip Duo: Story, a mocha nude mauve, is an all-time, Holy Grail, classic nude with a hint of depth, warmth, and cool tones that outlasts the rest. The Millie Lip Gloss can be worn on bare lips or as a topper over any lippie for maximum shine.
- Chic Lit Blush Duo Price: Liquid-to-baked blush pairing will be a breeze to get through with one shimmer side (warm deep rose) and one matte (pink nude). Smooth on this buttery, long-wearing formula onto the apples of the cheeks or as a highlight to show off an effortlessly natural flush.
- River Bronzer Duo: a Liquid-to-baked bronzer duo adds radiance with the shimmer side (warm copper bronze) and depth with the matte (light neutral mocha). Have the super pigment payoff and non-cakey glow of our highlighters while this lightweight and easy-to-blend powder adds dimension to your face
- Start Inspired Highlighter: a highlighter duo featuring Ofra’s Star Island (warm ivory) and Pillow Talk (soft pearl pink), to create this glow-full swirl that can spark any look to next-level lit. Plush, pearl pigment highlighters capture the light in all the right spots and illuminate all your fave features
*All claims have been taken directly from the Ofra website.
Ofra x Samantha March Collection
Packaging & Price
Designed to look like a book, the PR Box is inspired by Samantha’s career as an author. Each of the cheek products in the collection comes in the Ofra’s traditional, white square compact with a large mirror. Both the gloss and liquid lipstick come in rectangular tubes with angled doe-foot applicators.
Influencer affiliate codes work on all the products within the Ofra x Samantha March Collection. Retail prices for each collection – with and without applying a discount code – are listed below:
- PR Box: $129.00 / $103.20
- By Samantha March Lip Duo: $27.00 / $21.60
- Chic Lit Blush Duo Price: $35.00 / $28.00
- River Bronzer Duo Price: $35.00 / $28.00
- Start Inspired Highlighter: $35.00 / $28.00
Ofra x Samantha March PR Bundle
Ingredients
All of the products in the Ofra x Samantha March collection are talc-free except the Story Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick. However, Bismuth Oxychloride (a common skin irritant used in cosmetics) is used in each of the products. Personally, I experienced no irritation using these products.
Cruelty-Free & Vegan Status
Ofra Cosmetics is 100% Cruelty-Free. The brand and its suppliers do not test on animals. However, if Ofra is too pricey, click here for a roundup of 65+ Cruelty-Free brands that won’t break the bank!
The liquid lipstick and cheek products in Ofra x Samantha March Collection appear to be Vegan; however, the brand has not specifically noted that these products are Vegan. The Millie Lip Gloss is NOT Vegan given that this gloss contains beeswax.
Ofra x Samantha March Collection Swatches
As always, swatches are not a perfect determinant of quality. However, swatches can provide clues regarding a product’s pigmentation and ability to blend. The below swatches were done on a bare arm without primer.
Ofra x Samantha March Collection Swatches
As you can tell from the swatches, one of the main benefits of buying split-pan products is that you often receive “3-in-1” products. Not only can both shades stand on their own, but a third variation is created by wirling a brush across both sides of the pan.
Star Island and Pillow Talk are both pre-existing shades in the Ofra highlighter line, but the split-pan creation, Start Inspired, was created in collaboration with Samantha March. The Start Inspired swatch shows what the two highlighters look like when swirled together on a finger.
Samantha March Lip Duo Swatches
As you can tell from the swatches above, the lipgloss has a pearlescent, ultra-glossy shine while the liquid lipstick is creamy and opaque.
Application Tips
As with most Ofra products, each item in the Samantha March collection packs a punch of pigmentation. However, individuals with fair to light skin tones will need to gently apply the blush and bronzer with a less dense, fluffy brush. The Start Inspired Highlighter is a blinding highlight that applies well with a finger or a fluffy highlighter brush.
The large doe-foot applicators of the Story Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick and Millie Lip Gloss make it easy to apply both products directly on the lips. Tap the gloss onto the lips with a finger if wearing the liquid lipstick and the lip gloss together.
RELATED: Read my review of Ofra’s beloved Pillow Talk Highlighter or click here to see where my Ofra Highlighters rank in my collection!
Wear-Time
When worn over a foundation (that I set with translucent powder), the Start Inspired Highlighter, River Bronzer, and Chick Lit Blush last 10-12 hours without fading. Additionally, when worn on the eyelids over an eyeshadow primer, the powders last 10 hours without fading or smudging.
The Story Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick lasts 4-5 hours without fading or transferring when worn alone. When paired with the gloss, the liquid lipstick may need to be reapplied after eating a meal or drinking liquid.
Where is collection sold?
The Ofra x Samantha March Collection is sold on Ofra’s website. Also, this collection is NOT a limited edition release. Each item is a permanent addition to the Ofra family so buyers shouldn’t feel pressured into making a rash decision.
Note: This collection will be available at Ulta in the future. As of this writing, the collection sold out in entirety on the Ulta website!
Ofra x Samantha March PR Bundle
Final Thoughts on the Ofra x Samantha March Collection
First, as a long-time fan of Samantha, her collaboration excited me! I love when brands collaborate with and support smaller creators. It was apparent in all of her videos how excited and grateful Sam was to collaborate with Ofra!
Second, Sam’s handling of the collection launch impressed me. She handled the launch with grace and did not pressure fans into purchasing anything, nor did she complain about the cancellation of her launch party due to the pandemic. Moreover, I loved that Ofra included a free hand sanitizer for those who purchased the PR box. The brand’s thoughtful inclusion of the hand sanitizer brightened my day.
All in all, the quality of the collection impressed me. Except for the highlighter, the cheek and lip products will work on a wide variety of skin tones due to the intense, buildable pigmentation.
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