Naturalla Beauty

Over the summer, I was lucky enough to win four Noella Beauty Works eye shadows in a giveaway from the lovely Anne of The Velvet Rose Petal.  So first off, a big thank you to her for sending these my way! :)

Noella Beauty Works is a fairly new company, started in November of 2010.  In spite of their newness, they have a pretty impressive lineup of products - foundation, concealer, bronzer, blush, and eye shadow.  Since I got these from Anne, I can't speak to ordering or Noella's customer service, but I will say that I've only heard positive things.  I haven't had any contact with Jackie, the owner, but she's pretty active on both facebook and twitter, so I imagine it's easy to get in touch with her, should you need to.

The Product

In terms of the actual product, I don't have a whole lot to say!  I'm really liking all four colours I received.  Judging by the ones I have and those I've seen in their store, Noella's colours are beautiful, softer shades.  The colours I got have more of a satin finish on bare skin but over primer they do 'pop' and become more dramatic looking.  They aren't the brightest colours out there, but they're gorgeous and very wearable.  The shadows are super smooth to apply and blend very easily. 

The Colours

Smokey Plum - a medium shade plum with moderate cocoa undertones, perfect for accenting the corners of the upper lids.  Part of the glam collection, high shimmer, but not so much that it can't be paired with casual wear.  This isn't a colour I'd normally choose, but I really like it.  It's a dirty purple with some shimmer, but not really what I'd tend to consider a high shimmer eye shadow.

Milk Chocolate - a light/medium brown with lovely lavender and taupe undertones.  A really nice light brown/taupe on bare skin.  Turns into a slightly metallic, medium brown with copper flashes over primer.

Milk and Honey - a soft, creamy beige with golden shimmer.  Really subtle colour on bare skin, but becomes a more metallic pale gold over primer.

Mango Berry - a summery bright orange with very strong pink undertones.  This was the colour I was most excited about and it didn't disappoint.  A gorgeous soft coral shade.  If you're scared to go for a full on orange or if pink shadows make your eyes look irritated or tired, this is a great colour, halfway between the two.

The Bottom Line

I've been really pleased with the shadows I've tried and would be quick to recommend them.  Noella Beauty Works has a good selection of shades in a variety of finishes (everything from matte to high shimmer) and there are definitely a few more I'm interested in picking up in the future.  I'm not sure how long this special will run for, but if you order soon, Noella is currently offering a free shadow of your choice with any purchase over $10 with the code nbwebsite.

  

I know, I know, I've been a terrible blogger this last month, sorry!  My summer job is finished now though, so it's back to pounding the pavement and looking for a real job.  I absolutely loathe job hunting, but on the bright side, being unemployed for the time being means I should be able to keep the blog updated a lot more regularly!

Anyways, onto today's post - a review of Concrete Minerals!

Ordering

I've ordered from Concrete Minerals twice.  Both orders were placed from their Etsy shop, which I believe is now closed since they've opened their independent website.  Ordering on Etsy is always easy and their independent site looks really simple to navigate as well.

Shipping/Packaging

Both times I ordered, the second of which was even in the middle of the rush after they were featured on Heartsy, my order was shipped quickly.  Both orders arrived safely in bubble mailers.  Both times my orders included an information card about mineral makeup, a coupon code for 15% off a future order, and a free sample.  Full size eye shadows are $7 and come in 10 gram sifter jars - larger than the standard 3 or 5 gram jars I most often see used for mineral eye shadows.  They look to be packed about 1/2 to 3/4 full, depending on the colour, and the bottom says they contain 1.5 grams of product.  Samples come in five gram sifter jars and are very generous.  All jars list the company info and full ingredients.

The Product

Concrete Minerals eye shadows are very pigmented.  Even without primer or a base, they are quite vivid.  The texture is nice and they apply smoothly.  My only complaint is with a couple of the more complex colours.  Smut, for example, is described as a dirty silver with pink-purple undertones and it is AMAZING when swatched on my hand.  The problem comes when applying it to the eye - I just can't seem to get it to apply in all it's duochromey glory.  It ends up looking muddy, even when just patted on.  The same is true with Lolita, described as a shimmery taupe with pink undertones.  On the hand it is beautiful, but on my eye, it looks like an ordinary silver color.  I don't know if it's just me - user error - and the way I apply them or if it's because I don't use Concrete's own eye shadow primer, but it's been a bit frustrating trying to get these two colours to apply the way I want them to!

Anyways, moving on to colours I've been more successful with.  Blitzkrieg, which was the free sample in my first order is an amazing golden maple/bronzy brown colour.  It's become one of my top picks for neutral shadow and I'll definitely repurchase a full size when my sample runs out.  Ruse is a pretty golden bronze that's really versatile, and Napalm is an insanely pigmented orange.  Vegas is a light yellowy gold that's also very nice.  Croma is lighter than I expected, but still a nice, super pale lavender shade.

The Swatches

The Bottom Line

Overall these aren't my most reached for shadows, but there are ones that I like a lot.  Concrete Minerals came out with more colours a couple months ago and there are definitely a few I'm curious to try at some point.  Since not all the colours I've bought have worked for me, I do wish they'd offer sample sizes for sale, but they have great customer service and a 14 day "Love it or Ditch it" policy that allows you to exchange or return a colour that doesn't work for you.  All in all, I'd recommend giving Concrete Minerals a try if there are any colours that interest you.

At work, I spend a good chunk of the day outside.  Since I'm fairly pale and burn quickly, sunscreen is an absolute must.  Previously, I've been using Badger's sunscreens, but I'm not crazy about the whitecast they leave, so I thought this summer I'd give a new sunscreen a try.

About the Brand

Eco Logical sunscreens are the newest offerings from the Soleo Organics team.  They offer face, body, and baby sunscreen, as well as a moisturizing skin mist for after sun exposure. 

Eco Body promises to be...

- very water resistant

- protect against UVA/UVB

- non-whitening

- non-comedogenic

- hypoallergenic

- fragrance free

- contain only non-nano zinc oxide

- contain no chemical UV absorbers

Packaging

Eco Body sunscreen is packaged in a pretty standard squeeze tube.  I definitely feel like they use bigger tubes than necessary for the amount of sunscreen they contain, because both tubes I bought seemed only about half to two thirds full right from the start.  (They were sealed, so it wasn't that they were partially used or anything.)  Not a huge deal, but in addition to the extra packaging being worse for the environment, this is a bit of a nuisance because it makes it harder to get sunscreen out right from the start. 

The Actual Review

In terms of sun protection, Eco Body sunscreen is top notch.  Even without reapplying as often as you're supposed to (reapplying every 2 hours just isn't feasible at work), I've only ended up with a slight tan this summer.  No burns in sight!  I can't definitely say how water resistant it is, but I've swum and not reapplied afterwards (not ideal, I know), and still been fine the rest of the day.  It is very slightly whitening, but that disappears after 5-10 minutes or if you just keep rubbing it in.  I also love that this sunscreen is pretty much non-greasy.  It soaks into my skin and dries to an almost powder like finish within a couple minutes.  I've also been using it on my face, since I don't tend to buy a specific face sunscreen, and it works okay for that too.  Applying makeup on top can be iffy - it doesn't always want to work with my powder concealer unless I wait a good while before applying it - something I don't usually have time to do in the mornings.  I also started getting some dry/flaky skin on my arms and legs after about two weeks of wearing this sunscreen.  I'm not 100% sure I can blame this on the sunscreen, but it seems like a definite possibility. 

Bottom Line

Eco Body is a pricey sunscreen, at close to $25 for 5.3 ounces or $17 for 3.5 ounces, but if you're looking for a natural sunscreen with great sun protection, I think it's worth it.  I really like that it's virtually non-whitening, not greasy, and is fragrance free.  I'm pretty sure this sunscreen has at least played a part in whatever has been drying out my skin, but if you are someone who only wears sunscreen occasionally, as opposed to every day, I don't expect this would be an issue.  Still, next time I think I'll try Eco's Baby sunscreen, which is supposed to be more moisturizing.  I may also invest in their Face sunscreen, since I expect it would perform better under makeup.   

  

  

I ordered way back in April and I've been meaning to get this review up for a while now.  Unfortunately, during this time, The Starshine Company has decided to close its doors.  They are still open now, but I don't know for how long, so I'd recommend ordering ASAP if something interests you.

Ordering

I placed my order on Etsy, but The Starshine Company also has an independent website you can order from.

Packaging

Everything arrived safely and well packaged.  Eye shadows come in 5 gram jars with black lids.  Jars had sifter seals and are labelled with the company, color name and full ingredients.

The Product

The eye shadows themselves are great quality.  They go on smoothly and blend easily.  There is a good selection of colours, everything from neutrals, pastels, and more subtle shades to brighter, more in your face colours.  Sea Foam, Golden Green, and Mint Candy are from the 80's Collection, which is made up of more vivid, bold colours, while Athena is from the Goddess collection, which focuses on more shimmery colours.  I'm really pleased with all the colours I ordered, but I especially love Athena and Mint Candy.  One thing to note is that these shadows don't have the best pigmentation on bare skin.  They're still fully wearable, but go on much sheerer and softer than over some kind of primer, which really helps the colours pop.

Swatches

Bottom Line

The Starshine Company makes high quality eye shadows and I was sorry to hear they won't be a more permanent fixture in the mineral makeup world.  They are still open at the time of posting this, but I don't know for how long, so if you see something you're interested in, I recommend ordering right away.  They also have a Going Out of Business Sale going on now to get rid of stuff, so prices are very reasonable.  I've only tried their eye shadows, but The Starshine Company also make other products, including incense, blush, lip products, and finishing powder.