I was featured!

I was featured yesterday on A Perfectly Paper blog! It's so exciting to see and read about my shops and to get support from people on the web. Check out her blog and site. She has an Etsy store where she sells really beautiful paper flowers. They look so real!

Stay tuned. I'm hoping to get a blog post written today. What should I write about? Any suggestions or requests?

Beautiful Inspiration

Sometimes I come across something so beautiful and inspiring. Sometimes its very literal, and sometimes it's more general. This time it was literal. I came across this picture today on insomnia15's tumblr page.

I just thought it was so beautiful and had to share. I think I might have to recreate this look. I'll definitely share when and if I do!

The All Natural Face

I found The All Natural Face on Etsy back in June of 2009. I have since placed a couple more orders with her. I have tried many of her products, and have been overall happy with them. I'll review more products in the future, but today I'm going to focus on mineral foundation.

The shop is run by the simply delightful Crystal. She is an absolute sweetheart! If you would like to read a bit about her and her makeup, visit her store or read her profile, I recommend it! She also has a website outside of etsy, TheAllNaturalFace.com.

The second order I placed with her was for the foundation sample kit. You get to choose 7 of her MANY colors. I had a hard time even choosing 7 so I told her a few colors I wanted to try and to surprise me with the rest. She sent me way more than 7 foundation samples, plus samples of many of her other products. She does this with every order!

She ships every few days and I got my order when I expected. It was a bit longer than usual for Etsy orders, but I definitely wouldn't say it was too long at all, and was well worth the wait. I had fun trying out all of the samples. The samples were generously sized, and I was able to use them for a few days so that I could determine my perfect color, and if I would like to order more.

I instantly tried to recreate the color of the current mineral foundation that I was using (medium beige from Bare Minerals, or BE for short). I combined two colors, Ivory Rose and Medium Beige Warm. The color ended up being a bit lighter than my BE, which was perfect since the BE was a little dark for me. I got lucky on my first try, the color matched my skin PERFECTLY! I'm sure I could have found a color in all of the samples that would work for me, but why bother when I found my perfect color. Especially when the generous and sweet Crystal is willing to create your perfect color when needed.

I applied the foundation with my big kabuki brush from Bare Escentuals. I tried it with a few other kabuki brushes too, but this was my favorite. I would say it went on and covered similar to my BE, but definitely looked better since the color was a perfect match. For awhile I used a brush that I got from Crystal, her Baby Buffer, which she sells with many other products, including with the foundation kits for only $7! I really liked it with that brush, which is amazingly soft. Lately though, for ease of application (I love a long handle), I've been using my Handy Buki from BE. I used my BE mineral veil over the top, but I'm still unsure if I really need this since it doesn't seem to really make much of a difference and can just dry me out and make me look powdery.

I was having some dry skin issues when I started using this foundation. I found it to be less drying than the BE, but definitely not oily in any way. It was a nice change! After a few hours of wear, I did notice some creasing or gathering of the product along side my nose and on my chin. It wasn't bad, and I've had this problem with BE before when my skin isn't super dry. I've since tried it with a primer underneath (DHC's Velvet Skin Coat - which I think is similar to the Monistat Chafing Gel, which I have yet to use, but I will - and I'll review it too!). The primer seems to help with the creasing issue. I'm wearing it with a primer today, and after 3 hours of wear there is no sign of movement.

I've obviously been very pleased with the foundation, and have since ordered more. Crystal was having a BOGO promotion, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to stock up! Since I have kept many of my empty BE jars, I ordered the refill for 30 gram jars, which is a complete steal at only $11!! She even custom mixed me my perfect color! I've been using this, along with a few of her other products everyday since June and I'm very happy with them. I highly recommend checking out The All Natural Face, you don't be disappointed!

Hello

Hi there! I am so excited to start this blog. I am a woman of many interests, and I hope you'll enjoy them all with me. A couple of my favorite hobbies/interests and what my main focus on this blog will be is makeup and fashion, at LOW prices. I frequent the thrift stores and clearance racks, and buy all of my makeup on sale at the drugstore. Sorry MAC, I just can't afford you. Don't get me wrong, I do not settle for low quality. I just know that with very little effort, you can be frugally beautiful and beautifully frugal. Please see my profile if you would like to know a little bit about me.

I can't wait to pass all of my tips and finds along to you! Stay tuned for a review on products from one of my favorite companies. It's handmade, all natural, and super inexpensive makeup!