Afterglow Cosmetics.co.uk

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)

AfterglowCosmetics.co.uk have very kindly donated Two gorgeous gluten free lipsticks in Adore and Lovely for one lucky winner.

It is said that the average woman ingests up to 4 pounds of lipstick in a lifetime. Most commercial lipsticks contain synthetic dyes derived from coal tar. The chemicals in your commercial lip products are being absorbed into your body. Afterglow lipsticks are full of certified organic ingredients and come in 15 irresistable shades.

Afterglow cosmetics are 100% gluten free because their founder’s mother and sister both have coeliac disease and must avoid all things containing gluten – including cosmetics. When setting up Afterglow Cosmetics, Kristin made sure that none of the ingredients used to formulate her line of cosmetics contained gluten. The vitamin E, for example, comes from organic cotton seed oil and organic olive oil, not from wheat, so you can use them without worrying.

Log on to free-from.com and add your comment to enter the prize draw. The competition will close on the 4th July 2008 when one lucky winner will be randomly selected to win two gorgeous Organic Lip Love Lipsticks.

Have you ever wondered about the labelling requirements for cosmetics? Do you ‘eat’ your lipstick?

I was interested to read this comment yesterday on the messageboard:

”I recently received an Estee Lauder lipstick in a gift pack … Having been ill for the past few days, i happened to look on the ingredients list which was on the box the whole gift was in. Amongst the list of ingredients was wheat bran, wheat germ oil and barley. The product is Estee Lauder Hydra Luste Lipstick in venetian rose colour. I am assuming that the rest of the lipsticks in this range will also contain gluten”

I have emailed them to highlight this. What is annoying is that gluten wasn’t actually written on the lipstick itself, but on the box. Therefore if you bought the lipstick on its own, you would never know.

I was particularly interested in this because a couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to receive two lipsticks to test from Afterglow (also available in the States). Why did they send me these? Because they are gluten free! And organic

According to Afterglow, the average woman ‘eats’ up to four pounds of lipstick or gloss in their lifetime. Now that is an astonishing statistic, and if you are someone who can’t leave the house without their lipstick, this is something that should concern you.

Afterglow sent me Innocent and Autumn to try out, and I can honestly say that I love them (especially the Innocent). The lipsticks are wonderfully creamy, and the colours are great.

If you’re concerned about eating gluten accidentally via your lipstick, this is definitely a range to investigate. Not only are these gluten free, but they are organic, and contain jojoba seed oil, aloe leaf gel, apricot kernel, vitamin E and pomegranate and grape seed extracts.

Now doesn’t that sound good? As the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics says, ‘Use Daily’ shouldn’t be dangerous advice.

Author: Lucy Nixon
www.free-from.com