Make-up March At Content

Last week I was featured on Content and Wellbeing's blog as part of their annual Make-up March campaign.

Watercolours

Two years ago I wrote a post about non-toxic nail polish and my decision to use only polishes that were '3, 4 or preferably 5-free'; in other words free from the most harmful ingredients commonly found in conventional nail polishes. Now I'm taking it to the next level...

Top Five: Cruelty Free Lashes

False lashes are big business these days and I for one am a big fan (although I rarely wear them on myself, mores the pity), but beautiful as they are, not all lashes are cruelty free (more about this in the next few weeks - believe me, writing this post opened a super-sized can of worms!)

Love: Minnie Messie Mat

One of the first things you are taught when studying make-up is how to set up correctly and hygienically and as a matter of course, I still to this day carry a towel to spread out on my work station when I set up. In recent months I have become increasingly tired of carrying towels around for this purpose; surely there must be a better way to keep a work space clean?

So I invested in a mat. Yes, this months love is my new mat (you will see why).

Top Five: Orange Lips

After the sultry, deeper tones of the autumn and winter I always get a little excited when I see the little pops of colour that surely signal the start of spring.This coming season is certainly no different and many of those splashes of colour have taken the form of an orange lip.

Orange can be a bold choice for a lip colour, so if you don't fancy going all out citrusy then try using a tinted balm to create a faint wash of colour or filling the lip with a pencil before applying a clear gloss (or leaving it as it is).

Backstage: Energy

I am writing this post from my little (or should I say weeny) make-up room at a film studio in beautiful rural Berkshire.

The Beauty Shortlist Awards 2014

Award ceremonies come thick and fast at this time of year and the beauty industry is no exception. The winners of The Beauty Shortlist Awards 2014 were announced on Friday and with ten main categories and no less than thirty three individual product categories, tensions were high...

From The Vault...

Two and a half years down the line, I have decided that it is high time that I revisited some of the first posts that I shared with you. Why I hear you ask? I will tell you.

I readily admit I don't have the most reliable memory in the world and on occasion do forget that I have *clears throat*  already written about a product; I begin to compile ideas only to discover that in fact my thoughts are all ready out there (I have written an entire post before now, only discovering the first incarnation when I was about to publish the second...). 

This situation arose a couple of weeks ago when I was using a particular product at work and mulling over it's pros and cons. Realising my error (thankfully very early on in the process) I revisited the original post and it made me realise that I should go over some of my older posts more often and find out if my opinions have changed or not. So here we are.

*     *     *

Begin At The Beginning...

My first 'proper post' was always going to be a difficult one, choosing which product to start with, so I decided to start at the beginning....

Inika Organic Pure Primer

One of the first products that I introduced to my kit was the Inika Organic Pure Primer. I came across it quite by accident whilst I was looking for some foundations, unaware that there were Organic Primers on the market (I have since discovered there are a couple of others).

Inika Pure Primer

With nourishing ingredients such as macadamia oil, shea butter, avocado and apricot, Pure Primer has a luxuriously creamy texture with a mild herbal scent that fades quickly upon application. It applies equally well with either a brush or your fingers and is absorbed quickly leaving the skin feeling smooth and hydrated. There are subtle light reflecting elements that give a real radiance to the skin, creating a perfect base for foundation.

At just under £30 for 30ml it certainly isn't not a cheap product, fortunately a little goes a long way, with one pump of the bottle easily enough to cover the whole face and neck.

Now a mainstay of my kit, I have used Pure Primer for broadcast, bridal and fashion make-ups, on male and female clients and each time I have been happy with the results and the overall look of the skin.

Inika (an Australian brand) have an interesting range of organic and mineral products all of which are certified cruelty free and Vegan. 

www.inikacosmetics.co.uk

*     *     *

Over the years my writing style has changed somewhat I am sure you will agree, but what of my feelings?

I do still like this this Primer and keep a bottle  in my kit, however it is now having to share it's corner with a couple of other primers; namely Jane Iredale's Absence and Vapour Beauty's Skin Perfector - plus a BB and CC Cream or two. 

I love using it on skin that doesn't need too much doing to it (if you know what I mean) and it is a still great choice if you don't have particularly oily or super dry skin; or you just need a little something to smooth the surface and improve the appearance of foundation. If you are looking for a product that makes your make-up last longer, then in all honesty there are now products out there now that probably do the job a little better but if your skin is fairly balanced without large pores or uneven texture, then I do suggest giving it a go. You can find it in Naturisimo and Inika Cosmetics.

Ingredients:

(*) denotes ingredient is certified organic.

Certified Organic Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis) Leaf Juice; Certified Organic Macadamia (Macadamia Ternifoila) Oil; Certified Organic Shea Butter (Butyrospermum Parkii); Cetearyl Glucoside (Vegetarian); Calendula (Calendula Officinalis) Extract; Certified Organic Oils of Rosehip (Rosa Canina); Evening Primrose (Oenothera Biennis); Hazlenut (corylus Americana); Avocado (Persea Gratissima); Apricot (Prunus Armeniaca); Sclerotium Gum; Glycerin (Vegetarian); Grapefruit Seed (Citrus Grandis) Extract; Certified Organic Essential Oils of Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia), Sandlewood (Santalum Album), Ylang Ylang (Cananga Odorata) & Geranium (Geranium Maculatum); Rosemary Extract (Rosemarinus Officinalis).

Main image: Anthea Brown via Flickr

Body Image: Inika

Healing Balm

The drawer in which I store my spare lotions and potions is full to the brim (although typically not with anything I need when I actually need it!) and one of its main inhabitants is an extensive collection of multipurpose, intensive substances that are designed for caring for those irritating little dry bits.