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!

Afterglow cosmetics, a range of natural and pure mineral makeup products, was created by Kristin Adams.  Her background and university education  in fine art and also museum studies, gave her  knowledge of the aesthetic and color theory.

Her background with colour is what makes her range so fabulous! There are so many colours that all of us women (and some men too  will find more variety than what you need here.

Realising there was a huge gap in the market for safe cosmetics, It seems Kristin was meant to make this range as her sister is a chemical engineer and her mother was a nutritionist, so she had the right people around her to give her advice when she began to mix her own colours and formula’s together.

Now, years later, this range is sold all over the world!

There are products for the face, eyes, lips, cheeks as well as brushes and accessories. I really want to try the blushers out as the colours look incredible!

I have tested out one of the ‘lip love lipsticks’ in shade adore and it is gorgeous. A pinky brown that is very moisturising with a hint of sparkle. It has a very subtle flavor and feels light on the lips. I always love to put lipgloss’s over lipstick for that little bit of extra shine.

There are 15 shades where you will be able to find that perfect shade for day and night. And most importantly, you don’t have to worry about what you are ingesting when you use this type of makeup.  Its scary when you think about it, wearing a toxic lipstick every day for years basically means you are eating KG’s of it over a lifetime – yuck!

These lippys are priced at £22.00.

What I would really suggest is having a look at their starter kits! these are fabulous for those that want to test out a few of the products at once.

Have a look here at them: www.afterglowcosmetics.co.uk

You can buy these products online at either www.freetoexplorebeauty.co.uk or www.afterglowcosmetics.co.uk

Organic Lip Love Lipsticks £22

Available in 15 gorgeous shades in the UK.
Highly pigmented and long lasting.
Beautifully moisturizing and nourishing.
Made with 100% natural ingredients.
Hypo-allergenic and non-comedogenic.
Infused with soothing organic antioxidants.
No nanos, perfume, gluten, soy or talc.
No parabens, dyes, or bismuth oxychloride.
Made in the USA
Cruelty Free

Complete Ingredient List: simmondsia chinensis (organic jojoba) seed oil*, barbadensis (organic aloe) leaf gel*, prunus armeniaca (apricot) kernel*, cera alba (organic beeswax)*, candilla wax (wildcrafted), tocopherol acetate (vitamin E), vitis vinifera (organic grape seed) extract*, punica granatum (organic pomegranate seed) extract; May contain [+/-] iron oxide (77491, 77492, 77492, 77499), mica, titanium dioxide (77891)

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. 

The second highly commended is awarded to Afterglow Mineral Cosmetics for its Organic Lip Love Lipstick. Afterglow combine mineral extracts with certified organic antioxidant ingredients such as grape seed extract and pomegranate extract that have age-defying properties. The range is also PETA and Leaping Bunny approved.

Lifescape – Healthy Ethical Living
Issue: December/January 2009

We all ’suffer’ in the name of vanity. Consider the plucking of eyebrows, or the brazilian – and I ain’t talking about the Duque de Caxias.

We preen and experiment constantly. I’m still making ’surprising’ and ’shocking’ beauty discoveries at the grand old age of 25. I have you know, been accustomed to Vogue and Instyle since day dot – not to mention my constant scrupulous magnifique lookage at gorgeous celebs on the red carpet.

Suffer we do, all in the name of beauty… but it’s not all hit ‘n’ miss. Now and then you discover products that are worthy of a killer gush. I’m talking in league with my favourite Dior lipgloss (sadly discontinued, what were they thinking?), YSL’s great lash mascara and my Givenchy ‘Irresistable’ perfume. It takes a rare product to turn my first preference for bronzer from Lancome to something else entirely – something that’s good for my skin, even, and Afterglow’s pure organic mineral makeup has done it for moi.

The Organic Mineral Glow Bronzer

I’ve tried just about everything, and with bated breath I received a batch of make up from Mookychick (all for free, perks perks!) to try out. If I’m totally honest with you I wasn’t expecting to be wowed. But lo and behold! I was beyond excited when I gave this beauty a go because, as you can see from the photos, the bronzer actually makes my skin glow! Shh… I know it says thats its the job but the people behind ‘Afterglow’ (the make up, not the feeling) genuinely deliver. I loved the mineral bronzer so much I’m taking my samples on holiday!

The issue I generally have with make up, even the posh stuff, is that I never feel like I have make up on. I went partying in the West End last week and by my standards, I trowelled my best paint and potion on because I knew I’d be standing next to girls wearing loads of it (in the nicest way), but I still ended up looking like a naked-faced ghost.

When I put the Afterglow bronzer on I actually felt like I had some colour to me, and it didn’t feel like I’d slathered myself in prosthetic makeup.

The Organic Lip Love Lipstick

The mineral lipstick wasn’t quite my colour but the texture and ease of application were a dream, and the smell fairly neutral and clean (so no-one will be able to smell a strong scent before you get there, unless they’re a cat).

The Organic Mineral Eyeshadow

The loose mineral eyeshadow comes in little pots, and they’re faultless to apply. I generally find with many eyeshadow products that they crease on the delicate folds of your eyes, gather attractively in the corner like sleep and generally misbehave, causing embarassing gloop issues. Not pretty… so I gingerly applied the mineral eye powder and as I did so, it sparkled! Yay. Me like sparkles. Also, being a powder it slid on happily and there it stayed.

The Health Bit

As an eczema sensitive skin sufferer, Afterglow Mineral Cosmetics came up trumps again because all of their products are completely free of pesky ingredients normally found in make up such as scary-sounding ‘petrochemicals’, ‘carmine’ and ‘lake dyes’ (eep!!)

Of course, the products are tested on people not fluffy bunnies and if you’re heading towards old age (like me) then the anti-aging properties are an added bonus. Fabulous

The Final Word

I have to say I will definitely be investing in a pot of the mineral bronzer, though, out of all the mineral makeup products I test-drove. Because it’s pretty awesome.

Mookychick.co.uk