MORE new products!

Yes, it’s another post about lots of new products from fantastic Australian and New Zealand brands!

After ink 50ml $19.30 – This is a salve made in New Zealand, designed to soothe tattooed skin. I am pretty keen to get a tattoo at some point. I won’t rush into it, but if/when I do get one, I’ll try this stuff to soothe my skin afterwards.

Also made in New Zealand are: Pot of Gold Skin Balm and Pot of Gold Baby Balm, each $12.10 for 15g, $22.60 for 50g, and $40.10 for 100g. Both have multiple uses – the Skin Balm is good for Psoriasis, Eczema, burns, Dermatitis, cold sores, bruises, cuts, wounds, and dry cracked skin. The Baby Balm is good for nappy rash, dry cracked nipples, prevention and reduction of stretch marks, and chapping or chafing. I have these listed as new products, but actually the Skin Balm has been used in the company’s family for five generations! Bonus: the palm oil used in the products (and also in After Ink, which I believe is made by the same people) is guilt free (comes from a sustainable source).

Australian brand Sukin has a new product – Antioxidant Eye Serum, $23.99 for 35ml. This looks good. It contains some great ingredients including aloe vera, vitamin E, rosehip oil, and cucumber extract. I am a big fan of Sukin products, so I may try this.

Adding to their mineral makeup range, Australian brand Bloom has a new range of Lip Butters, $31. Minerals Plus Lip Butter contains natural mineral pigments, moisturising ingredients including beeswax, shea butter, and rosehip, and also contain pomegranate oil to act as anti-oxidant. They come with a built-in mirror, and are available in eight shades. They look nice; I’m keen to try them!

New from New Zealand brand Evolu is the Rehydrating Facial Masque 50ml $44.50 - I think this replaces the Quenching Hydramask which doesn’t seem to be available on the Evolu website anymore. It’s a moisturising treatment for any skin type.

Five grey eye shadows

I am a big fan of grey eye shadow. I have blue eyes, and grey shadow enhances my eyes nicely, but it suits all eye colours. Here are some nice grey eye shadows:

ChiChi Eye Shadow Dust in Shopaholic, $18.90 – Super-affordable, this has a slight mauve hint to it.

Almay Pure Blends Eye Shadow in Steel, $20 – A pressed powder shadow in a cute little compact which closes magnetically. It’s a pale grey shade, perfect for everyday wear.

The Body Shop Nature’s Minerals Eye Colour in Radiant Graphite, $25 – It has flecks of gold in it, which gives it some warmth.

Couleur Caramel Eye Shadow in Pearly Anthracite Grey, $26.99 – Another pressed powder shadow.

Living Nature Eye Shadow Duo in Clouds, $44 – A light grey and a dark grey, pressed powder. Each one is great alone, and they look great together as well.

Lots and lots and LOTS of new products!

There are a whole lot of cool new products out at the moment, mostly from New Zealand and Australian brands! They are coming out faster than I can write about them, so I’m doing a bulk post about heaps of them. So what have we got?

- Antipodes Grapeseed Butter Cleanser $45.90 for 75ml – contains cocoa butter, harakeke, and hibiscus flower. Another great product from this NZ brand.

- Bloom Pure Mineral Eye Shadow & Brush Set, $35 each – These mineral eye shadows each come with an eye shadow brush. They are part of the Australian brand’s mineral makeup range. I mentioned them in a post last year, and now they have arrived in NZ! There are six shades available, although the website lists eight. There are some pretty colours; I like the look of Crystal, a shimmering white, which would be great for highlighting the browbones.

- The Body Collection Plane Sense range – A set of eight products from an Australian brand, all 100ml, so they can be taken on the plane with you. Free from phthalates, propylene glycol, mineral oil, silicone, synthetic dyes, sodium lauryl sulphate, parabens, PEGs, and synthetic fragrances. The products are:

Body Wash
Body Lotion
Shampoo
Conditioner
Face Cleanser
Face Mist
Hand Lotion
Foot Lotion

There are also two gift packs. One contains Body Wash, Body Lotion, Shampoo, and Conditioner, and the other contains Face Cleanser, Face Mist, Hand Lotion, and Foot Lotion. The individual products are $8.50 each, and the gift packs are $28.99 each. They are pretty cute, and I’m keen to try the foot lotion.

- Various new products from Comvita Huni – This NZ brand recently expanded its skincare and body care range. The new products are:

All Day Hand and Nail Cream 75g $25.00
Every Day Body Wash 250ml $29.00
Intensive Hydrating Mask 75g $45
Every Day Eye Cream 15g $39.00
Anytime Lip Treatment 10g $15
Night and Day Serum 25ml $69

I think the serum has actually been around for a while, but it wasn’t part of the original range. I’d like to try the lip balm, it looks yummy!

- Tebe, a New Zealand range, whose products contains olive oil and olive leaf extract, have two new products:

Eye Cream 20ml $27.70
Face Polish 50ml $24

- Another new mineral makeup range is here! BYS (Be Yourself), an affordable Australian makeup brand now has a range called Minerals Naturalé. The products are:

Foundation 3.5g $12.90, available in nine shades
Concealer 3.5g $12.90, available in six shades
Blush 3.5g $12.90, available in three shades
Bronzer 10g $19.90, available in two shades

I have seen the foundations and bronzers at Glassons, and the full range of products at Cosmetics Plus. The website lists several other products, which don’t seem to be available here.

- Another new product from a great NZ brand! Ecostore Fabric Softener, 500ml for $7.95, 5L for $61.75 – Not a skincare product, but it does affect your skin – sensitive skin can be irritated by fabric softeners, but not this one! There are no dyes or perfumes in it, and it’s nice and gentle.

- New lip balms from Natio – Another Australian brand has some nice new lip balms:

Paw Paw Lip Balm 20ml $12
Men’s Lip Balm 20ml $12

- Weleda Body Washes – A change from all the NZ and Australian brands, Swiss brand Weleda has put out some new body washes. They are all $19.50 for 200ml, and there are three:

Wild Rose Body Wash
Sea Buckthorn Body Wash
Creamy Citrus Body Wash

Very nice, I’m keen on citrus scents, so I may try the citrus one at some point.

Sooo many new products! Awesome!

Physicians Formula Organic Wear

Sometime last year, I mentioned that Physicians Formula had a new range of organic makeup, Organic Wear, that wasn’t yet available in New Zealand. Well, it is now! I saw it at a Unichem pharmacy in Wellington, although I’m sure there are other stores which stock it also. We don’t have the full range of the Organic Wear line, but that’s ok. What’s available is:

Pressed Powder 9g $39.95, available in five shades
Loose Powder 22g $39.95, available in five shades
Matte Finishing and Bronzing Veils 9.5g $39.95, available in three shades
Bronzer 9g $39.95, available in three shades
Tinted Moisturizer 44ml $29.95, available in three shades

The pamphlet I picked up at the pharmacy also listed:

Concealer Stick, available in three shades
Eye shadow duo, available in four shades
Blush, available in five shades

I’m not sure of the prices or sizes of these products, because they weren’t available at the pharmacy. The packaging of this range is very cute and recyclable too. The products are certified organic by Ecocert. I am keen to try the tinted moisturiser.

Shimmer products

There are quite a few shimmery mineral eye shadows around, like The Body Shop Nature’s Minerals Eye Colour, $25 (available in six colours), e.l.f Mineral Makeup Eye Shadow, $12.99 (available in twelve colours), and ChiChi Eye Dust, $18.99 (available in fifteen colours). Or try SHE Australia Dusting Powder, $12.99, available in eight colours. I think they would look great on eyes, but they can be used on the face and body as well.

To add shimmer to your face, try e.l.f Mineral Glow in Shimmer, $29.95, or Almay Pure Blends Loose Finishing Powder in Translucent Shimmer, $33 for 7.9g. For a shimmery body, use Linden Leaves Gold Shimmer Dust, $23.50 for 7g, Lush Glitterbug Iridescent, $14.50 for 30g, or Lush Shimmy Shimmy, $14.50 for 30g.

If you want to use a more subtle illuminating product, try Australis Perfection Brush On Mineral Illuminating Wand, $20.90, or Living Nature Illuminating Tint, $52.

Mineral makeup line from e.l.f

Super-affordable makeup brand e.l.f (eyes lips face) has a new range of mineral makeup. Well, it might not be all that new, but it’s only just hit our stores. I really like mineral makeup, so it’s good to see another brand bring out a mineral range. The packaging is recyclable, which is good. The products are:

Foundation $29.95, available in five shades
Concealer $19.95, available in five shades
Blush $29.95, available in five shades
Mineral Glow $29.95, available in two shades (Shimmer and Bronzed)
Mineral Booster $29.95 (a loose finishing powder), available in one shade
Eye shadow $12.99, available in twelve shades (the website lists eighteen shades, but six of them are new, and I have not seen them)

e.l.f mineral makeup is available at Bling stores. I am keen to try the concealer and the eye shadows – there are some very pretty colours!

Almay Pure Blends Makeup

The new range from Almay has arrived in New Zealand! The products in the Pure Blends line are all at least 95% natural, with eco-friendly packaging, which is also very pretty. The products are:

- Makeup (liquid foundation) 97.4% natural 30ml, available in five shades
- Loose Finishing Powder 98.2% natural 7.9g, available in two shades
- Blush/Bronzer 98.2% natural 4.25g, available in three shades
- Eye shadow 98.2% natural 2.55g, available in six shades

I’m not sure of all the prices, although I saw the blush/bronzer labelled as being $29 at Farmers. These products are also available at selected pharmacies. I’m keen to try the eye shadow. Anyone out there tried any of these products?

For every budget: Mineral powder foundation

I like to present my readers with a wide range of different options when it comes to the price of products. With the current economic climate, a lot of people are on a tight budget, so from time to time I’ll blog about products for a range of different budgets. Starting with this post!

Low cost: Natio Mineral Loose Foundation $23, available in three colours

Mid-range: The Body Shop Nature’s Minerals Foundation SPF 25 $45, available in six colours

High end: Bare Escentuals bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation $80, available in fifteen shades

Eyebrow defining products

Eyebrow pencil is not something I use – if I want to define my eyebrows, then I brush some brown eye shadow on them. I find this works well, but if you want to use eyebrow pencil, try Couleur Caramel Eyebrow Pencil, $31.99. It comes in three colours – Blond, Light Brown, and Dark Brown.

Eyebrow pencil is not the only option. Bare Escentuals has a brow kit, which consists of bareMinerals Brow Color (which is a powder), Angled Brow Brush, and Brow Finishing Gel. I think it’s about $85.

Eye Shadows

Eyeshadows are great for...um...giving a bit of colour to your eyelids and browbones...not sure how else to put that really...Anyway, I like Living Nature Eye Shadow Duo $44, available in five pallets. I have it in Siennas, which is a light pink and a dark pink, and Clouds, a light grey and a dark grey. I also like the The Body Shop Nature’s Minerals Eye Colour $25, available in six shades. I have it in Golden Emerald, and while it doesn’t give as much colour as I would like, it’s good for layering over other colours for a sheer wash of green and a bit of sparkle.

Bloom Eye Colour Cream $26, available in six shades, is also pretty good. The Eye Colour Creams don’t contain any objectionable ingredients, and they are great for giving a bit of shimmer to the eyelid or brow bone. I have the Taupe shade (bronze-ish), and used to have Eskimo (white), which has now run out. Bloom has recently released Pure Mineral Eye Shadow, available in eight shades. I haven’t seen this sold anywhere yet, but hopefully it should be available soon.

Some other options:

Single colours: SHE Australia Dusting Powders $12.99, available in eight shades, Couleur Caramel Eye Shadow $26.99, available in thirty shades, Dr Hauschka Eye Shadow Solo $27, available in nine shades, Aveda Petal Essence Eye Color Single $37, available in twenty shades, Aveda Uruku Eye Accent $44, available in four shades

Pallets: Natio Mineral Sparkle Dust Eyeshadow Compact $18, available in one pallet (four colours), Aveda Petal Essense Eye Color Duo $51, available in nine pallets, Dr Hauschka Eye Shadow Pallet Stone Colours $69, available in one pallet (four colours)

Blushers

Blushers are good for giving your cheeks a bit of colour. I have Natio Mineral Radiance Blush N' Brush, but I can't find it in shops anymore, and it's not listed on their website, so it must have been discontinued. It's nearly run out anyway, so I have bought The Body Shop Nature's Minerals Cheek Colour, $30, available in four shades. I have it in Pink Quartz, the lightest shade.

Some other options:

$20 and under: Natio Mineral Blusher $16, available in one shade

$40 and under: Bloom Mineral Touch $39, available in one shade

$45 and under: Aveda Petal Essense Cheek Colour $44, available in seven shades, Aveda Uruku Cheek-Lip Creme, $44, available in four shades, Couleur Caramel Blush Powder $44.99, available in two shades

$50 and under: Living Nature Blush $47, available in two shades, Dr Haushcka Rouge Powder $47, available in three shades

$55 and under: Aveda Petal Essense Face Accent $51, available in eight shades

$80 and under: Bare Escentuals $78, available in thirty shades (Yes, thirty! Not sure if all shades are available in New Zealand)

Face powders

I hope you all have had a good new year. I've got lots of great things to blog about this year...starting with face powders!

Face powders are good for mattifying the skin, and for 'setting' your makeup. Some powders are pressed, like Dr Hauschka Translucent Face Powder Compact, $49, and Living Nature Luminous Pressed Powder, $49, available in three shades. Other powders are loose, like Dr Hauschka Translucent Face Powder Loose, $49, and Aveda Inner Light™ Loose Powder, $66, available in two shades.

Some other options:

Pressed Powder: Couleur Caramel Compact Powder $44.99, available in five shades, Aveda Inner Light™ Pressed Powder $66, available in three shades

Loose Powder: Couleur Caramel Free Powder $44.99, available in three shades

Foundations

Some women wear foundation every day, but I only wear it on special occasions. I like The Body Shop Nature's Minerals Foundation SPF25, $45 for 5g, which I have in 01, the lightest shade. It is available in five shades. I have also tried Bare Escentuals Foundation in Fairly Light. It's $78 for 9g, and is available in fifteen shades. I prefer The Body Shop one, because it is more mattifying, and it is a lot more affordable.

These are both mineral powder foundations, but there are a lot of natural liquid foundations available, like Living Nature Foundation, $49 for 30ml, and available in six shades.


Some other options:

Mineral foundation: Natio Mineral Loose Foundation 10g $23, available in three shades, Bloom Pure Mineral Powder Foundation 2.5g $39, available in three shades


Liquid foundation: Dr Hauschka Translucent Make-up 30ml $49, available in five shades, Living Nature Illuminating Tint 30ml $52, available in three shades, Aveda Inner Light™ Liquid Foundation SPF 12 30ml $73, available in twelve shades, Couleur Caramel Foundation Liquid 30ml $76.99, available in three shades

Cream foundation: Aveda Inner Light™ Dual Foundation SPF 12 7g $73, available in nine shades, Couleur Caramel Foundation Cream g $76.99, available in five shades

Bronzers

To give yourself a bronzed glow, in addition to fake tan, try using a bronzer. I like Dr Hauschka Bronzing Powder, $49 for 9g. Dr Haushcka also makes Translucent Bronze Concentrate, $58 for 30ml.

Some other options:

$25 and under: Natio Mineral Pressed Powder Bronzer in Sunswept 18.1g $23

$40 and under: Bloom Pure Minerals Radiant Touch in Sunkissed 2.5g $39

$50 and under: Living Nature Summer Bronze Pressed Powder $49

$60 and under: Couleur Caramel Terre Caramel Bronzer $55.99, available in four shades

$80 and under: Bare Escentuals Faux Tan Bronzing Powder 2.8g $78, Bare Escentuals Warmth Face Colour 2.8g $78

The Body Shop Nature's Minerals

A lot of brands have been bringing out mineral makeup lines lately. The Body Shop has recently launched Nature's Minerals. The Nature's Minerals line consists of:

Foundation SPF25 5g $45, available in six shades

Cheek Colour 2g $30, available in Pink Quartz, Golden Terracotta, Warm Copper, and Brown Topaz

Eye Colour 1g $25, available in Platinum Silver, Radiant Graphite, Golden Emerald, Pink Opal, Bronzed Amber, and Molten Brown
Foundation Brush $38
Blusher Brush $36
Eye shadow brush $20

There are no unescessary fillers in these products - all you'll find is minerals and clay. The SPF is higher than any other mineral makeup that I'm aware of. While this makeup is somewhat expensive, it is a lot more affordable than some other minerals on the market.

I got the foundation in the lightest shade using the 20% off birthday voucher which I got from the I Love My Body Club. I didn't buy the foundation brush; I used a powder brush to apply it. I really like it - it gives good coverage, and it has a matte finish, thanks to the clay I suppose. It is also supposed to be good for blemishes - due to the zinc oxide, I guess.

I also bought the eye shadow in Golden Emerald. It's a little bit more sheer than I'd like, but it works well when I layer it over a brown eyeshadow. I didn't buy the eyeshadow brush, I used one which I already had.

Teen products

When you're a teenager, your skin can really start acting up. Oiliness, blackheads, pimples, clogged pores...not fun. Not all teenagers get acne, but it is pretty common. A lot of teens are also on a tight budget, so I'm focusing on affordable skincare, bodycare, and makeup.

A foaming cleanser is best for acne-prone, oily or combination skin types. Try Sukin Fomaing Facial Cleanser, $12 for 125ml, or Natural Instinct Foaming Facial Cleanser, also $12 for 125ml.

A good ingredient for oily skin is witch hazel, which can be found in both of the above cleansers, as well as in a lot of toners, such as Natural Instinct Toner, $12 for 125ml.

Natural Instinct Aloe Vera Gel ($12 for 125ml, and $19 for 250ml) works well as a moisturiser, and Weleda Iris Moisture Cream, $23.50 for 30ml, is also good, as it contains witch hazel.

Exfoliating two or three times a week helps get rid of dead skin cells which might otherwise clog your pores. Try Skinfood Exfoliating Scrub, $9.99 for 100ml, or Sukin Facial Scrub, $12 for 125ml.

Once or twice a week, after exfoliating, use a clay or mud face mask to draw out impurities. Skinfood Mud Masque, $9.99 for 100ml contains clay, and Rotorua mud. Clear as Mud Face Mud contains bentonite mud from Parehaka. It's $4 per sachet, or $24.99 for a box of ten sachets.

Some teens have dry skin. A creamy cleanser is better for dry skin. Try Skinfood Cleans All Cleanser, $9.99 for 100ml, Sukin Cream Cleanser, $12 for 125ml, or Natural Instinct Cream Cleanser, $12 for 12ml. For moisturiser, try Skinfood Nourishing Moisturiser, $9.99 for 100ml, Sukin Moisturiser, $12 for 125ml, or Natural Instinct Moisturiser, $12 for 125ml.

There are a lot of great natural body washes out there. One of the most affordable ones is Pure Innosenses Shower Gel, $11 for 375 ml, available in Reviving (Chamomile and Feijoa), Relaxing (Lavender and Iris), Energising (Rosemary and Citrus), and Hydrating (Peach). Also great is Sukin Botanical Body Wash, $12.99 for 250ml, $16.99 for 500ml, and $24.99 for 1 litre.

Pure Innosense Body Lotion is also pretty good. It's $12 for 375ml, and is available in Reviving (Chamomile and Feijoa), Relaxing (Lavender and Iris), Summer Skin (a gradual tanning lotion, scented with vanilla and mandarin), and Sensitive Skin (fragrance free). I like Sukin Hydrating Body Lotion, $12.99 for 250ml, and $21.99 for 500ml.

Not all natural makeup is expensive, so for teens on a budget, here are some options:

Foundation: Natio Mineral Loose Foundation (available in Beach Sand, Desert Sand, and Sunset) 10g $23

Blusher: Natio Mineral Blusher (available in Sweet Petal) $16 , Natio Mineral Brush N Blush (available in Rose) 3.1g $15

Eyeshadow: Natio Mineral Sparkle Dust Eyeshadow Compact (colours are Pink, Aubergine, Copper, and White) 0.3g $18 , Natio Mineral Eye Shimmer (available in Silver, Rose, Lilac, and Gold) 1.5g $15, SHE Australia Dusting Powders (not specifically for eyes, but could be used as eyeshadows. Available in quite a few shades, not sure what they all are.) $12.95

Bronzer: Natio Mineral Pressed Powder Bronzer (available in Sunswept) 18.1g $23

Lip colour: Alba Terratints Lip Balm (available in Blaze, Bloom, Dawn, Garnet, Sienna, and Sunset, although I've only seen it in Blaze, Bloom, and Sienna) 4.2g $8.9

Nail Polish: SHE Australia Nail Varnish (available in fourteen colours, not sure what they are) $14.90

I haven't yet come across any particularly low-cost natural concealers, eyeliners or mascaras.

Stockists

Sukin: Commonsense Organics, Health 2000, Farmers

Natural Instinct: Homestead Health, various pharmacies

Skinfood: Woolworths, Foodtown, Countdown, New World

Natio: Farmers, various pharmacies

SHE Australia: Various pharmacies

Alba Botanica: Commonsense Organics, Homestead Health

Pure Innosense: Various Pharmacies

Natio Pure Mineral Makeup

A while ago, I posted about Natio Mineral Radiance. Natio has just released another mineral makeup line, Pure Mineral Makeup, which consists of:

Mineral Loose Foundation in Beach Sand, Desert Sand, and Sunset $23

Mineral Blusher in Sweet Petal $16

Mineral Sparkle Dust Eyeshadow Compact (shades are Pink, Aubergine, Copper, and White) $18

Mineral Pressed Powder Bronzer in Sunswept $23 (the same bronzer is also part of the Natio Mineral Radiance range)

Product review: Natio Mineral Radiance Blush 'n Brush

A while ago, I mentioned Natio's Mineral Radiance range. I finally bought the blusher a couple of weeks ago. It was not easy to find! It was sold out at Farmers, and I managed to get it from a pharmacy a few weeks ago.

Review

Packaging: A tube, with a brush on top, so the product comes through the brush. Can be unscrewed.

Price: $15

Size: 3.1g

Suitable for: All skin types

Available at: Farmers, selected pharmacies.

Pros: Affordable, nice colour, good quality

Cons: Packaging is not all that great, only comes in one colour.

Verdict: I really like this blusher, but the packaging isn't that good. The brush isn't very good quality, and feels scratchy and painful on my face (would be even worse for someone with very sensitive skin). But I have solved this problem by uscrewing the container from the brush, tipping a bit of blusher onto a tissue, and using a blusher brush to apply it. But be careful with this - if you're clumsy (which I am), and/or in a hurry (which I often am), you may spill it all over the place. Fortunately, I have not yet done this.

The colour of this (Rose, according to the website, although it says Rose Glow on my one - go figure) is a nice warm pink, which works well on my skin tone - I'm white with yellow undertones. However, it obviously wouldn't work on all skin tones. It has a bit of a shimmer to it, but it's pretty subtle.

So overall, a great product, not so great packaging. I think this would be better in a traditional mineral makeup style container - one with holes for the powder to come through. But it is very reasonably priced for mineral makeup, it's a nice, good quality product, and my way of applying it works well, so I really can't complain too much.

Vegan products

I'm not a vegan myself (I'm a vegetarian, and I don't eat a lot of dairy, but still very far from being a vegan), but here's some info for you vegans out there regarding beauty products.

I realise that many vegans try to avoid animal ingredients not only in their food, but also in their lifestyle, and when it comes to beauty products, this means staying away from ingredients like beeswax, honey, propolis, lanolin, carmine, goat's milk, non-vegetable source stearic acid, and emu oil. As a vegetarian, I won't use any beauty products that have been tested on animals, and I avoid carmine, because it comes from crushed beetles, but I'm ok with ingredients like honey. But many vegans will want to avoid any ingredients that come from an animal.

Good news! There's plenty of options out there. A'kin, Sukin, and Natural Instinct products are all free from animal ingredients, and, like all brands I endorse on this blog, do not test on animals. Some of Trilogy and Evolu's products are vegan, but I think all of Living Nature's products contain honey. A lot of Lush's products are vegan.

Vegan makeup can be a bit trickier to find, but mineral powder makeup generally tends to be free from animal ingredients. I've posted info about mineral makeup here and here.

Living Nature's awesome eyeliners are free from any animal ingredients, using vegetable waxes instead of beeswax.

The only natural vegan lipsticks and lipglosses available in New Zealand that I've come across so far are made by Immersion Cosmetics. The lipsticks come in eight shades, and are $39.38 each. The lipglosses (called Lip Glazes) come in seven shades and are $37.13 each. They can be bought online at http://www.immersioncosmetics.co.nz/, and the website also has a list of stores which stocks them. They have quite a range of makeup, all vegan, except for their Lip and Eye Pencils, and their Lip Gloss Pots. Their mascara and concealer and the only natural vegan ones available in NZ that I know of.

As a cheaper alternative for a lip colour, you could mix mineral blusher, eyeshadow or bronzer with a vegan lip balm (like A'kin Sweet Blossom and Jojoba Pure Essential Lip Balm) to make your own lip tint. I haven't tried this myself, so I'm not sure how well it would work.

So yeah, quite a lot of options for vegans - to find appropriate products it's often simply a matter of reading ingredient lists - which, as a vegan, you'll be used to doing anyway.

So Hot Right Now: Mineral Makeup

A lot of not-particularly-natural beauty brands are bringing out mineral makeup. Some of these I wouldn't try, (because of some of them have parabens in them, which is something I try to avoid, and one brand that I won't name tests on animals which I ALWAYS avoid), but I am quite keen to try Bloom's mineral makeup.

Bloom has Pure Mineral Powder Foundation in Light, Medium, and Dark, Pure Mineral Radiant Touch Bronzer in Sunkissed, and Pure Mineral Radiant Touch Blush in Rosie. They can be bought at Kirkaldie & Stains. The foundation is $45, and the blush and bronzer are $40 each. So not that cheap, but a lot cheaper than Bare Escentuals - their foundation costs $70 at Hardy's, and $75 at Nature Unplugged. I have tried Bare Escentuals before, but I bought a small size for $25, and even though I liked it, I don't think I'd buy it at full price, because it's pretty expensive.

Miessense also has mineral makeup - $39.95 for Mineral Foundation Powder, which comes in Fair, Medium, Tanned, and Dark. They also have Mineral Blush Powder in Desert Rose Silk, Desert Rose Satin, Apricot Dew Silk, Apricot Dew Satin, Ginger Blossom Silk, and Ginger Blossom Satin. The 'Silk' shades are matte, and the 'Satin' shades are shimmery. Unfortunately I haven't seen any Miessense makeup in any stores for quite a while, but you can order it from http://www.mionegroup.com/en/home.

Jane Iredale also has quite a few mineral makeup products. Unfortunately I can't seem to find the prices for them in New Zealand Dollars, but for stockists in New Zealand, go to http://home.xtra.co.nz/hosts/psbhost/ji_stockists.htm.

I mentioned Natio Mineral Radiance in a previous post, but I haven't yet tried it. I'd really like to try the blusher, but it seems that a lot of other people would too, because it's sold out at the three different Farmers stores that I've looked for it in! The eyeshadows are still in stock though, maybe I should try one (or more) of those before they sell out. Hopefully the blusher will be available again soon.

If you aren't too concerned about parabens, you could try Physicians Formula Mineral Wear. I saw the Pressed Powder (34.95), Loose Powder (29.95), and Foundation (can't remember the price, sorry, and I can't find it online). The range does have a lot of other products in it as well, but I'm not sure if they're all available in New Zealand. There is also an Organic Wear line, but I don't think that's available over here. If it ever is, I'd be keen to try it. Check out the Physicians Formula website: http://www.physiciansformula.com/en-us/default.html for more information. By the way, I think the girl who's pictured on the page about Mineral Wear looks like a younger version of Bree from Desperate Housewives. Just putting that out there.