No Cap, Uoma By Sharon C. Is The Real Freaking Deal

Rarely does a beauty product impress me anymore. That sounds pessimistic as hell, but it’s true. There are simply so many beauty brands popping up every single day, particularly in the “clean beauty” arena. This, to me and to Uoma Beauty Founder Sharon Chuter, is essentially a “bullsh*t hysteria” industry masked as science but is largely built on marketing tactics, fear, and exclusivity. Sometimes, it seems like the bar for introducing something new to the beauty market is on the floor. But not for Chuter, who, after much research and planning since the launch of Uoma Beauty in 2018, is releasing an extension of her brand: Uoma by Sharon C., available on the Uoma Beauty website and exclusively at Walmart on June 18.

“I'm not here to have low bars,” she tells me recently over Zoom. “I'm here to do what we need to do for the future, and that has to be mindful intersectionality. When we talk about sustainability, when we talk about diversity inclusion and equity and bringing everybody to the table, you cannot look at any of these issues [in a vacuum].”

For Uoma by Sharon C., that intersectional inclusivity and mindfulness materializes in several ways, namely in accessible pricing, conscious ingredients, responsible sourcing, vegan and cruelty-free formulas, recycled materials, and a diverse range of complexion products. Chuter was unwilling to compromise on these tenets of a truly “inclusive” brand in the name of ease or marketing, and the end result is not something that hinges on a trend or a buzz word, but is instead a framework, a “balanced approach to the future” of beauty. You don’t need to compromise on formula just to make prices more affordable. You don’t need to clear out an entire forest for the sake of branding something as “100% natural.” You do need to be conscious and resourceful. Chuter made that clear in each of Uoma by Sharon C.’s six launch products.

This new line, a mass market launch geared toward Gen Z, consists of the following: The Go Awf! 2-in-1 Water-Activated Cleansing Wipes, the Go Awf! Au Natural Cleansing Oil, two strengths of the Supa’ Natural Glow Vitamin C Serum, the Flawless IRL Foundation, the It’s Complicated Glossy Lip Tint & Oil, and the Badder Boom Volumizing Mascara. Each product is packed with good-for-your-skin ingredients, and perhaps most importantly, all the products are under $25.

After chatting with Chuter about the products and testing the entire line prior to launch, here’s how I rated the line as a whole in the below areas, followed by a detailed review of each Uoma by Sharon C. product:

Go Awf! 2-in-1 Water-Activated Cleansing Wipes ($5.99)

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When we talk about the Go Awf! Water-Activated Cleansing Wipes, I joke that I’m scared to admit I used makeup wipes when I was younger because of how the industry has demonized them in recent years. And rightfully so. The negative impact of single-use, non-biodegradable products on the environment is real and well-documented. But as a teenager, I did not have the wherewithal to properly remove my makeup after a night out with friends.

Chuter nods when I tell her this, understanding that convenience, for many, is key. She designed the water-activated, biodegradable Go Awf! Cleansing Wipes to mimic the convenience of a wipe and the eco-conscious practice of putting cleansing agents on a cotton pad. “Why wouldn't I just make it convenient?” she says. “Instead of going to a different material that's really bad for the planet, why don't I use the same material that I know is good for the planet, is good for your skin, and, instead, just advance the technology from there?”

Compact, easy to travel with, and straightforward, the Cleansing Wipes were everything I wanted them to be before, during, and after use. Whereas most wipes or cleansing pads require tugging, rubbing, and still leave residue, I didn’t experience that with these wipes. I also didn’t experience any makeup residue on the wipe transferring back to my skin — a nuisance I’ve run into more than a few times. With just a little bit of water and about two minutes of gentle circles, my makeup was nowhere to be found.

Go Awf! Au Natural Cleansing Oil ($14.99)

Cleansing oils can be a bit tricky, depending on your skin type. My dry skin loved the Go Awf! Au Natural Cleansing Oil, and the uber-moisturizing formula left me with a nice, natural glow. For those with really oily skin, you might be understandably wary of adding a boatload of extra oil and heavy ingredients to your skin. The Cleansing Oil, however, toes the line nicely between effective, strong, makeup-removing cleanser and lightweight, gentle formula, with nourishing ingredients like olive oil, castor oil, and vitamin E. Even more, it’s made with 100% post-consumer recycled materials (PCR).

Supa’ Natural Glow Vitamin C Serum ($17.99)

For Chuter, “conscious” ingredients and formulas don’t just mean “natural” or “sustainable” ingredients. It also involves being conscious about skin sensitivity levels and understanding that what works for some skin types might not work for others. “A lot of my focus around conscious ingredients was really making sure it's what all can be included from a sensitive skin perspective,” she says, “because some people's skin is just extremely sensitive. They can't handle a lot of ingredients.”

Knowing this, Chuter released two strengths of her Vitamin C Serum, one with 10% vitamin C concentration and one with 20% vitamin C concentration. As a certified Sensitive Skin Girl who does experience irritation with stronger vitamin C formulas, the 10% formula is one I’ll be using until the very last drop. Aside from it gradually brightening my skin and diminishing my acne scars, the formula is infused with niacinamide and hyaluronic acid. It feels gloriously soft and hydrating on my skin, but still absorbs quickly. At the end of every day I’ve used it, my skin is still noticeably soft to the touch.

Flawless IRL Foundation ($14.99)

On the outside, the Flawless IRL Foundation looks like a perfectly nice, diverse range of foundation — great, but not mind-blowingly innovative. But a closer look at the foundation shows just how much innovation and consideration Chuter poured into this launch. Unlike Uoma Beauty’s Say What?! Foundation, a heavier formula available in 50 shades, Flawless IRL is lighter, but buildable, and is available in 30 shades. The real differentiator, though? Each of the six shade groups features a different foundation formula, developed based on the common properties of that group’s skin.

“Different skin has different needs, right? If you look at very fair skin, it tends to be dry to combination skin, with concerns like redness and hypersensitivity. Whiter skin doesn't hold collagen and hyaluronic acid as much as it should, so the elasticity of the skin tends to erode,” she says. “Because I have a high level of melanin, it gives me a high protection over the sun, which means things like redness... you're not going to see it. Also, because [melanin-rich] skin is a bit thicker, it holds hyaluronic acid better, and it holds collagen better, which is why we have that terminology ‘Black don't crack,’ right?”

The lighter foundation shade groups prioritize moisturizing, soothing ingredients like natural watermelon rind extract and cold-pressed green coffee extract. The darker shade group formulas prioritize brightening and environmental protection, with ingredients like vitamin C and great mullein extract. While most brands typically further categorize foundations by undertones, the Flawless IRL Foundations all hover in the neutral zone, which was intentional on Chuter’s part.

“[I made] most shades neutral and then made them neutral-warm, neutral-cool, or neutral-neutral. And in doing that, I found most people could actually find two to three to four shades within their range,” she says. She reasons that if you can develop a formula so that multiple people can comfortably use multiple shades, you’ll, in turn, produce less waste and use up fewer resources than if you were to create a new shade with a new undertone that, say, four people can use. This all sounds very nice in theory, but I was eager to see if the thought process and the formula held up IRL. I ended up choosing White Pearl T2, since I have pale, easily irritated, dry skin.

Fortunately, a little bit of this foundation goes a pretty long way, so you’re getting a bang for your buck. While the foundation appeared a little lighter than I thought it would (user error in shade matching on my part), I found it did oxidize ever-so-slightly. So once it settled into my skin, it felt like a really solid match to my skin tone. True to Chuter’s system, this shade neutralized most, if not all of my redness. My skin was still soft to the touch post-application, and there was very little transfer onto anything. Sadly, it did seem to settle into some of my dry patches, but not overly so. The second time I used it, I mixed it with a little bit of my favorite gentle moisturizer, and it gave me a gorgeous, skin-tint-like look that I’ve been loving lately.

It’s Complicated Glossy Lip Tint & Oil ($6.99)

The 600 lip products sitting in my beauty stash collectively gasped when I came home with the It’s Complicated Glossy Lip Tint & Oil in “Softie” — essentially a lip gloss, lip stain, and lip oil in one that could singlehandedly render all my other lip products obsolete. The product comes in six different shades of varying intensities and is infused with avocado oil and hyaluronic acid for prime hydration while you wear it. It’s also multipurpose; you can use it as a traditional lip product or blend it onto eyes and cheeks as eyeshadow and blush.

The formula is honestly a dream. It’s light and airy like a gloss or an oil, but the color after the stain sets appears rich but still natural. It’s also not sticky, like, at all. I hate when people say lip gloss isn’t sticky when it actually is, so I’m not lying. There is no stick here. There is zero transfer once the color sets in, and after a long day of wearing it, my lips felt so soft and smooth. There’s not as much shine as a traditional lip gloss; rather, there’s a natural-looking glow that makes your lips look healthy and full.

Badder Boom Volumizing Mascara ($8.00)

I should preface this section by saying I’m a Uoma Beauty Drama Bomb Mascara devotee. The formula, the packaging, the wand... it’s all just *chef’s kiss* and gives me the, well, drama and volume I want in a mascara. (Don’t believe me? Fine, believe the fact that it’s literally out of stock right now.) Thus, I had high hopes for Badder Boom, although I was a bit worried at first that an 84% natural formula might flake, feel runny, or not give me the level of ~drama~ I want my lashes to have.

I was beyond surprised at just how much volume, pigment, and natural curl this formula gave my straight, lighter lashes in just a few swipes. I posted a sneak preview to my Instagram Story, and more people than have ever responded to a Story of mine flocked to my DMs to press me for the name of this mascara. It barely flaked throughout the day, and it felt comfortable. Seriously, I had to stop myself from rubbing my eyes several times throughout the day, because I’d forget I was wearing it. It reminded me of everything I love about Drama Bomb, but for literally less than half the price. Chuter knows that, and almost didn’t release Badder Boom because of it.

“I was like, ‘You're going to put out a mascara that's half the price of the other one, and it performs just as good as the other one? Do you not have a business brain? What are you doing?’” she says. The tea? Badder Boom’s lower cost is largely thanks to cheaper, minimal packaging. “With Drama Bomb, you get all of that indulgence that goes with it, but to be honest, in the performance, y'all — I know my marketing director will want to kill me for saying this — but [Badder Boom] is just as wonderful as [Drama Bomb].”

Uoma by Sharon C. is available now. Shop the entire collection now, lest you miss out on what is, honestly, my new favorite beauty brand, on God.