Product Review: Body Shop Mineral Makeup

Hello guys and dolls! Welcome to 2009, I hope it's off to a great start for you! With a New Year comes all sorts of resolutions and promises. Some of them are ambitious and noble ("Will volunteer at homeless shelter once a week!"), and some are perhaps less lofty, but no less important ("Will use hand cream daily!" -- hey, scaly dry hands are no joke).


Typically though, our resolutions fall somewhere in between, and often have to do with improving our bodies. Whether it be to eat better or exercise more, getting healthier is high on many priority lists. As for me? You can count me in for both. Not because I'm keen on resolutions (I'm not), but because a) it's always a good idea to eat more veggies, and b) I'm going to Cuba in 6 weeks, have bought a white bikini, and dammit, I want to look decent in it!

But this is not a diet and exercise blog, worthy and interesting though those topics may be. This is a makeup blog, and if you're like me (unfit, vain, and yet motivated), you might too be wrestling with an all-important question: How do I look pretty post-workout?

Okay, okay. Obviously I'm not advocating a face full of products while you're working out. But what about after the fact? That fresh-faced glow (neon, in my case) from your cardio session might be good enough for some, but for me (see again: unfit and vain), I have to at least put foundation and concealer on before I head out into the real world.

Since I pretty much exclusively use mineral foundation, this is problematic. Those sifter jars can be a messy affair, and dumping powder all over the gym change-room is not my idea of a good start to the day. But with the Body Shop's ingenious new Nature's Minerals makeup, my worries are over!




You can't see it in the photo, but one of the best aspects of this new line of mineral makeup is the packaging. Instead of the usual "salt & pepper" type sifters that let powder out whenever the jar is jostled, these babies come with a mesh sifter that only releases powder when you tap it. This means there won't be a pile of powder waiting for you when you open your jar, threatening to spill everywhere. Rather, you just tap out the amount you need -- no fuss, no mess!

This travel-friendly packaging makes Nature's Minerals an ideal product to take to the gym (or on any trip, really). The foundation offers sheer, natural looking matte coverage, which is just enough to get me home after a workout. Shade 03 is just about right for my warm skin tone. The coverage can be built up a bit, but if you're looking for a medium or higher coverage, it might not be enough.

The line also offers blushes and eye shadows. The blush shade I got, Golden Terracotta, is a warm bronzey pink. It is very pigmented -- so much so that it's too dark for my medium-light skin in the wintertime. With a light hand, it would be great for a summer glow. I received the shadow in Pink Opal. It is described as a pale pink, but on me it shows up more as a medium pink. It's a nice, neutral pink with subtle shimmer... no chalkiness or overly cool tones. I can't wait for the line to launch in Canada so that I can check out the other colours!

Look, dragging yourself to the gym is not the easiest thing, whether it be at 6am or after a long day at work. And if you've got the willpower to do it, why not have flawless skin afterward, to go along with that exercise-induced endorphin rush?

Awesome Sale! 25% off ANY Lumiere Cosmetics Purchase

Hey folks! If you've been a long-time reader of this blog, you'll know that I am a huge fan of Lumiere Cosmetics. And if you're also a fan, or you're looking to try out some new mineral makeup, then there's no better time to act, because Lumiere is offering a 25% discount on their entire inventory*! Lumiere's prices are very reasonable to begin with, so this extra discount adds up to a really fantastic deal.



While I'm super thrilled about the deals, the reason behind the sale is bittersweet: The owner of Lumiere, Kim, recently lost her beloved dog Bruno. Bruno was a rescue pup from the Humane Society, and had been a gentle and loving companion to Kim and her kids for the past 8 years. Bruno will be greatly missed and fondly remembered, and Kim is paying tribute to his memory by donating 10% of all profits during this sale period to her local Humane Society, so that other pets like Bruno can continue to be adopted into loving homes.

Having dealt with Kim on several occasions, I can say that she is the nicest person, and her dedication to her customers amazes me every time I deal with her. I'm so sorry for her loss, but so appreciative that she is taking time and effort to do good deeds with her business, even during what must be a difficult time for her. Please support her endeavour (and the Humane Society!) by checking out the Lumiere website... you're sure to find something you'll like!


As for me? Predictably, I had trouble cutting down the huge list of things I wanted. I'm stocking up on their Luminess mineral foundation, which gives light coverage and a beautifully glowy (not sparkly) finish. As well, I've fallen hard for Sweet Cherub silk blush: it is this gorgeous, slightly shimmery nude-pink that looks angelic and innocent, and unlike any other blush I've tried.




I'm also getting a truckload of eyeshadow samples (seriously, these little containers last FOREVER), and I'm looking forward to testing out their mini-lip gloss sampler as well (so cute! 6 shades! your choice! only like $11!).






Another favourite is Lumiere's Silk Radiance in Island Sands -- a light dusting of it adds a soft-focus glow... it's like carrying around your own personal supply of flattering lighting! In my books, it's essential for a romantic date or a fun night out on the town. Or weddingns. Or photos. Or mornings after you've stayed up all night blogging and your face looks as blah as you feel. I think you get the point.




Oh, and I can't believe I've never given it a proper review, but Lumiere happens to make the best Kabuki brush I've ever tried, forever and ever amen. I couldn't imagine applying mineral foundation without it: kitten-soft, but dense and firm enough to do the job right, this thing has yet to shed 1 hair, and I've been using it daily for over a year. Plus, it's only $16, which means only $12 with the discount! Crappy drug-sore kabukis cost more than that... if I didn't already have 2, I'd buy another one. (Have I mentioned how much I love this brush??)



Okay, that's enough out of me for now. Get on over to the website and place your order already! The sale is only on until Friday September 26th, so don't miss out!



* Minimum purchase of $10. Which is laughable, since I could easily spend 10x that amount on their stuff.

My Beauty Routine

Hellooo! How are you all? It was Thanksgiving up here in the Great White North, and I spent the weekend in lovely Perth Ontario, where I lived out my pastoral fantasies, except with plumbing and beds and TVs, and not so much with the livestock or farming. In other words, I just did not-a-whole-lot, and enjoyed a home-cooked turkey dinner that was delish. It was a refreshing getaway!

So a reader had asked me to divulge my daily beauty routine, and I'm more than happy to oblige. Perhaps you will send me hate-mail because I have this many steps. Or perhaps you feel I don't do nearly enough, and am not qualified to write a beauty blog, and will get many wrinkles very soon. But caution to the wind... here it is (with reviews in links if I have 'em)!


1. Wake up. Hit the snooze button about 15 times.

2. Cleanse. Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel. Always and Forever.

3. Moisturize. Varies, depending on what I have on hand, or if I'm testing something for review. L'Oreal HappyDerm is an old standby. Right now, I'm trying a new one by Garnier, called Garnier Light that I found in Hong Kong. Review to come!

4. Lipbalm. Also varies, but I like a nice emollient one to start off my day. Smith's Strawberry Lipbalm is a favourite, and right now I'm using a lot of Sephora Professional's lip balm. It's not quite as moisturizing as the Smith's, but it has a nice lightly minty vanilla scent to it that's great for the AM. Also, I don't know where my Smith's balm is.



5. Foundation. I'm really loving Lumiere Cosmetics' Mineral Makeup. My skin has never been calmer. It also eliminates the need for primers or finishing powders, which is great (see above re: snooze button). Also, blending is super-fast, since all it takes is a few quick buffs with the kabuki. If I feel like I need more coverage, I might reach for Awake Invention's Hydro Manage makeup, or Maybelline's new-ish Superstay Silky liquid foundation.



6. Curl eyelashes. I use some drugstore-brand eyelash curler. The one from Tarte broke after like 6 months, that lil' bastard.

7. Eyeshadow. Being of Asian persuasion, this step is pretty quick. I pick a colour (usually light shimmery brown, or goldy, or lilac), and swipe it on my eyelid crease. Wink once in the mirror, and Bob's yer uncle. For extra special days (or for when I want to pretend I am a grad-school rock star) I use a dampened slanted liner brush to push some dark & sparkly colour right into my upper lash line. I don't do anything to my lower lashes, because it inevitably smears and "heroin addict" is not the best look for me.

8. Mascara. Cover Girl Volume Exact is my standard weapon of choice.


9. Concealer. Cinema Secrets Ultimate Foundation/Concealer is my fave, but I do use TimeBalm on occasion (mostly when I don't feel like going all the way into my purse to grab my Cinema Secrets).

10. Blush. Still stuck on Lumiere's blushes -- Terra Cotta and Poppy, depending on the day. Sometimes I will brush on a bit of Tarte's Park Avenue Princess bronzer if I'm feeling a little pale.


11. Lips. Hoo boy. I leave this until last because there are just so many options. And also because I sometimes forget to put on gloss/lipstick until I am on my way to wherever I am going. Generally, I go for light, natural glossy lips, unless it's a red lip day, in which case it's all about the wines and burgundies.




Whew! It sure looks like a lot of steps when it's spelled out like that. I probably go through the whole thing in about 15 minutes though, just enough time to spritz on some perfume and run out the door!

As for night-time, I just use the same Dermalogica cleanser to take everything off (yes, even the mascara!), and moisturize. I might switch to a heavier cream if I'm feeling dry or sensitive, but for the most part, I use the same thing as I do in the morning. No eye creams, serums, or toners... shocking I know. Just give me a few years, I'll get there. ;)


And there you have it! Armed with this knowledge, it's as if you're looking right into my bathroom while I'm getting ready in the morning. That sounded so much less creepy in my head.

What's your morning routine like?

Product Review: Lumiere Cosmetics Mineral Blush

The final (for now!) installment of my series of reviews for Lumiere Cosmetics' mineral makeup. Check out my reviews of the Foundation and Eyeshadow if you missed them!



I am just enamoured with the blushes from Lumiere Cosmetics. They are just so damn pretty! When selecting my sample shades, I fell in love with "Terra Cotta" in the "Veena Blush" line, which looked like the most gorgeous shade even through the computer screen. It's described as a "deep peachy brown orange", which sounds kinda yuck. To me, it seems much more like a vibrant, juicy, peachy pink. It's a titch warmer than most blushes I buy, but it is wonderful. It's brightens up my face perfectly and makes me think of sunny places, flippy skirts, and pony tails. It's like Nars' famous Orgasm shade, but without the shimmer (which is fine by me -- I can always add shimmer if I want!).


Because I was so dazzled by all the lovely colours, I neglected to read the part where it says the "Mineral Blush" line is meant for those with darker skin tones. So the Burnt Sienna shade I picked was WAY too intense for me. It's sad, because it's so alluring with its burnished shimmer. I could maybe get away with it for night time if I used a feather light touch, but for ladies with deeper or coppery skintones, this would be an absolute winner.


Not to let my own carelessness deter me from properly reviewing the line, I went ahead and ordered another shade: Wild Rose. (Because come on, it's $4, INCLUDING shipping. To CANADA!) Wild Rose is a non-shimmery pale rose colour, cooler and more subdued than Terra Cotta. It's perfect for those days when you want your eyes or lips to take center stage, or if you wish to project that demure ingenue vibe (you naughty thing you).



Fragrance free, easily blendable, and long lasting, I can't see why anyone wouldn't love these. As with all the mineral makeup I've tried, you need to use a light hand with these blushes, but that just means your little $4 tub ($4! That's it! Did I mention the free shipping?) will last you just about forver.

Product Review: Lumiere Cosmetics Mineral Eye Shadows

Hi friends! Here I am again! Posting! For the 2nd day in a row! Just as I promised!

So today is Part Eyeshadow of my review of Lumiere's line of mineral makeup. Check out yesterday's post for my thoughts on the foundation.




Ooooh, how I love a pretty sparkly shadow. And ooooh how I love a company that has over 100 shades, in various finishes! I got the Soft Brown, Divine, and Light Plum shades.

Soft Brown is just that -- a lovely shimmering brown that goes on dry for a sheer wash of colour; a neutral with some kick.











Divine is a rich sparkling purple -- a total rock-star shade for me. I use it with a damp brush as a liner, and it is awesome. You can go smokey or edgey, and it doesn't look garish.






Light Plum was a bit pinker than I usually go for, but looks seriously pretty if I use a light hand. If you like rose/wine shades, you'll like this.








All three shades I tried were from the Eye Shimmers line. The company also makes matte colours, sheer and intense iridescent shimmers, and even a special line for sensitive eyes. Although I've never used a MAC Pigment, I bet that these would give MAC a run for its money. The shimmers in these look phenomenal. Just stunning. I'd to try some of their sheerer shades, which would more suit my every-day style.

(Here's a tip: If you want to try the Proenza Pink trend, but don't want to commit to buying a lipstick, try mixing a pink shade of shadow like Blush or Pink Pearl with a bit of lipbalm. Even if it ends up looking hideous on your lips, it'll probably still look great on your lids!)


Hope everyone has a fantastic long weekend! Here are some great beauty reads to check out between the Easter Egg hunts and the coma-inducing chocolate consumption:


Ageless in Los Angeles tells us about Jerry Hall's Walk of Fame

All Lacquered Up Explores New Nail Territories - The Underside

Beautiful Makeup Search tries "h" Serum - a Human Growth Hormone for your Skin

Beauty and Fashion Tech takes a look at Kenozki Skin Care

Beauty and Personality Grooming tries treating acne with essential oils

Aveda launches Earth Month, and Pretty by Nature shares the story.

Spa Blah Blah features True Beauties: Childhelp Founders Sara O'Meara and Yvonne Fedderson

The Beauty Newsletter is excited about Sephora 's 75% off sale. Elke's getting some goodies!

The Life of a Ladybug asks: Yes'n or No v'n: the Louboutin Manicure

Let's talk about beauty and health gives us Tips for your skin (Part 1)

Product Review: Lumiere Cosmetics Mineral Foundation

The Oscars?!?!?! That's the last time I was here? Jeeeeebus. It's ridonculous. Just ridonculous. If you're still here, you're awesome. Thanks for sticking around.

You know when you plan to do a thing, and it isn't working out so well, and although there are plenty of other things you could be doing that probably would go pretty well, except you've got this mental roadblock from the first thing, which you feel you MUST do before anything else?

No? Well that's what happened here. I was going to have one part of my brain interview the other part (because I am unimportant and friendless! Ha!) about the blog, where it's gotten me, where it's going, and all that. But it just wasn't working. And I felt like I couldn't post until I finished it.

And then it hit me: "No one cares! It's your damn blog, just scrap the idea!"

So I did! Here's the short version:

Blog: Good fun. Old friends. New friends. Hurray.

Perks: New products to try! New blogging friends. Interview w/ NY Times (didn't make it into the article, but likely closest brush w/ real media (as opposed to academic journals) I will ever get). Neato.

Cons: See new product, think "Must try! For BLOG! For THE CHILDREN!!". End up with 16, 783 versions of pink lip gloss. (Or is this a Perk?)

Future plans / aspriations: Continue writing (short term goal addendum: More than once a month). Conquer the world. Possibly not in that order.


Blah blah blah! Let's move on to something much more exciting, alright? Like, mineral makeup, for instance!


Everyone is trying to sell me mineral makeup these days. Seriously. Covergirl, L'Oreal, Sephora, Loblaws, the Home Shopping Network... it's a little crazy. Of course, this meant that I had to see what all the fuss was about.

I'd tried a brand of mineral makeup before, from an independant company that I will not name. Their product ... well... SUCKED. It looked ashy and sometimes cakey, it made my face itch, and it smelled like cigarrette smoke (yes, actually). Needless to say, I was not impressed, and laid my little mineral-powder bowl and brush to rest.

Recently though, I got word of another independent mineral makeup company through the good people of the Beauty Blog Network. These ladies know their stuff, so I perked right up and hit their website.

Lumiere Cosmetics is a web-based company that makes mineral foundations, powders, blushes, eyeshadows, and many other products, and I had the fantastic opportunity to try some of them. Let's start off with their foundation. They have 6 shades in each of 5 undertone categories, that's 30 shades total! At this time of year, I'm a Warm, right in between the Light/Med and the Medium shades. I can get away with the Medium, but mixing is such a snap (A dash of this! A shake of that! Bada-boom Bada-bing!) that I can create my own custom shade in seconds.




If that El Cigaretto brand of mineral makeup was a turn off, Lumiere's foundation is like Josh Hartnett, baby. This powder makeup buffs on creamily, but feels silky and light at the same time. Coverage is so natural, and so long lasting. I have yet to pull out a single blotting sheet, and I've been using this stuff for months.

Lumiere's makeup gives a flawless finish, without a trace of that dreaded mineral-makeup shininess. I'd categorize it as a light-med coverage, but it's so buildable that you can really get it as sheer or as heavy as you like. It photographs well too, no chalky white ghost-face happenin' here.

Concealers glide over this foundation, and the Pure Silk finishing powder sets everything in place and adds an extra veil of perfection. It also works fantastically as a setting powder for other liquid foundations.

Now that I've tried a GREAT mineral foundation, I finally get why everyone gushes about it. It's definitely my go-to for those rushed mornings when I don't have time to squeeze and blend and powder and all that. Tap, swirl, buff, and we're done! Awesome!

Alright, that's enough for today... stay tuned I promise (for real this time!) to come back and post about all the other products from this line!