Naturalla Beauty

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have already seen that I placed an order with Brija Cosmetics during their two year anniversary sale.  Started by natural/nontoxic Youtuber Brianna (iluvjesse444), Brija Cosmetics makes natural mineral makeup that's vegan and cruelty free, as well as free of gluten and synthetic dyes and additives.  I received my order almost two months ago, so I've had lots of time to try these things out and am overdue to give you my thoughts on them!


Mean Girls Blush Collection
Despite not actually being a big fan of Mean Girls, the launch of this collection in the spring was what convinced me I needed to finally place an order with Brija.  I bought mini jars of three of the six shades in the collection and all three are lovely.  The colors are vibrant and pigmented - but not overly so to the point where they're hard to work with - blend easily, and have just the right amount of shimmer.  

Regulation Hottie is my favorite of out of everything I purchased.  A beautiful neutral pink, it's that effortless blush that you never have to think about because it goes perfectly with everything.  

Beware of Plastics looks very orange both in the pot and when swatched, but it has pink tones that become visible on the cheeks, turning it into more of a bright coral.  Especially gorgeous for summer!

Jungle Madness is the only color I'm a little disappointed with.  I wanted it to be a more vibrant version of Silk Naturals Abstract blush, one of my all-time favorite blushes, but on me, the magenta/purple tones aren't very noticeable and it leans mostly pink.  Still a pretty color, just not quite what I'd been hoping for.  



You Know Who Highlighter
You Know Who is gorgeous.  Part of Brija's Harry Potter collection, it has a pale cream/white base with multicolored sparks throughout, but no chunky glitter.  I was happily surprised by how wearable this is.  It's buildable, so a light dusting lends a beautiful natural glow and luminosity to the skin, while a more generous application works for a more intense highlight or strobing.  Either way, it looks beautiful and doesn't settle into or enhance pores, which is often my problem with highlighters.  It also works great as an inner corner highlight.

Jelly Balms
The Jelly Balms are described as having a smooth, silky lip balm-like feel and sheer color, which, as a tinted lip balm lover, sounded right up my alley. 



Yvonne is a sheer purple.  It looks dark and intimidating in the tube, but it applies as a sheer plum that's very easy to wear.  It's pigmented enough that I wouldn't be comfortable swiping it on blind, without a mirror, but it's nowhere close to full opacity.  

Sprinkles was a limited edition gift with purchase during the sale, but I hope Brianna will consider adding it to the permanent line.  It's a beautiful, barely there peach shade with gold shimmer.  Sprinkles also has added cocoa butter - which isn't in the permanent collection Jelly Balms - so it smells delicious, although I think I slightly prefer the feel of Yvonne on the lips over this one.  

(Top to Bottom) Sprinkles, Yvonne, You Know Who, Jungle Madness, Beware of Plastics, Regulation Hottie

I also picked up a couple samples (Hoola Hoop bronzer and Bachelor Watson eye shadow) and got a couple others free in my order, but I haven't used them much yet, so I'll have to update on those later.  

Have you tried Brija Cosmetics? 

Gabriel Cosmetics - or more specifically Zuzu Luxe - was the first natural makeup I remember using.  I discovered one of the company's makeup displays as a teenager, whilst wandering through a Wild Oats store in Salt Lake City, and I remember being surprised by how modern and even trendy the color selection was.  This goes back several years - to before I'd made the switch to using only natural products and to long before anything close to today's natural makeup selection existed - and Gabriel Cosmetics and Zuzu Luxe have not left my makeup bag since.  

The line has expanded quite a bit since those days and I'm always eager to check our the company's new releases.  I recently had the chance to try a few new-to-me products and I jumped on it.  I was sent the Zuzu Luxe Mosaic Illuminator in Light* and Gabriel Color Vibrant Pink Blush* and Florentina Multi Pot.*  



Mosaic Illuminator (Light)
Can we just admire how gorgeous these mosaic powders are for a minute?  If there's one thing I'd say is still lacking in the non-toxic makeup realm, it's pressed powders like this that can rival high end mainstream makeup - in terms of packaging and visual appeal, as well as performance - so it's very exciting to see Zuzu Luxe stepping up to the task.  

According to the company, the Mosaic Illuminator "captures light and covers imperfections, giving your complexion a luminous beautiful finish."  It's a light powder that gives minimal coverage, but a really nice, slight radiance to the skin.  It's particularly great for this time of year when skin can start looking a little dull. 

Used by itself, the illuminator slightly perfects and evens out the skin.  There are some yellow-toned components that are helpful for toning down redness, but it still doesn't provide as much coverage as I'd like by itself.  Instead, I like to use it over top of another foundation, as more of a setting powder.  That way, you get the coverage from another product, but the lovely finish and radiance of the Mosaic Illuminator. 



Vibrant Pink Blush
Vibrant Pink looks crazy bright in the pan (it's even brighter in real life than in the photos!), but on the cheeks, it provides a pop of color that's neither garish or over the top.  Gabriel (and Zuzu Luxe) pressed products are always great quality and Vibrant Pink is no exception.  I only need to lightly tap my brush into the product to get enough color for my cheeks and it doesn't kick up much excess powder or fall out either.  I also love that this is a matte shade, but is still pigmented and very blendable.  I'm definitely interested in trying more colors in the future.  



Florentina Multi Pot
Gabriel's Multi Pots are designed to be a three-in-one product for the eyes, lips, and cheeks.  Florentina is a matte, bronzy/neutral pink or raisin color that I never would have chosen for myself, but I ended up quite liking the natural, subtle look it gives, particularly on the cheeks when used as a blush.  The texture of the Multi Pot is significantly drier than a lot of other cream blushes, so it's never greasy or oily on the skin.  Instead, it feels like it sets to a powder-like finish almost as soon as you blend it.  

This consistency also helps it last better on the eyes - although it did crease when I tried to build the color up to more than a sheer wash - but it also means that I don't love how it feels on the lips.  On bare lips it acts as more of a stain, but can be a little drying.  I've also tried applying it over a lip balm, which compensates for the dryness, but means you won't get the best color payoff.  It's all good though, as Florentina is probably a color I'd wear more on my cheeks and eyes anyways!  



The Bottom Line
I already loved Gabriel and Zuzu Luxe products and these three have only served to reinforce that.  If you're looking for high quality natural makeup with great ingredients and the same ease and convenience as mainstream products (no loose powders here!), I don't think you can do better than these lines.  The products are also pretty widely available at Whole Foods and other health food stores, which is always a plus.  

With skin as pale as mine, it's very easy to overdo it with blush and end up looking like a clown.  For that reason, it's taken me a while to fully embrace wearing blush, but I think I'm officially a convert.  Today I want to talk about three fairly new-to-me blushes I've been loving.


The All Natural Face Desert Sand Glow
Technically this one is an all over face glow, not a blush, but it's way too dark on my skin to use all over.  Instead, I love using it as a subtle blush.  It's a nude pink color that goes with just about any makeup look.  It works equally well to tone down an otherwise dramatic makeup look, or just as an easy blush to grab when you're in a hurry or can't decide what color to wear.  

Pure Anada Fresh Mandarin Blush
Peach blushes are always a favorite around here and Fresh Mandarin is a pretty, burnt orange shade that seems especially fitting for fall.  I've mostly gotten used to loose blushes, but the added convenience of a pressed blush definitely comes in handy sometimes.  One drawback of this product is that it has a weird, putty-like smell, but according to the company, this is just the scent of the raw, unrefined jojoba oil that's used as a binder.  Would I like it better without the smell? Definitely, but it only smells in the pan, not on your face, so it isn't enough to stop me from enjoying such a pretty blush shade.

Silk Naturals Abstract Sheer Blush
Abstract is a pale, plummy pink shade with a nice, luminous finish, but no actual shimmer or glitter. The base is a cool-toned pink, but it has a slight gold sheen that warms it up nicely.  Seriously, I've been using this color almost non-stop these last few months and I just love it.  Silk Naturals' blushes are fantastic for us lighter skinned folk, because they go on sheer (at first) and blend very easily.  They're still very buildable though, so I don't think darker skinned ladies would have any issues using them either.  


The Bottom Line
The swatches of these three paint a pretty clear picture of how I like my blushes: not too dark and not too pigmented.  I'll reach for a more vivid blush on occasion, but for everyday, I usually go for a fairly subtle cheek color, somewhere along the lines of these three.  

What's your go-to blush color?