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)

This month, I’m on the hunt for the perfect red lip stick.

I adore vibrant red lips but the look is as high maintenance as you can get. I want a lipstick that has deeply pigmented colour, won’t end up all over my mouth, has staying power and doesn’t dry my lips out. Is that so much to ask?

The first contender, from Afterglow, sets the bar high for the rest of our participants. The Organic Lip Love Lipstick (£18.00) is, as the name suggests, made from organic ingredients. You won’t find carmine, FD&C/Lake dyes and petro-chemicals in these bullets, making the lippy soft and incredibly moisturising. This lipstick will not dry your lips out – ever! When I first slid it on I was pleasantly surprised by the hydrating properties but thought that it would end up sliding all over the place and any colour would disappear in minutes.

Thankfully, I was wrong. I don’t know how Afterglow managed it but the colour lasts for ages and stays put.

My colour of choice is ‘Courage’ a deep, bold and sophisticated red which has a privileged spot in my handbag.

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