Forget Me Not Minerals Giveaway!!!

Who doesn't love free stuff??  Especially when it's pure, natural and luxurious!! 

Here is your chance to try out Forget Me Not Minerals for free!!!



Both Jennifer from Eighty MPH Mom  and Erin from Slice o' Heaven are each hosting a giveaway for 3 mineral eye shadows from none other than FMN Minerals!!!  That's two giveaways you could win!!  Check it out and enter to win free FMN mineral makeup.  This is the perfect chance to try a new brand if you have yet to try FMN Minerals.

Giveaway end Dec 10 2010 - so hurry and get your entries in.  Good Luck all!!

Weekend BOGO SALE!!!

My first BOGO sale, and I am excited!! Here are the details:

* Sale is from (today)Friday, June 25 2010 – Midnight Sunday, June 27 2010 
* NO exclusions, everything is included 
* Free item must be of equal or lesser value 
* Please submit an offer to me and I will invoice you with a new total 
* no coupon code required 

Come check it out, or just drop by to say " Hi"!!

Starting something new .. possibly?

Ok, I have been thinking about what kinds of stuff  I could blog about and I thought that maybe once or twice a week I could post a photo of the day or something to that effect.  By no means am I a makeup artist, or a good photographer of sorts, so this is just for fun.

Not sure if anyone would be interested, but it is a great way to see my FMN (Forget Me Not)  mineral makeup on a preson.  Maybe even a few colour combos that you may not have thought of.  Better yet, maybe some of you would like to send me photos wearing FMN products!!  That would be awesome!

Also if anyone has any suggestions or tips or requests, please let me know and I will do my best to work something out!  = )

All Products are FMN unless other wise stated:

Face -  Dusted a light layer of  Matte Mineral Primer
  Personal Blend of N3 and N4  Matte Mineral Foundation applied with synthetic kabuki

Eyes - Primed with Matte Mineral Foundation with a damp synthetic eye shadow brush
 All over Lid  Colour - Cider
 Crease - Milk Chocolate
 Outer V - Black Shimmer
 Tear Ducts - Whisper
 Liner - Charcoal applied with a damp brush     

Cheeks -    Pink Sand 

Lips - some random Maybelline lipstick, if anyone really wants to know the name,  I'll dig it outta the bottom of my purse =)

Final dusting of Matte Mineral Primer just for insurance, cuz it IS  hot and sticky outside

So here is my first FOTD, any questions or comments are always welcome!

Freebies Find = )

Happy Tuesday Guys!!

 This is going to be just a short and sweet little post for a few freebies.   Here is a list of Free Stuff I came across this week!!!!

P.S. - Please let me know if any of these are not working anymore.

Tampax:
 

* BeingGirl Sample Kit Includes:

3 Tampax Pearl Tampons (1 Regular, 1 Light, 1 Compak Light), 2 Always Ultra Thin Pads (1 Regular, 1 Long/Super) & 2 Always Thin Liners.    

Nivea

*New Nivea Happy Sensations Daily Lotion Sample 

  

Purex® Complete 3-in-1™ Laundry Sheets:

*Just fill out the form and they will send you a free pack sample of Purex Complete 3 in 1 Laundry Sheets.

 Cascade ActionPacs

* Combine & Conquer tough foods and greasy messes with cascade actionpac.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

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.

Need a last minute Christmas Gift?? - Bonanzle.com!!

Are you still looking for last minute gifts?? lol ... I know I am. Well if your looking for a female who loves makeup .... you could take a look in my Bonanzle booth!!

I have Mineral Makeup Gift Certificates .... so you don't have to pick and choose the colors for the one requesting mineral makeup as their gift!!

I am happy to announce that I am offering Forget Me Not Gift Certificates in my Bonanzle Booth.

You can either choose the denomination of the g.c. or you can opt to purchase a $5, $10, $25, $50 or any combination you like.

The gift certificates will either be e-mailed to the person buying them or the recipient, the choice is yours. I am also offering to print your g.c. on card stock and mail it to and address of your choosing for no extra cost.

I have yet to decide whether or not I will eventually add an expiry date on the G.C. I'll just have to see how things go.

~ Happy Holidays~

Tools for Mineral Foundation

Are you using the right tools?? Do you know which brushes to use with minerals?? Maybe that's why that new mineral foundation might not be working out for you.

I can't stress enough how important it is to use the right brush with your new mineral makeup.

Without the right brush, your mineral foundations is going to be looking a little "cakey" and may not cover well. It may just settle into your pores and fine lines and as a result accentuate them.

Which is exactly the opposite of what it's supposed to do. So if you have used your regular powder brush, you already know what I am talking about ..

Tools for Mineral Foundation:

For Mineral foundations a Kabuki Brush is an absolute must!! It can be a flat top or a dome, that doesn't matter, nor if it's natural bristles or synthetic. What good is your mineral foundation if you don't have the right tools to apply it?? You need the right tools to get the job done!!

Kabuki brushes offer you a medium - full foundation coverage, as it's dense brush, and the bristles are tightly packed & firm. Therefor, it picks up minerals really well and is able to evenly distribute these minerals on your face in light weight layers.

If your looking for a brush that offers a light -medium coverage, you'll want to look into a flat top buffer brush. This one will give you a lighter coverage as it's a little less dense than a kabuki. Still the same idea, and you use the same technique, just slightly less dense bristles.

I personally prefer a synthetic kabuki as I find natural hair brushes can sometimes be a little scratchy& tend to shed. This is only my personal opinion.

I hope someone finds this helpful, let me know if there are any questions or something is unclear :D

Primers and Finishing Powders

Good News, but small problem .....

I have been working really hard this past month to get all my foundations formulating completed, and I have!! (Good News)

However, I don't have the warm and cool listed since my camera has been acting up and decided not to work any more, so no pics!! (Bad News) I'd rather not list the warm and cool foundations till I can also get pic's up.

On the brighter side though, I did manage to get my Primer & Finishing Powder listed along with the Illuminater. I am very excited about both of those, especially the Illuminater. I like the subtle glow it gives me, without looking like a grease monkey or a glitterati.

The whole idea behind the primer & finishing powder combo was the convenience. I can simply dust it on before I apply makeup, and it offers a great canvas for my mineral foundation to adhere to. After I do my makeup routine I dust my primer/finishing powder all over my face again for totally polished and shine free look. I also use it as a primer for my mineral eye shadows as well. I just sweep it over my lids as I prime my face for my mineral foundation. It works great, as I sometimes have a little oily lids. :S Ya I just admitted that ...lol .. but this keeps my shadows on and help them not crease.

The Illuminater .... I use off and on, not daily, just when I feel like it. I do LOOOVE it though. It's so subtle, but you can see the glow on your cheek bones and forehead, it just gives me this radience!! It reminds me of fall when you go outside in the morning and you see the dew glistening on the leaves.... well I feel like that's the effect this Illuminater gives me.

I'm going to work on formulating a light pink, neutral and maybe a little bit of a yellow toned Illuminater and also Finishing Powders. I am always working on more creation and the wheels just can't stop!!!! However this will all have to wait till after the holdiays, as I am going mad with all that I have to do!!

In the works right now:

Multi - Taskers
Blush
Dry Skin Primer
Oily Skin Primer
and of course more eye shadows!!

GRRR!! Darn Camera!!

Warning - a little bit of a rant going on in this post!! :D

Well as my new home - Bonanzle is growing like fire .. I was planning on adding a few of my latest creations in my booth at some point this past weekend to keep up. If you've been to my booth .. you know I didn't update it as of yet!!

Surprise ... Surprise! Something had to go wrong .. I mean, naturally. For some reason my $400 camera decided to have a hissy. Not a little on either, full out hissy fit!! I don't understand ..

The problem is with the lens .. it comes out, when I turn on the camera, but makes kind of like a grinding noise. My DH says it needs oiling .. well anyways, it won't retract back once I shut off the camera. On the screen I get an error message to restart my camera, as an error occurred and it could not shut down. So now I'm going to have a hissy .. because I can't photograph my new creations

Now this would be a simple problem if it happened to anyone but me - as I have an extended warranty. The catch is that I got it for Christmas last year but was bought in Canada as I was still living there!! SOOOOO now I have to return it to the store in Canada. Why does everything turn out to be just a little more complex with me ?? lol Now I don't know how long I will be without a camera!! Yipes :O

Anyway .. I'll make another post - and update on my new creations

Till then .. GO BONANZLE!!

Amazing eBay Alternative!!

I know that I am not the best at keeping this blog updated, but as my early new years resolution, I am going to make a better effort of keeping it up!!

Also, this post is going to be a little different, I want to actually talk about a new venue-Bonanzle, that I happened to stumble on a little while back, that I have just fallen in love with.

With that said ... onto BONANZLE!!!

All I have to say is I friggen LOOOOVEE this place. Simply put, it's amazing.

The design of the site itself is fun, visually appealing, and professional looking. I find that alot of the ebay alternative sites just don't cut it. Their designs are plain and ugly, not at all professional looking. I would not shop there, so why would I expect any potential buyers to stick around or even look around.

Bonanzle is also extremely user friendly. It's so simple to set up your "booth" which is what a store is called on Bonanzle. You just click and drag your photos for your listings, and that's it .. all there is to it!!
As a matter of facet, the whole listing is done on one page, rather than clicking back and forth between pages to add your description, price, shipping and so on. It's a quick and painless process, so you spend more time chatting with your new friends in the forum.

When I joined Bonanzle 2 months ago, it had a little over 6500 members .. or so. I can't possible remember the exact number ... hahaha .. I know I love this place but really .... :D

So my point is, as I write this, people are signing up to Bonanzle and there are now over 13,400 member today and still growing. How many ebay alternative sites have you been to that are growing that rapidly. I can answer that for you ... NONE!!! This is the best chance we have against "you know who"!! Bonanzle is the answer. It's growing and spreading like wild fire, and there is no stopping it.

To top is all off, the fees are pennies in comparison to ebay!! This is the fee structure, and just to point out its absolutely FREE to open your booth, and to list. The fees are final value fees only ... that's it!!

Final Offer Value	Fee
Less than $10	$0.50
Less than $50	$1
Less than $100	$3
Less than $1000	$5
$1000 or more	$10

So there you have it ... now go and look at all the fee's you pay at the bay and weep, then get your butt over to Boanazle.

The best part to me though is the people and the owners!! The owners are just amazing. They are always working on upgrading something, yet never too busy to help you out if you need it. That is though, unless one of the members on the forum doesn't beat them to it!! The people are astounding!! Everyone is like one big happy family. They are helpful, friendly, kind, and always ready with suggestions and tips for anyone who wants it. I can't say enough good things about Bonanzlers. They just know how to have fun, and welcome everyone into their family with open arms.

ok .. I think I have said what I wanted to in this "short novel" I just wrote ... lol ...

Join BONANAZLE!! Be FREE and have fun again!!