Product Review: Natural Mineral Makeup

I've been neglecting my blog but today I decided to rectify that. I thought I'd share my experience trying to find more natural mineral makeup. As you may have read in my last post, I sort of, alright I completely drank the coolaid in regards to going green. I've been checking all my cosmetics on costmeticsdatabase.com just make sure that I'm not using toxic chemicals when I acutally think that I purchase a "natural product". Here's the thing, if it's a great cosmetic, lipstick, whatever... but it doesn't contain any natural ingredients whatsoever, just say so. It's annoying as hell that cosmetics companies will claim that they have all natural ingredients when they throw in 1 thing natural but the rest are harsh chemicals.

Anyway... (as I step off my soap box) Surprisingly enough, Bare minerals (which I've worn for quite some time) is not all natural. I thought I'd try to find something with less fillers and chemical and more natural stuff in general. I read about 2 companies that provide 100% natural and also partial, if not completely, organic ingredients: Glam- Nation and Afterglow.

I first tried Glam Nation. I emailed the company (to their customer service email on their web site) and asked which shade and type of make up would be good for me. I provided my shade of bare minerals and fully expected a response. Well.... I didn't get one.

I ended up ordering some makeup anyway. I was pretty curious to see the coverage of the make up, especially considering they advertise to be "100% pure natural, organic skincare". I selected a shade and moved to the checkout page. For starters, they charge $7.50 for shipping, which is a little steep for just some makeup. I also checked the weight of the make up. It states on their web site that the makeup is .25 oz.

I received the product and it was so small that I literally thought it was a sample. I held it up again the bare minerals container and it looked half the size! I tried it and it did go on well, however during the day my skin felt irritated. I read on their web site that since they're "all natural" or something like that, that while your skin is in detox from such a natural product and that you may experience redness. Uhhh.... Detox for my skin? I didn't buy it.

I moved on to Afterglow. Their customer service people were super nice and friendly. There's a spot on their web page that says if you need help finding the right color that you should email them your current make up and shade and they'll help you out. Within 24 hours, I received
an email from customer service giving me the shade that would be comparable to my current make up as well as other recommendations that would go well with my skin tone.

I received the package and it was comparable in size to bare minerals. It's actually a bit bigger (.35 oz versus bare minerals at .3 oz). The great thing about this makeup is that it doesn't look like you're wearing make up! It's like your skin ... but better! And, I didn't get
any irritation or redness (or detox) from this product.

My one gripe with Afterglow cosmetics is that they sort of melt off your skin as the day goes on. If you love makeup like I do, then you might be more comfortable with something that gives you more coverage.

Next up: Zosimos Cosmetics... stay tuned

Girls weekend in Chicago

Last weekend my friend Allison met me in Chicago for a girls weekend. We stayed downtown at the newly renovated Marriott Magnificent Mile downtown. It was the PERFECT local for a shopping/eating/drinking/altogether fun girls weekend.

We ate at some spectacular restaurants. Here are a few:

The Webber Grill Restaurant
http://www.webergrillrestaurant.com/

Joe’s (specializing in steak and stone crab)
http://www.joes.net/chicago

Bice (pronounced Beach-ay) Italian Restaurant
http://chicago.bicegroup.com/11/index.html

Devon Seafood
http://www.devonseafood.com/

What's in there?

I’ve come to the conclusion that I might be a tad bit overly paranoid about certain things. Running with scissors is bad. Drinking tap water makes me suspicious at times. I garden organically. But, I never thought that I would be paranoid about the cosmetics I use. I was reading an article the other day about what chemicals are used in cosmetics. Now, I remember reading something about how Cleopatra used some kind of flower to make her cheeks and lips rosy and that was way back in about 200 BC (I think that was the only thing I remembered from history class).

  I was reading an article this week (I can not remember the web site for the life of me), but it happened to list www.cosmeticsdatabase.com  as a resource to help you find out what exactly is in your cosmetics and if it’s hazardous. I checked out some of the stuff that I use, just see what’s in there. They have a green, yellow, red system to show you the level of hazardous chemicals in you cosmetics.

     I buy 7^th generation and Aveda products, so I figured that I would be green all the way, right? WRONG! I was SHOCKED at how many chemicals are used in our cosmetics. This includes lotions and sunscreens, too. Now, if Cleopatra was using her own home made stuff back in the way in the day (assuming that it was made from plant products), why the hell in this day and age are we using so many chemicals in cosmetics?

Check out the cosmetics database site. You will be amazed! Here are some of the products that I use that rank green according to the cosmetics database: 

 

California baby sunscreen – it’s organic and certain formulas contain natural bug repellant. I use it and it’s fabulous. I never burn when I use that stuff.  It’s a bit gloppy but if you’re pasty white like me, the hubby and the kid, you want full coverage. www.californiababy.com

 

    I use bare minerals makeup and, sadly, it ranks a yellow (as in medium health hazard), I found a company that has mineral makeup that ranks green – Glam Nation. I have yet to try it, but it’s next on my list. http://www.glam-nation.com/index.cfm

 

     Other companies that rank as green include. Dancing dingo. They have shampoos, soaps, baby soaps and even dog shampoo. I think I need to try out the Dog De-funkier. Cava’s getting a little stinky.http://www.dancingdingo.com/

 

     California Costal Creations also uses plant products in their cosmetics – they’re a big GREEN according to the cosmetics database. I ordered some of their lipstick and eye shadow – I’ll let you know what I think of it. http://www.coastalclassiccreations.com/index.html

 

So, check out the web site and see what’s in the stuff that you’re using. If you really don’t care and just like the way that your cheap eye shadow shimmers, never mind. I will warn you that if you’re slightly paranoid about stuff like this, that web site is SO addictive.

Food processor, how do I love thee.... Let me count the ways.

For Christmas my husband bought me a food processor, but not just any food processor. It's the top of the line kitchen-aid food processor. In an effort to save money and actually use all of the food that we buy on a weekly basis, I've been putting the kitchen-aid to the test. I took old stale bread and made bread crumbs. The beauty with bread crumbs is that they freeze beautifully in an old sour cream container (or the like) and when you're ready to use they don't have to thaw - just sprinkle.

On Sunday, however, I experienced the piece de resistance. I was craving hash browns, the really good kind, the kind that are pan fried with just a little cheese. Suddenly, I had an epiphany. I took the fingerling potatoes that we had stashed in the pantry, put them through the grater attachment in the food processor and VOILA.... The world's best hash browns. And, the best part? We used up what we already had AND we didn't spend money on going out to breakfast.

My husband just bought me a vacuum sealer this past weekend. I've sealed everything I can get my grubby paws on. Then I thought! What about those hash browns? I can vacuum seal the grated potatoes, freeze them and use them whenever we feel like it.

It was a slightly liberating feeling to know that fingerling potato hash browns would be at my fingertips, 24/7. The possibilities are endless...

God Bless...

I just had to share this funny tidbit.

I was driving along the highway, as they call it here (apparently, only those from the West Coast call it a “freeway”). I was minding my own business, getting down to a little Justin Timberlake, bringing my sexy back, when I notice someone in my rear view mirror. This woman (who BADLY needed one of those makeovers from “What not to wear”) was on the edge of her seat, leaning over the steering wheel and looked like she had a massive case of road rage.

Coming from the LA area, I’m used to this sort of behavior. I smiled slightly as took my foot off the gas. They would eventually go around. The woman swerved to the right and then cut off a semi. As she passed me I saw a sticker on her car that said “JESUS” in big gold type.

I just thought to myself “Well, God Bless, you too!”

Yea, spring is here… sort of

Now I understand spring fever. After months of scurrying from the car to the building, and donning grandma and mom’s furs, it has finally started to warm up a bit. My new sister-in-law explained to me that here in the Midwest when spring arrives, people are more than enthusiastic (and frequently take the day off from work in celebration).

I decided to have my own spring celebration over the weekend. Scott put together a planter box for me out of lumber. We filled it with soil and planted spring veggies under the deck (so the mid day sun doesn’t wilt my lettuce). During the "growing up" years, I always remember my Mom having a garden. Not only is an economical way to get your fresh fruits and vegetables, but she would use her 2 day laborers (my brother and myself) to help maintain the garden. The garden also gave us an opportunity to learn how things grow and what different fruits and vegetables are called. She would hand me a pair of scissors and ask me to get a handful of parsley. I would dutifully walk back to the garden and promptly forget what parsley looked like. She would have to show me again before cutting her a handful.

What's amazing to me is in the age of video games and razor scooters, my step son is just as intrigued about the garden as I once was. This weekend he was more than happy to help with the yard work. He even insisted on using his own children's garden tools and gloves. I'll admit that I felt nostalgic when he asked me how it was that I knew how to plant lettuce. I just smiled and showed him, as my Mom showed me, exactly how to dig, plant, and cover up the tender baby lettuce. Now I just hope that it grows.

Great Wedding Day... and Great Hair

Amazingly enough, I got married. I think it’s amazing, anyway. I never really thought about getting married or even finding someone who understands me, for that matter. I was busy. I was too busy. I went to graduate school, opened my own (failed) business, I had things to do.

BOOM! Then I met Scott and everything changed. We were getting married.

I had a few problems with the whole planning process; the first problem being my deceased mother. Every place I went to, some snotty sales girl asked about my mother. What would she be wearing, what does she think. It’s enough to drive you crazy. I knew she was absent. I went alone to pick out my wedding dress. I was aware of the void and didn’t need to be reminded of it. I just had no idea that a wedding was so much about a mother and daughter.

Regardless, I found a dress, a venue, a minister, blah, blah, blah. Everything was set. Two weeks before the wedding, I realized that I had no idea how I would wear my hair. Of course, my tried and true hair dresser had already been schedule but what the heck would we do for that day? Every bridal picture showed some girl with long flowing hair or up in a French twist. But, I have short hair! Should I be denied cute hair just because I’m a low maintenance hair girl? I finally, FINALLY found a picture online and we worked from there. For those of you who need a special hair do and have short hair like me, check this out. My hair stylist rocked and it looked incredible – even the back of my hair looked great! Everything went smoothly. The flowers were incredible, the food was great, and the venue was perfect. And… I had great hair.

For great wedding hair, or every day hair you can see Chelsea DeVere at Salon Pop in Long Beach. Call 562-987-9200 for an apt.

If you do get married in the Orange County area, I highly recommend using Lavender Hill as your florist. Dawn is great and the flowers were beautiful.
http://www.lavenderhilloc.com/

Also, our minister was AWESOME. Really, he helped me more on that day than the event coordinator from the hotel. I highly recommend Rev. Clint Hufft.
http://www.reverendclint.com/