10 posts tagged “mineral makeup”

This question was posed to me by a friend on Vox, "Hi Ranae and thank you for giving me something to blog about!"  She asked me, "What mineral makeup companie's I'd tried"  Oh my goodness I laughed and said to myself.  I'll actually sit here for the time that it takes (knowing that it would be long) and write down and send to her every single company that I could remember without going through my stash as that would take far too long.  So as best as memory serves me I have under my belt experience with: 63 companies!  I know it's at least 63 because I remember the names of the companies below but 2 - Northern "something" and another whose brown eye shadow I still have and use from time to time well sadly their names escape me.

Anyway It all began with:)

BE.  No it didn't.  There was one that I tried in Ulta back in High School!  Can't remember the name but from then it was (and not in this particular order)

BE,

Pur Minerals,

Pure Luxe,

Jane Iredale,

Meow,

EDM,

Cee Cee's,

Lumiere,

Mad,

Milan,

Southern Magnolia,

Fyrinnae,

Taylormade,  

Classy,

Suncat,

Barefaced,

JLynnes,

Oceanmist,

Ava,

Monave,

Makeup Junky,

Mineral Boutique,

Cory's,

Buff'd ,

TSS,

Dayna's,

LA Minerals,

aromaleigh,

signature,

alima,

coastal scents,

herbs of grace,

larenim,

lauress,

lure,

raesinimages,

little stuff 4 you,

canary,

pink quartz,

kt naturals,

silk naturals,

melange,

elegant,

ava,

Rae,

Laura Mercier, 

aubrey nicole,

labelle,

lorihart,

jenulence,

prescriptives,

Uglo girl,

Val's,

Lauren Hutton,

Conservetory,

Coconut Bay,

Fusion of Color,

Joppa,

Mineralogie,

Mineralessence,

Somerset,

Sweetscents,

Tkb,

Mary Kay,

Youngblood,

Earthen Glow Minerals. 

 

I know there's at least 4 or 5 more including the one before BE but I can't remember their names or find them on google. Who have you tried? I even got a really nasty fungal infection from one with no preservative in their glow radiant powder - be careful ladies!  It has cornstarch in it and they don't use preservatives.  This thing was dangerous, nasty, and potentially scarring for life.  My BF ordered separately from me and got the same thing.  Took shots, RX, and ointments to clear us up!  Didn't stop us though.  Still kept sampling.  What about you?  Who have you tried?

So after ordering over 100 eye shadows and with my next delivery I'll be at 25 blushes I would like to review Earthen Glow Minerals' Blushes, Eye Shadows, Glows, and other things that I think are must tries not only for their quality but also for their value pricing.

 

Here's a review from a makeup artist who agrees with some of EGM's eye shadows and blushes being MAC dupes.  She loves them and their blushes too.

 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hozL7Yc0KnI&feature=channel

 

If you've ever used and loved MAC eye

 shadows and blushes then you'll find that many many of EGM's eye shadows and blushes are equivalent to MAC's in color, performance, and pigmentation depth!  I've noticed this with at least 10 of my eye shadows and probably more and at least 8 blushes.  They also have several NARS dupes but in my opinion with Earthen Glow MInerals' prices and personalized excellent customer service, as well as the natural content of their products they are definitely more than a must try for the bargain hunter but also a must try for anyone wanting premium quality, value priced, natural based cosmetics, skincare, or soap and bath and body. 

Not to belabor the point but....Their eye shadows are totally long lasting and pigmented to the max. Many of the colors are MAC dupes and so are many of the blush and glow colors. I can't tell the difference in performance of them either.

 

The eye shadow primer base is excellent! I like the gel/cream liner personally - it isn't gel at all but a cream and I like it because it doesn't smudge but you do need two coats for a dark black look. Also, if you want the texture and deep color of mac fluidline or l'oreal this isn't it but it is a really nice natural cream liner with good color that doesn't smudge and uses all natural ingredients, few of them, and is non irritating to the eyes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a tutorial using the eye shadow base.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4ZrFGuQrZU&feature=channel

 

I've read many reviews on the lipglosses and thankfull I've bought some from every line that they carry.  They carry over 50 probably close to 100.  I will say that my favorites are the lip pots - they are like lipsticks in a pot!  Very nice, long lasting and serious pigment and pop! I love Ponce de Leon which is a rich warm red. The mini lip wands are 2 varieties.  One is a glaze and these are very very flavored and light in texture.  Personally I love them and so has every young woman/girl that I've given them to.  I think that they may appeal more to a younger group but me being somewhere out there age wise - I will say that I found them ok just not quite pigmented enough for my tastes.  I do love applying ST Croix over lip liner or Bay Area lip pot!  Really beautiful duo!

 

 

Next is the mini lip wands which I hope they create more of these because I have all 5 and absolutely love love love them.  These really remind me of MAC's lip glass.  The colors and texture are great and last long and look beautiful.  I like how the prism/glitter looks on my lips so this works for me but if you want super smooth and sheer then in this line Lily or Cambridge may be where you'd like to look.

 

 

Their large lip wands are awesome and I hate that they are discontinuing online sales of these once sold out they will be available only through distributors and catalogue.  These were and are the first lip glosses made by a company other than BE that actually delivered variety in finish, color, and packed a powerful punch while doing so.  Peachtree, Pismo Beach, North Shore Drive and the list goes on all are my favorites so I'm buying several before they sell out online.  If you love vibrant color and gloss with shimmer go for North Shore Drive, Twin Cities - you won't be disappointed.

 

 

The lip brush tubes are my second favorite.  These babies are super liquid lipsticks that deliver long lasting super color easily and I love them.  Favorite - Manhattan - red and Cascades - wine.  Gorgeous!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The lip sqeezies- excellent!!!!  Color - rich.  Coverage - long lasting.  Texture - smooth. 

 

Finally looking good from head to toe with no reservations!  I'm wearing EGMinerals' Cover Me in Antoinette.  On my cheeks I have Essence blush.  On my lips I have High Tea, a beautiful soft mid tone rose with smooth gloss and pure color payoff!  Later I changed to FASHION  AFFAIR which is a gorgeous intense fushia and compatable I think with any skin tone.  But I really love love it for evening wear. On my eyelids I'l wearing Midnight over Cape Verde, a beautiful intense midnight blue eye shadow that definitley can double as a liner but for lining I'm using EGMINERAL's Black cream liner or Suka Jima.  To add drama since this was at major party that will be televised on Real Atlanta's Housewives I added EGMINERAL'S Glow in Perfection! 

Also I have to rave for EGminerals traditional body scrubs and butters.  I bought all 4 sets and each comes with a free soap.  I bough Italian Biscotti (yummy buttery vanilla cookie!)  Season's Finest (Spicey apple, orange, buttrey vanilla and some other scents yummy)  Holiday's Dessert Platter ( think of carrot cake , angel food, and I think either pumpkin or somehting with spice... just delicious and my husband adores all of these but my favorite is hands down GLAZE ( an absolutely scrumptious vanilla buttery light fruity and spice scent)  can''t tell but it is to die for!  This is my #1 and #2 is the other 3 tied!  These scrubs super soften and the butters are pure shea whipped with oil.  Nothing else other than frangrance.  Nothing but love here.

EGMINERALS is based in ATLANTA, GEORGIA and is run by several women and a man with the intent to provide quality beauty enhancing products for the face and body in though skin care, cosmetics, and bath and body items.

 

Please visit their website at EGMINERALS.COM

 

Face -Cover Me foundation in Antoinette by EGMINERALS

 

Cheeks-Essence Blush with Perfection Radiant Glow all over by EGMINERALS

 

Eyes-Midnight over Cape Verde lined with Sakura Jima cream liner all by EGMINERALS

 

                                                                                          LIPS -HIGH TEA by EGMINERALS

 

                                                                                         Body-TRADITIONAL Body Scrub & Body Butter 

                                                                                                        in   

                                                                                         GLAZE by EGMINERALS

 

Finally looking good from head to toe with no reservations!  I'm wearing EGMinerals' Cover Me in Antoinette.  On my cheeks I have Essence blush.  On my lips I have High Tea, a beautiful soft mid tone rose with smooth gloss and pure color payoff!  Later I changed to FASHION  AFFAIR which is a gorgeous intense fushia and compatable I think with any skin tone.  But I really love love it for evening wear. On my eyelids I'l wearing Midnight over Cape Verde, a beautiful intense midnight blue eye shadow that definitley can double as a liner but for lining I'm using EGMINERAL's Black cream liner or Suka Jima.  To add drama since this was at major party that will be televised on Real Atlanta's Housewives I added EGMINERAL'S Glow in Perfection! 

Also I have to rave for EGminerals traditional body scrubs and butters.  I bought all 4 sets and each comes with a free soap.  I bough Italian Biscotti (yummy buttey vanilla cookie!)  Season's Finest (Spicey apple, orange, buttrey vanilla and some other scents yummy)  Holiday's Dessert Platter ( think of carrot cake , angel food, and I think either pumpkin or somehting with spice... just delicious and my husband adores all of these but my favorite is hands down GLAZE ( an absolutely scrumptious vanilla buttery light fruity and spice scent)  can''t tell but it is to die for!  This is my #1 and #2 is the other 3 tied!  These scrubs super soften and the butters are pure shea whipped with oil.  Nothing else other than frangrance.  Nothing but love here.

Jane Iredale's undereye concealer

 

 

Active Light is an illuminating under-eye concealer that instantly brightens the complexion while providing skin care benefits. The revolutionary formula won't crease or crepe, because it contains no talc, leaving a smooth   airbrushed finish to the skin.

The mineral particles in Active Light create a soft focus effect and manipulate how light is reflected from the skin, instantly camouflaging any signs of fatigue, covering darkness and concealing dark circles.

The pen and brush dispenser allow for easy and accurate application of the vitamin and anti-oxidant infused formula, which is designed to hydrate and smooth fine lines of the skin. Nourishing oils provide a base for vitamin K to lighten dark circles, cucumber extract for its anti-inflammatory and skin tightening properties and white tea extract to boost the skin's immune function.

Buckwheat wax is also found in the formula and is added to reduce puffiness. An independent in vivo test on 15 subjects showed that 80% of them had a reduction of 10% in puffiness around the eyes after applying a formulation with 1% Buckwheat twice daily for 28 days

 

Glam Gams Leg Bronzing Stick
What it is:
A bronzing stick that gives legs a gorgeous beach-worthy faux glow.

What it does:
Tarte Glam Gams Leg Bronzing Stick will have gams looking taut and tanned from summer through fall. It's infused with Tarte's t5 super fruit complex™, a proprietary blend of the five most active superfruits: goji, acai, maracuja, acerola, and pomegranate and has a delightful natural fragrance.

What else you need to know:
The first blend of its kind, the t5 super fruit complex™ is loaded with naturally occurring, antioxidant-rich nutrients and vitamins that have been known to deliver refining, antiaging, and skin-restorative benefits with each application. It's preservative-, paraben-, phthalate-, sulfate-, propylene glycol-, and mineral oil-free.

Must-Haves

A fast-acting, powerful, and effective skin therapy treatment, Obagi Tretinoin Cream 0.1% fights unsightly acne and wrinkles without fighting the natural functions of your skin.

As the strongest Obagi Tretinoin treatment, it's designed to stimulate the renewal and growth of healthy skin cells to promote heightened function and durability. Skin will be softer, smoother, and much calmer, while emitting a beautifully radiant glow.
20 g.

Those with aging and acne-prone skin will achieve great results with this cream. It will also help those with hyperpigmentation and acne scarring.

Tretinoin is the acidic form of Vitamin A, which works to resurface and treat acne-prone skin. It will also renew a healthy tone and texture to aging and mature skin.

 

 

 

 

Make your intentions crystal-clear as you hydrate, balance, and even out your complexion. Obagi Nu-Derm Clear's lightweight formula delves deep into skin to clear, resurface, and reduce uneven skin tone while lightly moisturizing.
2 fl. oz.

This formula is ideal for skin suffering from hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, age spots, and sun damage.

Hydroquinone lightens hyperpigmentation. Glycerin boosts the skin's natural protection by attracting the perfect level of moisture for the skin. Lactic Acid softens proteins and increases cell turnover to renew and reveal softer, smoother skin.

 

http://skincarerx.com/review_box.html?pid=4561

 

One of the best features of shopping on line with a smaller mineral cosmetic company is the option to purchase samples prior to investing in a full size of a product.  The samples are generous and usually enough in quantity to provide several uses, whether it is foundation, eye shadow, or blush. 

 

Several months ago I began making my own mineral make up and skin care and amassed quite a large quantity.  Surprisingly what I thought would be at least a 3 year supply has been dwindled down to close to nothing.  So recently I had to make a decision to either invest the time into replenishing the supply or shop again with favored companies.  I immediately jumped on line and began ordering samples from my favorite companies from the past and have been ordering from newer ones that have recently opened.

 

I'll be posting reviews of various companies over the next few weeks but would like to begin with Bare Faced Minerals.

 

Several months ago myself and many other women who are lovers of mineral make up began formulating our own mineral make up.  I actually as I said above made a very large amount and most of it is now in the hands of family and friends.  Some of the women who learned this craft a few months back are now running businesses doing it or are soon to open a  business doing it.  One question that I'm commonly asked when contacted by someone interested in learning how to make their own mineral make up is " how do you make this or that by this or that company?"   My reply is that those formulators have been doing this a lot longer than I have and are far more experienced and knowledgeable at this craft.  They also have worked on their own unique recipes for quite some time and through trial and error have formulated a successful stand out from the crowd winner and that this is something that is closely held by them as a secret.  I then have said that the best that we could do is to attempt to formulate a "generic" dupe by using the ingredients that they have posted and hope that our end results are similar to what we are attempting to duplicate. 

 

One company, who in my opinion, creates mineral make up products that are unique and above the masses available is Bare Faced Minerals.  This company's foundation is quite honestly  the only foundation that I've encountered that not only requires very little (Velvet Plush) for full flawless coverage but once applied this perfect finish remains in tact perfectly for many many hours.  The finish is also a very naturally beautiful one that requires no finishing powder.  Needless to say I've never even attempted to duplicate any of Bare Faced Minerals products because I honestly believe that there is something that is done that is unique at some point in the processing stage of this company's formulating process.  I say this because the glimmers, multi use products, and foundations are smoothly textured and have a finish and quality that I've not found equaled by any other mineral make up company.

 

My review of Bare Faced Minerals is in no way intended to be a slight towards any other mineral make up company, I'm simply stating that in my opinion, they produce a particularly excellent product.  I still shop with and will continue to shop with many other mineral make up company's because there are so many great products out there made by so many great companies.

 

Yesterday morning when applying my foundation I remembered how superior this product, Bare Faced Minerals was.  With 1/4 of the usual required amount of foundation my face was fully covered and this coverage looks amazingly natural and youthful.  There were no problems during my busy work night with itching, there were no touch ups with finishing powder, and there was left at 5am the same flawless perfectly in tact foundation coverage that I started out with earlier that previous day.

 

So again today when it was decision time for which foundation to sample - I reached for the Bare Faced Minerals knowing that I'd be comfortable through out the day and that the initial coverage that it gave me this morning is the same basic coverage and look that I'd maintain regardless of how long my day lasted.

 

    

A lot of you have contacted me by Private message for tips and pointers on starting your own businesses and making mineral make up.  This is great and exciting and I will help all of you as much as I can with as much as I've learned and done.  I do work quite a bit and during my free time sleep - (smile) and do the normal things that the rest of us do.  I just want to know that anyone who I haven't gotten back to with information please don't think that I'm ignoring you I've just been busy and am answering a lot of other emails and questions through PM, plus working.

I also want to let all of you know that have sent me samples that I will be contacting you with my honest opinions on them. Also I'd like to say that another member here, Miss Nola,  has made and sold quite a large amount of mineral make-up to several distributors and has done this for some time.  She's done a lot more formulating than I have and has successfully marketed to them everything from mineral make-up, lip stains and glosses, to pressed minerals.  Basically I would advise that if anyone is considering seriously investing money and making a business out of this to contact her as she has dealt on a professional level with many distributors and suppliers and can give you much better tips on that level than I can. 

I did start the thread over on MUT and taught Hoozey and Coromo through recipes, suggestions, and emails and a few others from MUT but I've never marketed or sold any of my DIY or MIY items nor have I had a personal interest to develop anything beyond use for myself.

 

Now with that out of the way,  I'm finally getting in some samples of mineral make-up items that I've been ordering.  This week I received things from Southern Magnolia Minerals, Meow - back at that again for a compatible foundation match - their foundation coverage is so nice I'll keep trying until I strike gold.  Also traded some perfume for some Oceanmist eyeshadow samples.

I will start with what I love!!!!!!!!    Oceanmist Eye shadows!

Oh my goodness!  The finish on these is perfect.  Not shimmery, glittery, or too pure mica - like.  They are very smooth and pearl like.  Another bonus is the colors all looked great on me.  I had my doubts when I first looked at them but swatching them on my arm proved different!  I love these and hope that they will develop more eye shadow colors because these look great and feel great.  Sometimes when eye shadows are too glittery or shimmery they itch and irritate my lids.  Not these!

 

 

Manatee,Vanora Blush, Pink Urchin, Paradise Pink,Hammerhead,Golden Pearl,Oriental Beige, and Gold Bullion 

 

 

The yellow color is not my color but the only way that I could get the swatches to show up in my bathroom.  All of the colors show up on me but I think that they would be perfect for someone with much lighter skin than myself.  I would buy eye shadows from this company again!

 

 

This cute bag is from Southern Magnolia Minerals.  I ordered a few samples from them.  Her customer service is excellent and I found her to be a very genuinely kind person.  She's definitely about pleasing her customers and not just about getting their money. 

That's important to me because I am a big shopper but not one who will just throw my money to someone greedily jockeying for it.  I resent insincerity.  I ordered a full size foundation and finishing powder from her.  This is about my 5th order with this company and I will continue to return to them due to the excellent and sincere customer service.

What I highly recommend?

The Ostrich oil, the eye shadows, the veil finishing powder.  If you can find a foundation match in your complexion then I'd recommend that too because her foundation formula is nonirritating and lasts beautifully all day.

 

 

I went shopping for a friend last Saturday to see if I could find something nice for her to wear to a special event.  I wound up totally unsuccessful after hunting for over 6 hours through Lenox Mall, Phipps Plaza, and Town Center.  I didn't come home completely empty handed.  Picked up a few perfumes, cosmetics, and some gifts for the friend who was kind enough to accompany me that Saturday. 

 

My girlfriend wanted this MJ perfume. After going to 2 stores all we were able to get was a lousy sample.  When I asked for more samples seeing as I was willing to buy if they had full sizes - she said that this one was all that they had until next week.  She did phone me yesterday to tell me that it was in and she set 2 aside for me.

 

This is probably the best finishing powder compact that I've ever met.  One application over your foundation and you are really perfectly set for the entire day.  OK it's not mineral but trust me, it is excellent!

 

 

The sales associate talked me into this one.  I was there to buy a perfume for a friend Oh DeMoschino.  So they didn't have it.  Surprise right?  Not.  So then I was getting another order for a friend overseas who loves Hermes 24 Fauborg.  They had it, I bought it but he, the expert told me that it smelled like something that he smelled back in Dominica on an old woman.  Now this guy was young and attractive and presented himself as an expert in scents - said that he had been trained by a professional perfumery in New York.  So I asked him to recommend something and this was it.  I bought it, liked it, and actually kept it for myself.