Product Review: Starcrushed Minerals Foundation in Alabaster

Hi fellow Glamour Ninjas, 

Today I am posting a long overdue review of Starcrushed Minerals mineral powder foundation in the shade "Alabaster". 

I got a random message on Etsy a while ago from the owner/creator of this makeup line with a "grand opening" sale offer, and I love supporting indie brands, so I thought I'd check out a few products. I ordered two small foundations (Alabaster and Almond, not shown) and a couple eyeshadows (separate review coming later). These are all loose mineral powder products and are handmade by the store owner. Prices were very reasonable, especially with the discount she sent me. Foundations are US$9.00 regularly, $4.50 on sale.

At the time of this post, there is a different 50% off sale running at her shop if you're interested. No code is required.

The ingredients for the Alabaster foundation are:

sericite mica, titanium dioxide, magnesium stearate, zinc oxide, kaolin clay, micas, oxides.

Pretty standard stuff for a mineral foundation, also note it's talc-free. You will get some sun protection with this foundation because of the titanium and zinc oxides, which are physical sunblocks, but due to US law, they can't state a specific SPF without a lot of expensive testing. This product is cruelty free and vegan, but I'm not sure all products in her line are, so you will want to check the ingredients list or message her for details if you are concerned.

So now to the review details:

I have to say, this is the weirdest mineral foundation I have ever tried. First of all the color is just... grey and strange looking in the jar. Sometimes you get this with very pale foundations though (and Asian BB creams) so I didn't freak out too much. Then I swatched it: 

And it still looked weird. As you can see in the middle pane where it says "heavy swatch", the color is almost a greyish brown on my skin (I'm a MAC NW/NC 15). Not at all what I was expecting for a shade called "Alabaster". 

Ok, so still not freaking out, maybe it just needed buffed in to look right, as I know some mineral foundations do need this. So I tried buffing it in with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush.

Aaaaaaand then it turned all dark and splotchy as you can see in the third pane above. See how it's darker and blotchy near the top of the swatch? It also had some sparkle show up in it, so not only is it muddy and uneven, but it sparkles. A lot. WTH?? The more I buffed, the worse it got. I'm just guessing here, but was like the pigments weren't dispersed evenly in the foundation or something. I also tried applying it wet and with a MAC 190 foundation brush. Some parts were way darker than others and no matter what I did, I couldn't get it to even out. And the shimmer on top of it all made me basically look like Edward Cullen with a big ugly bruise.

So, huge fail. I had the same experience with the shade "Almond", which I had purchased thinking I could use it as a contour. 


Formula-wise this foundation had good adhesion and would probably be good at absorbing oil for oilier skins, but I just can't get over the color problems and the amount of sparkle in it. I'm not sure if I just got a rough batch or what, but in my opinion, these are totally un-usable as a foundation. I'm probably just going to toss them in the garbage unless I can find a way to use them for dirty, splotchy glittery zombie makeup since Halloween is fairly soon?

Makeup Grade: F

I kind of hate posting negative reviews, but I feel like I have to be honest. Stay tuned for a review of their mineral eyeshadows coming soon - it's much more positive!

If you want to try a really good indie mineral foundation, check out Meow Cosmetics - their color range and formulas are really impressive and they offer very reasonable samples so you can make sure to get the right color match for your skin. 

Have you ever encountered anything like this with a mineral foundation? If you've had a different experience with this brand/product, please leave me a comment. Am I doing something wrong with it?  

FTC Disclaimer: I bought these products with my own money. Some products linked may have affiliate links. My opinions are always my own.

Chapped Lips Mystery Solved

So this is not a big deal, but every since winter, I've been dealing with constantly chapped lips. I know you're not supposed to lick them, and I cut out using anything with mint in it because I know I can be sensitive to that, but STILL chapped lips. It was bad enough I hadn't even worn lipstick in months because it looked like crap when I did.

Eww, right?
[Photo credit]

I thought maybe it had something to do with me wearing Invisalign and had pretty much given up and decided to live with it when I stumbled across some information linking toothpaste ingredients to chapped lips.

EUREKA!

Since getting the Invisalign, I've been brushing my teeth like 4 times more often daily because you have to brush every time you eat or drink something (other than water). Normally, brushing a normal amount, my toothpaste wasn't an issue, but suddenly being exposed to it more was irritating my lips.

Solution: I bought some toothpaste called Squigle. Stupid name, I know, but it has no SLS (sodium laureth sulfate - same thing you want to avoid in shampoos if you have colored hair) and doesn't use some other ingredients that can be irritating also.

After using the new toothpaste faithfully for over a week now, I think I can confidently say my lips are on the mend finally.

I am looking forward to rocking a bright summer lip soon!

[Photo credit] 

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Unboxing: BeautyBox5 July 2013

Welp, sorry to say it, but BeautyBox5 was a bummer again this month. I am definitely not going to resubscribe after my 3 mo trial is over*. 

THIS month (July 2013), I got a full-size "Made in China" rebranded bright red lipgloss (Be A Bombshell, shade is "hot mess" 3g size), $1 worth of antibaterial wipes (LA Fresh, 8ct), 2 nail polish remover wipes (srsly, wth?), a foot pumice stone (already have two) and a deluxe face serum sample.

BeautyBox5 says the lipgloss is worth $14 retail, but it's exactly the same thing you see on eBay from China retailing for ~$1 ea. The formula is unscented and unflavored. It doesn't seem terribly pigmented, but the swatch did stain my hand slightly - guessing this is due to the D&C Red dye in the ingredients. I wouldn't ever purchase this product for myself because cosmetics made in China are NOT cruelty-free. China actually *requires* animal testing, booooo.

The foot pumice retails for $8.99. I already have two of these, but I guess I could replace one of them with this one and call it "for sanitary reasons". I usually pay way less than $8.99 for these, so wondering if the higher price means this product has some special feature? It's pink, btw, which some people might love - my other ones are gray and not so cute. 

The full size of the serum (.85fl oz) is supposedly $158, which I'd never pay anyhow. The sample is .25fl oz, so if I have my mathstimate correct, that's about $45 worth of product by their reckoning. I guess if you were really into the face serum then this month's box would be totally worth it, but I'm really not crazy about skincare samples because you never get enough to know if the product works or not anyhow. The serum claims results after 28 days, but the sample isn't going to last that long, so.....?

Oh, there was also a $10 off coupon for MyNameNecklace.com, which I will never use. They do have items as low as about $20 on their site, so this coupon could save you about 50% on some items. If you're interested, coupon code is GIFTBOX and is valid until September 1, 2013. This is not a unique code and I have no affiliation with the company.

Will post photos of the items if anyone is interested, just leave me a comment.

Do you have beauty subscriptions you actually like? What are they? I could seriously use some pointers because my luck has been horrible. Only one I have liked so far is Ipsy**, despite them getting a rocky start originally with the GlamBag.


Want more? I'm on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and soon YouTube!:

• Twitter: @ninjaGlamour
• Instagram: ninjaGlamourMUA
• http://www.facebook.com/ninjaGlamour
• http://www.youtube.com/ninjaglamour

*Disclaimer: I purchased the BeautyBox5 subscription with my own money. No compensation is being granted for reviews.

**Affiliate link

Q&A: Should I put foundation down my neck as well as on my face?

Today's Q&A received from a Facebook fan:

Q: "Should you put foundation all over your neck as well?"

A: In my opinion, only in certain situations:

1. If your face and your neck are naturally very different colors. In some cases, fake tan can help here better than foundation though. Dusting on a bit of bronzer on your neck with a fluffy brush is also an option if your neck is a lot lighter than your face.
2. If you are wearing something with an exposed neckline and you tend to get red/blotchy in that area (like me). Just be sure to use a transfer-resistant formula so it doesn't get on your clothes.

Otherwise, your foundation should be a good enough match that it's not necessary to carry it down your neck. Foundation should be tested on your jawline to make sure it matches both areas fairly well, and blended well around the jawline so you don't have the dreaded "foundation mask". 

Hope that helps and I'd be happy to go shopping with any of my local clients if you're having trouble matching! I totally don't trust the sales clerks since they've sold me the wrong color SO many times. I don't sell makeup, so I have no incentive to give anything other than an honest opinion. :)

EOTD: Bronze winged liner

Bronze Winged Liner EOTD

Quick look at EOTD of my bronze winged liner today, using 8-bit Cosmetics' "Brassy Bits Bronze" over Avon Glimmersticks waterproof eye liner in "Copper".  

On the lower waterline is Rimmel London's ScandalEyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in "Nude". Upper waterline is tightlined with MAC's Technakohl liner in "Photogravure". In the crease is a teensy bit of Coastal Scents' "Sequoia" loose eyeshadow.

Mascara is Avon's new "Super Drama" in Black on upper lashes only. Brows are filled in with Avon's Glimmersticks Brow Definer in "Blonde". No concealer on face, just Skin79 Intense Classic Balm, set with MAC's Studio Fix in N4.

I'm kinda liking how simple and dramatic this is. What's your go-to quick look?

EOTD: Wearable Mardi Gras

Just a quick peek at the eye look I wore Tuesday in honor of Mardi Gras, using traditional Mardi Gras colors of green, purple and gold. I wanted to do something festive, but wearable. I would totally wear this look to the grocery store or out for a casual dinner.

Please ignore my crazy brows, I'm still trying to grow them
back in and haven't been allowed to pluck them at all!

I used products from MeowCosmetics and Aromaleigh for this look. On the lid is Meow's "Lace Lingerie", which is a really pretty luminous purple. I blended that up into the crease a little bit, and highlighted the browbone by buffing on Meow's golden "Sun Island" (sorry both are LE but Meow brings them back from time to time - check their website or sign up for their mailing list). On the lower lashline, I used Aromaleigh's pale green "Event Horizon", which sadly appears to be discontinued.

What did you do for Mardi Gras? 

New Series Idea: New Ways to Use Stuff You Probably Already Have

Ever feel like this is your life?

I know none of us have unlimited funds with which to feed our beauty obsessions, so I'm a big fan of multi-tasking products. Many major cosmetics lines have products specifically labeled as multi-tasking, but you really can take any product you already have and probably use it in new ways.

With that in mind, I'm planning on writing a new series of tips and tricks showing new ways to use products you probably already have, so that you can get the most out of each beauty dollar you spend!

If you have products in particular that you want to get more use out of, let me know in the comments anytime and I'll be sure to work them in.

Just a sneak peek at some of the topics:

• You can also do WHAT with lube?
• Eyeshadow, not just for eyes anymore
• Frankenpolish - it lives!
• Take a powder - and do this with it
• Brows on budget

Stay tuned and hope you enjoy!

EOTD: Valentine's Day "Pink Chocolate"

Just a quick peek at the look I did for Valentine's Day today. We're not going out, so I didn't do anything too fancy.

Yes, it's those brows again. Still.

For this look I used the Too Faced Love Sweet Love palette (LE and kind of disappointing) and the Beijing Go Palette from Coastal Scents (surprisingly good for the low price). The green liner and bronze mascara are products I am testing from an Etsy seller.

What are you doing for Valentine's Day?

Quick Review: Skin 79 Snail Nutrition BB Cream

So I got some free samples with a recent order, and some of those samples were for a Skin79 BB cream I hadn't tried before: Snail Nutrition. I went searching online to see what this "snail" thing was all about and found this:

• Enriched Snail Secretion Filtrate with self protecting properties maintains the skin natural and healthy.
• Protecting the skin from both UV A and B, the tri-functional snail BB cream brightens the dark and dull skin tone, and maintains the skin clean and supple with its whitening and wrinkle-improving effects.
• Containing 45% of the Korean Snail Secretion Filtrate, it bestows sleek and lustrous texture to the skin by preventing skin damages, and keeps the skin moist and healthy by forming moist protection layer.
• With soft and moisture texture it is easily absorbed into and blends well with the skin, maintaining the skin transparent and bright for a long period of time.

Wait, what? Snail secretions??? I suppose people have tried stranger things in the name of beauty, so I went ahead and opened a packet to try.

First thing I noticed was the scent - it's strong. It's not gross or "snail-y", it's perfumey and it lasted a long time. I've had it on for hours and can still smell it. It's not entirely unpleasant, but I prefer unscented products as fragrance is usually a major irritant.

The consistency was not quite as thick as most of Skin79's other BB creams. The color was very pale, with the same slight grayish cast that you sometimes get with Asian BB creams. Being really pale, I happen to like that aspect and think it matches my skin better than something that is overtly pinkish or yellowish, but if you have a strong undertone to your skin, it may not match very well. 

It blended nicely with fingers, didn't sink into my pores, and evened out my skin tone pretty well. I would call it a light to medium coverage, and it's somewhat buildable. It felt very moist and stayed dewy, so if you have less than my uberdry skin, you may want to use powder or a setting spray over it.

A few hours later, something odd happened. My face felt tight. I didn't see anywhere in the product info I could find where this product was specifically supposed to have tightening properties ("moist protection layer"?), but I swear it sure felt like it - like when you use a gel product and it dries and shrinks up just a bit. It wasn't dramatic or uncomfortable or anything, just unexpected. I can't say that I actually *saw* any evidence of tightening, but I sure felt something. Could just be that my skin is dry again - I'm having a horrible time with it this winter.

I probably won't continue to test this product beyond the original sample packet (I used maybe a third of it to do my entire face) just because of the scent, but overall I think it's a nice product. It's very affordable, a little goes a long way, and if you are pale and don't mind the fragrance, it might just be worth trying. I have some samples you can have lol. If you want to buy it, it's available online at Amazon for about $20US for 40g or there are smaller sizes (15g) and deluxe samples ($4+shipping) for sale also.

Have you tried this product? What do you think of it? What's your favorite BB cream?