Winner Announced!!!

So the winner for the Forget Me Not giveaway was announced yesterday morning .... I didn't even realize it.  Jennette is on the ball!! 

A big Congrats goes out to commenter #72 Janet - Congrats on your prize!!!  I'll have it out to you as soon as I get your info from Jennette (Boutique Stitches).

Again I want to thank Jennette for all her time and effort that she invested in this giveaway, as well as the wonderful review she gave me. - Thanks so much, I truly appreciate all that you've done!!!    :)

This is the Link to the official announcement of the winner for the giveaway Boutique Stitche.

 Thanks to everyone who entered the contest by leaving all the comments on Jennette's Blog.

Giveaway = Free Mineral Makeup = )

Check it out!!  Boutique Stitches is hosting a giveaway for Forget Me Not!!!  Win some of my handcrafted mineral makeup. 

This is the perfect chance for someone who is interested in trying minerals for the first time to score some for FREE!!  That's right ..... FREE!!!  Or it's also a great opprtunity for someone who already loves minerals to try mine.

Don't you just love giveaways??  So go an enter at Boutique Stitches' Blog for your chance to win this fab giveaway .... here is a pic of the prize the winner will receive:  

The prize is 4 full size products.  3 eye shadows as follows:  "Bare", "Pearl", "Cobweb" and a multi-tasker "Frost".  The eye shadows are packaged in 5 gram jars and the mulit-tasker is packaged in a 20 gram jar. 

Any Question - feel free to ask as always!! 

FMN Fall Collection 2009

Seeing the gray and dreary skies for the past few days really makes me miss the beautiful, blue, sunny, skies & warmth, I had on a daily basis in New Mexico. Now here I am back to weather reality in PA where fall is starting to creep out and I don't like it one bit! I like looking at all the fascinating brightly colored changing leaves, but from a cozy warm living room with a nicely lit fire in the fireplace. I do make a trip or two out thought, I love collecting those fun colored leaves and strolling through large piles of leaves in the state parks. And by strolling ..... I really mean kicking up the leaves and stomping through the piles, leaving it scattered in a gian mess behind me.

So... back to this fall collection of mineral makeup, which is filled with moody and deeper shades that remind me of fall, with a few splashes of happy lighter shades.

What I also have to tell you is that these shades are only a limited time offer, once they run out, their gone - forever!! So, sample them and if you like pick up the full size jar before someone else snags it.



P.S - Stay tuned, as I am planning a little sale, nothing huge, but who doesn't love a discount, especially in these economic times!!!

Myspace Friends Appreciation Sale!!!!

Last night I FINALLY decided to actually log into myspace for the first time in like 4 months. Yes, I'm ashamed and guilt ridden, but at the same time there is so many other things I need to keep up with - just not enough hours in a day.

I'm not going to vow that I'm going to update on a daily basis, but I will certainly be checking my myspace page more often!! :)

So .... since I've been feeling guilty about neglecting all my lovely friends I decided to have a myspace friends appreciation sale!!!

Hurray .. Sale ... lol ... So here's the lowdown and I'll see you on Bonanzle.com!!!

Do your part in the Green Movement

Have you been buying mineral makeup and as a result ended up with bunch of empty little jars?? Do you just throw them away?

Well hang on to those jars Sister - refill baggies are here!!

I've been thinking - Why buy something you already have, when all you need is a to refill it? So here's a thought ..... refill baggies!!! I'm going to be listing refill baggies in my Bonanzle & Winkelf Stores for all my mineral makeup in the next week or so. This includes any and all eye shadows, blush, multi-taskers, and foundations.

This will not only save you money, but also save the environment with one little jar at a time.

Once you run out of product and have an empty jar, simply purchase a refill baggie & pour it into your empty jar - simple as that! What a great concept, don't you think?

As for the pricing, well I havn't quite worked it out .. so I can't give any details on that as of yet.

Now you can add this to the list of things you reuse & recycle.

What exactily is a Multi-Tasker??

What is truly unique about mineral makeup as opposed to traditional makeup is that most mineral makeup products are multi - tasking. What does this mean though .. multi- tasking!?

I have formulated some items that I call Multi-Taskers, such as Cotton Candy in the picture above. I have formulated these products to be versatile, and be able to be used as eye shadow, blush, with lip gloss or even nail polish if you get the hang of it. This means that these products are not specifically formulated as a certain type of makeup product such as an eye shadow for example. Rather, it's just a general mineral makeup that can do it all!!

Now with that said, generally most of my minerals are multi - tasking even though it may say "eye shadow" or "blush". I use these generic terms to make shopping easier for the average customer. I tend to forget that sometimes the term "mulit-tasker" is just not clear enough, especially for women who are new to mineral makeup.

So I hope this post cleared up any misconceptions, or confusion about this multi-tasker business. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions or simply just a comment.

Why the need for Eye Shadow Base?

What are the benefits of priming your eyes before applying your mineral eye shadow? Why would you need to prime your eyes to begin with?!?

Well ... let me tell you ...........

First off mineral eye shadow are generally loose powder eye shadow, which means they need something more to adhere to than your eye lids.

Second of all , in general if you have a lids that are at all on the oily or dry side, your eye shadows may crease or may not apply smoothly.

What can you use to prime your eyes?? ... you can use your mineral foundation, concealer, or actual eye shadow primers, they all work well. Just experiment and see what works for you.

What are the benefits to priming your eyes before applying (in this case) mineral eye shadow?

1. It will aid in preventing your eye shadow from creasing (making that line in the middle of your eyelid that you can see when you blink by the middle of your day)
2. The primer is meant to create a barrier between your eye lid and the oils on them and your eye shadow. It forms a barrier and the primer absorbs the oilies from your eye lid rather than your eye shadow so it stays fresh longer.
3. A primer creates a smooth surface for you eyeshadow to adhere and apply to. Essentially making it easier to place your eyeshadow/blending them on your lid.
4. Overall a primer creates a more smooth work surface and help the minerals have something to adhere to.

I personally feel it's important to prime before applying your loose mineral eyeshadow, as well as pressed eye shadows. Not only will this step prolong the colour on your lid, but in some cases it helps in bringing out the vibrancy in certain colours amd ,even more so when foiling.

So you see, there really is a need for eye primers, maybe that should be on my list of things to attempt to make naturally ...

How to Apply Mineral Foundation

I often get asked about application tips for mineral foundations from new buyers, so I figured it might be a good idea to dedicate a post to it.

Let's get started thenwith: we know what the appropriate tools are to apply our mineral foundations ... so the obvious next step is the application.

At first it may seem a little overwhelming, but just think back to when you first started out with makeup. You had to practice a bit to make sure your foundation wasn't caked on and your bright blue eyeshadow wasn't all over your face. Well, I know I had to have a few practice sessions, although looking back now, i certainly could have use a few more "practice sessions" lol

To apply your mineral foundation you will need your kabuki brush and the lid to your foundation's jar or a shallow dish.

To start tap a few "crumbs" of your mineral foundation into the lid or your shallow dish.

• remember: with minerals less is more!! Mineral foundation is very concentrated, it's not like your tradition loose powder
• you can always add another layer if you desire, but it's much harder to take off one very thick layer of mineral foundation
• often the reason why some women find that mineral makeup cakes on their face is due to the fact that they are applying one thick layer as opposed to two thin layers to achieve the same coverage, but without the caked on look

The key to flawless mineral foundation application is THIN LAYERS. You may add as many layers as desired to achieve the coverage you want, however generally most find two thin layers to be adequate.

Now that you have your crumbs in your lid or dish, take your kabuki and swirl it in the lid in a clockwise our counter clockwise direction to disperse the minerals into your kabuki's bristles.

• No need to press down hard on your kabuki brush while you swirl, this will only damage the bristles.

Once your kabuki has picked up the minerals from your lid, gently tap the brush on a hard surface like your counter top with the bristles facing up. This ensures the minerals get deep into the kabuki brush, rather than just on the tip of the bristles.

Now your all set to apply your mineral foundation to your face.

Take your foundation filled kabuki and starting at the outer edge of your face - like your jaw bone, in a circular motion gently buff the mineral foundation from the outer edge of your face working inwards towards your nose. Repeat this till you achieve your desired coverage. You don't need to rub your brush harshly into your skin to buff in the minerals, they will disperse just the same if you buff gently. :)

At first you may need to practice once or twice to ensure your not buffing too much mineral foundation on your face to create a cakey look, but it's very simple and not any more time consuming then your usual traditional foundation & powder routine.

As always, practice makes perfect .. :) Now get to practicing !!

Top 5 Reason to try Mineral Makeup

Here is my top 5 reasons why everyone should give mineral makeup a try. There are many more reasons that I could list, I just don't want to keep you here for an hour. :)

Reason #1

• Mineral makeup does not contain any chemicals, it's made with all natural ingredients. This means that should you fall asleep with your makeup on one night, you won't wake up to clogged pores and blemishes.
  

Reason # 2

• Samples, Samples, Samples!! You can try most of my mineral makeup in little samples that won't break the bank. So really what have you got to loose?
  

Reason # 3

• Easily customize your foundation shade, by mixing your own. If one shade is too light but the next is too dark, simple mix whatever ratio of the two to achieve your shade. With every full size foundation jar, I always include a sample of another shade of foundation of your choosing.
  

Reason # 4

• Mineral makeup is great for all skin types - acne prone, dry, oily or even rosacea. Since mineral makeup contains no chemicals it's safe & works with all skin types and some even find it soothing.
  

Reason # 5

• Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide are commonly found as top ingredients in mineral makeup. These ingredients provide safe & natural UVA/UVB sun protection.
  

Like I said before, there are many more reasons for everyone to try mineral makeup, but these 5 I think are my top reasons.

Mineral makeup is a much better alternative to traditional cosmetics, especially with everyone leaning towards the natural side of things.

The Move

Finally .. I feel sort of/almost at home now in the new PA house. I think it's the weather that keeps me from feeling all cozy and at home. I got used to NM and all the glorious sunshine all day everyday!!

Anyways, I have moved across the country and have been out of commission for the past month, trying to get organized and set up here. I have set up my office and re-opened my Bonanzle Booth as well as my Ecrater Store and will be taking orders pronto!!!

Just wanted to drop a quick line to update and to let you know I am still kickin!!

Eye Shadow Brush for Mineral Eye Shadows

Like with anything else, it's important to use the right tool for the job. I mean you wouldn't use a spoon to try to cut your steak .. now would you ?! hehehe

If your not using the right tool to apply your mineral eye shadows, it maybe the reason your not getting the desired effect.

Mineral eye shadows are totally different from regular pressed eye shadows, first for the obvious reason, that it's natural but their also in a loose powder form.

Since these are all loose pigments, you need a brush other than the fluffy one you may use for your pressed eye shadow. Mineral eye shadows require more of a stiff brush made of either natural or synthetic bristles. The main thing is that it has stiff bristles, so you can "pack" the loose powder on your eye lids. Like this chisel fluff eye shadow brush:


This one is great not only for applying mineral eye shadows, but also pressed shadows. Works great for both dry application, and foiling. (applying mineral eye shadows wet) The chisle fluff also is a great crease brush. It's oval shape and firm bristles can easily get those mineral pigments into the eye lid crease.

Since this brush is firm and made of natural bristles it's really able to pack those loose pigments onto your eye lid; as opposed to dusting your lid with a sheer wash of color, as a fluffy brush would.

Give it a try and see what a big difference the right tools can make for applying mineral makeup.