With my years of medications for cystic fibrosis, epilepsy, and bipolar disorder, I have unfortunately developed tardive dyskinesia. In other words, my hands shake like no other; so, holding makeup and applying my essentials can be real f*cking difficult. Enter: Guide Beauty and their products made for people with disabilities – like my own tardive dyskinesia.
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I stumbled across Guide Beauty when looking for disability-friendly makeup products. The brand was one of the first to pop up, and I was immediately taken by how universal its design is. It solves so many struggles when it comes to applying the basics.
I added to cart, tagged them in my order, and two weeks later: my own kit of products came in.
About Guide Beauty
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Guide Beauty was founded when superstar makeup artist and beauty educator Terri Bryant was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. She began living what her friends and clients had said – that application was hard, especially when dealing with shaking hands and a lack of precision.
Guide was Bryant’s solution: a beauty brand that made makeup accessible to everyone.
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Listening to the most pressing issues, Bryant and her team worked hard to come up with an ergonomic design for holding, making application a breeze. At the same time, she and her team worked tirelessly to create cruelty-free, vegan, and clean formulas. None of that harsh, toxic s*it on an ableist wand – just accessible beauty at its finest.
The result of active listening: a mascara wand that has grips and a jet-black formula; a brow gel that fills in and shapes effortlessly with an easy-to-hold handle; and an eyeliner combo, consisting of gel in a pot and an ergonomic applicator. (Hard to describe, I’ll show you below!)
My Review of Guide Beauty
Hey, what up, I’m Tess, and my body sucks.
Therefore, this is my brutally honest review of Guide Beauty and its products. I ordered every single product, even though I really only needed the eyeliner applicator. You know, for science, definitely not because I’m obsessed with supporting brands that believe in accessibility.
The packaging is GORGEOUS, and it comes with a cute note from Terri!
I love the look of each product. The color is rich, and the hardware is a gorgeous complement. It doesn’t feel gaudy, instead looking chic and sleek.
The first thing I tried: the Guide Beauty Eyeliner Duo.
The pot is cute, and the black is super pigmented. However, it catches the light, so I know it won’t be oddly matte against my lids. The applicator is a little odd and almost intimidating, but Guide is thorough in their instructions.
So, I glided my applicator through the gel, grasped it, and drew a line… with ease? As if my hands didn’t shake??
The result: a highly-pigmented, jet-black, strong line and cute wing. And no awkward irritation or build-up! It’s just a perfect line without excess gel or mistakes you can’t fix.
Happy with the result, I moved on to my brows.
I have pretty iffy brows, ruined by years of filling in, yanking, rinsing and repeating every day. They’re fairly strong closest to my nose, but they taper out weakly at the ends. Because of this, I’m always looking for good brow gels.
The handle for Guide Beauty’s brow gel has a protruding handle, giving you a natural space to rest your fingers and grip the applicator.
I like how I don’t have to awkwardly twist my wrist in order to fill in both brows (I’m not ambidextrous). The handle makes it easy to grasp the brush and give yourself an even coat.
I can’t think of the last time a brow gel looked this good on me, but I’m obsessed. I have arches! I have strong eyebrows from nose to temples! I have color, so you don’t see peeks of skin! The formula is soft and easy to wipe should you get a little too crazy with the filling.
Finally: Guide’s mascara!
The color is pitch black, which I love, because my lashes are so light. I’m always wanting a doe-eyed look courtesy of my mascara, and few succeed. Guide, however? Their mascara is flawless. I have fairly sensitive eyes, and this mascara didn’t bother me one bit – even when I accidentally blinked some into my eyes.
Put it all together, and this is the final look!
My Summary of Guide
Even if you’re perfectly able, you will love Guide Beauty’s products. Like I said, I didn’t need them for my lashes or brows, yet I don’t think I’ll ever find a more comfortable brand. The products are convenient, the formula is solid, and you’re supporting an amazing cause.
I can’t refrain: I give Guide Beauty’s kit a 10/10, because the price tag is absolutely worth it. Can’t recommend enough. I love it, and you will too. Thanks, Terri, for creating a product that makes my eyelids look flawless again. Beyond grateful.
I hope you liked my review of Guide Beauty! Have you tried Guide? What are your thoughts? Share below!
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About the author
Thank you so much for this review!! I also have severe TD from being kept on anti-psychotics for bipolar for 10 years and I have terrible tremors. I am a huge skeptic of everything out there but I cannot apply eyeshadow or mascara anymore so I looked into these. I think I’m going to take the plunge! Be well!!
Love to hear this! TD is a b*tch, and I’m so glad I’ve managed to find something that works. Crossing my trembly fingers it helps you, too!