Thursday, July 23, 2009

Make-Up Look of the Week


I love this look because it is natural and glamorous at the same time. Try letting go of the dark eyeliner and opt for soft shadows all around the eye instead. Use soft warm browns and keep colors subtle. Finish with a very black volumizing mascara and pale pink lip color topped of with a bit of gloss.

Beware of Glitter

One more reason to stay clear of glitter....

Not only does glitter rarely stay put where you place it and end up all over your face and body, but it can change the quality of the eyeshadow or powder you use. Even high end products run into this problem. Eyeshadow that is matte is usually made with a Iron Oxide powder or matte Mica and extra fillers to create more slip to the feel of the powder. Eyeshadow with a satin finish or slight shimmer is usually made with opalescent or sparkling Mica powder and fillers to create more staying power. The ingredients are all ground into very fine powder which mixes everything together and create a consistent feel to the whole product. These formulations can be changed to increase the price of the product. For example you will hear people saying that a more expensive product has more pigmentation. This is because they have more of the Iron Oxide or Mica (color) and less cheap space fillers such as talc or rice powder. However even if you have a very pigmented product adding glitter to it can completely undo the properties you are looking for. Glitter doesn't stick to the skin as well as the finely ground pigment and breaks up the product. Try to imagine what it would be like to add sand to a finely ground dirt and the way that it would stick to your skin as apposed to just the dirt itself. You can sometimes get your first clue about how finely an eyeshadow is ground before you even use it on your eyes. When running a brush over a pressed eyeshadow, Does the rest of the shadow that's not on your brush stay pressed or does a lot of loose powder lift off as well? If it does then chances are the mixture isn't as finely ground or pressed. Hope this helps in your hunts at the make-up store. Its nice to know what to look for before you buy.

Glossary of Ingredients
These are some natural ingredients found in cosmetics. When they talk about mineral make-up this is what they mean.

Mica- Natural Mineral that has 3 textures of matte, opalescent, or sparkling.

Titanium Dioxide- Depending on amount this can change the color of mica. It coats the Mica and reflects different colors from it. It also has the properties of sun coverage, adhesion, and is an anti inflammatory.

Iron Oxide- Very strong pigment. Doesn't bleed easily and can be weather resistant. In a natural state and in large quantities it can contain harmful lead, arsenic, mercury, antimony and selenium. Don't worry the FDA regulates the amount in cosmetics to make it perfectly safe for skin. It is also refined from its natural state when used in make-up.

Zing Oxide- Adds Adhesion, Coverage and a sunscreen

Magnesium Stearate- Will add slip and lots of Adhesion to your powder. It is also translucent

Sericite- Gives a medium amount of adhesion, also adds slip and shine to product

Kaolin Clay- Pretty good coverage, translucent, Adds slip and adhesion

Talc- Translucent, high amounts of adhesion, silky feel, absorbency

Rice Powder- Translucent, absorbency, matte finish, silky feel, can be used in place of talc

Silica powder- Translucent, adds slip, used for oily skin because of its absorbing power.

Bismuth Oxychloride- Adhesion, translucent, adds sparkle and shine. WARNING- Often found in foundation and many people are allergic to this product it causes breakouts and allergic reactions.