There’s a new and exciting brand of lipstick on the market… and one that promises to keep nasty, irritating ingredients such as synthetic preservatives well away from your lips. I think sometimes we forget just what we are putting on our lips (and ultimately into our bloodstream) and sacrifice quality for cheap products… because they are cheap!

Well, if you are conscious about toxic synthetics running around your body you need to get your mitts on a stick or two of the Afterglow range (there are 15 colours to choose from), which we recently trailed for ourselves.

The Review:

What was immediately apparent was the feel of the lipstick once on, it didn’t feel as oily as most other lipsticks, more creamy if you like. The second thing that is most noticeable is that your lips don’t tend to dry up, it’s like adding a creamy moisturiser to your lips. Thirdly, there’s no disgusting perfume taste left in your mouth… result! Finally, removal is incredibly simple and our lips felt… well, refreshed and moist rather than the normal dryness (and staining) so many other lipsticks leave you with.
Sticks retail at a respectable £22 for a 4g stick, but once you’ve tried it for yourself we’re confident you’ll be converted!

Mineral makeup has increased in popularity as we become more and more conscious of the effect products have on our skin and bodies. Mineral makeup is free of irritants like perfumes, preservatives such as parabens, alcohols and dyes that many traditional makeup brands use. However, many mineral makeup lines contain Bismuth Oxychloride.

Bismuth Oxychloride is a chemical that produces shine. Although approved for use in cosmetics, 75% of the users (mostly women) are allergic to this chemical. When you use a product containing bismuth oxychloride you are pushing small metallic particles into your skin that will clog your pores. Acne and roseacea sufferers who use these products find that they also irritate and aggravate their condition. You can tell if you are allergic if your face itches after application. This chemical is also not complimentary for use on older skin because the shimmery look creates a mask-like appearance that enhances wrinkles making skin look older and feel drier than it is.

After years of struggling to find a makeup line that did not make her sensitive skin itch and break out with acne, Kristin Adams founded Afterglow Cosmetics mineral makeup line which suited her needs.

“All the women in my family are sensitive to food, cosmetics and perfume” says Kristin. “I started using make-up to cover up acne but it seemed to only make my skin feel and look worse.”  To develop the line, Kristin teamed up with one of the foremost cosmetic chemists in the industry. Their focus on using only pure, natural and organic ingredients make Afterglow‘s mineral makeup a favourite with dermatologists and estheticians worldwide. But even with all the great benefits, many women that have switched from traditional makeup to mineral makeup are confused about how to the best way to use mineral makeup. Here are a few tips that will help optimise your experience.

For those with dry, flaky skin, add a small amount of powder into the palm of the hand. Add a drop of moisturiser. Blend the two products together until a smooth, creamy consistency is achieved. Use your fingers or make-up wedge to apply. For young or blemished skin, apply it in very sheer layers bronzer or foundation with a vegan kabuki brush or flat top brush all over the face.

Loose powder mineral makeup is NOT designed to work with a sponge. Mineral bronzers and blush can be applied with a fan brush, blush brush, kabuki brush, or flat top foundation brush. Apply to areas where you want a fresh sun-kissed glow.

To apply eye shadow, dip an eye shadow brush into the desired colour and apply to your eyelids.

For liquid eyeliner, wet your brush with water use our Organic Colour Lock; dip into the desired colour of mineral powder.  Mix liquid and powder together on the back of your hand or in separate container until well blended; apply to the lid as desired.

Afterglow Cosmetics has 15 shades of organic lipstick and four shades of Organic Hydra Gloss. These are premixed for ease of use. However if you feel the desire to create your own shades, dip your lip brush into your favourite lip balm/stick/gloss and then into the mineral powder of your choice. Blend well and then apply to lips.

Afterglow’s mineral makeup is 100% vegan with a unique blend of minerals and natural pigments, carefully formulated with your health and beauty in mind. Afterglow’s products have continuously been among the most highly rated for safety on the Environmental Working Group’s “Skin Deep Report” website.

Afterglow are also proud signers of The Breast Cancer Fund’s Compact for Safe Cosmetics (Campaign for Safe Cosmetics) to advocate for safer cosmetics. 

What do you get when you blend natural, organic, mineral makeup with the high-fashion highly pigmented hues you crave? An afterglow, of course! Created by Kristin Adams, a naturalist and artist who “believes that the ritual and transformative power of cosmetics are indeed a daily form of personal art and expression,” Afterglow Mineral Cosmetics offers a high-performance, high-quality, never-tested-on-bunnies, and mostly vegan variety of products that are easy on your skin and on animals.

Perfect for sensitive skin, Afterglow’s myriad mineral-based cosmetics are gluten, Paraben, talc, and bismuth oxychloride free. What’s this business about bismuth, you ask? You know how some types of mineral makeup can sometimes make you itch and break out? Blame the bismuth.

Afterglow’s vegan collection of foundations, powders, blushes, bronzers, eye shadows, mascaras, and eyeliners are guaranteed not to crease, cake, or flake out on you.
Because Afterglow is approved by PETA for leaving animal testing out of its beauty regimen, we’re proud to present Afterglow founder Kristin Adams with our Trail-Blazer Award.

Log onto www.caringconsumer.com for a more cruelty free lifestyle.

Viva Life Magazine
Issue: 39 Winter 2008 

Make up artist Judie Tallman needed only to play up Lindsey’s natural beauty using Afterglow’s Organic Setting Powder in Translucent and Organic Mineral Blush in Smitten.

JudieTallman says:

“Minerals are great because they ‘melt’ into the skin when worn and give a natural matte look without the powder buildup.” 

Lonely Street hits the USA theatres in winter of 2008. To find out more about Lonely Street click here.