Mineral Makeup - Natural Makeup For A Healthier Skin

Mineral makeup is nothing new. In fact the Egyptians were using it over two thousand years ago. However it’s now back at a makeup counter near you bringing with it freshness, convenience and a much healthier skin.

As a doctor I know what damage some traditional makeup products can cause the skin if worn over time for prolonged periods without adequate cleansing. So the advent of mineral makeup to the cosmetic counters is a major breakthrough in healthy living and skincare.

Mineral cosmetics have their basis in ground-up minerals, including various metal ores and iron oxide. Being natural, they are allergen-free and contain no chemical dyes, added preservatives, fillers, perfumes, oils or talc – or other ingredients commonly found in traditional makeup products.

Mineral makeup contains only pure mineral pigments in concentrated form. Due to their concentration they perform the functions of concealer, foundation and powder - and incredibly all in a single application which binds to the skin so well that very little touch-up is required as the day progresses.

After mineral makeup is first applied – and this can be done very simply with a brush - the skin might appear a little powdery, but after a short time you will find that it is taken up very well by the natural oils within the skin.
And incredibly, you’ll find that by nighttime your face will look just as fresh as it did in the morning when the makeup was first applied, without shine or streaks.

Mineral makeup’s purity means that it works well with most skin types and you will find that it adds a day-long youthful sheen to your skin. But it also possesses several other benefits:

SUNSCREEN

Mineral foundation powders also contain zinc oxide and titanium dioxide that act as a reflective coating which blocks the harmful effects of the sun. In addition natural forms of Vitamins A and E are regularly added which have anti-oxidant benefits and also help prevent photo aging of the skin.

ANTI-ALLERGY

Since synthetic dyes, perfumes and preservatives are avoided in the composition of mineral makeup, there is little risk of skin sensitivity to the ingredients, resulting in a considerably reduced risk of longer-term allergic reactions.

EASY APPLICATION

Mineral makeup can be applied quickly and easily with a brush or sponge, and when applied to clean moisturized skin, it doesn’t smear or run. To immediately do away with the initial powdery effect, all you need to do is mist your face lightly even with ordinary water.

VERSATILITY

Due to it’s day-long enduring qualities, mineral makeup is not only ideal for those with hectic lifestyles, but it has also found favor in the film and tv industries. Plus, it is often provides a great solution for many with existing skin problems, such as those caused by burns.

Now let’s take a look at the cost. If you are used to cosmetic counter prices, you aren’t going to be totally shocked. However, you should also consider the savings you can make by using mineral makeup. What would you normally put on your face before venturing out in the morning? After a moisturizer, how about a primer? Then there are concealers, foundation, blusher, creams, powder…

However when using mineral makeup, after using a moisturizer, you’ll find that many products which were once a part of your daily regimen, now become totally redundant. So the overall savings could be quite significant. And think about the time saving too!

Modern mineral makeup represents a major advance not only in cosmetics but also in skincare and your overall well-being.

Dr. Tavares is a medical consultant with wide-ranging experience and interests in both traditional and complementary medicine and health care. Her writing about cosmetics and skin care can be found regularly at http://www.makeup-girl.info

Eyebrow Regrowth

There are some women who are born with brows to die for, but many of us have to do a little work to keep them looking great. Many have a great natural shape, but they need a little work. I have very thick brows, so for me the ideal thing to do is to go in once every few weeks to get them waxed. Though I should probably do this once a week I just don’t have the time to do so. That means that in between visits I have to worry about eyebrow regrowth in order to keep things for getting to bushy up there.

There are a few common areas where eyebrow regrowth can cause you problems. All you need is tweezers to take care of things as they come in. You have to watch for eyebrow regrowth between your brows above your nose, along the bottom of your brow, and along the side of your outer eye were it might have grown back out after waxing. You can use your tweezers to pull these hairs out while you wait for your next appointment.

You can wax your eyebrows at home if you want to, but you may find that you have eyebrow regrowth coming back much faster than you would if you go to a salon to get your waxing done. This is because the stuff you can buy in the store is inferior to the wax they use in a salon, and it just doesn’t work as well. You may be tweezing the same day you wax because it missed a lot. It also missed the smaller hairs that may be hiding out, and you will have eyebrow regrowth in a matter of a few hours in some cases, but it does depend on how fast your hair grows.

You should take care of your eyebrow regrowth even if it doesn’t look bad. Some hairs grow in very fine, and they may not be very visible. They do, however, affect your makeup. When you have fine hairs below your brow the make up won’t adhere to your skin as it should, and you will find it wears off too fast. If you take care of this fine eyebrow regrowth in between visits, you won’t have to worry about this problem. It is almost impossible to have your brows stay perfect in between visits with doing a little extra work yourself, but if you just take a few seconds each morning to pluck stray hairs you should be ok.

EYEBROWS – THE KEY TO PERFECT EYES

Even if you find eyebrows to have a minor importance or just an insignificant detail, you must know that they have an important role in each of ours physiognomies. Their shape and color influence a lot the expression and harmony of the face.

Make-up is perfect only if the eye-brows are carefully arranged and corrected if necessary, to fit the harmony of the whole face. It is recommended that the shape of the eyebrows to be corrected to fit the shape of your face. If you would rather do them yourself than go to an expert, here you will find some necessary information.

Just what are the qualities of perfect eyebrows?

First of all, every bit of your eyebrows must be equal and matched, they must be smooth and their color must be assorted to your face and eyes, not to unnatural hair color you have, but to the natural color your hair is supposes to be. If you feel you must change their color then you can go to a cosmetic salon and make them light brown if you are blonde or black if you are a brunette.

The eyebrows have three base points: the base – that is situated at the top of the nose, the middle- the most oblique part and the extremity. The perfect eyebrows are shaped as a comma, with the base of about 8mm and the extremity less thick of 2-3mm tops. The extremity has to line up with the base. if your eyebrows don’t look like this, they should be corrected, and if they are too rare, then a special pencil will be used to fill the empty spaces. The color of the pencil must fit the one of your hair.

To have shiny, smooth eyebrows comb them every night and massage them with a face cream. Be careful when adjusting your eyebrows: eyebrows that are too thick darken the face, those too slim make you look astonished all the time.

Depending on the shape of your face:

- Round face: the eyebrows don’t need to be rounded and the correction has to be done as ascendant as possible. You will correct, going obliquely, the superior part of the base.

- Square face: the eyebrows for this type of face are thick and horizontal. Therefore they need to be made less thick and their shape has to change.

- triangular face : the eyebrows must be oblique upwards and separated a little from the nose through correction

Diamond shaped face: the eyebrows will be corrected just a little, and made as oblique as possible.

Beauty Tips - Makeup Removal: Removing Eye Makeup

All women that apply makeup also need to remove that makeup at some point, usually at night before going to bed. However removing makeup from your face is not as difficult as it is from your eyes. You need to be extra careful with your eyes as they are much more susceptible to damage than the rest of your face. So ordinary makeup removers would not really work well on your eyes as many of them are very strong and can damage your eyes.

When it comes to your eyes, you need to be extremely careful. Of the many parts of our bodies, the eyes are one of the most sensitive and susceptible to damage. Therefore, it is important to know how to properly use makeup removers for the eye before you begin. Here we will provide you with some excellent tips on how to choose the right makeup remover for your eyes.

Tip #1 – Brand Means Everything

Remember the old saying, "you get what you pay for", it is no different when you are looking for makeup remover for your eye makeup. The best and highest quality brand is what you are looking for. This is the number one tip because it is so important, particularly if you are in the habit of frequently wearing mascara, eyeliner, or eye shadow.

Tip #2 – Mild is the Way to Go

No matter what brand you get, you want to make sure it is not a harsh and abrasive makeup remover. You only want something mild and gentle to use around your sensitive eyes.

Tip #3 – Easy Does It

While many of us use soap daily to wash our faces, it is not a wise decision, particularly for removing makeup from your eyes. If you use a makeup remover, removing that eye makeup will be a cinch. If you follow these tips, you will find that your skin is not dry and is so much less irritated than it would be if you used soap.

Tip #4 – Break It Down

If you have ever tried to remove eyeliner and eye shadow without the help of a remover, you know it is not the easiest task in the world. This is true particularly if the eye makeup is waterproof. With makeup remover for the eyes, the product is actually working to break down the chemicals within the eye shadow, mascara, and eyeliner, making it easier to remove gently, without scrubbing.

Tip #5 – Does not Have to Cost an Arm and a Leg

Yes, we said you want the best makeup remover for your eyes, but you can get high quality at an affordable price. Just make sure you understand what the product does, what it is meant to do, and make certain that it is gentle, safe, and mild on your eyes.

The objective of a makeup remover is to clear your skin of all residual makeup so that your pores can breathe again. Your eyes are extra sensitive which is why you need to be extra careful with them. Which is why these tips have focused on using a solutions that is soft yet can remove make up from your eyes effectively.

With these tips, you will have no problem finding the right makeup remover for your eyes and keep your face looking clean and fresh every single day.

Debrah Dragon is a writer for Beauty Items, a website about everything beauty-related - beauty tips, beauty salons, beauty products, etc. Debrah is also a featured author at www.ArticleKing.com

Long Lasting Makeup - Great Tips to Make Your Makeup Last!

We invest in expensive makeup, we read up on how to perfectly apply it, and we take the time every morning to put it on with perfect precision. We do this, so that we can cover up those fine lines and wrinkles without looking like we're wearing makeup. We do this so that we can achieve that perfect moist and dewy look without our skin looking oily. So that we can add that subtle, yet vibrant boost of color to our eyes, making them stand out, and so that we can achieve those perfect lips- plump and pouty without being too whorish looking.

And isn't it disappointing when you dedicate all that time to achieve the seemingly impossible, only to have your makeup slide off your face a few hours later?!!

Well ladies, keep reading, because below I've included some fabulous makeup tricks on how to get long lasting makeup -so that it stay on all day long or all evening out!

Let's start with the very basics - moisturizer. Its important to properly hydrate your skin before applying makeup,as your makeup needs something to stick to (for those of you with oily skin, it's best to use an oil free moisturizer). You do not want to apply your makeup right after, as you need to provide your skin with enough time to properly absorb the moisture, otherwise your makeup will simply slide right off. Therefore, it's best to wait 10 - 20 minutes first.

The next step is to apply a makeup primer. Primers provide a clean 'base' to your makeup and absorb excess oils, providing your makeup with long lasting power. They also have built in moisturizing power, so unless your skin is particularly dry, you can actually use a primer in place of a moisturizer. Some of the popular ones include NARS makeup primer (which has the added benefit of built in SPF 20), Smashbox photo finish foundation primer, or Naked Minerals Neroli setting mist- which is actually sprayed on after makeup application, rather than before, and provides you with a radiant glow.

After the primer, apply a liquid foundation. Oil based foundations tend to provide better coverage than the oil free ones, however they also slide off more quickly. So unless you really need the heavy coverage, opt for an oil-free foundation. I find that the "mousse" consistency foundations also stay on quite well, like Biotherm.

To ensure that your foundation is set in place, dust a light layer of loose powder on top. This helps "seal" in your makeup and blot any excess oils that may develop,providing your makeup with long lasting power.

If you have really oily skin, you might want to try carrying around oil blotting pads (clean and clear makes excellent cheap ones). By blotting up excessive oil throughout the day, you'll help stop your makeup from "sliding off" your face, keeping it in place, where it belongs!

Next choose a blush. Your best option is cheek stain, it stays on the longest. Cheek stain can provide some pretty powerful color though, and it can also be a bit difficult to spread. In which case the next great alternative is a powder based blush, as those tend to stay on much longer than cream blushes. If you choose to use bronzer instead of brush, also go for the powder version over any of the creamy or liquid options.

After applying blush, head up toward the eyes. For eye shadow that stays on all day long, try prepping your lids first with an eye primer - like Benefit cosmetics FY eye, or moisturizer, and then dab on a light layer of foundation to follow. Wait for it set and then apply your eyeshadow. This should make it last double as long!

If you use eyeliner, although eye pencil will provide you with a slightly more natural look, liquid eyeliner will stay on the longest.

When applying mascara, opt for a waterproof one - you never know when you might feel the need to cry, or when it may just start raining. Make sure to apply multiple coats for thicker lashes and la long lasting stay.

And finally, your lips. Avoid using lip-balm right before applying lip color- it makes your makeup slide right off. Apply lip pencil all around the edges and then color in the insides with pencil too. Dab on a drop of foundation to fill in the cracks, and then brush on loose powder to set. Proceed to apply your lipstick as usual.

Matte lipsticks are preferred.While they may be drying, they tend to stay on much longer then their "moisture providing" counterparts. If you're looking a "wet" finish, you might want to apply a layer of sheer gloss on top.

And now you're finished - so relax and enjoy! There are a million things you have to worry about or remember throughout the day, but reapplying your makeup is simply not one of them!

Anne McNealy is a professional freelance writer who contributes to a wide variety of health and nutrition web sites. You can now find her secret trick for even longer lasting makeup - Naked Minerals Neroli Mist. Just make sure not to tell!