Battle of Mineral Make Up

Battle of Mineral Make Up

Australis Mineral Purity Powder Foundation vs. Doll FACE Mineral Make Up Foundation

Australis is a make up brand I have been using for 10 years and Doll FACE Mineral Make Up is a brand I have recently started using.I LOVE both brands!

The benefits of mineral makeup cosmetics:

• Natural look and feel
• Stays on all day long
• Good for sensitive skin
• It's anti-inflammatory
• No harmful ingredients

Both are powders and both are mineral but which one is truly the best.

First I’ll tell you a little bit about each company

Australis was founded in Australia in 1987. They do not do animal testing and more recently have been releasing more mineral based products. Their products are available in NZ and Australia. You can find them at selected pharmacies, Farmers Stores and Kmart.

Doll FACE Mineral Make Up is a small company based in the Hutt Valley, New Zealand. The line is completely mineral and was soley created and formulated by Debbie.  Doll FACE contains no skin irritants such as Bismuth Oxychloride, Talc, Carmine or Parabens and do not test on animals.

Doll FACE is available mainly online at http://www.dollfacemineralmakeup.co.nz/default.html

So I’m going to start with the general info of each product

Australis Mineral Purity Powder Foundation

-Price:$23(NZD)

-Size :7g Net

-Packaging: Plastic sifter pot with screw top lid. Attached to the lid is a small Kabuki Brush

-Ingredients: Mica CI 77019, Bismuth Oxychloride CI 77163, Zinc Oxide CI 77947, Kaolin, Silica, Titanium Dioxide CI 77891, Iron Oxides CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499

-Price per Gram: $3.28 approx

Doll FACE Mineral Make Up Foundation

-Price:$32(NZD)

-Size:6 g Net

-Packaging: Plastic Sifter pot with screw top lid

-Ingredients: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Silk Powder, Boron Nitride, Magnesium Mystraite, Silica, Allainton, Carnuaba Wax, Iron Oxides, Ferric Ferrocyanid, 

-Price per Gram: $5.33 approx

(For $45 you can purchase the foundation and a lovely fluffy Kabuki Brush)

So how do they stack up?

Shade Range: Australis Mineral Purity has 5 shades available. Doll Face currently has 8 shades with 2 more being tested. Doll Face can also custom blend shades for more “in between” skin tones. For this the clear winner is DOLL FACE

Price: Now this one was difficult for me because while Australis is cheaper per gram they are also a large company whereas Doll Face is a small company and their foundations are handmade. But ultimately the winner here is Australis

Ingredients: Above I have listed the ingredients of each product. Now below is a list of the ingredients and their uses in cosmetics. Ultimatley after looking into each ingredient the winner of this has won because it contains no skin irritants. The winner for ingredients is Doll FACE Mineral Make Up!

Both contain:

 Titanium Dioxide is used to impart a whiteness to colour cosmetics. It helps to increase the opacity, and reduce the transparency of a product formula. Titanium Dioxide also absorbs, reflects light (including ultraviolet radiation in light), which can help protect products from deterioration, meaning a longer shelf life.

Silica has light diffusion properties which are great in mineral make up as it effectively and seamlessly lighten and blur fine lines and wrinkles. When used in powders and foundations  it allows the make up to luxuriously “slip” (this means it applies well to the skin and doesn't drag or grab on the skin)  onto the skin .It is oil absorbent which helps mineral make up to wear longer and keeping it looking fresher as the day wears on.

Mica, due to the sheer, translucent and skin-hugging effect of the mica mineral, your natural skin tone shines through when it is used in Mineral Make Up. Mica powder reflects light from the face, creating an illusion of a smoother, softer and more radiant skin tone. Fine lines are softened; and your skin texture appears more even.

Zinc Oxide is anti-inflammatory with antimicrobial properties. It can actually prevent and protect skin against burns and irritation, making it ever present as one of the common ingredients of ointments that are used to relieve sunburn, windburn and diaper rash. For cosmetic use, this Zn compound is a very good sunscreen agent, it is the broadest spectrum UVA and UVB absorber, particularly good for people that have sensitive skin. 

Iron Oxides simply impart a colour to cosmetic products. Depending on the specific Iron Oxides or mixtures of Iron Oxides used, the colour will vary from orange, red, yellow to black.

Australis also contains:

Kaolin is a pure cosmetic powder that absorbs moisture, helps keeps down shine, provides an opaque, white base for colours, and assists with adherence to skin. Kaolin Clay is odourless, has a smooth texture and often used in mineral makeup matte foundation formulas. 

Bismuth Oxychloride is used in makeup because it gives the makeup a silky feel, good slip and good adhesion, which helps it stay on your skin. It feels smooth and silky when rubbed between the fingers. However Bismuth Oxychloride can cause skin irritation so when it is used in Mineral Make Up it is a potential irritant. Bismuth Oxide also creates a strong shine to your face which in turn gives your make up more of an unnatural look.

Doll FACE Mineral Make up also contains

Boron Nitride is hypoallergenic, anti-bacterial and whitening properties make the makeup ideal for use on problematic or sensitive skin types. It also contains oil absorbing properties. It is used to achieve a tactile feel on the end product, making the end product easily slide onto the skin, this  enhances the product’s skin feel, wrinkle filling and hiding power.

Silk Powder.On the skin, silk powder radiates and reflects UV rays, acting as a natural sunscreen. It is has the ability to retain the skin's natural moisture, preventing dryness, while absorbing excess oil. For the acne prone, silk even contains anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Good quality silk powder also contains many amino acids, like alanine, glycine and serine, which are the building blocks of protein and are essential to the skin's natural moisturization process. Pure silk is also ideal for sensitive skin, and balances the skin's ph levels.

Magnesium Myristate. Cosmetic pigments and fillers treated with Magnesium Myristate exhibit a moist softness, and improved adhesion characteristics. Magnesium Myristate is the combination of Magnesium, a imineral that has strong absorbent properties and some disinfecting properties, and Myristate a fatty acid. Magnesium Myristate contributes the following noticeable aspects to mineral make up: adhesion, free flow, slip, soft feel, rub resistance, lubricity, surface smoothness, and water repellency

.

Allantoin is an anti-irritant and anti-inflammatory ingredient. It is commonly used in creams, for topical application, in acne medicines, anti-aging products, sun care, and many cosmetic treatments. Its healing properties also make it suitable for treating minor wounds and skin irritations.Great for acne prone or sensitive skin.

Ferric Ferrocyanide also known as Iron blue is used as a colouring agent in mineral make up. While it is listed as a water pollutant it is 100% safe to use on your skin.

Carnuaba Wax.Plant waxes help to keep an emulsion from separating into its oil and liquid components, especially in cosmetics and personal care products that require a creamy consistency

Application: Now Australis Mineral Purity comes with its own small Kabuki Brush attached to its lid but I find the brush is too small so it lengthens the application time and the size makes it harder to apply,also it is quite rough which makes it feel like it scratches my skin a little which isn’t good for people with sensitive and easily irritable skin. I usually use my regular powder brush to apply it. I find it can be a bit too heavy,almost cakey if I need a fuller coverage but is wonderful if I only need light to medium coverage,its gives me a very flawless look.

Doll FACE mineral make up foundation I have applied with both the Doll FACE Kabuki and my regular powder brush and have had no worries. I did test it with the kabuki from Australis Mineral Purity and had the same issues as I did when I applied Australis Mineral Purity. Doll FACE gave me seamless, flawless coverage and it was easily buildable to full coverage.Doll FACE is the winner here.

Product Usage: Both will last you a long time. I tried both with the same Kabuki and you generally need the same amount of product so both are winners here!

Heaviness: While both are rather lightweight Doll FACE was noticeably lighter so the winner here is Doll FACE

Wearability: Both are long lasting and both look great but Doll FACE does sit more nicely on the skin. Winner is Doll FACE

Packaging: Well both are cute. I love the lid of Doll FACE but love Australis’ black and pink combo so I go with both being winners here!

Overall Winner is Doll FACE mineral make up!!

PLEASE NOTE: these views are my own views and all info is based on my personal opinion,yours may differ.

For more product info visit: 

Doll FACE Mineral Make Up

Australis Cosmetics

Follow Doll FACE mineral make up on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Doll-FACE-Mineral-Make-Up/111940502181489?ref=ts

Product Review: Maybelline Super stay Make Up (Foundation)

Maybelline Super stay Make Up

So have had this for awhile now and thought I better review it.

Ok Maybelline Super stay foundation claims to

·        Withstand heat and humidity

·        No transfer: wont rub off

·        Flexible, breathable, all-day comfort

·        Oil Free- Non pore clogging

·        Suitable for all skin types

·        24 hr wear

I

It It comes in a glass bottle with a screw top lid with an open neck top(much like Revlon Colorstay)so you pour the product out

Ok so first time I tried this I was not a huge fan. It seemed difficult to blend, quite heavy and as much as I love full coverage it was almost too much coverage, but I gave it another try.

The more I used it I realised I didn’t need to use AS much as I was used to with my sheerer foundations(I sometimes use more to build coverage which is a pain in the butt but with some foundations, when you love a formula...)

So two of my gripes with this foundation was it was too heavy and way too much coverage .But half my problem, I was using too much. In saying this it is quite a heavy foundation but it covers almost all imperfections (although I did use a concealer for my under eyes before applying, but it covered acne scars and broken capillaries  which I had not applied concealer on beforehand ) so this was a huge bonus as I saved time by not needing concealer.

The time I saved on concealer was however needed to blend the foundation, even though it is a liquid, it does take a bit of effort to blend it flawlessly into the skin.

At this point, the foundation on a whole may seem a bit iffy, amazing

Coverage but heavy and hard to blend, so far not looking too hot, so let me continue!

The next claim is to withstand heat and humidity. In NZ(for my overseas followers) we are in Summer and boy it is HOT! We all know when we are running around doing our day to day things in heat we can get a bit sweaty. I’ve been pretty sweaty all day and my foundation has had no change or meltdown, in fact it still looks pretty flawless(it’s 5.40pm)!  It really does stand up to heat and humidity and does it well

As for no transfer I can say I haven’t had any problems.

The heaviness of the foundation either disappears or you don’t notice it as the day goes on because after about 20mins I didn’t even notice it was any heavier than say Australis Stay put foundation or Revlon Colorstay

And it is long wearing, I have never needed a foundation to last 24 hours but I always need to thoroughly remove this foundation at the end of each day

All in all I can give Maybelline Superstay a Simply Stunning Gorgeous rating of 8/10!

If you want more info on Revlon Colorstay or Australis Stay Put foundation please read my Summer Foundations article which you can find here http://simplystunninglygorgeous.blogspot.com/2010_12_01_archive.html

All about Eyelashes!!

All About Lashes!

Long lashes, we aren’t all blessed with them but there are many things we can do to enhance them who doesnt want a lovely frame around the windows to our soul!
We can use volumising and lenghtening mascaras, curl, get lash extensions or apply false eyelashes. So here I’m going to quickly cover mascaras, eyelash tinting, eyelash perming,curlers ,application of false eyelashes and eyelash extentions.

Mascara

What you need to know

·         Mascara is either water soluble or water proof. Water Proof is best left for special occasions or circumstances  that you need water proof as it is more difficult to remove and therefore can weaken lashes

·         Mascara should be replaced after 3-4 months due to bacteria. If you notice an unusual odour coming from the tube, do not use again and toss immediately. Bacteria found on the wand and in the product can lead to severe eye damage and even blindness!

·         Don’t pump the wand in and out of the tube, this does nothing except dry out the product faster

·         Every brand makes promises that their mascara is wonderful etc but don’t judge by the picture in the advert. Alot of cosmetics companies use extentions or enhance the models lashes.

Mascara not only temporarily darkens and colours your lashes it also can dramatically alter the look. 3 common mascaras are volumising, lengthening and curling.

Volumising mascaras are designed to make your lashes look thicker and like you have many of them.

Lengthening is designed to make your lashes appear longer than they really are

Curling mascaras help to curl your lashes, curled lashes help open up your eyes making you look more awake and can help your eyes appear larger

Generally it is not only the formulation that helps you get the desired result it is the mascara wand/brush. For example Avon Super Curlacious has a curved wand which cups your lashes to enhance curl

Avon Super Extend has quite a thin wand which separates lashes and helps them look much longer

Volumising Mascaras often have fat and thick wands (like Cover girl Lash Blast)

Hot tip:if you want curled and long lashes apply a lengthening mascara after using an eyelash curler

Eyelash Tinting
Eyelash tinting is another way to darken your eyelashes. This a perfect option for women who like wearing mascara but either don’t have the time to apply mascara and remove it at the end of the day or someone who has pale lashes and wants around the clock colour to their lashes. There is little need to wear mascara(unless you want to add volume or length,curl can be achieved with an eyelash curler)

Eyelash tinting takes about 10-15 minutes and last 3-5 weeks. It is often done with a vegetable dye. There are at home kits you can buy although I personally feel safer getting them done in a salon

WARNING:. If you choose to get your eyelashes tinted, be sure that the salon is reputable and has a long history of successful eyelash tinting.
Do not go to a salon that has just introduced eyelash tinting on its menu of services--this likely means that the therapist recently learned how to do the procedure. Visit a salon who has been doing it for years instead.In extreme cases, eyelash tinting has been known to cause temporary blindness and severe reactions of the eye. At very least, many women who get their eyelashes tinted experience stinging and watery eyes. This is why it is especially imperative to select a qualified salon that comes highly recommended for eyelash tinting.

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Eyelash Curlers

Ah what a great invention! I personally have a love-hate relationship with eyelash curlers.  On one hand they scare the crap out of me and on the other they really open up my eyes!

An eyelash curler is a nifty tool designed to bend the eyelashes near the eyelid rather than to actually curl the lashes. This helps to lift the lashes away from the eye, this in turn makes your eyes appear wider(open)and a little more dramatic.

There are a few options when it comes to eyelash curlers plastic(in my opinion they are useless),metal(pictured.Can be heated with a hairdryer) or heated lash curlers(which can either be battery operated or plugged in)

Heated Curlers are great as heat helps the curl hold for a longer period of time,although you can get similar results from a metal eyelash curler by blasting it with heat from a hairdryer for a few seconds.

You need to take care when using eyelash curlers, don’t use them after you have applied mascara and do not use them when you are in a rush,if you haven’t fully unclamped them and move your hand away you can weaken or even pull out your eyelashes. Always make sure your eyelashes and eyelash curler are completely clean

How to use an eyelash curler (metal)

• ·         Make sure eyelashes are completely clean, if necessary use an eye makeup remover to make sure there is no residual mascara left over from the day before.

• ·         Take your blowdryer and on a low heat setting blaat your eyelash curler for roughly 5 seconds, if it’s too hot let it air cool a bit

• ·         Open your curler, and clamp the lashes near the roots and hold it for 10-20 seconds, unclamp and remove

• ·         Quite often I like to them clamp more towards the middle and ends of my lashes for about 8-10 seconds for a more dramatic effect

• ·         Apply mascara as usual

Eyelash Perming

Now there is another option when it comes to curled eyelashes and it is an eyelash perm. Its a good option for those whose eyelashes don’t hold a curl, are super straight or don’t like eyelash curlers but love curled lashes. I do not know a hell of alot when it comes to eyelash perming but here are the basics

What’s involved: You lie down and close your eyes as your lashes get wrapped around a thin roller .As a protective measure gauze is placed under your eyes. A perming solution is now applied to your lashes and left to set. Other formulas may be brushed onto the lashes for conditioning purposes. This can take up to an hour.

ONLY EVER GET THIS DONE PROFESSIONALLY. NEVER ATTEMPT TO PERM YOUR OWN LASHES OR SOMEONE ELSES UNLESS YOU ARE TRAINED AN QUALIFIED TO DO SO.

Please note that there are very real dangers when it comes to eyelash perming,  if this is something you consider getting done make sure you do your homework so you are well aware of the risks and be doubly sure the person who performs it is highly skilled and trained

False Eyelashes

False eyelashes are used to give you temporary long lashes. They are available in strips or single “clusters”. I have never used “clusters/single” eyelashes so can only really talk about strip lashes.

The way false eyelashes work is you apply the specially desgined eyelash glue to the strip of lashes and once it is tacky you place it as close to your lash line as possible. This can be tricky and take alot of practice but the results are well worth it in my opinion.

False eyelashes come in many different styles from natural,to very long and dramatic and even coloured and designs.

I found applying eyelashes very difficult so I actually cut my falsies in half and just use halves on the outer half of my eyes(it doesn’t look as ridiculous as it sounds).It make applying them so much easier. Here is my simple guide to applying eyelashes(I did have step by step photos but for some reason cannot get them onto my computer!)

• ·         If using a full strip make sure the lashes fit your lash lash line,if they are too long and wider than your eye trim them using a clean pair of nail scissors or similar smaller scissors(for hygiene I place my scissors in boiling hot water for a few mins then wipe them with an anti bacterial wipe or baby wipe then allow them to dry on a clean paper towel.)

• ·         Now I usually apply a dab of glue to my plastic eyelash case(after thoroughly cleaning it) and use a cotton tip(Q Tip)dip it into the glue and run it along the base of my eyelash strip

• ·       Wait for the glue to become “tacky”. Usually the glue will give you a rough guide of how long this will take

• ·        I usually have a mirror placed on a table of a dresser that I look down into. I take the lash strip and place it as close to my lash line as possible. You may prefer to use tweezers to do this,I just use my fingers.Be careful not to glue the strip to your natural lashes

• ·         Using your fingers press from end to end and hold until the glue dries. This may be a no no but this is the point I usually push the lashes closer to my lash line if need be.After 30 seconds to a minute the glue should be dry 

Use eyeliner to fill in any gaps between the falsies and your lash line(I use liquid or gel liner)

My next step is I curl the fake lash (also probably a huge no no) and my natural lashes. Then I dust a little translucent powder on my natural lashes(inner half as I only use half strips) and apply and lengthening mascara. The translucent powder helps plump up your lashed without using a volumising mascara so in conjunction with the curler and lengthening mascara I have curlier, thicker, longer lashes. You can use this method when your not using false lashes too!

Eyelash Extensions
A longer lasting alternative to false eyelashes are eyelash extensions. While I love them on other people I had a bad experience which has stopped me from getting them done again,but it all depends on who you go to really

.

Like hair extensions,eyelash extensions are used to add length,thickness and fullness to our natural lashes
. It involves, carefully separating the natural lashes with a fine point tweezer to reveal one healthy eyelash. The eyelash extension is then dipped into medical grade adhesive and attached to the natural eyelash. The process is repeated until all eyelashes are covered. The extensions fall out when your natural lash falls out so how long they last depends on what stage of your lash cycle each lash is at. They last roughly 3 weeks but will then require touch ups etc to keep them looking great. Make sure the person who does them is fully trained in doing so

So thats it for now,if you want to know anymore info on lashes leave a request in the comments here,visit my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Simply-Stunningly-Gorgeous/156943724335139 or email me at simplystunninglygorgeous@gmail.com

DISCLAIMER: Any information you recieve from my blog is not to replace information or advice given to you by a trained beauty therapist/technician etc or medical professional

Maybelline Fit Me!

Due for release mid 2011

A brand new product from Maybelline designed to change the way we as women shop for cosmetics

Maybelline Fit Me!!

Click here for the Promotional Video

 

So you’re probably wondering how the Maybelline Fit Me Line is different from all the other Maybelline cosmetics. Well its actually pretty genius.

First of all you find your liquid foundation shade (they are split into 3 sections Light, Medium and Dark and all are numbered) then (now this is the genius part), you select your pressed powder simply by finding the one with the same number as your liquid foundation. How cool is that? It takes most of the guess work out of choosing a powder to match your foundation and as long as you have selected the correct shade of foundation your pressed powder will match!

But that’s not where it ends. Now comes the blush, each shade has matching blush colour options to compliment your skin tone. The same goes with concealer, you will have two options for light,2 for medium and 2 for dark.

 They also have 3 bronzers available for light, medium and dark skin tones, so if you’re a medium you simply grab the bronzer for medium shades etc.

It takes all the guesswork out of selecting your cosmetics! It links various items and shades together making it easier to find your perfect shades!

Items in the Fit Me range use “skin merge technology”. Pretty much it’s a patented formula that aims to match your skin tone and blend quickly.

Fit Me Foundation is medium coverage as it is designed to be pretty natural looking while helping to achieve a flawless look.

The liquid foundation contains an SPF 18 will be available in 18 shades(as if the powder). The concealer will be available in 6 shades and there will be 12 shades of blush.

Maybelline Fit me is also incredibly stylish I mean just check out the packaging of the products

Soooo stylish!

Fit Me has been released in the US and there are quite a few reviews, as with every product not everyone likes it, here is a YouTube review

So while I’m not sure 100% when exactly this will be released in New Zealand, judging by the date the mascara Falsies was released and how far behind we are behind the US I’m pretty sure mid 2011 is pretty accurate

I’m super excited about this line and can’t wait till mid year!

Till next time ladies stay Simply Stunningly Gorgeous!