rms beauty - skincare with colour

rms is rocking my world right now. The reason I'm so in to this make up brand is because it's really all about skincare. Skincare with colour. Food for the face. There's many a great philosophy on their website (which I highly recommend you read) but the plain truth is these products are super-high-performing make up products made with beautifully beneficial ingredients for your skin. What's not to love!

rms was created by make up artist Rose-Marie Swift - so you don't have to just take it from me that these are great make up products! After many years working as a make up artist, Rose-Marie began to suffer with her health, tests revealing she had high levels of heavy metals, solvents and pesticides in her body. When asked if she worked in the cosmetics industry, a connection between her illness and her work as a make up artist was made. Launching the line only in 2008, the brand is one of the first truly organic colour lines of its kind and I think it is a relatively undiscovered little gem here in the UK.

I bought 'Un'-cover up because I desperately wanted a concealer that wasn't adding to the problem of ageing around the eyes. I was convinced the one I was using (not natural) was thinning my skin and helping to deep furrows beneath my poor peepers. You'll agree that urgent and expensive measures were necessary. 

Although it feels like you're paying a lot for this TINY little glass pot (its £28.00 for 5.67g) let me stress that this is a very highly pigmented little product that packs a powerful punch, metaphorically speaking - no black eyes here! It conceals very well. Not mask-like mind, which is fine by me. And without deadening the skin too, which I think many uber-concealers do and is something I hate.

Even better you can also use this as a foundation too. This encourages you spot correct the areas that need a little coverage, like around the nose and mouth without the need for a heavy layer all over the face. I mean you can still do that (and I often do!) because with a product like this, you are only feeding your skin not suffocating it. It doesn't cake and with good blending it's quite undetectable on the skin.

It's very different to other mineral make up I've used and to your regular foundation/concealer. It's a very solid, opaque, pigmented 'balm'. It's not a cream. It's dense. But it is very oily. Please do not let that put you off.  This base of coconut oil is precisely why it's so good for your skin and what makes it special. Although I do feel the need for some kind of finishing powder (welcoming Lily Lolo mineral foundation here) I love the texture of this product. It spreads better than butter! And it doesn't drag the skin. And it's actually keeping your skin nourished and protected whilst you look fabulous. Besides the coconut oil we have castor seed oil, beeswax, cocoa seed oil, jojoba seed oil, vitamin E and rosemary extract, plus various minerals like titanium and iron oxides to give it its colour. And that's it ...I know! 

The other product I bought was the Lip2Cheek which (the name has probably already tipped you off) can be used as both a lip colour and a cheek tint. Multi-tasking to the max. The colour I chose was 'Smile' which is a beautiful coral (above). rms ask you to note that this particular shade is 0.2% safe synthetic colour - it seems not even nature does this kind of coral all by itself! Oh well. I can live with that.

The texture of this one is similar to the 'Un'-cover up but a little less oily. It dabs in very nicely on the cheeks and the lips, again it's very pigmented and contains a similar line up of natural base ingredients with various mineral pigments making up the colour (+ that 0.2%). It's the same price too, £28.00 but for slightly less product. But I say think of it as getting two products in one. (All the other colours in the range are 100% natural by the way. Typical I wanted the one that wasn't! Hah!)

I think it's fair to point out that I think these products don't have that 'last all day' factor like some make up promises to do (but never does either). But after all, why would you want it to? It's much nicer to top up your make up during the day, keeping it fresh and keeping out those nasty ingredients.

And one more thing! I also think it's important to point out that although these products mightn't last all day, they do LAST FOREVER! I have been slapping on the 'Un'-cover up literally all over my face in what I like to call the Three Layer Effect (using Madara Moonflower Tinting Fluid under it and Lily Lolo mineral foundation over it) and there is still loads of it left. The Lip2Cheek I have barely even dented with every day multiple applications. There is actually great value here.

And furthermore, compare these prices to those of the big beauty houses and there's nothing in it except that these products are uniquely designed to be nothing but nourishing on your skin, acting like skincare whilst performing like make up. And there's a lot to say for that.

rms beauty 'Un'-cover up and Lip2Cheek available at Content Beauty in store and online, which is  such a lovely shop and where I bought mine.

A word on 'Greenwashing'

Greenwashers can scram!!!

You know what, for a long time I wasn't going to do this - what I am about to do. I wasn't going to rubbish products as a way of promoting natural skincare. I wanted people to see the benefits in clean products for their own merits, not because they had been scared into using them over something else.

But now... Sod it! This greenwashing thing has really cheesed me off, one step too far. 

For some time now many synthetic chemicals used in our everyday products have been under question. Interest and research on this matter is growing and the natural and organic cosmetic industry has boomed - and still continues to boom. Great! Except that the big brands realised that the organic skincare industry had been taking a big bite out of their pie and in a disappointingly predictable way, they wanted in too.

The shelves in just about every store selling cosmetics are crammed with products that reference natural plant extracts either in their very name, the product description or its packaging. Words like 'pure' and 'natural' along with pictures of leaves and flowers and slow motion footage of coconuts breaking open on a lovely rock by a lagoon in paradise - it all works towards creating a brand image. One of purity; of trustworthiness; of superiority and ultimately effectiveness. 

But guess what? These lovely, effective and trustworthy natural extracts are in a base of chemical penetration enhancers, flow enhancers, detergents, fragrance and preservatives. A whole mixture of things that can upset skin, triggering allergies, contact dermatitis, eczema, chapping and dehydration. And yet so many of these more subtle effects are probably never attributed to the product and that isn't even hinting at the long term potential harm that some ingredients could cause.

The labelling laws surrounding cosmetics are laughable. With terminology becoming meaningless. 'Pure', 'natural' and even 'organic' mean very little when printed on the front of a product because there is no legal definition on these kinds of words. Although 'organic' is a standard that is certified by various organisations (with varying criteria and therefore varying standards of 'organic'), this need only apply to one ingredient and this can be in miniscule proportions in the formula. Known carcinogens are permitted for use in toiletries simply due to the argument that in small enough doses, they are harmless. Skin irritants are used for the same reason. Nevermind that these ingredients can be present in every single product you use during the course of a day. 'Limited exposure' is suddenly not so limited. All such suspect ingredients are used simply because they are cheap and the industries surrounding their manufacture are huge. 

To vilify just a few, brands like Simple, Herbal Essences, The Body Shop, Palmolive, Radox, Sanex, Garnier tout around their natural ingredients like a badge of honour, deceiving the regular consumer into thinking they have in their hands something good, something 'pure'. We know now that in cosmetics this means nothing. PR is big bucks and companies like this know how to prise the pennies out of our well-meaning wallets. And I've had enough!

What prompted my outburst here was reading this on Twitter by @BeautyShortlist about Nivea Pure and Natural:

http://thebeautyshortlist.com/naughty-nivea/

This bold advance by Nivea into the the natural beauty sector had not gone unnoticed by me. They have formulated this range without the use of parabens, silicones, mineral oils and colourants, yet browsing through their ingredients lists they still use parfum, other odour masking ingredients and preservatives that can all upset skin. Naughty Nivea indeed. After reading a call to arms on the Beauty Shortlist website I had to break my own rule and flag this up. Please do read the post on the link above.

So here's what to do...

For the worst offenders check my Hit List Page which is a very basic list of the some of the most common and yet most easily avoidable ingredients (I will continue to add to this as it is by no means exhaustive).

Check out anything you are suspicious of on the SkinDeep Database by the Environmental Working Group. This is a great resource to see what research has indicated in the safety of the chemicals in our products.

Another great site for reference is at the Green Pages of the Beauty Bible website. I do recommend reading The Green Beauty Bible as a great introduction to why it matters to pick clean, green, natural and organic products and gives great recommendations on products tested by regular consumers. But beware the rest of the website does not have these issues at heart and even within these more natural brands promoted by the book there are still some guilty parties!!)

So Final Words:

People! READ THE LABELS! Do not trust everything you read on the front of a bottle! No matter who makes it. Do not trust the marketing fatcats! Use your purchasing power! Know what you are buying! And please, please, please share this! Viva La Revolution!

Lily Lolo Mineral Foundation

I admit I am very late to the mineral foundation party. I mean years late! It's not that I was unaware just uninterested. But I'm not trying to deliver breaking news here, just wanting to share a little favourite. I have been using this foundation for ages now and although it is no surprise I haven't yet written about it (considering a distinct lack of activity since the zombies took over my life) I can't actually believe I still haven't written about it! Gah!

So here's the story. I was sceptical on mineral foundations. I was sceptical of loose formulations especially. Only because those I had seen wear them just had a cakey kind of finish which is something I'd prefer on a plate rather than my face. (Mmm... cake) It all seemed a bit messy and not very portable. Well. The portable thing is still an issue with me but this, Lily Lolo Mineral foundation, has undone a few preconceptions making my foundation of choice right now - and it has been for many many months.

It's very silky. You can really buff it in which is the key to this kind of make up. Buff and double buff. It's simple really and the Super Kabuki brush I bought at the same time makes easy work of this. I bought the shade 'Blondie' after seeing it recommended as a 'suits all' shade for fair skins in some Sunday supplement and I think it probably does. It gives great, buildable coverage (did I mention the need to buff enough?) and a nice subtle glow with matte finish which doesn't even sound possible but it is. I use a layer of Madara Moonflower Tinting Fluid before applying as I like to optimise this glow and boy that really does it.

Quick aside: I really hate heavy coverage foundation that blanks out skin and looks too even, too mask-like. The thing with coverage (I keep finding myself saying this) is that if your skin needs a little help, going for full on warpaint only emphasises uneven texture and can highlight problem areas, like spots etc. If you go for a lighter, slightly more sheer formula (which is the good thing about this kind of application - you can gently build it) you get a finish which makes skin still look alive! And then you can target problem areas with precision concealing and colour correction. It's far more effective for a real look. Sorry rant/lesson/opinion over. Back to Lily Lolo...

The nice thing about Lily Lolo is that it really is a pure brand. Other mineral make ups of this type can contain fillers, dyes, bismuth oxychloride, nanoparticles etc which is misleading when you are trying to flex a bit of buying power and choose natural. And there are a lot of 'mineral' make ups out there, from practically every major make up house. But not all are made equal. Read the labels and don't be fooled!

The bonuses of natural mineral make up are plentiful! There is a natural SPF with titanium and zinc oxide (though this isn't accredited) as these both align on the surface of the skin helping to reflect the sun. Plus both these ingredients can have an anti-immflammatory effect. Since the minerals stay on the surface of the skin (if they aren't nano-sized), nothing gets absorbed which keeps pores clear and prevents anything unwanted ending up in you body and damaging cell health. The absence of liquid means there is no need for preservatives, keeping it even more natural. The Earth has a million colours and somewhere out there is a rock that can be crushed into your prefect match - no need for chemical dyes. And in this particular case, Lily Lolo mineral foundation is really cheap! Half the price of some at £12.49 and of superior quality in my opinion. So that really is a high scoring round. Triple bonus points.

Lily Lolo Mineral Foundation is £12.49 for 10g (which is normal and way more than it sounds)
Super Kabuki Brush is £14.29 (brush in picture above is a powder brush not the kabuki one)

Take a look here
www.lilylolo.co.uk

P.S. You can get smaller 0.75g samples of all colours from the website and try a selection of colours with their trial kits making it really easy to give it a go.

Pai Lotus and Orange Blossom BioAffinity Toner (You can't say that in one breath can you?)

So then. First on the long list of posts I need to catch up on is the.... here we go... Pai Lotus and Orange Blossom BiAffinity Toner. And what a start to the day that is!

The BioAffinity range includes the Lotus and Orange Blossom Toner for dry/sensitive skin and the Rice Plant and Rosemary Toner for combination/sensitive skin. I have tried both, though the Lotus one is my favourite so I'll jump straight to it...

Now then, this isn't your average toner, where regular water has a nice smell and some clever extracts put in it if you're lucky (alcohol and inactive extracts if you're not), offering little benefit to skin and maybe even drying it out (boo!) No, the Bioaffinity range is different. Made with 'living water' as Pai puts it, that is water taken directly from the plants, which not only contain all the benefits of the plants used but at a pH level that is exactly like skin.

The reason this is so much better for your skin is because skin is slightly acidic at 5.5 and at this pH, the natural barrier function is optimum, keeping bacteria at bay and protecting it from the elements. Regular water, although being pH neutral at 7.0 can make the skin slightly more alkaline, interfering with the natural barrier function making it easier for bacteria to cause breakouts (argh!)

So alongside it being pH friendly, you also get the added benefits from the plants themselves. Lotus is very calming (something to do with cutaneous neuropeptides which I don't pretend to understand but am very impressed by) and also helps protect skin from free-radical damage. Orange Blossom has a brightening effect as it stimulates circulation. Great!

It is very fresh. It's a very light spritz, not too much of a soaking. The smell is slightly sweet but not over-powering in any way, I can't detect anything orangey but that's OK. I usually go for 2-3 squirts in the morning and evening after cleansing and then apply a facial oil whilst it's still drying to get that extra bit of mileage. Simple really.

I can't really skip this step now. I have myself hooked on it. I love a bit of science behind my skincare and the reasoning makes sense to me. I think it's really easy to go overboard when cleansing, stripping the skin of it's natural barrier, even with something as gentle as water. And so bringing back at little life in a handy pump spray in an attractive heavy frosted glass bottle has definitely got my vote. Pai, you've done it again. Well done.

Pai BioAffinity Toners are both £30 available from their website.

Baby, I'm back in the game

I admit I have been back in the country for over a week now. Alas, the World War Z days are over. The zombies have been put to bed. My make up kit has finally been cleared out of the hallway and it's about time I got on with the ever-longer list of wonderful things I have to tell you about. Baby, I'm back. OK, LET's GO!

Antipodes Grapeseed Butter Cleanser

So, when my Suti cleansing balm ran out I grew quite distressed. What to do next? I didn’t really want to try anything else, because it truly has become a firm favourite. But in the name of research, I sacrificed my own feelings for the good of the blog and went out in search of another. (Sorry Suti, I’ll come back to thee soon.)

What I came home with (after a trip to Whole Food Market) was Antipodes Grapeseed Cleansing Butter. You may be able to tell, if you know either cleanser, that I was really trying to find something the-same-but-different. It is a lovely balm, with slight texture, to massage in and remove with a nice hot cloth. It works on the eyes too, which is a must for me as I hate the fuss of taking off eye make up. And it does do its work bravely, making easy work of mascara. It is actually quite grainy (from the hibiscus flower it contains), nothing that would hurt and certainly nothing that would endanger your eyes. 

And I tell you what, its lasting blooming ages. I bought it about two months ago and I reckon I have another couple months worth in there at least! Maybe longer. In fact, I’ve started using more and more of it just to try and run it out. For fun!

The main players are sweet almond oil, shea butter and coconut oil so you know you are definitely getting good cleansing action with these babies. Plus there is harekeke seed oil which is a new one for me, intended, along with blue chamomile to soothe the skin. It also is a good antibacterial which is what you need in a cleanser.

And here is the really good bit, it also contains the sauvignon blanc grapes of New Zealand, the Vinanza Gold grape seed extract, which gives your skin that lovely, relaxed glow that usually only comes after a nice glass of dry white. Wonderful.

Antipodes Grapeseed Butter Cleanser is £24.99 for 75g

Pai BioRegenerate Rosehip Oil: Revisited

I love Location Location Location and Relocation Relocation. And also Grand Designs. But I really love each one of those programmes when they repeat them with an extra part - REVISITED! Kevin McCloud pitches up in his Barbour and boots with a whole monologue of insightful and slightly irritating architectural analyses written on the back of his hand and you get to see how that stainless steel conservatory worked out or what they did with that dated old 'two up two down' with front garden and side access and a rotten roof. So, you know what? I thought I'd do the same and revisit Pai's lovely Rosehip oil as I have been using it solidly for ages now and it really is something special.

I wrote a post a wee while back now so read the original here.

I ran out of a particular facial oil I was loving (Suti) and with the inconvenience of buying online when you are working all over the goddamn place and trying to track down natural products in the usual rubbish high street stores I decided to stick with something that I already had and was a tried and tested hit.

The BioRegenerate is such a potent rosehip oil which is excellent for straightening out your skin, repairing damage, keeping oil production in check and bestowing a youthful glow upon one’s bonnie wee cheeks.

I have been using it and nothing else, morning and night for well over a month and I have to say, after switching completely to facial oils maybe even six months ago now, my skin has definitely become more refined. It seems less congested around my nose. There is a certain smoothness or dare I say plumpness to my complexion, which given that I'm getting an average of 5 hours sleep a night what with work and all, I think that is nothing short of fantastic.

I can’t recommend using facial oils enough in place of regular moisturiser. And if you really don’t like the idea of only using oil at least make the switch at night time when your skin goes into it’s repair phase. But it’s worth reiterating here that I really don’t feel it makes my skin oily or takes too long to absorb. After cleansing my face, I put maybe three drops into the palm of my hand, press it in and by the time I have inspected my brows for plucking, I’m ready to go ahead with the rest of my make up. So please don’t be put off using it in the morning. I really think it makes a difference. So there you have it. Pai BioRegenerate : Revisited.

Pai BioRegenerate Rosehip Oil is £20 for 30ml