Who have you tried.

I always go for foundations if they're even kind of closely within my range. A lot of companies surprisingly don't have colors or didn't a few years ago within my range. But even if that's the case I'll always get eye shadows. If a company doesn't have foundations for darker skin tones then usually there are no blushes, bronzers, or lippies for them either:( so.... Actually I would say that Monave and Lumiere did the best all around job of providing natural alternatives for women of color in realistic shades - though their options are limited - they still were a jumping leap ahead of everyone else including BE (in my opinion based on my experience). This is with the exclusion, of course, of ADA and Milan, who I wasn't familiar with at the time of sampling and buying full size with Monave and Lumiere. They of course specialize in women of color and Milan expands beyond women of color to encompass everyone.

I now totally avoid anything with organic ingredients in the cosmetics! That is based on a horrible experience that I had roughly 3 years ago. Not only did it happen to me but it happened to a friend who visited the boards at that time. In fact she introduced me to the mineral makeup boards. At that time a company that people still mention quite a often was starting up and everyone was grabbing up their samples. Their foundation was good but... the radiant glow had cornstarch in it with no preservative! First my friend broke out with a horrible skin fungus. She had only used their product and fortunately it happened immediately. Well she went to the Dr. and he RX'd her. No clear up though her gorgeous face was so gross at the time she couldn't wear makeup. So she got shots and then more RX. Then I broke out with a fungus only where I put the radiant glow. She had put it all over her face. Me being much darker than her only put it on the cheekbones. The package had just come in the mail and in my eager beaver zeal I grabbed it up and put it on immediately. Well I broke out - different package different week same fungus! Hello! We contacted the owner but didn't post the info on the boards because... well at the time I wasn't on the boards yet but I know that she didn't because later she insisted that I never mention the companies name. So time passes and months later another woman posts on a completely different forum (by now I'm on the boards) how she broke out from a fungus from foundation from a different company with organic ingredients in it. Big mess over there with that. Anyway that company now uses presevatives of a natural nature but.... The genuine effectiveness of vitamin E , lavender, and other EO's is debateable at best and totally questionable with killing and or preventing many strains of bacteria, fungus, and other germs so.... I stay away from organic materials in mineral makeup because I contracted a fungus from contaminated makeup purchased brand new and used immediately upon receipt! Someone I know experienced the same traumatic event and this was a week or so between our purchases of the same product from the same company. Neither of us had allergies to that ingredient in question and it is likely that the organic ingredient was exposed to the contaminant prior to purchase from the mmu, but had you seen the gross disgusting eruptions on my cheeks and all over my BF's face - you'd not risk it ever again.

Since then I've expanded my no can do policy to include not only corn starch but also oat, rice, silk, pearl whatever. I do use skin care items with those ingredients but only if they have legitimate preservative.

I'm on your blog now reading! Please let me go back:) (laughing)

Moosie, what color foundation do you wear?

Wooo Simplicity my favorite bronzer well....that would be Perfection, and for my favorite glow that would be my love Champagne and Diamonds because it doesn't show color just a soft glow. My favorite blush now is Cherry Blossom 99! Definitely #1. But for sure that Night Treatment works!