Naturalla Beauty

Real Purity is a four generation, family-owned, all-natural and cruelty-free company that's been around since the beginning of the natural product wave. The company makes makeup, skincare, and bath and body items, and specializes in products for sensitive and reactive skin.  I was offered the chance to try a couple products from Real Purity's makeup line and I chose the Pressed Powder* and Desert Rose Powder Blush*.  Real Purity's pressed makeup is made with minimal ingredients and is free of both talc and silicones.  Pressed powder makeup is increasingly available in the green beauty sphere, but inexpensive options are still a little scarce, so I was eager to test these two out!  Keep reading for my thoughts on both...



Desert Rose Powder Blush
I tried a sample of this blush years ago and always intended to come back for the full size.  Now that it's back in my life, I remember just how much I loved it!  The color is a beautiful mauve/plummy-pink unlike anything else I own and Real Purity's blush formula is phenomenal.  Desert Rose is completely matte, and is both pigmented and easy to blend.  Because I'm so fair, I like using a stippling brush to control the amount of product and slowly build the color on my cheeks.  It's super pretty and also very long-wearing.  A lot of blushes tend to fade and disappear off my face throughout the day, but Real Purity's is consistently still there at night when I remove my makeup.

The ingredients are super minimal -- just non-nano minerals, vitamin E, and pycnogenol (pine bark extract).  I genuinely think these are some of the best powder blushes in the green beauty realm and with an affordable $14.99 price tag and thirteen beautiful colors to choose from, you really can't go wrong!  Samples are also available for $1.50.

(L to R) Real Purity Medium Pressed Powder, Desert Rose Powder Blush

Pressed Powder
The Pressed Powder -- again made with only minerals, vitamin E, and pycnogenol -- is a great lightweight powder that can be used on top of liquid and cream products or worn alone, as a light powder foundation.  My first inclination was to pick the lightest shade, but the folks at Real Purity suggested Medium based off my photos and I'm glad they did.  The color looks dark in the compact, but it swatches and applies a little lighter, and anything paler would probably be too light for my skin.  Swatched, the color looks very peachy/neutral, but on my face it leans warmer.  It starts out looking a little too yellow initially, but the powder settles and melts into the skin within about the first half hour, at which point the color looks very natural.

 Check it out beside a few other powder foundations for a better idea of how the color compares:

(Top to Bottom) Real Purity Medium, Honeybee Gardens Geisha, Ecco Bella Fair, Ecco Bella Pale, Everyday Minerals 1N Ivory

The Pressed Powder is matte, but not flat-looking -- more of a natural or satin finish.  Coverage-wise, it gives light coverage, but you can build it up to a decent medium coverage with a couple layers.  Whether you wear one light layer or multiple, the powder really does sit nicely on the skin and doesn't look cakey or overly powdery.  Like the blush, it also wears really well and even does a good job absorbing/controlling oils.  My skin isn't super oily by any means, but I usually blot once in the afternoon and I find it less necessary on days wearing the Real Purity  The powder itself is a little dustier than the blush and it does kick up some extra powder as you apply it, but I think that same soft texture is what makes it so great at absorbing oils throughout the day.  

My only criticism is that, like a lot of smaller natural companies, the shade range is pretty limited.  There are shades for both light and dark skin, but with only four colors, I definitely think there's lots of room to expand.  Personally, I'd love to see a cooler/neutral shade of a similar depth to Medium.



The Bottom Line
Real Purity often falls slightly under the radar in the green blogging sphere, but they're a fantastic company with a long history of making natural products.  I love the brand's emphasis on ingredient purity and on using simple, minimal ingredients to suit sensitive skin, and also that they maintain an affordable price point across the entire range.  The Pressed Blushes are truly some of the best out there, and I also really like the Pressed Powder, although I certainly wouldn't say no to a few more shade options.

Real Purity is offering 20% off site-wide until February 28, 2017 with the code WINTRY.  Alternately, you can shop through my referral link and get $5 off your first purchase.  

A few months ago I was lucky enough to win Honeybee Garden's Pressed Mineral Foundation from the lovely Britanie of Beauty By Britanie.  Before that, I'd called off the great foundation hunt about a year ago after discovering Lucy Minerals Lucy Light Foundation.  Don't get me wrong, I still love my Lucy Minerals, but I'm excited to have found another great foundation to add to the mix!




Product Description
- Talc free, paraben free, fragrance free, oil free
- Evens out skin tone leaving a natural, silky finish
- with soothing vitamin E and gentle botanical extracts to calm skin
- adjustable even coverage; never heavy or cakey
- can be worn over foundation or directly on bare skin for a radiant finish
- refines complexion and reduces shine
- use with our eco-friendly compact and help save the planet
- use with cotton puff or kabuki brush to customize your finish

Ingredients
Mica, Kaolin, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Magnesium Carbonate, Zinc Stearate, Boron Nitride, Squalane, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Potassium Sorbate, Chlorphenesin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, 77492, 77499)

Price
$9.99 for the powder, $11.99 for the compact/puff.  Less on discount sites like iherb and Vitacost.

My Thoughts
I already love Honeybee Gardens' lipsticks (reviewed here and here) and they haven't let me down with this powder either!  Like the company claims, it's very buildable.  I've been applying it with a flat top kabuki, which gives a nice medium coverage.  It does a fantastic job evening out skintone and leaves my face matte, but with the slightest glow.  You can also build it up more with a second layer or go for lighter coverage with a fluffier brush.  However you choose, it's very natural looking and looks like your skin, only better.  It doesn't feel heavy on my face and it doesn't look at all cakey or powdery.  In terms of shine, I would mention that it doesn't keep me shine free all day long.  Nothing that can't be fixed with a quick blot and touch up, but around the six or seven hour mark, I can see some shine start to peek through on my forehead and nose. 

Recently, all I've been wearing day-to-day is this powder and a little concealer.  Without the need for extended buffing, it's that little bit quicker to apply than a loose mineral foundation and it's also a lot easier to bring along for touch ups.  Do keep in mind that, unlike most pressed powders, it doesn't contain any silicones, so it's a little more delicate.  Mine arrived with the edges slightly crumbled, presumably from being knocked around in the mail, but I haven't noticed it breaking or crumbling any more from regular use.

Honeybee Gardens only makes five shades and I opted for Geisha, the lightest, which is a great match for my skin.  Unfortunately the small shade range means there are no dark shades or extremely light ones.  This is a great product and I really hope Honeybee Gardens will expand the colour range so more people can enjoy it!

The Bottom Line
I've already made a visible dip in my compact and I definitely see myself repurchasing this powder when I run out.  I love how natural it looks and how quick and easy it is to apply.  It's a versatile product that can be worn by itself, as foundation, or used as a finishing powder over another foundation.  I'm also a fan of the packaging, where you just buy the compact once and then you repurchase only the foundation - making an already affordable product even less costly and better for the environment too!