Well, got my full size Everyday Minerals today. Actually, it was on the dining room table when I got in from class, so before I put away groceries (Mother Hubbard's cupboard was BARE!) or changed out of my dance clothes, I had to try them. ;)

Love the Chamomile shadow--it is really versatile. Dust it on for light effect, or swipe it on with a fingertip for more drama. Pretty creamy golden color. I predict I will use it a LOT.

Mystic Night...the dark purple...it is also lovely, but I think I will blend it with maybe the Chamomile or something else to get a lighter effect. As it is, it looks really lovely, shimmery purple up close, but just dark from a distance. I hope to pop more of the purple through blending. I do have it blending in with the Comfy, which I put on a little dark tonight as a test for class, so that could be affecting it somewhat, but I suspect blending will be require regardless.

And the Weekend Getaway blush is just what I hoped it would be! Just enough peachiness to it, without screaming PEACH/PINK, which I don't like; and it is also a bit mauvey-brown to add a little warmth. Yum.

WANT MORE.

Tonight I did the full spread on the makeup to show Lauren and Celise, and then the snow kept everyone away. *sigh* I did it with my foundation primer this time (but still no shadow primer), and one more pass with the foundation to get the coverage I wanted. Then a spritz of lavender water to set. Looked really nice. As I said above, I put some Comfy on the lids, with a bit of one of my fave colors from Aromaleigh dusted on the brow bone. Looked natural and put together without looking like I was "all made up" for class. No class next week (darn MLK holiday closing the building!), so it will be another week before I can show it off! :(

RE: Snow Night: I had 8 students in each class, which is good enough for me. We got to work on quads and leader changes, as well as Double Egyptian and SHOULDER SHIMMIES! Yes, we WILL master those shimmies, dammit! :) The new class format in Level 1 is tricky still. I feel there is just TOO MUCH information for one six week session, and paring it back accordingly will take time. I don't want to overload Level 2, which already has too much to cram into 12 weeks of classes!

I need more levels. LOL

Hope everyone is home warm and safe tonight!

Due to some recent positive postings about it, I decided to get a sample kit from Everyday Minerals, which is another bismuth-free product. And after three days of testing so far, I really like it! It has that "glow" I liked from BE, has the creamy texture I like, and less transfer than the Aromaleigh. And the little printed brown lids are cute. Never let it be said I am not a slave to packaging.

They have an "Original Glo", which I prefer, and then Semi-matte and Matte.

It also includes a choice of one of the eye shadows, so I have been trying that out. The pigments are much deeper than Aromaleigh. I never liked Aromaleigh's shadows, but kept getting samples in hopes I would one day find some version that I would like. Never did. But this stuff I liked instantly. I am testing the staying power now. I wore it last night through class and it lasted (no shadow primer, to see how it holds on its own), and have some on today as well. Will report back. I tend to rub my eyes a lot during the day, though, because I don't normally wear eye shadow except at night or for performances, so it may not be the best time to be testing the "wear".

One thing I found on their site was interesting though:
"Skin Redness? If you tend to have a redness to your complexion, apply a light dusting of Light Pink Blush all over your face after you apply your foundation. This will help reduce redness and even out your skin tone while boosting your complexion. If you don't like the sparkle you can use either Pick Me Up Pink or your Mint Color Corrector."

Really? If my face is red, I should try and even it out by making everywhere a little more red??
At least they mention color corrector at the end!

Anywho, so far so good, and just wanted to report for anyone who is interested. I know, Lauren, that you were taking notes the other night on my Aromaleigh experiences, so I thought I should pop up and say I *might* be switching to Everyday Minerals. I will be sad to leave Aromaleigh after two-plus happy years, as I felt attached to the small, woman-owned operation--the kind where they write personal messages on every invoice, and send three to four random free sample baggies of lip gloss and shadows with every single order. And they always shipped fast, too, which impresses me, the one who hates shipping the most of all duties of online sales... But I am feeling a pull to Everyday Minerals, and may have to give it a shake out for a little while...

This is a re-post answering some make-up questions I have been asked in the past about my mineral makeup tips!

"Question time: What is your 'foundation primer' versus 'shadow primer?' I know you had talked about the Smashbox primer, but I don't know whether that is a 'foundation primer' or a 'shadow primer' so I am not sure what you mean here, and I am dreadfully curious. I'm also curious about the 'spritz of lavender water.' What's this about?"

Okay, so SmashBox's Photo Finish primer is the foundation primer I was talking about the other day. That is Here It gives you a really smooth start to your foundation, and makes it last longer.

Shadow primer is usually a neutral colored creme-based cosmetic which you put on your lid only. It keeps your shadow longer, keeps it from slipping or separating, and intensifies the color. I only use it for performance, because I don't need that level of lasting and intensity for regular everyday wear.

I just saw this cool little number from Smashbox: a lip and lip primer stick HERE, where each end is one product, though they also sell just a liquid shadow primer. But I personally use Mac Paints in Bare Canvas or Stillife, which is HERE
, which isn't specifically a lid primer, but worked great as one for me. I hear the paint pots work the same way.

Anyway, my favorite thing about using a good primer is the intensifying and lasting power added to ANY shadow. So frankly, a lot of my shadows are cheap-ass brands like Maybelline, Cover Girl, etc. Sure, I like to invest in some favorite colors from Mac and Stila, a little Nars, too. But I don't have to, and using a good primer/cream base can open up a world of more affordable and easily accessible drug store brands for longer wear and performance-worthy color and staying power.

As for the water spritz: Among mineral make-up users, there is a belief that a fine spritz of water after applying all your make-up helps to "set" it. Usually, as the moisture of your skin imbues the foundation, it settles in to your skin (not into the pores, but just blends into your skin visually). By spritzing, you are helping the process along, and helps all the ingredients of your look "melt" together. I have a finishing spray from Aromaleigh (with cucumber and chamomile) that I very much like, but have misplaced recently. My backup is an atomizer with filtered water and a drop of lavender essential oil. You can use whatever scent you like. Most people seem to like rosewater or lavender water.

Now for the record, looking at all the info I have given as of late, it appears that I am some kind of high maintenance make-up gal! I'm not! I resist most of those conventions, and maintain that I am a tomboy at heart. :) I only do the full meal deal for performance or nights on the town. For everyday, I just prep my skin with moisturizer, sometimes primer (but not always), kabuki on my foundation, brush my cheeks with a little warm color, and I am good to go. I usually only set it when I feel like it (or for particularly humid/hot weather where I think I will sweat it off), or for performance or nights out. And only do any eye, brow, or lash color when I am in a whimsical mood or for performance, etc. So mostly a little foundation and done. Ready to go in under 10 minutes, hair and all. LOL

If you want to read some previous posts about my forays into resting various mineral makeups and side-by-side comparisons in photo evidence, check out my compiled tags list of entries for mineral makeup