Summary for 2015 - Cosmetics

<this post has been written on my mobile and will be formatted better when I get to my PC>

I love make up.  I enjoy playing with colours and the way it makes me feel good.  Last year, I tried to make more ethical choices with my cosmetics.  With a tight budget it was difficult to choose what to try as nowhere locally stocks these products to see before you buy.  

JANE IREDALE 

Thanks to Skin Maze I was able to buy samples of the products to see what I though before buying a full size.  I haven't been disappointed by anything I have tried.  

I have tried: 

* Glow Time BB cream (shade 1 & 3) 

* Pure Pressed Bare Mineral (shade Ivory) 

* Just Kissed Cheek & Lip stain (shade Forever Pink, Forever Peach, Forever Red)

* Honey Bronze 

Glow Time is my main foundation now.  Sometimes I use a little as concealer or a full face.  I did find my shade is right between 1 & 3 but they don't do a number 2 so I mix them both together in an old Lily Lolo foundation pot.  

I love the lip & cheek stain.  I was looking for something to replace my Benefit Benetint and this is even better.  This stain is hydrating, lasts well (no reapplying) and gives a gorgeous soft shade that is unique to you.  Peach is my favourite and once I've bought more ill do a full review on all three shades.  

LILY LOLO

Lily Lolo was the first mineral foundation I bought and first natural cosmetic brand.  

I have tried: 

* Mineral Foundation (shade Porecelain) 

* Finishing Powder (shade Flawless Matt)

This brand is so affordable.  The pots have screw top lids so they won't leak when travelling. The pots are reusable.  I've used them to mix my Jane Iredale BB shades, to store a lock of my sons hair and for stashing some hair accessories.  You can buy samples of shades from them direct or from Lucy Rose.  

I'm hoping to try their BB cream as I found the powder a bit drying for me.  The also have two eye shadow pallette stage I've been eyeing up for months.  

ERE PEREZ 

After my terrible experience with BWC I was determind to find a good organic waterproof mascara.  My search took me to Australia.  

I tried: 

* volumizing Waterproof mascara (black) 

* Natural Almond Oil mascara (black)

* Rich Olive Oil lipstick (high tea) 

* Oat Milk foundation (light)

* Oat Milk foundation (medium) 

The waterproof mascara has been great and I use it every week when I go swimming with my son.  It also survived the tears at my Gran's funeral.  I've been using it for 6 months without irritation.  I have found that it can smudge if I'm wearing my BB cream without powder so I usually add a bit of powder around my eyes if I'm wearing that. I wouldn't say I noticed it adding much volume but I bought it more for its underwater effectiveness.  

The other mascara was actually a gift for my best friend who has very sensitive eyes and can't wear mascara.  She was really pleased with it and now wears it for nights out and dates.  

The lipstick was a free sample.  At first I wasn't keen and found it drying as i usually wear balms but I have grown to like it and it's a really good neutral day colour.  

The foundation was a sample I purchased from Flora & Fauna as I loved what I read about it.  However, their idea of light was too dark for me. So, I didn't even need to try medium.  

ZOYA 

I wanted to try an organic nail varnish and this brand had good reviews and was a reasonable price.

I have tried:

* Nail Polish (shade Elodie) 

I was impressed how nice this looked and lasted without a base or top coat.  It didn't chip for about 3 days.  

I'm encouraged to try more natural polishes as they are just as good as conventional polishes but without the nasties.  I bought mine from Naturismo.

I have Sparituals protein basecoat and some shades on my Lucy Rose wish list.

100 PERCENT PURE

I took advantage of its Black Friday deal to get two lip and cheek tints for just £7.  I liked the idea of the products using fruit extracts but couldn't find many reviews.  

I tried: 

* lip & cheek stain (cranberry glow) 

* lip & cheek stain (pink grapefruit) 

I kept the cranberry one and gifted the grapefruit to a friend.  

The chubby stick is too big to apply directly to your lips so I ended up rubbing it onto my finger and then onto my lips.  My cheeks I applied it to directly and then smudged with my finger.  The product lasted a good while and wasn't too drying.  

The cranberry gives that flushed cherry colour you get when you've just been kissed or come in from outdoors after a brisk walk on a cold winters day.  

I wasn't in love with this product enough to purchase again at full price but the brand is good quality and I'd be interested in trying more.  They have beauty sets where you can get a lot of products to create a look at a subsidised price.  

FIGS & ROUGE

I discovered this brand when hunting for a good hand cream for my dry winter hands.  On Naturismo, I spotted their lip balm on sale.  I bought the hand cream from Feel Unique. 

I tried: 

* Tinted lip balm (mocha orange) 

* hand cream (vanilla) 

The lip balm squeezes out the tube like a gel tooth paste.  You can't apply it directly to your lips.  You need to use your finger to smudge it in which then leaves you with a sticky finger.  It does have a lovely subtle orange taste and sparkle.  

The hand cream is very moisturising.  It feels like my skin is drinking water.  It's refreshing but not wet.  It dries quickly but doesn't dry out my skin.  The product is amazing.  My only gripe is that the scent is too sweet.  I love vanilla but this is too sweet like ice cream and makes me crazy hungry.  

Performance wise both products have rescued my dry hands and lips from the cold and made my winter much more enjoyable.  I will buy both again but I'll try a different scent...

PIXI

This is not an organic brand and I bought it believing it was - whoops, I strayed. 

I have tried: 

* concealing concerntrate (shade Adaptable Beige) 

*. Mesmerising mineral pallette (shade Emerald Gold)

* endless silly eye pen (shade black noir)

* tinted brilliance balm (shade rosy red, unique pink) 

I bought the pallette and rosy red balm myself but the other products were a free gift from either Cult Beauty or Beauty Bay.  

The eye shadows are perfect colours for redheads.  The unique pink was a gorgeous colour that was individual to each person but sadly no longer appears on their website.  The concealer was too orange for my pale skin.  I love the eye liner, it was so soft and creamy.  The rosy red was a lovely bright red, not a natural shade.  

BEAUTY WITHOUT CRUELTY 

I ordered this brand because I was looking for a waterproof mascara and a concealer.  The make up was very affordable and I purchased it from Animal Aid so got to support a good cause too.  

I tried:

* waterproof mascara (black)

* liquid foundation (sheer)

NOT IN STOCK:

* concealer - chubby pencil (fair)

Sadly, the chubby pencil was out of stock but Animal Aid had excellent communication and customer service and my money was promptly refunded.  

The mascara was in a cellophane wrapper and I had to break the seal to open it so I could tell it had not been opened before.  Unfortunately the fluid had dried up and it was like applying crumbly dust to my lashes.  I was so disappointed.  My much didn't improve with the foundation - the shade sheer lived up to its name.  It should be called tinted moisturiser because it had no effect at all at evening my skin tone - it looked as if I was wearing nothing and not in a beautifully natural flawless way. 

Since my dissappointing experience with this brand I have not bought any more product from them and have no wish to do so. 

VERDICT

At first organic products seemed like a gamble because there is no way to test them out but I've found some helpful online companies that have helped me identify the products that are right for me.  I shall do a post soon reviewing the online shops I have used.  

At first I thought the change would be expensive but I've replaced things gradually and done my research and mostly I've been impressed with what I've found.  

Here comes the long lust list for cosmetics for 2016:

This year, I hope to try more Jane Iredale and have my eye on their spf face powder and facial mists.  I really would like to get some organic eye shadows and like the look of both the Lily Lolo palletes and their shade witchypoo.  I like the Bellapiere palletes on Naturismo too. I have long list of products I want by brand Pacifica - I may have to get one of their collections but currently they only seem to be available on their American website.  I will probably start with their waterproof mascara and eyeliner and see if it beats importing Ere Perez (it's a long wait to be shipped in from Australia). I need to get better at doing my nails so I'm desperate to buy the Sparitual protein top & base coat and some pretty polish colours but I struggle to choose shades. I also liked Kure but they are very expensive so keeping my eye out for a sale.  RMS illuminzer is £30 so it's always in my basket but never makes it to checkout because I that's my whole budget gone on one item.  I've tried lots of Vapour samples and never been disappointed - their primer, foundationd and concealer were a close second to Jane Iredales BB Cream.  Ilia has some lovely looking kits for lips and eyes that I'm hoping to treat myself to, one day...

<this post has been written on my mobile and will be formatted better when I get to my PC>

Tarte vs Jane Iredale

I've been lusting after Tarte cosmetics for a while but they are difficult to buy in the UK.  In addition, Tarte Cosmetics official website does not ship to the UK (USA, PR and Canada only).  The only option appeared to be QVC. 

QVC don't do samples and had a limited choice of shades (none of the pale shades).  I found a seller on eBay who sold 2ml samples for £3.90.  I ordered the shade Fair Sand.  I feel its a tad too dark and yellow for me.  I planned to order Fair Beige or Ivory come pay day.  

Whilst waiting, I discovered Rose Beauty Store.  This store is online, the office is located in the USA but  supply a UK distributor that uses DHL (so you don't pay import fees).  They charge £1.49 per sample and £2.00 shipping.  One sample would cost £3.49 and two samples would be just £4.98.  Www.rosebeautystore.com is worth checking out. Their prices are reasonable and they have an excellent range of some difficult to get products.  

At the same time as ordering from ebay, I ordered a sample of Jane Iredales Glowtime BB cream in shade Fair BB1 from Skin Maze.  This is an award winning salon in Dorset that you can visit for treatments.  They stock the full Jane Iredale range and offer a sample service. This sample cost £2.50 and free shipping.  The sample arrived with a generous amount of product.  I have used it to do a full face and thought it looked great and felt good on. 

Sample Jane Iredale Glowtime in Fair BB1 purchaser from Skin Maze.  Sample Tarte Foundation in Fair Sand purchaser from eBay but similar can be purchased from Rose Beauty Store for less money.

The BB cream feels more moisturising and smooth.  Tarte felt thicker and drier but not in a nasty way. 

Top is Jane Iredale BB cream and bottom is Tarte Foundation.  The BB cream is lighter and has a pink tone.  Tarte is darker and has a yellow tone.  

The both deliver a good full coverage and blend reasonably well.  When I applied the BB to my face, I used my blender sponge and it looked smoother.  They both seemed to melt into my skin as they warned up.  

TARTE FOUNDATION VERDICT (£36.99 at Roses Beauty Store)

This shade is to yellow for me.  I might order Ivory or Fair Beige to see if they are better matches as I love the fact this is made from clay from the Amazon rain forest that has been untouched by pollution.  Doesn't that sound beautiful?  I do like how the product feels on my skin.  The product has an spf 15.  

JANE IREDALE BB VERDICT (£32.50 at Skin Maze) 

I honestly thought this would be too dark - like nearly everything that claims to be light.  When I first put it on, it was too light.  However, give it a few seconds to adjust and it looks perfect.  It feels so good on my skin - it gives that feeling that your skin will be better for wearing it which is the result of a good BB cream.  

It has an SPF 25 which is great protection for skin that easily burns. Seven of the Jane Iredale products have won the Skin Cancer Foundation seal of approval and this is one of those award winners.  I've had my eye on their "powder me spf dry sunscreen".  If I couldn't find a good foundation with spf I was going to buy the sunscreen as a finishing powder to give me the protection I need.  

It claims it can also be used as a concealer but I'm not yet convinced - i think if I had a bad blemish, I'd still want the reassurance of a strong concealer.  

This BB cream is everything I could wish for.  I'm not sure I can wait until pay day.  This is the winner of everything I've tested and I don't feel the need to test anymore.  

I shall do a post on where to get samples for different brands so you can do your own trials if you wish. Xxx

Hiro Cosmetics

I had not heard of Hiro cosmetics until I saw them on Amazingly's website.  I really liked the sound of the space balm and requested a sample.  Amazingly felt I should consider Hiro mineral powder so threw a sample pot of that into my order along with the balm sample. 

I got:

* Hiro Space Balm -#02 Altaira 

* Hiro Mineral Foundation - #01 Porcelain 

The balm was tricky to get out the bag to try.  It had a sticky texture and was thick.  

The powder was easy to get out the pot and dust into my arm.  It did have some sparkles in it.  

The balm is slightly darker than the powder.  It has a matt look whereas the powder has a shimmer look. 

They balm rubbed in well but is noticeable on my skin due to the heavier coverage.  The powder seemed to disappear but left a sparkle which I'm not sure I like for everyday wear. 

VERDICT 

Balm:  I wish I had more product to try.  I will try it on my face but I think it may be a tad to dark for me.  

Mineral powder:  I can't see me using a sparkly face powder for everyday.  I can see my younger self wanting it for nights out on the town but I very rarely get a night out now and can't warrant the expense of an occasional powder.  

I'm really happy with my Lily Lolo mineral powder that I am not considering replacing it. 

Ere Perez foundation

I love Ere Perez waterproof mascara and really wanted to try their Oak Milk Foundation.  Being an Australlian brand I was concerned that their idea of pale would be a more tanned version than the UKs.  

I was really pleased to discover Flora and Fauna online a natural boutique that offer samples of Ere Perez foundation. They charge 5.41 AUD and free shipping.   This is about £2.50.  In addition, for every AUD spent, you earn a loyalty point. 

As it was coming all the way from Australlia it wasn't the quickest order. When it arrived it was in a bubble wrap envelope and came with a handwritten card "Hi Alison, thanks for shopping at Flora and Fauna.  Hope you love the sample foundations, F&F x".  It was a sweet personal touch and my two samples were in neatly labelled screw top pots (I can probably reuse) and packaged in a cotton gift bag.  

There was a small card with the web address and details about Flora & Fauna shop "Natural, cruelty free beauty and skin care.  Over 40 luxurious local and global brand.  seasonal beauty boxes.  Shop, vegan, organic, local".  There was a green theme throughout. 

The Ere Perezfoundation is exactly the texture I was looking for.  It's thick enough to even out your complexion but fluid enough to blend easily.  

I only really wanted to try the shade Light but the shades came as a pair so I had Light/Medium for comparison.  I didn't feel there was much difference in the two shades.  Sadly I felt both shades were too dark for me.  

It's a real shame because I really wanted to like this.  The foundation ticks all my boxes for everything I want but if it is too dark.  I don't want to look like I've been tangoed which is even worse for a redhead (Orange hair, orange face - nooooo!).

I did try it on my wrist so another day I'll try it out on my face and see if that works better.  However, for now... It's top marks to Flora & Fauna and a no to Ere Perez for pale skin.  

LINKS

www.ereperez.com

www.floraandfauna.com.au

June Beauty Buys

For June, I ordered a blending sponge and Pixi eye shadow palette (in Emerald Gold) from Beauty Bay.  The Grand total was £15.70.  I ordered Missha BB Cream (in #13 Light Beige) from Yes Style.

My Beauty Bay arrived promptly.  I had to wait for the BB Cream to arrive before I could try out the blender sponge so the first thing I played with was my new eye shadows.

Pixi, Mesmerizing Mineral Pallette in Emerald Gold (£13.20)
Wow!  This was not something I needed in my life until I tried it.  

I love when a product can just be opened and used right away.  The brush is of good quality.  The case is good but I had expects it to be hinged along the long side but it's the narrow side.

The shadows are highly pigmented so you don't need much powder to get the colour to show.  In addition, all the colours work well with each other so you can either use the light colours for a natural look or the dark colours for an evening look, you can go gold tones, brown tones or my favourite, green tones.  You can even wear a colour on its own.

My only disappointment is nothing to do with the product.  I stupidly left the eye shadow on the dining room table and my toddler thought it would be fun to throw it on the floor.  Now, the hinge is broken and the lid doesn't shut properly.

All the other eyes shadow palettes in this range are now on my wish list and want to try more Pixi products.

Beauty Bay, Blender Sponge (£2.50)
Missha B, Signature BB Cream in #13 (£21.90)
I bought these to use together as I heard the BB cream applies better when you use a blender sponger.

The BB cream looks a lot like foundation to me - the same consistency and colour.  On my hand, the colour was so close to my skin tone that I could hardly see it.

I put the cream on the sponge and then bounced it all over my face.  I then added some small drops around my nose and the corner of my eyes and used the pointy end to get in close.  The cream went on really well and covered up my blemishes enough that I did not feel the need to apply concealer too. 

From Beauty Bay, I bought their blender sponge for £2.50 (pink was sadly the only colour left).  I then treated myself to the Pixi Mesmerizing Mineral Palette in Emerald Gold at £13.20 to ensure I got free delivery (free 2 day tracked delivery on spends over £10 otherwise £1.95).  My grand total came to £15.70.

From Yes Style I have ordered Missha B Signature BB Cream #13.  This cost £21.90 with free shipping (7 to 14 days).  I did see I could get it cheaper on eBay but I wasn't sure if it was the real thing.

Maybelline BabySkin Fatigue Blur Primer £7.99

Maybelline BabySkin Instant Pore Eraser Primer £7.99

Maybelline Great Lash WTP - Very Black £4.99 

Boots had a buy 3 for 2 offer, so I also bought my best friend the waterproof mascara which is her favourite.

Both the baby skin products smelled strongly of harsh chemicals which was unpleasant.  

I used the pore minimiser under my BB cream.  It looked like a gel.  It went on easily.  Once applied it created a smooth layer on my skin that was an effective makeup base.  

The fatigue blur is designed to brighten the complexion to give a refreshes awake look.  However, it disappeared under my BB cream making it pretty pointless.  I then tried it as a highlighter over my BB which was more effective but I wasn't that impressed.  

Baby skin wasn't for me and I won't buy either again. 

I gave the mascara to my best friend as I know it is her favourite.  I have tried it myself and it is good.

Redhead using Henna

I choose Henne Colour in Cuivre which is designed to draw out copper highlights in your hair.  There were other shades to choose from.  It is free from oxidizer, ammonia, p-phenylendiamine (PPD), parabens, and bleach.   It cost £7.49 which was less than the version by Lush.  Lush's version has great reviews but appears to be a block whereas Holland & Barratt's is a powder.

As a child, my mum told me horror stories about dying my hair.  It was meant as a deterrence but it left me with fear of turning my hair a hideous shade of green or purple.  Being a naturally shy person, I don't want to stand out.  Ironically, I was born ginger the least wallflower of all colourings.

Over the years, I've grown to love my individuality.  Ironically my colour has slowly dulled as my acceptance has grown.  It's still ginger but nowhere near as vibrant as the little girl who hated it.

I'm still not keen on chemical dye.  All my friends who do seem to live bottle to bottle and a constant dread of roots.  There is also the damage it can cause to hair.  I don't think I have the confidence to carry off being a bald chick.

I started researching henna.

Here are the major selling points for me:

• Natural:  It's natural - you can buy organic which means there are no nasty chemicals.   
• Conditioning:  It's conditioning - Henna is actually good for your hair.  It makes it radiant, smooth and gives volume.  It is good for split, dull, fragile hair.  
• Affordable:  It's not expensive (about £7 to £8) and an application can last 4 to 6 months.  So you only need to treat your hair two to three times a year.

Here were the things that were made me hesitant to try it:

• Messy:  Almost every review I read had a warning about the mess!
• Unpredictable colour:  It affects everybody differently so there is no certainty of what colour you will end up with.  Think of it like you are purchasing a hue.  There is a chart to give you some idea here:  http://www.hennecolor.co.uk/colour-chart.html
• Commitment unclear:  Some people said that the colour fades and others said that they needed to grow it out. 

Armed with the information that I had researched on-line I decided to go for it.

The box says it is suitable for blondes and brunettes.  However, on their website it says their products are suitable for everyone.

The box contradicts itself where it says "Henne Color is a henna-based colouring powder mixed with plant extracts.  Henne Color adds long-lasting highlight to the hair, giving it a personal touch."  then on the next line it says "It has no dying action."  Maybe haircare experts know the difference between dying vs colouring your hair - for me they are the same thing.

I also bought:

• some salad bowls from Pound Land.  I got four plastic orange bowls with a giant plastic fork and spoon (for each one) and all four cost a £1 (25p each).  
• I also got a plastic sheet from pound land.  It is supposed to be to protect your floor from your toddlers high chair - it has animals on it. Obviously cost only £1
• I got an essential kit from Savers for dying your hair - it came in a wash bag and contained two crocodile clips to section your hair and plastic gloves to protect your hands and a brush to apply the dye.

Mixing the Henna was really easy.  I poured the powder into a metal mixing bowl - I worried about dying my 25p bowl at the last minute.  I poured in boiling water and mixed the Henna with the salad spoon.  I kept adding water until I had a paste similar to a mud mask.

I left it too cool and prepared the bathroom.  I taped the sheet to the base of my bath tub to protect the floor. I then stripped off so not to ruin my clothes.  I draped an old towel over my shoulders and applied Vaseline to my ears and hairline and brushed out all my knots.

I then collared my husband into helping me to apply the Henna to my hair.  He wore the gloves and used the clips to move my hair around and the brush to paste it on.  He found applying the Henna very difficult because it thickens quite quickly - next time, I might try making it more runny.  He focussed on applying it to my roots and then down the strand.  Towards the end of the application we started to worry that we would run out of product because my hair is so long.  We only just had enough!

It felt like having a mud pack on my head.  My husband then helped wrap my hair in cling film and then I put a towel over it.  We then watched some TV for two hours before I then rinsed the Henna out over the bath tub.  I then blow dried it and went to bed.  The next morning I took the pic.  I waited because Henna can change as is oxides.

The bath need a serious rinse out when I was done but it wasn't as messy as people made out.  I think it is a too man job though.

As a virgin to colouring my hair I was still shocked even by the subtle change but after looking at myself a few times in the mirror I decided I like it and I would probably do it again.  I went out for Easter Sunday and nobody noticed I'd changed my hair which is perfect.  I didn't want a drastic change.  Henna works with your natural tones and the affect is as individual as you.

My hair feels healthier and looks brighter.  I'm definitely interested in doing it again but we'll see whether it fades or gives me roots...

If you want to try it out,  you will need:

• Henne Color 
• An old towel
• A mess sheet (and tape)
• A bowl and spoon
• Dying essentials kit (plastic gloves, a brush to apply henna with and crocodile clips)
• Cling film (or shower cap)

New Direction

I've been trying to keep everything separate:

• Writer
• Redhead
• Mother

All these things make up me and diving it up is limiting my posts.  From now on, I shall blog whatever I like and not be restrictive.  I think it will make my posts my frequent and personal.  It will give readers a better understanding of where I am coming from and my life.

We'll see how it goes...