Natural Makeup Blog

One of the first things people look at is your eyes.   With the right kind of colors, shades and shadow application, your eyes can become a beautiful ‘centerpiece’ for the face.

One of the keys to beautiful, long lasting eye color is to apply a base color.  This not only helps to set the eyeshadow colors so they last longer, but it also helps to create an even eyelid tone before adding color.  This step is most helpful for women who have deep set eyes or darker colors or shadowing on the lids.  The base powder should be very light in color, like natural eyeshadow Sunglow or Vanilla Creme in the Lauren Brooke Eyeshadow collection, in order to lighten darker lid coloring or shadowy areas.   These lighter colors will also create a larger, more open look to the eyes.

When applying, make sure to cover the whole lid area  – from the lashes to just under the brow, and from the inner area of the lid out to the edge of the eyebrow.

The Food and Drug Administration Office of Cosmetics and Colors stated in 1995 that “a cosmetic manufacturer may use almost any raw material as a cosmetic ingredient and market the product without an approval from FDA.”   Accorging to the FDA, 10,500 different ingredients are used in personal care products.

Of those 10,500, 89% have never been evaluated for safety.  That leaves over 9,000 untested ingredients that are used in everyday personal care products!  To keep your skin healthy, use the most natural makeup and skin care products available.  Read ingredient labels and make sure the product ingredients are natural and beneficial.

EDTA stands for Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid .  This used in products as a preservative.  It is not only used in cosmetic and beauty products, but is also used as a preservative in foods.  This chemical compound is made from formaldehyde, ethylenediamine,  and sodium cyanide – all toxic chemicals.

EDTA is also a chelating agent, which means it has a capacity to bind metal ions.  Because of this ability to bind heavy metals, it can cause different health problems and is linked to heavy metal toxicity.

While reading ingredient labels, find natural makeup and beauty products – not to mention foods – that don’t have this ingredient!

With a New Year comes the chance to start fresh by feeding your skin with a healthy, skin-nourishing mask.

This Organic Facial Mask recipe will not only help you start the year off with deeply moisturized skin, but also give you a wonderful excuse for a  personal pampering session!

Honey Oatmeal Moisturizing Mask

2 tsp. – Organic Yogurt

1 tsp. – Finely Ground Organic Oatmeal

1 tsp. - Organic, Raw Honey

Blend all ingredients in a bowl.  Smooth over face.  Leave on for 5-10 minutes.  Relax.  Rinse off with warm water and pat skin dry.   Finish treatment by applying a small amount of Lauren Brooke Organic Facial Serum to face and around eyes.

This ingredient is an interesting one!

Look on the ingredient list of the typical beauty, skin care or makeup product and you’ll probably see something with ‘urea’, such as Imidazolidinyl Urea or Diazolidinyl Urea, included in the name.   Ureas are similar to polyester and are used in products as preservatives.  They contain formaldeyde and have been found to release trace amounts of it into the skin.

Urea  is found in urine and can be derived from bovine urine or wood pulp.  This bit of information may make you think twice about applying that facial cream or hair conditioner.

That’s one ingredient that can stay on the farm!

As the years creep by, the first areas of the skin to be affected seem to be around the eyes.   Here’s some tips to keep those fine lines from showing your true age.

1) Be as gentle as possible.  Don’t pull, stretch, or tug the skin around the eyes.

2) When removing makeup or rubbing the eyes go from the outer eye area towards the center.  This will prevent the inner delicate skin from being stretched and pulled.

3) When removing mascara, apply Eye Makeup Remover to two Q-tips and slide lashes between cotton swabs.  This allows you to take the mascara off the lashes while avoiding the normal ‘racoon eyes’ that happens when rubbing it off the lashes and onto the eye area.

4) Apply a natural eye cream or Organic Facial Serum around eyes every morning and evening.

Ever wondered if you’re wearing the right type of eyeliner?  We have found that different skin types require different eyeliners.

Here’s how to find out what will work best for you:

If you tend to have skin that is more oily around the eyes or your liquid or cream eyeliner tends to ‘melt’ during the day and leave you with ‘racoon eyes’, a natural Powder Eyeliner will work best for you.  The liner can be applied with a wet or dry eyeliner brush, which quickly dries to create a nice lined look without the extra oils.  This helps to keep it in place all day.

If you have drier skin around your eyes, or if you are using a powder liner and finding it doesn’t stay on well or flakes off during the day, use a natural Eyeliner Pencil.  The oils from the pencil will help the color adhere to drier skin longer, and will help it stay put all day long.

One great tip for beautiful cheeks is to lightly brush over your blush color with a small amount of natural Foundation or Finishing Powder.  This creates a smooth, blended look and helps to avoid showing any lines, streaks or darker areas created while applying.

Bring beautiful color to your face with Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques’ new blush colour: Victorian Rose. 

Similar to the new Strawberry Parfait Cheek colour, this shade was developed for women with skin that tends to turn colors orange when applied.  This colour is a deeper mauve color than Strawberry Parfait and can be used on medium to medium-dark skin tones. 

Find your perfect shade in the Cheek Colour Collection by clicking on the link:  http://www.laurenbrookecosmetiques.com/store-products-MCC-400-Cheek-Colour_42236681.html

As an esthetician, I have met many, many women who struggle with acne problems – even middle-aged women who never had acne as teenagers!

Blemished skin can be difficult and have devastating effects on self-esteem.  I have noticed with my own experience as well as with other women that changing from chemical-laden makeup and skin care products to using more natural and organic products can help tremendously with long-term skin health.

I just received a testimonial from a customer and wanted to pass along her experience with Lauren Brooke Foundation for those who are looking for a foundation that is natural and gentle with acne-prone skin:

Dear Lauren,

I wanted to tell you how much I love your foundation!  It seems to be the only makeup I’ve tried (and I’ve tried A LOT) that doesn’t aggravate my acne.  Thanks so much for your help.

Debra