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.