I discovered mineral make up in mid 2007. I was doing a monthly cooking spot on Channel 3’s Your Life A to Z. Their make up artist, Karen Hall, and her husband John Hall, a professional photographer, did before and after photos of me and another chef who regularly appeared on their show. Karen taught me how to apply make up to compensate for the strong lighting used on the set. Up close, the make up used for the photo shoot looked heavy to me, heavier than what I would wear in my daily life. On camera though, it didn’t look heavy. It looked beautiful.

Making up doesn’t have to be hard to do
I learned a lot from Karen and loved the way she used make up to enhance my features. I knew I would apply what I learned from her. Still, I wanted something lighter and more natural looking than the makeup she used. I wanted a low maintenance make up routine. I didn’t want to spend a lot of time on it. I also wanted products with simple ingredients I could recognize and easily pronounce, ingredients that were pure. I’ve used natural personal care products for more than 25 years.

Go minerals
My hair dresser suggested mineral make up. So started with Bare Minerals, a popular brand. I liked it immediately and used it for about four years. Then, several of my friends suggested more natural brands with better ingredients. About 14 months ago, I started transitioning to Mineral Fusion Mineral Makeup. I liked it even more!

Make up on a mission
I found so much to like about Mineral Fusion make up. All of their products are free of gluten, parabens, SLS (sodium laurel or laureth sulphate), phthalates (plasticizers used in thousands of consumer products), talc, artificial colors and synthetic fragrances. All of their products are 100% vegetarian; most are even 100% vegan. They’re hypoallergenic and cruelty free (never tested on animals).

Your skin is your largest organ of elimination. It absorbs everything you put on it. Many, if not most, cosmetics and personal care products contain synthetic ingredients and additives that have been linked to cancer, birth defects, allergies, and other health problems. Most people are unaware of the risks of using conventional products or of the benefits of upgrading to higher quality, more pure products.

I learned that the company contributes to social welfare. They’ve partnered with the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence to raise awareness of this growing problem (did you know that one in four women will experience violence during her lifetime?) and to support women in getting the help they need.

What I tried
I liked the look, the feel, and the smooth, rich long lasting colors. First, I switched from loose powder to compact pressed powder because it was less messy. Incrementally, I added two eye shadow trios, mascara, two lip pencils, a bronzer, blush, and concealer. I love the way their products help me look my best and look natural, not made up. I’ve received so many compliments on how natural I look, on how my face glows, and I’ve had friends ask me what I use on my face. (I know some of this is an inside job, due to my diet, but some credit also goes to Mineral Fusion for their mineral make up.)

Healthy Halloween make up
For Halloween this year, I purchased one of their eye-liner pencils to create whiskers for my Cat Woman costume (photo right). Their concealer worked to replace pancake makeup on my eyes. In fact, everything I used to create my fun cat face was came from Mineral Fusion. It looked great on and it all came off easily, far more easily than petrochemical based pancake and costume make filled with artificial colors, fragrances, stabilizers, and fillers.

What’s in it for you?
Mineral Fusion uses powerful antioxidant-rich, ingredients that are good enough to eat or drink: pomegranate, white tea, Rooibos red tea, mangosteen, mango juice, sea kelp, licorice root, aloe vera, cucumber, pine bark exract, and shea butter.

Mineral Fusion also sells make up brushes, make up remover, face cleaning and moisturizing products, shampoo and conditioner, body washes, and other beauty products. If you’re wondering about spending more money on natural products, consider it an investment. While their products cost more than some brands, they are less pricy than others. A little can be made to go a long way when you’re after a natural, sun-kissed look.

A great deal
For $3 off coupons, check your local natural foods store. Here in Phoenix, I’ve purchased their products at Sprouts Market and seen it at Whole Foods Market. Right now they’re offering a special thank you to their customers with a 20% off everything sale plus FREE shipping on orders of $50 or more at www.Mineralfusion.com. For each purchase of $50 or more dollars they’ll donate $2 to NCADV and Raise Hope for Congo in honor of Emmanuelle Chriqui. (If you don’t know who that is or what those foundations are about, google them. I did.)