Really Red Cream Blush by The All Natural Face

Really Red is the third of the four cream blushes that I originally bought from The All Natural Face.  It's a warm, dark red that looks a bit intimidating in the pan, but because these apply sheerly and can be built up to your desired intensity level, it was not hard to work with at all.  Composed of organic jojoba oil, organic argan oil, candelilla wax, mica, titanium dioxide, boron nitride, and oxides,  it was hot out when these were shipped, so the clear liquid you see on the rim are the oils that seeped out. 

I've never worn Really Red's powder counterpart because I assumed it would be too dark for my complexion.  When I did the arm swatches, I found that the powder does apply with more intense color, although I'm sure using a lighter touch would result in a more delicate wash of color.  However, I did notice that the powder blush magnified skin irregularities more than the cream blush did, making it less forgiving.

Cream on top, powder on bottom

I like these cream blushes so much that I've since bought another four, and when choosing those colors, it struck me that the majority of blush colors carried by The All Natural Face seem to fall on the warmer side of the color spectrum.  I'd like to see a better selection of pink and coral shades, but beyond that, I'm really impressed with these.  They can be used as lip tints as well, although you will need some clear gloss on top as they feel and look a bit dry on the lips.

Reasonably priced at $$5.75, I'm really happy I checked these out!  I also read that these should have a relatively long shelf life even though they are preservative free, as they contain no water.  So, the part of me that likes to collect and try new colors doesn't have to worry about these going bad anytime soon :-)

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Girly Pink Blush by Just Pure Minerals

Tuesday was one of those perfect, slightly cool, crisp spring mornings.  I don't know how you approach what makeup or even outfit you decide on for the day, but mine often flows from whatever emotional state I'm in or other environmental influences.  Tuesday felt golden pink, so I went with it :-)

I received a Girly Pink blush sample as part of my last The Natural Beauty Box.  Made by Just Pure Minerals from pure crushed mica and iron oxides, it contains no synthetic dyes or fragrances, no animal by-products, parabens, or bismuth oxychloride.  While loose mineral powders can be a pain in the butt, there is no denying the variety, value, and lovely finishes that can be found there.  Just Pure Mineral blushes are $12 for 6 grams, but samples are available for $1.  Look at the delicate color and shimmer in this! 

On my eyes I blended Maybelline's Color Tattoo in Bold Gold from lash line to crease, and used The All Natural Face's shadow Pink Gold on the inner eye.  I used Urban Decay's Baked 24/7 eyeliner (perhaps my all time favorite liner, now sadly discontinued) on upper and lower lash lines, and then used Bourbon over Baked on the upper lash line to deepen it a bit.  I also used the shadow Honey from stila's In the Garden palette to deepen the crease a bit.

I haven't cut my hair since September, when I cropped it to chin length and it looked like this.  I wasn't wild about the cut, and I'm currently not sure what direction to go in next.  I do have a new stylist to try out, however, so maybe that will get me motivated.

My current hair length and attempt at the tousled, beach hair look.  I read somewhere that 90's grunge hair was featured on fashion runways this spring, so maybe I'll just go with that trend :- )

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

The All Natural Face Get Started Green Sample Set

I've tried eyeshadows from The All Natural Face (TANF) but was interested in trying their foundation and blushes.  Trying to find the right shade of foundation online, however, is daunting.  Fortunately, TANF offers a sample set that allows you to try a wide range of colors for the very reasonable price of $23.  If you are not familiar with TANF, it is a vegan cosmetics, bath, and body online company.  They do not include bismuth, talc, carmine, silk powder, d & c lake colors or parabens in their products.

Fair to Medium foundation selection

I specified fair to medium for my foundation choice and got 29 different shades to sample.  I do not find the names to be great at describing the colors, as my best match to date is Tan Warmer, and I'm not sure I would have thought that a good color match for me.  I also got a buffing brush that I love - it is so soft!  Seriously, I like it better than my Bare Escentuals face brush.

I also received 26 packets of blush, and I think I'm the most excited about these!  There are some really lovely colors here, and I'm guessing I'll get about 5-7 uses from each packet.  That's plenty to help me decide on any new favorites I may find.

Also included were 6 different concealers.  According to TANF's web site, they get more positive comments about the concealers than anything else, so should be interesting to try.

I also got 20 eyeshadow samples, a concealer brush, 7 mineral glows, and 3 mineral veils.  The glows can be used as a light blush, alone, over foundation, as an eyeshadow, or on the lips.  One of the nice things about TANF minerals is that all of them can be used anywhere on the face.  The veils help to control oiliness and diffuse the look of fine lines and can be used over or in place of foundation. 

TANF included the artist palette above with any order over $20.  Since everything came in plastic baggies, this is great for dumping some minerals on or mixing with a fixing medium. 

Overall, the Get Started Green Sample set is a great way to test out a huge variety of products without breaking the bank!  Currently, The All Natural Face is having a 20% off sale in honor of having been invited to participant in a swag event for celebrities at the Emmy's.  I took advantage of it for this order, and here is the info I received in an email:

Enter the word EMMY into the discount code box to receive the 20 % off and then enter the word Makeup in to the box separately for the palette.  Your order must be $20.00 before shipping for the sale to apply.  Past orders are not applicable ( we just got invited:)  With this sale there will be a strict policy of no code entered...no promo..so make sure you enter the code:)  You can share the sale details with friends and family and use the discount as often as you would like during the sale period:)   

8/3/12-9/30/12

Reviews of individual colors that stand out will be popping up periodically, I'm sure.  I had a hard time finding good swatches online of many TANF colors. I have not found TANF's web site to be that helpful regarding color descriptions (many are nonexistent) and the swatches featured at TANF are not the best quality, so hopefully any I post will help others in their quest.

Disclosure:  I purchased this and have no affiliation with TANF.