Cosmetic Ingredients - How much is in there?

We're all more aware of what we put on our skin, or in our mouths these days. Choosing cosmetics that are safe and full of helpful ingredients can be a daunting task. First of all, some of the words are only pronounceable by a Doctorate in English or science. But even if we can say the words, what are we getting? And how much of it?

Cosmetics, including cleansers and creams, mineral makeup, lotions and potions, are regulated by the FDA in the USA. All ingredient lists must be listed from greater to smaller percents of usage. In other words, the first ingredient will always comprise the largest percent of that product. (colorants and flavors are the exception and can be listed in the "may contain" area, to protect manufacturers formulas.

So, if you are wanting a product with a lot of aloe vera in it, you'd look for that ingredient pretty high up in the list. If water is the first ingredient and aloe is the 6th or 7th, you can be sure the product is mostly water. This info can be really helpful when you are looking for specific ingredients for your skin or health.

This also helps explain why certain products are more costly than others, even though they have the "same" ingredients. You cannot tell how much of an ingredient is in that product, simply by reading the list!

Normally the last ingredient on the list is either a trace quantity (not enough to require measurement) or 1-2% of that product. Now that doesn't always mean there's not enough to be effective, just because it's last.
Most cosmetic formulators (including us) follow the manufacturers recommended usage rates.

Allantoin, a natural antiseptic and skin soother, is in our Valley Girl mineral foundation. It has a recommended usage rate of .5-2% of the formula. Adding more will NOT be more effective, any less will be ineffective. The FDA does not regulate inclusion rates, therefore formulators depend on information and data from their suppliers, chemists, estheticians and manufacturers.

Lately the market has been bombarded with "mineral makeup". Or powders made "with minerals". Often times promoted as "made with pure mineral pigments". The word WITH is the keyword here. With what else? And how much of it is minerals?

Hint here: mineral pigment is generally less than 3% of the total product. So if that fancy new makeup is made with mineral pigments, it will probably be last or close to last on the list, and be some type of iron oxide.

Hypo-allergenic products - THE TRUTH!

Some Industry Honesty

(refreshing isn't it?)

How many of you assume that products labeled "hypo-allergenic" or "natural" are going to be perfect for your skin?

Hate to break it to you, but it's not necessarily so! The FDA does NOT regulate the term "hypo-allergenic" or "natural".

Cosmetic companies can and do use the terms for any product they like, no matter what the ingredients!

We use the term "natural", meaning the bulk of our ingredients are from a natural source, i.e. minerals. But shopper beware, it's not a regulated term.

My best advice is to understand and learn about makeup ingredients and their typical reaction on YOUR skin. By shopping online, you can easily look up ingredients in wikipedia or other reliable sources. I bolded reliable for a reason. There are a lot of sites and blogs trying to use scare tactics to gain traffic and interest and MONEY! Yup...they earn money when you click on their sponsored ads.

Example: Silica- there's scare info going around that it's dangerous. This is totally blown out of proportion. OSHA does have a warning for this ingredient as an inhalant risk if you MINE IT as a career and breathe huge dust clouds day in and day out.

But some like to take that warning and scare consumers. We don't expect you to know all this, but we've done our homework/research;)

We do consider our mineral makeup to be as "natural" as possible, and for the most part hypo allergenic. Because most of the ingredients we use are minerals. Yes, some minerals are "mined from the earth," but they are required to be cleansed to remove naturally occurring trace elements that are not good for you. Most cosmetic pigments are lab created to insure safety and compliance with the FDA. 

The 5 minute makeover

We all get busy. With kids, jobs, school, husbands and the constant demands of a house that just won't stay clean, sometimes we just don't feel like we have time to take care of ourselves.

So, I decided to share my 5 minute makeover trick with you. (P.S. That is NOT me in the photo. I only wish it were me!)Here's my process:

1. Apply mineral concealer - 1 minute

2. Apply mineral foundation - 1 minute (really once you get good at it that's all it takes)

3. Apply our Lit Up bronzer to cheeks, sides of forehead and little on the eyelids - 1 minute

4. Apply LA Minerals Veil with our dual length veil brush - 30 seconds

5. Apply eyeliner, mascara, lip balm. - 1.5 minutes

And TADA you are DONE!

You'll end up with a nice all over sunkissed, natural look that will carry you through your busy day.

Quest for the "Natural Look"

It’s a given that a lot of us strive for the “natural look” in our makeovers. But what exactly achieves that look?

Answer: It all depends on your skin tone and age!

Other than brights and neons, there’s a plethera of color options that will look “natural” on various skin tones.

The basic idea is to enhance your natural beauty and good facial qualities while diminishing flaws, all whilst not ending up looking like Elvira, mistress of the dark;)

Here’s some basic tips for a natural look.

• Lips= use a color that is close to your natural gum color. If you’re lips already have a nice tint, then clear gloss is fine.
• Eyes=use a color that has the same undertones as you do. If you are cool/pink wear light pink or mauve eyeshadows. Warm skin tones-peach, golden, and brown eyeshadows.
• Face=mineral foundation closest to your natural skin tone. Applied with a kabuki or mineral powder brush. Why mineral foundation? Well not just because we sell it, but because it melds with your skin really easily and generally does not leave a “base line” along your jaw bone.
• Eyebrows=don’t over pluck them for one. You’ll regret it when you get older. Those thin little brows on young girls look OK…kinda…but on an older woman (which you’ll be one day) they look horrible. You don’t want to have to draw them on do you? OK…so pluck the unibrow and any strays, but try to keep just a nice arch. If you have sparse brows, fill them in with a pencil and then brush over your brows with an eyebrow brush to blend it in.
• Blush or Bronzer=a color that your cheeks normally turn to when you get too much sun is the best “natural” choice for you. I use the Lit Up shade of bronzer myself. It’s the perfect sunkissed look when applied to the apples of my cheeks. And by the way…that’s another tip for the “natural” look. Apply your blush or bronzer where the sun naturally kisses your skin. Blush applied under the cheekbones looks great if you’re going for the model or professional jet setter look. But for the everyday natural look, apply it to the apples of your cheeks and a little on the sides of your forehead.

More tips for the natural look quest:

Stay out of the tanning beds! Pale people with deep dark tans look leathery, not natural. If you don’t get naturally a little more tan in the summer, then you probably aren’t meant to be tan. A little sun is good for you. Too much isn’t good for you. You will not only seriously age your skin, but are increasing your chances of skin cancer.

Ditch the red lipstick. Unless you’re a vampire, you probably won’t look natural with red lips!

Stay away from black liquid eyeliner. I’ve yet to see anyone look natural with black liquid eyeliner. On young women it can look ver striking, but on older wome it tends to make them look hard and older. Try to stick with brown eyeliner, not liquid. Many of our mineral eyeshadows make a great, natural eyeliner. I use the Stoked color a lot for eyeliner. Applied wet with visine it lasts all day. Smudge it a bit with your finger, or a q-tip.

Mascara=Black or Black/Brown or Brown look the most natural. I’ve never met anyone with blue or burgundy eyelashes, so I’m betting that those colors shouldn’t be in our “natural look” quest.