Naturalla Beauty

I’m not a big face primer user and the Pure Primer hasn’t radically changed my mind.  A hydrating primer made with hyaluronic acid and organic oils, it moisturizes and does create a nice base for makeup, but, much like the Nude by Nature primer I reviewed in the spring, I don’t notice it doing anything more than my regular skincare, so, for me, it seems like an unnecessary extra step.  If you’re someone that enjoys a hydrating primer under makeup, I expect the Pure Primer would be a bigger hit. I’ve dabbled with using it as an under eye primer and I do like it for that purpose.  The extra moisture the primer provides helps concealer blend out a little easier, especially if some time has passed between applying eye cream and doing my makeup.

I’ve always advocated for more accessible natural products, so as soon as I heard that Nude By Nature, a well-known Australian natural mineral makeup line, was launching exclusively in Shoppers Drug Mart this year, I was pretty excited.  Up to this point, our only widespread healthy “drugstore” makeup options in Canada have been Burt’s Bees and a select few Physician’s Formula Organic Wear products, so this is a huge step forward. Nude by Nature markets itself as high performing natural formulas free from synthetics, silicones, talc, and parabens.  The entire line is 100% naturally derived.

I’ve been trying out four products over the last several months -- three purchased by me and one that I received free from ChickAdvisor -- and I’m excited to share my thoughts on this new Canadian launch.  Keep reading for my take on everything...

Perfecting Primer ($32 for 1oz)

I don't typically use a face primer, so if I hadn't received this mini from ChickAdvisor, I doubt I would have tried it on my own.  The Perfecting Primer is silicone-free and has a similar consistency to a light lotion or moisturizer. It's invisible on the skin and creates a good, hydrated base for makeup application, but I haven't found it does anything more than my normal skincare routine.  I did a side-by-side comparison one day with the primer on one half of my face and just my regular skincare on the other and both sides looked and wore exactly the same throughout the day. Without the silicones, the primer doesn't do any intense pore-filling or smoothing and I haven't found it prolongs the wear of my makeup either. I don't think it's a bad product, but, for me, it just feels like an unnecessary extra step. I've also read a lot of comments about the primer's strong fragrance, but I've noticed very little scent at all.

Perfecting Concealer ($24 for 0.2oz)

Dark under eye circles are one of my biggest skin woes, so I’m always up for trying concealers that promise lightweight and luminous coverage.  The Perfecting Concealer is a squeeze tube liquid concealer that checks both those boxes, but I have somewhat mixed feelings about it on the whole. Overall, I like it a lot. Coverage is fantastic and it does a great job brightening the under eye area without looking heavy or cakey.  I’ve also used the concealer to cover blemishes and redness and it works well for those purposes too.

The Savvy Minerals Foundation is marketed as a long-wearing mineral foundation with a buildable formula that can go from sheer to full coverage. It’s a solid foundation, but I don’t think it fully lives up to those claims. To me, it’s a nice lightweight, natural, low-coverage mineral foundation. It has a beautiful finish -- satin with a slight luminosity -- but only offers light to low-medium coverage. I’ve tried it with a few different brushes and I don’t think there’s any way to build this foundation up to a full coverage.

The colour range is also somewhat limited, with six light to medium shades (three cool and three warm), and four darker.  As I always say, hopefully the shade range will be extended in the future.  I chose the color Cool No. 1, the lightest cool shade, which is pretty pink in comparison to my usual more neutral foundation colours, but it does match me and blend into my skin nicely. Cool No. 1 is light enough that I could probably go up a shade in the summer. 

Diamond Dust Veil
The Diamond Dust is advertised as a lightweight and sheer setting powder/mineral veil intended to extend makeup wear time, absorb excess oil, and add luminosity to the skin while blurring fine lines and imperfections. I love a good luminous setting powder, and while the Diamond Dust has a pretty finish on the skin, it also has plenty of actual glitter particles. I just can’t do glitter all over my face, so it’s a big no from me on this one.

Blush -- Smashing
Smashing is a super pretty blush and is one of the more unique colors I’ve seen in the Savvy Minerals lineup. On first glance, it’s a pretty standard coral/peachy-pink, but it has a hint of cool silver/blue iridescence that brings a lot of extra interest to the shade. The blush blends easily and looks super pretty on the cheeks. Smashing is quite glowy and can definitely function as a 2-in-1 blush and highlight.

*Press sample

*Press sample

  
  

  

I'm extra excited to write this review, because, after looking for over a year now, I may have just found my perfect foundation! 

The Company

Lucy Minerals is another great mineral makeup brand.  Annie, the owner, started making mineral foundation to cover her own rosacea and eventually began selling it as well.  What's unique about most of Lucy Minerals' foundations is that they contain an antioxidant blend of Apple Poly® polyphenols, trans-resveratrol, and green coffee bean extract.  You can find more information about the antioxidants on the Lucy Minerals website.  

I've never been a big fan of mineral foundation, just because I've never gotten enough coverage from a mineral foundation to suit my liking.  I'd read lots of good reviews of Lucy Minerals and heard how completely different it was to most mineral foundations, so I decided to order a couple "try it" sizes.  Try it foundations come in 5-gram jars (with sifters) and sell for only $2 each.  

Foundation

Lucy Minerals has several different foundation formulas.  I decided to try the Lucy Light Foundation and ordered samples in light and bisque, which are the two lightest neutral shades.  The 'light' in the name doesn't refer to the coverage, but rather to absence of the antioxidants that are added to most of Lucy's foundations.  My skin has reacted to several foundations in the past, so I went with this formula to avoid any extra ingredients and cut down on the chance of getting any kind of reaction.

Application

Right from the first application, I was very impressed.  You really only need a small amount of foundation to achieve an amazing finish.   One thing to keep in mind is that Lucy's foundations do give a heavier coverage than a lot of other mineral foundations, so you can end up looking cakey if you apply too much, which is why I'd stress the importance of applying multiple light layers over one heavier layer.  First, I stipple on a light layer all over with an Essence of Beauty flat top blender brush.  Then, with a concealer brush, I apply a little extra to any blemishes, discoloration, or anywhere else that needs extra coverage.  Lastly, I go over it again with the blender brush and buff on another thing layer all over.  

Coverage

What I love most about this foundation is the finish it gives.  My skin has been pretty good lately, but the foundation covers any redness or blemishes I have and completely evens out my skin tone.  At the same time, it does not look like I am wearing any makeup!  My biggest pet peeve with foundation is if it's obvious you're wearing it.  Lucy Minerals makes it look like my skin itself is amazing, not like I'm wearing a good foundation.  It has a matte finish, but still leaves my skin looking very healthy and natural. 

Wear

I get about 8 hours of perfect wear with just the foundation.  Around the 8 hour mark, I sometimes start to see a bit of shine come through on my nose or forehead.  It's nothing major, but ideally, I'd like to be able to get a few more hours of wear before having to blot or touch up.  Lucy Minerals recommends using a finishing powder and I have a sample of Silk Naturals' Perfecting Powder that I'm going to try with the foundation next.  Lucy Minerals also makes several of their own finishing powders.

Bottom Line

I'm so glad I didn't give up on mineral foundations before trying Lucy Minerals.  In terms of colours, I was lucky enough to find a perfect match in light, but I do hope they extend the shade range in the future, as it is a little limited.  They are willing to work with you and custom blend a foundation if you fall between two colours, but especially if you have darker skin, you might not find a match.   Another plus is that price-wise, Lucy Minerals is also less expensive than many other brands, at only $12 for the (full size) light formula and $14 for the formulas with added antioxidants.  If you're looking for a new foundation and do find a possible colour match, I highly recommend picking up a sample or two.  I've been using mine for about 3 weeks now and I think I've gone through less than half the sample.  I'll definitely be ordering the full size when I start to run low!

  

As I mentioned in the eye shadow post, I was also able to pick up three lip glosses with my Heartsy voucher for SweetPea & Fay. SweetPea & Fay divides their glosses into two categories - ultra pigmented and sheer.  The three I chose, Sailors Delight, Congo Kick, and Miss Lady, were all sold as ultra pigmented.  And they definitely are.  They're also thick and creamy and might be better described as liquid lipsticks, since they're so pigmented and they don't really give any noticeable shine or gloss to my lips.  Don't get me wrong, I really do like them, I'm just not sure gloss is the best category for these! 

Congo Kick - is a really unique shade of lipgloss. It has a mod like feel to it, like it`s straight out of the 1960s.  It`s a really soft peach color that shines when applied.  I'm not sure I get a mod feel from this, but it's a beautiful peach colour! Probably my favourite of the three.

Sailors Delight - Pinup girl inspired, super pigmented hot pink lipgloss.  Not a super hot pink, but it is a nice, wearable bright pink.  Leans a little towards coral on me.  Texture-wise, this one is a bit thicker than the other two.

Miss Lady - is a stunning orangey peach lipgloss. It has hints of sparkle which makes it slightly metallic looking.  I don't see a whole lot of orange or peach in this one.  On me, it's more of a slightly peachy, brownish nude.  That said, I feel like I constantly struggle to find nudes I like on me, and this one is both pretty and wearable.

The Bottom Line

I'm quite happy with these glosses.  They're nicely pigmented and they feel smooth and creamy and leave my lips nicely moisturized.  For $5, you get a generous 8mL of gloss, so they're also great value.  And with SweetPea & Fay's return policy, you really can't go wrong - if you are not happy with a product, you can simply return it for a refund or exchange.  Overall, I'm really pleased with these and I'd be likely to repurchase.  I just wish they had more colours to choose from!

And lest you think I forgot -
I hope everyone's having a spooktacular day!