Mineral Foundation Transformer

Happy Ano Nuevo y'all!

I hope that the new year ushers in new goals and challenges and memorable moments for you all. My new year was spent quietly with my family. While the baby slept me and the hubby and my daughter who woke up to the sound of fireworks, had glasses of sparkling cider.  It was quiet and wonderful as she watched the vivid colors of the fireworks illuminate the night. 

Today I'm reviewing, a God send of a liquid that I purchased on Etsy via AceNaturals that makes any powder mineral foundation into a liquid foundation.  I recently have noticed that even with exfoliating the apples of my cheeks were getting dry patches and it was very revealing when i used my powder mineral foundation.  Even though i do moisturize with Argan oil and prime using mark. Primed for Perfection, my cheeks were still drying out. This was quite disturbing that despite all my efforts my skin still was not receiving enough moisture.  So the search for a liquid mineral foundation began...much to my dismay.  I abhor looking for foundation. It's a lot of testing and disappointment and frustration..not to mention a lot of monetary investment , even if it is samples. One and two dollars here and there really adds up. 

However, I pressed on, looking at sellers on Etsy who made liquid foundation, established indie companies that had their own line of LMF (liquid Mineral Foundation) and much to my dismay were the ingredients. I love PMF (Powder Mineral Foundation) because of the lack of ingredients. I in my current foundation there are 5 ingredients, all safe and lovely. In the light formulation of it there are 6 but again all stuff i trust and know won't harm my skin.  when liquid is added to PMF the issue of preservation becomes strongly apparent. Keeping the soft creamy feel of the foundation also is another issue and blending and not settling in fine lines etc..all the hassles of traditional liquid makeup comes back (of which i heartily tossed when making the switch to MMU year ago).

Ingredient lists get longer and more complex. Not the route I wanted to go. So i looked to see if there was a mist or a liquid by itself i could add to my PMF that would help.  Lots of sites suggest a mist of filtered water to set the makeup, but i hate misting my face.  Not a feeling i want everyday, plus it would ruin my hair in the process. Curly hair gals have enough to deal with. There were a couple of mixing mediums but the paraben preservatives immediately disqualified them.

Enter AceNaturals. Founder and owner of Organic Mobile Tanning, Erik Ace in Miami Florida, is an esthetician student and  handmakes all his products.  He has this liquid that is a mixture of oils which, when combined with PMF, creates a creamy luscious liquid foundation. The bottle of oils sells for $5.99. So, a small investment and oils, which work with my skin such as avocado, carrot and chamomile seed oils- all of which are great for the skin no matter your condition- how could i be dissapointed?

When it arrived in the mail I was so excited! Here is this small bottle of liquid gold that will help my face. The bottle was shrink wrapped and  came with a paper of detailed instructions and a small .15cc measuring scoop for my PMF.  The mixture of oils is silky smooth. When you follow the directions and incorporate with the PMF the result is a creamy, luxe combination of MMU. I didn't think this small scoop of PMF would cover my face but it does! The LMF glides on and sets to a powder finish that is light and barely detectable. My face felt soft, moisturized and lines were not visible. Remember, I do moisturize and prime before.  I also put on a very light dusting of finishing powder. Still had my glow from my foundation and the bennies of a liquid..yay! Great day in the Nation!

Test run was a girls nite with a friend and it was a great test run. My makeup didn't itch, my friend said I had good coverage and it looked great. Wasn't shiny and i didn't feel like i had a layer of stuff on my face!

So this Powder to Liquid Transformer (yes my name for it) gets 5 stars from me!
Check out AceNaturals on Etsy!

Mark magalog #7

Okay all the new Magalog for mark is here!
The campaign runs from Tuesday 06/22/2010 to Tuesday 07/20/2010

Here is the full onlinemagalog:
http://youravon.com/static/catalog/2010/14/en/p900.html?ba=null

It's very exciting. There are some great specials going on!


The full-sized mask is a $9 value FREE when you spend $16 in skincare products.
Choose from TheShine Fighter Oil-Control Mask and the Calm Yourself Hydrating mask:

I like the Shine fighter with summer oily skin happening because it has: kaolin clay, a natural, oil-absorbing clay. Apricot, rich in vitamins A and C, which protects the skin against environmental damage.

Get perfect skin from head to toe!

Gorgeous skin is a must for summer.
Get that glow with mark skincare and the Anti-Acne skincare line.

Back Me Up is a spray specially made for treating acne and other body acne. It also contains apple and cinnamon extracts, plus salicylic acid. The bottle is specially made to allow easy spraying on the body- even if it's held upside down! This will be $10.

Another addition to the line is Blemish Banisher ($12). They are medicated, soaked pads; they contain apple and cinnamon extracts, as well as salicylic acid. These are great for on-the-go use. Just keep the container with you on vacation and use it. All you do is wipe down your face, and you're good to go! It also contains glycolic acid and alpha hydroxy acid that exfoliates the skin for a smooth appearance! You get 50 soaked pads for $12.00. By the way, these are GREAT for guys! They're already ready; all you do is swipe it over the face. Unscented, and easy to use. These are most effective after cleansing, before you apply Break Out Plan lotion!

Break Out Plan is a revolutionary formula that is a lightweight gel lotion. It contains apple extract and cinnamon extract, but is unscented. It also contains 1.5% salicylic acid, a drying agent that helps clear up blemishes! It's appropriate for all skin types, but is specially formulated for blemish prone skin. This moisturizer also helps reduce the redness commonly associated with acne! $16

So with mark's new specials and anti-acne additions you are covered for the summer.

more info to come.

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!