The Kardashian Beauty Line You Probably Haven’t Heard Of

Considering how swiftly and completely any and all Kardashian news dominates the internet, you'd be surprised to know that there's actually a brand-new beauty line from a Kardashian you probably have no idea about. And no, it's not because your nose has been buried in Pokémon Go. Most likely it's because it wasn’t started by Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, Kendall, or even Kylie, but by the newest member of Calabasas’ first family — Blac Chyna. If you’re not sure who Blac Chyna is (she was born Angela Renée White), then maybe you did actually miss a social media post or two — she’s the soon-to-be wife of Rob Kardashian; the pair are also expecting their first child later this year. Chyna, like her future sister-in-laws, has been savvy enough to harness the power of social media and her years spent as a dancer/model and turn them into viable and profitable businesses, including a brick-and-mortar beauty shop in Los Angeles and a skin-care line. And while this may be the first time you’re hearing about Lashed by Blac Chyna — which is part e-commerce, part Instagram boutique — don’t be fooled, because it isn’t new. In fact, the company has been around for about two years; it launched in 2014, and started as a line of lipsticks and lip glosses (almost a full year before the launch of Kylie's cult-status Lip Kit). Lashed may seem like just another run-of-the-mill beauty line a celeb slapped their name on, but I'm here to tell you it’s not. Chyna actually attended JLS Professional Makeup Artist School, graduating in 2013, which, in a time when pretty much everyone is launching a beauty brand, sets her apart from the celeb pack currently working in the industry. Unless you follow Chyna on Snapchat, you’ve probably never marveled at just how impeccable, seemingly pore-less, and pretty much flawless her skin is. And not only fiancé Rob knows just how stunning she looks sans makeup. That's why I was so eager to give Lashed a try. When she started flaunting her a.m. and p.m. skin-care routine a few weeks ago on her Snap story, I was all over it. As Chyna reminds us on the company’s website, “to achieve perfect glam or natural makeup looks begins with a facial cleansing regime [sic].” Her line has products for oily and dry skin, and includes a vitamin C cleanser, toner, and moisturizer that she promises are good for all skin types. Since I watched Chyna slather these products on her face in real time, I tentatively thought they could be at least remotely trusted (unlike the gazillion other celebrity-endorsed beauty products we see splashed across countless IG pages). I couldn’t wait to see how they stacked up. Still skeptical, I decided to give the the Vitamin C Cleanser a try. A safe and easy choice — just in case some trickery was actually afoot.

To my surprise, I was actually into this product. Described as a “refreshing gel cleanser [that] brightens skin, gently exfoliates, and helps dissolve dull surface cells,” it proved to be just as good as, if not better, the other cleansers currently in my rotation. The formula was thick and didn’t leave my skin feeling tight or dry, like I’d expect a gel cleanser would — great news for someone like myself with dry skin.

Typically, I reach for a creamy cleanser to take off the day’s mascara, blush, and highlighter, so it was a pleasant surprise when this one was able to wash it all away, while leaving my face feeling refreshed and clean. However, as an exfoliator it left a bit to be desired. Yes, it’s gentle enough to use every day (even twice a day) without the fear of over-exfoliating, just like the website says, but you’d definitely want to incorporate another product to really polish your face on a weekly basis. A few weeks after ordering the cleanser, I checked back on Chyna’s site and several of the skin-care products were actually sold out à la those hyped-up Lip Kits. Like everyone else, I love a good underdog story — and in a Kardashian-obsessed world, Blac Chyna has proven herself just that, at least by the standards of the ridiculously popular TV family. Which is why I was actually happy to see that her line seems to be thriving. Now, all I can do is sit back and wait to see what she launches next — all while watching her Snap stories and trying to get my skin to look like hers.

Lashed Bar Vitamin C Cleanser, $19.99, available at Lashed Bar.