Benefits of Mineral Makeup

Wondering what all the fuss is about mineral makeup? Find out why it's recommend in so many different articles. This is just one of them.

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Marketing Anyone??

I have been working on my little Ecrater store and I am really enjoying it. I am just procrastinating taking pics of all my mmu that I want to list. Sometimes it takes a while to get some good pics, and then I have to edit them so it takes a while. I would rather just create more eye shadows. That's where my heart is ... *sigh*...

Now about Ecrater, I realize that with any site you have to advertise your site, yourself and your product. But since I'm new to all this, I'm a little confused and not really knowing where to start. I went to the ecrater community, (their forum) and read up on advertising. However, I really didn't find out anything more than I already knew.

I have this blog, which I initially dreaded setting up, I thought it would be another "chore" to keep it up to date. In the end though, I am totally enjoying this experience, I just wish I knew how to make this more popular. I guess since I just recently started this blog, I can't expect miracles. :) Just wishful thinking ...

The other things I do right now are, those traffic exchanges. I signed up for two, but really only keep the one account "active". You have to go and surf so many pages every so many days to keep your account active. I just don't have the patience for it, sitting there surfing page after page. I like those automatic ones, but then I think about it and if it's automatic, then everyone else does what I do. Go and do your stuff in another window while the other window is just surfing by itself. Which defeats the point, no one is seeing my items, so why even bother with the automatic thing. Ahhhh, who knows. I need to like go to a marketing bootcamp for online stores. hahaha


So I also have a squidoo page, which I don't know what good it really does. Really, I don't get that thing. It's a lens about a something you like. Yes that part is clear .. but the ranking system and then all the other things .. hahah.. can't think of the other things I don't get. Anyway, I don't know what to do with it. Do I delete some of my text and add new ones ever so often? Do I just keep adding, but the ones I saw were fairly short. Whatever, maybe I should have read the instructions. I am so bad at that. I just like to jump into things, no thoughts, no fear, no hesitation... just go for it. Then half way through I'm like crap .. what the hell is this?? LOL never fails. Ok.. gettin off topic. The whole point is that the Internet is my oyster, and I should be able to market myself - effectively. But how, what is the key??? That's what's frustrating. How do I get the people??

The Lowdown on Mineral Makeup

Mineral makeup is more than just a new beauty trend – it claims health benefits for skin as well. But is it really help – or hype?

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Google Page

Wow, did I ever log a whole bunch of hours on Google yesterday!! I randomly came across this thing called a Google Page. Maybe I live in the dark ages or something but I never heard of it. Who knows, it could also be new!! hahahah


Anyways, I put in some serious time on my page. It seemed like forever for me to get it to what I wanted it to be. As well getting all the info up, and I am one of those people who like to click all the buttons to see what they all do. LOL Maybe that's why it took me forever to complete.

This page is cool though, I guess you can make a page about anything you want and add pics and links and you don't need to know html. Cuz we know I am challenged in that department. It's fun, it gives you pre-made template to choose from and a few font & colour options for your text. I just figured it would be a great way to advertise my precious minerals. I need to really get my makeup out there, and every little bit helps.

Soooo ... Check it out

Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification

Ecrater

I think I am going to like Ecrater. It's really simple to use and it doesn't require you to do a whole lot more than type in your info and then your item it done, and listed in your store. It's very user friendly. I have been listing on there slowly. It's so friggen time consuming!! I gotta take a picture of my makeup, that's a given. Then I have to edit the pic with the name of the colour, well I don't have to per say, but I want to. I think it makes is a little bit nicer, and more presentable. But before all that I have to DL it to my computer and organize it, ok ... I am just a big whiner right now. LOL I can admit it. It's just that I am havin a hard time with taking these pics. I have to get the right lighting, cuz I want the makeup to look as close as possible to the real life colour. Since I can't seem to manage that I have to edit it and really that's what takes a while.

I should look into those light boxes ... i think that's what their called? But you put your item in it and it's got these bright lights and I guess it doesn't cast a shadow or whatever. I don't really know what their about ... hahhaha ... it just seemed like a better way to take your pics. I guess I should research some more huh?? Geez, it seems like for the past couple of days all I have been doing is sitting in from of this lap top and researching one thing after another.

Now what was I originally talking about?? Oh ... ecrater.com

So hopefully this pans out. I like the site and I'm going to join in on their forum and see what the peeps are all about, and maybe bounce some ideas off them. Who knows, maybe there is more potential there than meets the eye? Better hope so! :D

Selling Online

I don't really know where to start - I mean about selling online. I looked into e-bay but their fee's are really outrageously high. How does anyone even make a profit on there?? I don't understand. I looked around there today and it baffled me that there were people selling MMU for $0.99 + shipping of $2.50. My though on that was that they are using really cheap and low quality ingredients and fillers, other wise that might just cover their costs.

There is so much more to consider than just supplies in the price of the mineral makeup. Sure in supplies you may spend 1.50, but your also spending money on gas, driving to get your supplies, shipping costs, time, energy ( for grinding your minerals), physical energy, sanitizing products, driving to drop off orders, that's all I can think of now. In the end though I would at least like to break even. As it stands I will barely make a profit, but if I can sell just a few products, I'm more than sure people will love them. All my products are nothing short of quality, and I work hard to formulate with help from some great people of course, all my formulas are intended for me, and I won't sell myself short!! Naturally....

Anyway.... back to the point....

eBay.

So ya, I would really have to hike my price to sell on eBay but I also have to pay Pay Pal and in the end I will make nothing, unless I charge a boat load. Don't get me wrong, I think my MMU is worth more than $3.00 for a 5 gram jar, but since I'm just starting out, I can't charge what it's worth till I get some feedback and people backing me up. Otherwise no one will take the plunge and purchase. It's a hard spot to be in. Not really sure what to do, but I gotta start some where. Right??

So I researched a bunch of eBay alternatives, there are alot of other auction sites. The only problem is that their all small compared to eBay so their not even close to being well know. If their not well know it's not really a great start to selling online. But some of these alternatives are free to list and only charge a small final value fee, that is when you finally sell your item they take a percent. It's not bad at all compared to eBay!! Then if I don't have to pay an arm an a leg to sell my stuff, then I can totally still keep my prices low enough to entice people. hahahah How brilliant!! Now I just have to figure it all out.

I started listing on ecrater.com and I set up a little store to test it out and see how I like it.

http://forgetmenotmineralmakeup.ecrater.com/

It's simple enough to use, and user friendly, is that the same thing? lol Not sure, but I like ecrater so far. The thing is tho, that I never heard of it, but then again I'm not really an auction hunter either. I would just eBay once in while. Wish me luck though!!

Formulating Success

It was friggen hot here today, at noon it was 106 F ! So I debated on going outside and working on my tan or staying in and working on my colours!! From the title of this post I bet you know what I did .. LOL.

I was highly motivated today for some reason, not that I'm usually not motivated but I especially was today. I just couldn't wait to make some shadows. The two that I got all ready a took pics of are, Lavender and Antique White.

The lavender is a beautiful medium purple, it's got a satin pear finish, so it doesn't have that sparkly affect. It's more subtle with a sheen, and low/medium lustre. I am using it as an eye liner, and also as a crease colour. I tried it also wet, and WOW it sure has drama!! Antique White is very universal, will look great on almost everyone. It's a subtle white with a yellow undertone and works great as a highlighter as I discovered today. It's great as an all over colour or just in the corners of your eye to brighten up the eyes?! I am really please with these two, the turned out better than I expected, and wear great - been wearing them both most of the day now.

I also worked on a Teal kinda colour that I have to perfect tomorrow, it did start out as a sea foam but then the colour just went the wrong way hahahha but I was able to save it, it's just not exactly what I was hoping to get. It's still a really lovely colour tho, so I'm good.

I'm quite excited cuz my creative juices are flowing again, but my hands just can't keep up. I was a little afraid that I lost some creativity since I haven't used that side of my brain in a while. You know I feel like it's one of those things you'll never loose if you have it. Well I feel like that now, but I thought it was gone a few months back.

I have been testing my fab eye shadow base, to make sure it is a fabulous as I really thought it was. So far it's workin great, it's been staying put for about 8 hours and doing just fine. Needless to say I am super happy.

I have been getting frustrated formulating, because I am so impatient. I just want everything yesterday!! LOL So waiting days just to test my e/s ( eye shadow) base is incredibly frustrating to me, because I really can't do to much in the mean time. I can and do create different colours, but can't put together a product. This is one time when I have to learn to be patient. I realize I can't rush the process, other wise I will be paying for it with a crappy product line. So I am learning. And my husband was impressed with my patience for the e/s base. So I made this really nice med. green, called Moss. It's a satin e/s so it's not super sparkly, but it does have a nice sheen.

So there it is. Right now I am working on a nice med. purple, and I should get to working on it. I think I may make that one sparkly ...

First Batch!!!

I've been busy!!!! All my supplies came and I have my grinder, so I have been hard at work. I am addicted, I can't stop. It's ok tho .. cuz I'm havin so much fun!!!!


First of all, I'd like to point out that it's not at all as easy as I had though it would be. LOL Seriously, I thought that I was going to get it right the first or second try, but alass I finally nailed my eye shadow base. It only friggen took me a week. hahahaha It still didn't stop me from making shadows though. I made a few but they don't stay on as long, only like 4 hours, so those I will have to tweak, which is fine, I'll just have to have them for personal use. :D Oh darn!!






From the pic you would think that I like a lot of browns .. hahahha .... but really I don't. I ended up with a lot of different browns is cuz I made to much brown color and just wanted to use it up and experiment with different shades. I prefer more golds and pink and plum shades. Anyways, I feel great about my first batch of makeup. It's a great start, and now that I mastered (so I think) the eye shadow base, onto more fun colors!!! The only thing right now that is ticking me off it that stupid color wheel. I feel like I get it and then I try to make a colour and it's not the color that it was supposed to be. Grrrr Whatever, I don't need that color wheel ... lol .... I will just experiment some more till I get the color I want!

I have to say tho, that this experience has been unbelievable. I am so excited about my products, and I can't wait till I have a line of eye shadows .. with names .. and jars with my own labels!! Sooo exiting!!