Concrete Minerals Electric Eye Primer Review

Okay sick of paying almost $20 for UDPP in sin. It's great stuff but, the price is not so great especially when you consider that one cannot get all the product out even with the angled wand. Ugh! makes me so mad.
So to Etsy i went. Looking for a primer that didn't crease, was cost effective, and make my eyeshadow pop!
I use both loose minerals and regular pot eyeshadow so it need it to work great for both.

I saw a few that looked like just wax in a tin and was not happy with just looking at them. Then, after a few searches, Concrete Minerals kept popping up in my searches. At $8.99, this primer was in my budget. Shipping $2.99 yay!

Concrete Minerals: out of Southern California by Emily, here is her bio from Etsy:

Hey, I'm Emily, founder of Concrete Minerals! I spent years working in the natural cosmetics industry helping great companies reach much-deserved success, so I knew better than most the many benefits of mineral makeup. Yet something was missing that couldn't quite force me to completely abandon my beloved, if over-priced, Sephora brands. Something about the neutral, lifeless colors of mineral makeup made me feel so indescribably bored.

So I created Concrete Minerals! A company hellbent to create sexy, richly-pigmented mineral makeup that's not only healthy, but reminds us why being a girl is badass! We should never feel burdened by makeup, we should cherish the opportunity to play with it!

We believe in quality over quantity. We'll release our newest colors only when we're as crazy about them as we want you to be.

Concrete Minerals products contain no nonsense, commonly referred to as:
:: Parabens
:: Fragrances
:: Dyes
:: Nano-particles
:: Bismuth Oxychloride, Talc or other cheap fillers

Whether you've already made the switch to mineral makeup, or you're looking for one final, good reason, welcome to Concrete Minerals! Bold, sexy and unique, just like the girls who love us!

♥ Emily

What I also loved about Concrete Minerals was thier money back guarantee. She basically states that if you hate the product she will let the buyer exchange it or refund your purchase. Not many sellers say this up front especially with cosmetics.

The product comes in a cute tin and is about .35 oz of product just a little more than UDPP at .34 oz for the regular size. It has a bit of shimmer not as much as sin but that's fine with me b/c sometimes sin is overkill.

The ingredients are: Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Beeswax, Dimethicone, Silicon Dioxide, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene

This produces a very silky, light weight, and lush primer. Just a little bit of this primer is necessary to make you r eyeshadow pop and look really vibrant. It also lasts all day. It's about 11pm tonight and my eyeshadow is still great looking and there's no creases. I've had it on since about 9am this morning. That's no creases even in 90 plus degree weather plus humidity in south central Tejas. The only down side for me was that i can't use cream shadows with this effectively. Cream shadows are not great for me in generals b/c i have oily skin but i keep trying anyways. One day they will make cream shadows for us oily skin gals.

Anyways, this is a GREAT primer and at less than UDPP via sephora.com (including shipping) this is a keeper! Yay ConcreteMinerals!

find her on
Facebook: www.facebook.com/concreteminerals
Twitter: http://twitter.com/cm_official
http://www.concreteminerals.com/

Makeup I miss... Covergirl Smoothwear Liptints

Okay so i love finding a product that is just THE IT product and works well for everything!
Then, by the time i find this product, it is discontinued and that is just so frustrating. This product was so it for me when it was discontinued I wrote a handwritten letter and emailed CoverGirl about this with how disappointed i was with the loss of such a great product.

The product is CoverGirl Smoothwear Liptints. My fave shade is #205 Blush Wine (see right pic for swatch).
This product is a smooth lip gloss and in my mind was ahead of it's time. It is super moisturizing with aloe, Shea butter (before Shea butter was an IT ingredient), and Vitamin E. It's long lasting and leaves lips super soft. This color in particular was chosen because it just enhances my own natural lip color. I love glosses in my own lip color and this one is IT. The tube is small enough to fit in any purse and is great on the go at .45 oz.

According to the packaging it is:

• Sheer natural Looking, conditioning shine
• Don't go Bare- Go Better! Smoothwear Liptints for nude & improved lips. Sheer enriched with Vitamin E, Aloe, & shea butter. Beautify with natural looking shine for soft supple lips over time.

This builds a better set of lips, even when it wears off there are just soft lips that feel great.
There is no peppermint oil in it to provide that sting or plump like my Buxom Dolly gloss ( which the DH hates Buxom for that reason) and it's got a great sheen. It IS my go to when i have nothing else that seems to work or just want color on the weekend without thinking about it. This gloss was using shea butter ebfore it was a huge ingredient in everything from lips to body creams and beyond. So moisturizing. it is perfection

The product was replaced by the Fruit Spritzers, which are NOT the same. They are sticky and greasy and the flavors are very over powering for me. My daughter loves it because they smell so good ( she's only 3) and ran off with the Plum version i had, which was the only acceptable color in the bunch for me and it wasn't that great.

I truly wish Cover Girls had not discontinued the product and i am now reduced to having to look for it on ebay and I did find it at an Aussie site called Glossi, which lists the Liptints for $5AUD. I have 9 here at home and 7 are unopened so i have stock for a while but is till want more because this is a fave of mine. Please CoverGirl bring back the original Smoothwear Liptints!

glitter-graphics.com

So what makeup product or beauty product do you wish would come back? I'd love to hear from you!

Moisturizer Reviews..Moans Groans and finally happiness.

Okay so with my changing skin due to pregnancy, I've had to scour the WWW for a face cream that will hydrate, smell great and feel light on my face without making me greasy or break me out.

I had been using signature Club A by Adrienne Precious Moroccan Argan Oil Day Cream before all my prego hormones changed my skin and found that it started to break me out. This cream was good light and hydrated mys kin beautifully and worked well in winter and summer.

Then i tried the arbonne NutriMinC RE9 Day Crème with SPF 8 and that broke me out..mostly b/c of the sunblock. That's why i use mineral foundation has spf built in and no breakouts. However the NutriMinC RE9 REcover Night Crème, and the hydrating face wash were amazing and the serum for the face were awesome. My skin was hydrated glowed and i woke up refreshed and dewy! However at the prices they are currently out of my reach..and the samples are all gone. <>

Okay then to look for something else. Yes i was frustrated and Tweeted several times about how i hated looking for new moisturizer. A friend recommended the Loreal Active Daily Moisture. This worked for about 2 days before i saw my dry skin coming back and it enlarged pores. Akk! I thought it was going to work, it was light it felt great and had no offensive scent. Sadly no.


Okay so, more researching and going to Totalbeauty.com or makeupalley.com to look for reviews of products that would be great. Again price is an issue. It was agony. I wanted something that i wasn't going to fear putting on my skin and something i felt could help with the dry patches and some now enlarged pores...mainly due to primer with dimethicone in it and worsened by moisturizers that didn't work with my skin.

Off to Etsy and Artfire.com i went. Using the basic search terms "facial cream" as my opening move and narrowing down from there i kept seeing this one brand called La Conchita Naturals. It was a RosewaterFacial Moisturizer. No parabens and promised to hydrate and even be a great base foe mineral foundation. Rosewater is a great toner for the skin to begin with so i decided to try the 1 oz. jar of the product. Wow! is all I can say! This little jar has such potent and great stuff in it that my skin was glowing and happy to be nourished and loved. The cream is light, absorbs quickly and lasts all day.

The primer part, well i need less primer than i did before to get a flawless look. That is great. but by itself i think i would use it only for weekend looks when I'm not going very far or just grocery shopping.

The scent is a light rose scent and not over powering ( great for me because i have heightened sense of smell during pregnancy), this powerful stuff has: Jojoba, Apricot Kernel, and Shea Butter. I add Pro Vitamin B, a generous dose of the antioxidant power of Natural Vitamin E along with Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein and Jojoba Protein to create a truly effective facial moisturizer (straight from the Etsy/Artfire listing for the product).

I am just so happy with this product i can't even tell you. A tiny bit goes a long way! it's just fabulous.

along with my cute jar of miracle cream, came this beautiful pink powder. It is the La Conchita Naturals

Sprinkling Clean - Rose - Natural Face Wash, Exfoliant and Mask.

This is a dry cleanser that you add water to and make a paste of it in your hand. then use it to cleanse to let it set as a mask on your face. It smells wonderfully of oatmeal and rosewater. It is effective and gentle and lovely all at the same time. It may seem strange to have a cleanser that comes in powder form, but it lasts longer and you can customize how wet or dry you need it depending on the day. It takes off makeup with no problem and exfoliation occurs with every wash in a gentle manner, no stripping or abrasiveness. It leaves the skin soft and balanced.

speaking of balancing, another little gem of a freebie was also included..

Jasmine Green Tea - Antioxidant Skin Toner with Organic Aloe Vera

This balancer had a strong scent for me but it does dissipates rather quickly. The toner is great and moisturizes as well. According to the product description:
This All Natural Toner is the perfect way to infuse your skin with 5 powerful antioxidant-rich botanical extracts while removing nasty residue, tightening pores and toning skin! In a base of Jasmine Hydrosol and Organic Aloe it even helps soothe and hydrate skin in preparation for your moisturizer—and it has a light, wonderful scent of pure jasmine essence.

I used this after washing my face and my face felt even softer, even my hubby made a comment on it. I have to say it's a keeper.

La Conchita Naturals is a company that really knows it's stuff. Based in Cotati, CA, creator Conchita really cares about what she puts into each and every single product. Handmade for her is the way to go. Along with quality of ingredients. She has a shop both on Etsy and Artfire.com. I highly recommend her to anybody looking for quality natural skincare. I look forward to purchasing her night cream next and writing a great review on it. It's wonderful to find a greta moisturizer at a price that is affordable and to find a product that is of quality.

My skin thanks you Conchita! Yay!

Alice in wonderland

With the New movie Alice in wonderland set to hit theaters in March 2010,(you know the one with Johnny Depp..nuff said..anyways..) there are tons of new items on the market with an Alice theme.
I am so excited because it's always been a favorite of mine.

Let's start with the new movie itself, i love the posters coming out and movie art has always been an interest of mine. I find the artwork sometimes to be better than the trailers.

Here is fave #1
I lie this full cast poster a lot. It is set in the rose garden and the line "We're all mad here." is just wonderful. Each character does appear as though they are in their own little bubble which is great. It's dark the way a Tim Burton film i usually presented but reminds me of the child's book at the same time.

Fave poster #2

It's a Tea Party! What little girl doesn't or didn't like tea parties. I remember having them with mom and dad. Invisible tea or water for those advanced and trusted little girls. Tea parties are the best. My 3 year old daughter currently enjoys all things tea party. She has a lovely set up and I must say my hubby has had quite his fill of imaginary cakes, cookies and very sweet tea (12 lumps Daddy?).

This poster has the Caterpillar in it which for me was always the mysterious character that i was trying to figure out. It's bright it's kind of a throw back tot he traditional drawings of the original Alice in Wonderland book. I love how it has open seats invite the viewer to sit and join the mad tea party. Make sure you have a clean cup and know some riddles.

Fave poster #3

Now I've seen a few different versions of this ..this is a triptych. According to dictionary.com the definition of a triptych is "a set of three panels or compartments side by side, bearing pictures, carvings, or the like." This has been broken up into 3 separate movie posters if you do a Google image search for "alice in wonderland 2010 posters." Each poster is unique and grabs the audience immediately, but standing all together it makes for a truly stunning work of art. Stil youthful, but mysterious at the same time. here you can infer more of the storyline and see some of the different locations the movie will take Alice.

Promotional items:

Okay one that grabbed me right away was the Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland eyeshadow Palette at Sephora. It looks like a little dark jewelry box. The colors are stunning and the artwork inside the box surrounding the mirror takes my breath away. It also comes with eye eyeliners and a mini UDPP. So very grown-up but reminiscent of a little girls jewelry box. At $52 it's a whimsical investment. Sephora store are also hosting an Alice in wonderland make-over party I signed up and hope to have a ton of fun. It's on February 20th. check your local Sephora store for details.

O.P.I. is another company with a taste for the maddness! When you go to their site they have a full page ad for the new nail lacquers inspired by the movie. My fave of this set is "Off with Her Red!" There is also a contest they are running witha grand prize of a JCP salon gift card and the entire set of Alice in Wonderland inspired nail Lacquers.

This is just so cool from Tetley Teas Canada. They are having a Mad Hatter Tea Party contest. The prize is amazing including everything you need to throw a grand tea party and watch Tv in style with a brand new Panasonic system.

Books to go with the Alice in Wonderland theme:

Check your local library for these entertaining books.

I love these books by Frank Beddor. He too is trying to make them into a movie series but with Burton's film out who knows where this is going. However the books are FAbulous! The series is called The Looking Glass Wars. It is the true story of what really happened to Alyss Heart of Wonderland. According to this series Carroll got everything wrong. It's an adventure series filled with really cool elements and unforgettable characters who are both familiar and very different from the Carroll version of Wonderland.

The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition

by Lewis Carroll is a compendium of information straight from the author and lets the reader in on the nuances of Victorian jokes, lifestyle and jargon so that one can better understand the novel he wrote. The book itself is a decadent addition to any library. It's strong red cover with intricate edging detailing just makes the fingers itch to open it and dive into the world of Alice.

I hope this has you excited to see the movie and dive into wonderland. I know I am!

Until next time!

Coastal Scents Purchase

Finding Coastal Scents.com makeup has been an interesting experience. I have purchased from them in the past and found my fist blush that didn't itch me half way through my day. The blush which also doubles as a nice base color eyeshadow for the warm neutrals I love. I have also purchased makeup brushes and was flabbergasted at the quality for the great price.

With my blush purchase i received a sample of Fawn eyeshadow. It's a beautiful rich chocolate brown color. It goes on so soft and lasts all day without moving. It's lovely and trust me when i say that a little goes a LONG way. The sample bag still has a a good amount of product in there. I use it for a crease color. $7.95 it comes in a generous 10g sifter jar and is so worth the price.

Simply stunning is just too demure of a word for this eyeshadow. Along with this gorgeous shade i also ordered Lusty a high light shade that would go with everything. Pearly and has hints of gold in there but is so neutral that it can make an appearance with almost any look. Described on CS as " Lusty shadow is a creamy light satiny beige powder with low sparkle. " it''s creamy and beautiful and like Fawn, a little goes a long way.


The two jars came nicely packaged in a mini lilac organza bag and I also got a free sample of a color called Aqua Zone. The color is like a dark aquamarine and is so soft and silky when putting it on.

May have to find an occasion to wear it since i usually am a neutrals kid of gal. Maybe my sister who uses color more can use it. Though it is very pretty. I had a MAC color like it in high school that I loved using it.

Considering how long these shadows last the investment of almost $18 is well spent. I have not even gone thru half of the blush color i first ordered. Very much satisfied.


Cheers!

Aromaleigh Samples

So after looking at a tutorial on YouTube for this gorgeous look with Revlon 12 Hour e/s in Blush Wines, I am so taken by the look. It was done by geisha1254

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6js2WPogwUY

However, I cannot use Revlon..it makes me itch. So I started the search for comparable colors to complete this look.

I ordered from two companies and Aromaleigh came in first.
Pronounced Aroma Lee, Aromaleigh has been on the web since 1998 (great year.. graduated high school that year) and according to the About Us page:

Aromaleigh is a small, independent online company that specializes in microformulating our unique and proprietary loose mineral powder cosmetics and natural fragrances using the finest cosmetic grade pigments, natural ingredients and botanicals available. Our loose powder mineral makeup is not repackaged or "private label", as is becoming more and more common as the mineral makeup trend has grown exponentially. It seems like new Mineral Makeup companies are appearing every day! Mineral Makeup is even being sold in drugstores!

We've been serving the natural beauty needs of our customers since 1998 via www.aromaleigh.com, and are celebrating our ten year anniversary this year. We are proud to have been part of the mineral makeup revolution, and the handful of like-minded, woman-owned online companies who started providing an alternate source to mass-manufactured mineral makeup. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." And so Aromaleigh Mineral Cosmetics has. We're humbled to have you along for the ride...

That being said, they have a HUGE selection of eyeshadows. It's so overwhelming I had to join the boards on the website and ask for suggestions as to matches for the quad I was trying to color match. The ladies ont he board were so helful and i quickly got a list of colors to sift through.

I made some hard decisions and ordered samples of:

Lyche Deeper rose-brown raisin shade
Wish A peachy golden pink with slight iridescence
Wine A medium toned, rich pinkish-wine shadow
Damask A great "nude" shade... use as a base, highlighter or all-over color
Persephone Lush bordeaux with a cocoa lowlight and rose highlight
Magnolia Matte Eyeshadow: A medium-deep muted mahogany
Petunia Sweet as sugar, baby pastel pink with a frosty pink highlight
Angelique Innocent mid-toned fawn pink with a hint of buff and opalescent highlights.
Ophelia The sweetest pale baby pink with a dewdrop green highlight.
Edie Pearlized glimmering medium pink.

The cheapest price for my samples was 65 cents and the most expensive was 1.30 for a small baggie of product. Considering that i'm on a beauty mission from god the expense was rationalized away as i entered in my credit card number. Shipment took 3 days to get to me....not bad since they are in South Carolina and I'm in South Central Texas. Oh and did i mention that if you order ONLY samples and samples ONLY you get free shipping. That is a great thing.

The samples came in a simple bubble mailer and wrapped in bright pink tissue paper with a Silver AromaLeigh logo sticker to seal the package of samples. In addition to the samples I ordered i received three other samples at no extra charge:

Gossamer Color Infusion Lipstick sample ( a red brown with shimmer lipstick very soft and beautiful)
Little Craving e/s (a bright pink fromt her Gothic Lolita collection)
Plush Romantic e/s (a beautiful Mysterious smudged indigo with brilliant bright sparks of blue. with a ton of shimmer..so sexy also from the Gothic Lolita collection)


The full size jars of eyeshadow come in the 5 gram sifter jars. All the eye shadows at full size are $6.75 except for Lychee which is on sale till 7/29 for $5.81 and regular price is $7.75. Not bad considering the quality is in a word, gorgeous.

I did swatches of the shadows i was considering before i reviewed the YouTube video to narrow down to my final choices. bear with me and the pen markings i will explain:
From top to bottom:

Petunia
Ophelia
Damask
Edie
Angelique
Wish
Lychee
Persephone

After looking at the shades which all went on gorgeous even without base and with a cotton swab, i decided to go with (going from lightest to darkest):

Petunia
Angelique
Wish
Persephone

I'm excited to try the look. I'm looking forward to my first order from Aromaleigh..since my order will be more than $20 i qualify for the First Order coupon which takes $5 off my order of $20 or more. FABULOUS!

They have more deals and coupon codes in their Coupons + Deals link from the left menu bar. Looking for ward to the other samples i ordered some in and have some more comparisons to make. They are coming from Buff'd Cosmetics who I love for my foundation.

Until Next Time!

Everyday Minerals..A Local Texas Company

The hunt for great makeup is an almost daily quest for most women. Weather, skin and life changes (like pregnancy) effect our skin in drastic ways. My skin has changed from being really oily to dry. It's odd. Along the way I discovered mineral makeup. My skin has become so sensitive that it's more sensitive than my Mom's now. I love Bareminerals. They have a great line and it looks great on me and has improved the condition of my skin.

However, i noticed that i have begun to itch with the summer heat upon us in San Antonio. I love my BE but the itching not so much. So to remedy this i have started searching for a new mineral line..that's when I found Everyday Minerals. Youtubers have greatly contributed to my desire to try this new company which I found is local for me..It's just a hop skip and a jump up I-35 to Austin. Though they don't have a physical store to walk in and purchase their online site is fabulous.

There is a sample kit you can purchase for just the cost of shipping (to San Antonio it was $3.28 and got here isn two days). You get 3 foundations, 1 blush and 1 concealer. They some nicely packaged in recycled tissue paper and it comes with a color chart to help you further decide which base wold be great for your skin-tone.



This company is totally inclusive of the skin out there. There are more foundations here than i have seen in a lot of mineral sites. In their FAQs they also help you try to define your skintone to their families of colors. When you slide your mouse over the color it gives a brief description of the color and which skintones the color would fit.

There there is the choice of coverage, from a dewy glow to intense, it will satisfy your choice in coverage. I am currently wearing the Semi-matte formula in Beige-medium Neutral. I want to try the Matte and Intense formulations in this color to figure out which one I'd like best. So I'm ordering a second sample kit since i have found my color..now I'm looking at intensity.

The base when looking to purchase full size is: $12 which is a little less than half the price of BE.

Next item in your kit: A Blush. This was so much fun choosing a blush. I have been mixing a mineral blush from Coastal Scents with a blush from Flirt! at Kohls to achieve this one color Everyday Minerals has. It's called Snooze Bar. It's Perfect! Just perfect for everyday! I'm so ordering the Big one. At $8 is an wallet pleaser!


The last item is a concealer called Multi-Tasking. I used it under my eyes and to cove any acne scarring and it worked perfectly. It is a great shade for me and makes me look fresh and awake.

The company is super eco-concious and you can read all about it in the FAQs and About Us section. For me personally it's great to have a local company because I wasn't to support my state economy and I LOVE that shipping doesn't take so long from Austin. I wonder if they can do a factory tour. That would be so cool. Also on the website you can sign up for their forums and read their blogs which showcase Austin and all the traveling the company does for their ingredients. It's very cool.

As a bibliophile, i loved that they had a set dedicated to Jane Austen..which was listed in one of the blog posts. That is just too cool.

Overall, this makeup has me on a good step as i try it out. We'll see how it works out as the days go by.