Jade Minerals Free Sample Program

 

JadeMinerals (former MWW4U) gives you the possibility to receive some free samples of their new mineral make up, just paying for the shipping. I have to premise that MWW4U has been one of the first online make up stores I purchased from and that I've overall been always satisfied with their products and service. Katja, the CEO, then decided to have a break and come back with a new name for her brand, Jade Minerals precisely. She has kept some of her early products and introduced some new ones, among them there is a totally new range of powder blushes, made by aloe vera powder and oxides. 

She sent to me six of them, they are huge samples, with this quantity I will be able to use them for weeks :) 

 

Swatches with flash

 

Swatches with sunlight 

 

Swatches in the shadows :) 

From left to right:  

- Shade n° 17: a deep reddish pink (shimmer) 

- Shade n° 14: a light peach (matte) 

- Shade n° 18: a soft coral pink (satin)  (so cute!)

- Shade n° 15: a brownish-rosey-terracotta (matte) 

- Shade n° 16: a mauvey terracotta (matte) 

- Shade n° 13: a mauvey plum (shimmer) (amazing!) 

For more infos about this free sample program go here. 

Let me know if you need further photos :) 

Kali  

#36 Aphorism of the week: Technology

Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal. 

Albert Einstein  

EccoVerde Haul!

 

Some days ago I received this supercute pack from EccoVerde. I'm always satisfied with the speed they send orders and the care that they show in packing your stuff, I love them :) 

Here is a list of what I purchased: 

- Paul Penders Herbal Citrus Fruit Exfoliant 

- Lily Lolo Natural Lip Stick in Intense Crush 

- Badger Cuticle Care Balm 

- Benecos Natural Compact Powder in Sand 

- Benecos Natural Eyeliner in Brown 

- Benecos Natural Lipliner in Pink 

  

I've already tried them, but I need more time to make a complete review on each of these products. If you are interested in knowing my opinion on one of them in particular, just let me know! 

Moreover they kindly sent to me three samples of Martina Gebhardt creams, a brand that has never appealed me so much because of the formulas of its products, but well who knows, I will certainly try them :) 

 

Have a wonderful day! 

Kali 

 

Badger Vs Burt's Bees

Who will win today's cosmetic competition? Smart Striped Bees or the sweet hairy Badger?  :) 
Since they are meant to be similar products, I thought it would have been interesting to know which one I'd recommend. 

Without any doubt they are both good balms since they feature only natural ingredients. Moreover they both have a pleasant refreshing feeling thanks to the add of peppermint oil. 

Burt's Bees beeswax lip balm  4.25g  
Badger cocoa butter lip balm  7g

Burt's Bees' one gives a real cooling tingle to your lips, that's a real pleasure! But when it comes to ingredients, I don't fully share the choice of some of them. Firstly I don't think lanolin was so essential, even if it is well known for its protective and emollient properties, let's say I don't like the fact of "exploiting sheeps' sebaceous glands" in order to moisturize my lips -.-' 

Badger's cocoa butter lip balm formulation is impeccable since it has only 

fine ingredients. Comparing it to Burt's Bees one, this gives a more subtle refreshing sensation but it feels more moisturizing on the lips. Besides the packaging is sooo  cute!  :)  
The key to understand their 
different effect on the lips is in the analysis of the first ingredients: Burt poured in his balm a base of beeswax (which main aim is protection) with a medium oil (coconut) and a light one (sunflower), therefore here you have the reason why it feels so light and doesn't nourish that much your lips; the lil Badger instead prepared a base of a butter (cocoa), beeswax and two heavy oils (olive and castor ones)...that's why this fat stick donates immediate relief and moisture to your dry lips. 

In the end, if I had to recommend one, I'd choose the Badger Cocoa butter lip balm because it deserves it, although none of them does miracles with my winter deeply chapped lips :/ 

Kali 

#35 Aphorism of the week: Folly

Only the foolish man hears all that he hears. 

Ancient Proverb 

Neve Cosmetics High Coverage Foundation

In 2011 I found my favorite mineral foundation, I was so satisfied with it. Then something bad happened... The All Natural Face stopped shipping to my country, hence I had to find a substitute and I tried Neve Cosmetics' one. I was immediately impressed by the high coverage it had, surely higher than TANF's one. The finish is pretty natural too, just make sure to exfoliate your face regularly in order to avoid ugly dry 'flakes'. 
The only downside about this foundation is the limited selection of shades, there are only 8 to choose from, so you'll probably have to make mixes in order to find your perfect one.
I chose the Light Warm one, it's a lil' bit too light, so I just have to add a tiny amount of Medium Warm to get the almost perfect match. 
You'll find futher infos in here. 

 

Cheers :) 

Kali  

#34 Aphorism of the week: Master

Mastering others requires force, mastering the self needs strenght. 

Tao Te Ching 

Natural Beauty Wishlist (^-^)

Lately I've discovered a british paradise for natural cosmetics' lovers... Naturisimo! There are a wide range of cruelty free products, you could just lose yourself really :) 
Among all the brands I felt very curious about Vapour Organic Beauty, a serious company which claims to be a high performance range of pure organic cosmetics made from 70% certified organic ingredients and 30% mineral pigments and vitamins. This brand uses no synthetic chemicals, no petroleum ingredients and above all IT'S NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS. 
I actually would like to try their Skin Perfector, which is some kind of primer supposed to brighten the complexion and even out the skin tone. 

It has an interesting formula based on lightweight vegetal oils and minerals, would it be effective in my opinion? Certainly it shows to be a high quality product, my only doubt is about its 'oiliness', maybe it could be too greasy on the skin but I've seen that on the list of ingredients, Silica is in third place, so it will probably cunningly dry the whole formula... I gotta try it out anyway to give a most precise opinion! 
Apparently the only downside about this product is the crazy price: 47£ for 30g! 
(-_-') Oh Jesus... 

Kali   

  

Poem of the week: 'Ed è subito sera'

Ognuno sta solo sul cuor della terra 

trafitto da un raggio di sole: 

ed è subito sera.   

Salvatore Quasimodo

English traduction:

[Everyone stands alone at the heart of the world 

pierced by a ray of sunlight: 

and suddenly it is evening.] 

Yves Rocher Sexy Pulp Lash Plumping Mascara

This mascara is by far one of the best ones I've ever tried. It has a really nice lash lenghtening effect (not so plumping actually), it is dramatic but at the same time it hasn't got that fake lashes effect. 
The formula is a little bit dry and it has a nice almond scent. I can't stand the applicator because it is so big that makes it difficult to apply.  
I've got it in the blue shade which results in a dark indigo when applied. Another good thing about this mascara is that it doesn't damage my lashes as many others do, a very big point in favour of this one!  :) 

  

If you request it, I'll take a picture of it applied to my lashes, just let me know!  

Kali