New Spring Colors: Lips, Cheeks, and Eyes

The end of winter is in sight. I hope you are as happy about this as I am!

Nothing lifts the spirits like planning a new cosmetic color palette, highlighting the perfectly prepped skin I have worked on all winter. All of those days spent experimenting with facials, peels, and creams have paid off and it is almost time to show off!

I start building my spring make up "to do" list mid February, which means I start trying mineral make up samples almost daily. Using compatible shades means I can save buying separate colors for each zone of my face.

New eyeliner colors

I have been known to stick with blacks and browns in my eyeliner drawer but found a wonderful deep green that enhances the eyes while bringing out those lower lashes where mascara runs amok. Since my eyelashes are black, the green allows them to show up without creating a ghastly pale line beneath.

Try pairing pencil colors to define, creating depth with subtle highlights.

I took Pencil Me In - Natural Eyeliner for a test drive and am thoroughly impressed with the staying power. Be sure to look at all of the colors...there's no reason to think this pencil can't be used for other special effects. Picture yourself on a warm, late spring evening grabbing the attention of an admirer with those Marilyn Monroe like eye lids. A little pink above the darker line right at the edge of the lid will cast that perfect glamour. No worries about the ingredients as they are all natural. It even has its own sharpener attached!


Versatile loose mineral powders.

Give me a jar of the right mica or oxide and I can make it work almost anywhere on my body, but right now I need to focus on the lips and cheeks. Not the hollows of the cheeks, but the cheekbones themselves. I want a hint of highlight there, very sheer, that works as the echo to of the deeper, almost opaque lip color. A smoldering kiss that glows at the cheek. Blended with a matte powder, it will carry an etheric but sultry glow just under the brow.

I found Paradise Sand Mica works for cheeks and lips!

A violet shadow might be the perfect highlight for afternoon gatherings, dusted with something that sparkles, for evening. I happen to love Rose Sparks Shadow and Hi Light Violet Shadow. They are light enough to stay in place and to layer without creating that caked on look, with Rose Sparks bearing flecks of glittery minerals guaranteed to catch moonlight.

This is Rose Sparks!

Simplicity = Perfection

I have a feeling that beauty and fashion gurus are cooking up "new" looks that are striking but simple. Using the same colors for lips and cheeks, while adjusting their depth, will make eyes stand out.

Have your new look ready to go when spring settles in....start here!

There's Nothing Better Than Free Stuff.....

Discoveries always make me smile and this is no exception. I found a wonderful little ebook with simple recipes for home made bath and body products that I will give away as a little gift to those who subscribe to Beauty Market Buzz or Black Market Beauty news letters and/or feeds.

As the months roll on I hope to widen the collection to include recipes for more complex skin care items, but will always include recipe blends that can be created with items form the health food store, including vitamin C serums, specialty facial masks, exfoliating cleansers....well, you get the idea!

All you have to do is join and the freebie will be emailed. Don't worry, I have no intention of flooding your email like many sites do with daily fluff. Just what I find that will help everyone recover stretch their beauty and skin care dollars!

What are you waiting for?

Too Much Tan?

Find 6%Bleaching Cream at Skincare RX

One thing I cannot stand is having to change my make up shade. Being African American with hefty sprinkles of Native American wreaks havoc with my beauty aspirations if I spend any time in the sun during the summer months. Those little seasonal factors are what drew me to mineral make up and blending my own shades, but that is for another entry. Buzz in the market tells me there are some products to help with unwanted tanning issue.

If you are in the same boat, not the heritage mix necessarily, but hate changing your make up shades for each season, think about giving your skin's shade little lift with Physician's Complex 6% Bleaching Cream. I found it while investigating what the beauty market had to offer.

Bleaching creams are extremely popular in Asia, especially Japan, where a pale, almost porcelain skin tone is prized by women. In the west, bleaching creams are used for spot problems and dark under eye circles. Regardless of where you are, there are some common factors that cause the skin to lighten.

Physician's Complex 6% Bleaching Cream has almost all the known bleaching ingredients that are safe for skin, primarily Kojic Acid, Hydroquinone, and Vitamin C in the form of pineapple and lemon extracts. The creators of this little wonder were also wise enough to include moisturizing ingredients to help soften the outer layers of skin and allow the nutritive value of grape extract to penetrate.

I haven't tried it yet but have my eye on it in case I don't feel like blending my late summer mineral foundation soon. The market buzz says it's fair, going by the 3 star rating, but in my mind that's better than many products I have seen that only had hydroquinone as the main bleaching ingredient.

If you manage to sample this product, let us know and your comment will be added to the beauty market buzz.

N.V. Perricone Advanced Face Firming Activator

I found this little gem, N.V. Perricone Advanced Face Firming Activator, a few months ago and gave it a try. You can bet that it was the sample size but I was inspired by the buzz it created among the same friends that talked me into selling mineral make up. I was impressed because it has ingredients that I am familiar with from my little mad scientist experiments in hand made toiletries and cosmetics.

One noticeable ingredient is Glycolic Acid which we all know exfoliates in concentrations that are high enough to be dangerous to those who are just too dense for words. This might be a concern because this product is for morning use! Don't take the directions lightly! You really do need to use a moisturizer and sunscreen afterward!

N.V. Perricone Advanced Face Firming Activator isn't for the faint of heart in the price area either, but you only need a couple of drips to smooth over your whole face. It lasts a long time if you are careful to use other products for daily, casual wear. Its something I would save for the week before a class reunion or another special event, just to make sure I am as stunning as I want to be!

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What's That on Your Face?

It's fun reading all the great reviews on skincare items. They talk about the price, how smoothly they go on, and other issues that don't really get to the heart of the matter; what's in that stuff and what is it supposed to do?

That's something I always want to know when choosing a skincare item or a cosmetic product. Since I take the time to carefully choose mineral make up for my face, I spend the same time selecting the proper skincare product. I have to know what is in it because price isn't a very good indicator of what is actually going to happen. Many times the ingredients are the same, regardless of price.

I am here to share what I find out about all the luscious creams and serums we use daily to hide signs of aging, treat fine lines and wrinkles, treat our dark under eye circles, and conceal our flaws. Stop by often to keep up on my discoveries.