The Conservatorie's pressed mineral foundations

I have been eyeing these for quite some time now - always wanted to swatch them and compare to the loose mineral powders The Conservatorie has in it's inventory.  But I'd never have the cash to buy them all at full price just for swatching. The problem with buying cosmetics online is the risk the color might not suite at all and at almost 10 USD a piece it would not be a cheap experiment. These five here were sent to me by The Conservatorie so I could swatch and play with them. They have quite a big range on their homepage, totaling 24 shades altogether. I carefully picked the 5 lightest, afraid they'd all be too dark for me as it has been the case with The Conservatorie's loose mineral powders. To my utter surprise all of them are wearable - Nude seems a bit dark but even that one looks ok on my summer skin. I am quite happy.

I have to compliment The Conservatorie on the ingredients list - not bad at all (as befitting a MMU wholesaler no synthetic dyes, fragrances, preservatives etc):

Mica, Zinc Stearate, Zinc Oxide, Squalane, Fractioned Coconut oil, Lauryl Lysine, Allantoin, DL-alpha -tocopherol acetate, Grapefruit (Citrus racemosa) Extract , Origanum vulgare leaf extract, thymus vulgaris (thyme) extract, cinnamomum zeylancum bark extract, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract, lavandula angustifolia (lavender) flower extract, hydrastis canadensis (golden seal) root extract May Contain ( /-) Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Chromium Oxide Greens, Ultramarines.

The amount of all the extracts here explain why the powder has a noticeable herbal smell when the package is first opened. By now it has faded but I quite liked the original scent. I would recommend this to most people but would advise persons with allergy prone or extremely sensitive skin to be careful - there are many ingredients here and should there be a reaction, it will be quite difficult to pinpoint the culprit. I think for MMU-novices with sensitive skin the loose version would be the safer bet.

The colors chosen were Porcelain (neutral, lightest of them all), Fairly Light (slightly darker, tad orangey), Fair (pinkish fair tone), Ivory (seems quite strong yellow) and Nude (darkest of the five, neutral). In the lower left corner is another testeé - The Conservatorie eye primer but that one deserves a separate post. 

I  asked The Conservatorie for product samples (just the pressed pans) because I do not need the cases - usually these powders come in quite solid looking black compacts.

Product is pressed in a standard 58mm pan and most of them seem to be tin (only Ivory was pressed into an aluminium pan) - which is wonderful news to all Z-palette owners out there. I think The Conservatorie would do well if they'd offer the pans as refills: many of us would prefer to buy the product cheaper (without the compact) and travel with one palette rather then several tiny containers. One StarsMakeupHaven large Z-palette can take 8 pressed powder pans - I imagine many a makeup artist's eyes would probably light up seeing this option.

Now to the product itself. Pressed mineral powders do not agree with me - I have very oily skin, personally I prefer the loose version because it handles the greasiness much better. When pressing mineral foundation a binder is needed - usually some kind of an oil - here it's squalane and fractioned coconut oil. Since the product contains oil and my face also produces a lot of oil it's no wonder my makeup will start to run by mid-day (it was the same with Everyday Minerals pressed foundations). But on the other hand it's godsend for people with dry skin, for whom the loose versions might be much too drying. Coverage is medium but can be upped with some primer.

With the exception of Nude (which does not want to rub off for some reason, I've actually scratched it to get the powder out of the pan) all the pressed powders are very creamy and one should use light hand when loading the brush.They are not completely matte nor are they shiny - they have a slight sheen but it's not exactly noticeable. They were a devil to swatch so I finally gave up and used them over primer:

Horizontal stripes above are the loose mineral foundations in Barely Beige, Barely Beige matte, Barely Golden and Barely Golden matte - the lightest loose mineral powders The Conservatorie offers. Barely Beige is a bit too pink for my liking but of the loose ones it's the only one I can get away with during winter. I'd very much like The Conservatorie to offer a loose mineral foundation in fair neutral olive tone as well (hint, hint). Porcelain seems actually pretty close to the desired shade but since it's pressed I'll have to wait a decade or two for my skin to stop producing so much oil.

Sain testimiseks The Conservatorie pressitud mineraalpuudreid - siin nende kohta ka arvustus. Sobivad kuivemapoolsele nahale ning lõpuks ometi on olemas ka heledaid toone! Hind on minu meelest ok, 10 USD pole paha ja lisaks leidub teisigi asju, mida ostukorvi panna, et tellimise miinimummaksumus kokku saada - nagu alati, oleks sealt tellides mõistlik koopereeruda ja pakk maksude vältimiseks nt hoopis Soome tellida.

Ilublogija lemmik

(This is an Estonian tag - about beauty related stuff one uses)

Eesti ilublogijad said Ilu Sõnumi messi korraldajatelt palve üles kirjutada nende lemmiktooted jumestuse, keha- ning juuksehoolduse ja küünte vallas.

Mina olen rott st et püüan leida võimalikult taskukohaseid variante ning samas ka võimalikult väheste toodetega hakkama saada. Seetõttu on mu kasutatavad tooted enamuses odavad ning igaühele kättesaadavad.

Alustame nahahooldusest: õlid! Ei ole multifuntsionaalsemat kosmeetikatoodet kui õli: sobib (pikematele ja rikutud) juustele juukse-maskiks, naha niisutamiseks, koorimiseks, meigieemaldamiseks jne. Igaks otstarbeks võib kasutada erinevat aga samas võib vabalt ka lihtsalt oliivõlipudelit kusagil käeulatuses hoida. Minu lemmik on jojobiõli, mida kasutan nii näo- kui keha niisutamiseks. Näole kasutan seda siiski rohkem talvel, sest suvel tahaks kergemaid tooteid. Nahapuhastuseks oli mul pikka aega Joigi näopuhastusõli kuid kui too lõpuks otsa sai, asendasin tavalise oliivõliga: õli näkku, veidi soodat, veidi hõõrumist ning swammiga õli-soodasegu nahalt jälle maha. Hoiatan, et see meetod on vägagi abrasiivne ning tundliku naha puhul tuleks sooda ja hõõrumine kindlasti vahele jätta. Isegi kasutan seda vaid kord nädalas, igapäevaselt pesen nägu vee ja mikrokiudlapiga.

Õlid meigieemalduses: ripsmetušš sulab ripsmetelt kui võluväel, ainuke halb omadus on see, et pärast läheb mitu niisutatud vatipatja selleks, et õli silmade ümbrusest eemaldada. Sobib igasugune vedelam õli, paksemat riitsinusõli võib pärast pigem profülaktiliselt ripsmetele kanda.

Kreemid: Hauschka roosikreem, see paksem - kuigi kallis, paar testrituubi kulub talve jooksul väsinud ja ketendava naha turgutamiseks ära.
Juba mõnda aega kasutan vahelduseks ka Dr. Schelleri ökokreeme - kerge konsistentsiga ja mõnusad ning sageli Rimides ning Selverites alla hinnatud. Kevadeks-suveks-sügiseks väga head.

Meigipõhjana on pikaaegseks lemmikuks Everyday Minerals'i mineraalpuuder toonis Olive Fair (semi-matte retseptuur). Jätab kerge kuma ning ühtlustab nahatooni. Üldjuhul on tuhkja nahatooniga inimestel väga raske endale sobivat jumestuspõhja leida, ükskõik kas siis vedelat või puuderjat, kõik on kas tugevalt kollased või oranžid. EDMi oliivi-sari on just meiesugustele, "nagu-kruusatee-kuumal-päeval" hallikaskollaka nahaga kartulitele. Alternatiivi sellele pole just kerge leida.

Kõigile võibolla ei sobi puuderjas toode silmade alla kuid ma olen siiamaani EDMi Pearl Sunlightiga täitsa rahul, kahjuks pole seda viimasel ajal kodulehel enam näha - nagu kõik pikaajalised EDMi kasutajad teavad - see firma pole kuigi usaldusväärne, tooted kaovad müügilt ning koostised muutuvad etteteatamata. Kuna helendustoodet kulub vähe, on mul uue lemmiku leidmiseks veel oma kenad 3 aastat. 

Silmameigialusena olen aastaid Manhattani silmameigi aluskreemi kasutanud - töötab ja veel kaunis hästi. Hind on lausa super! Viimasel ajal on selle lõhn siiski häirima hakanud - tootel on ebameeldiv sünteetiline hais ning ka pakend pole suurem asi - tüütu on pärast seda kreemi küünte alt välja koukida ja üldse - tuubis olles ei kuivaks toode nii kiiresti ära ka. Otsin hetkel uut.

Huulepulkadest olen jäänud truuks e.l.f.'i mineraalhuulepulgale Rosy Raisin - ideaalne "oma-huuled-kuid-parem" toon, kerge kreemjas pruunikasroosa. Lumene Natural Code sari on samuti väga hea - ilusad värvid, hea lõhn ja mõnus kreemjas koostis. Sellest sarjast siiski pole õnnestunud leida mõnusat igapäevatooni - valisin liiga erksad roosad.

flat-top puudripintsel on mul juba pikalt - ja ikka veel sama hea kui uus,
ainult vart olen korra liimima pidanud

Meigivahenditest on (vähemalt hinna/kvaliteedi suhtelt) parimad e.l.f.'i Studio sarja sünteetilised meigipintslid, selle raha eest Eesti poodidest juba naljalt nii head pintslit ei saa. Pehmed ja funktsionaalsed. Need on juba pea tervel mu sõpruskonnal ja aina küsitakse juurde. Samas on e.l.f.'il ka tõsised kvaliteediprobleemid - üks viiest on mingi veaga - sealt pintslite ostmine on kui loterii. Aga kui veab, siis veab korralikult ja kaotuse korral pole mahavisatud raha kuigi suur. e.l.f.'is shoppamiseks tuleb aega valida: 20% allahindlus on tavaline kuid esineb ka 33% ning isegi 50% allahindlusi - viimasel juhul soovitan kindlasti 11- osaline pintslikomplekt ära võtta.

Ripsmetušš - Lumene, see sinine ja tihendav - ei haise, hea suur aplikaator ning mõnus vedel koostis. Kui endal on ripsmematerjali piisavalt siis aitab tegelikult igasugune vähegi tušimoodi tušš - Lumene konsistents on tavaliselt vedelamapoolne ning mis minu jaoks olulisim - ei haise ning ei aja silmi sügelema. Boonusena - taskukohane ja sageli ka allahindluses. Imet ei tee kuid töötab. Ja rohkemat ma sellelt ei soovigi.

Mis veel igaühe meigikotis peaks kindlasti olema - hele silmapliiats silma alumisele ripsmejoonele kandmiseks - avab silmad hetkega ja jätab mõnusa värske mulje. Mul NYX'i Milk aga sobib igasugune hele kreemjas silmapliiats.

Viimane parim leid oli pritspudelis hüdrosool - eeterlike õlide tootmisjääk. Suurepärane nahavärskendaja ja meigikinnitaja. Mineraalmeigi kasutajatele imho asendamatu abivahend - ei saa aru, kuidas nii kaua ilma selleta hakkama sain :). Teinekord ikka juhtub, et puuder ja nahk ei saa läbi - siis tuleb "jahussekastetud" efektist lahtisaamiseks vaid veidi hüdrosooli nahale piserdada ja õrnalt pintsliga üle tupsutada - jääb hetkega ühtlane ja loomulik. Neid peaks olema ka odavamalt saada kui siin pildil olev toode, seda tootegruppi hakkan nüüd meie looduspoodidest otsima.

Siin on veel ka Karolina,  Grete ning  Liisi lemmikud.

I got lucky at LisaLise's Hydrosol Skin mist giveaway!

I have not advertised but I was one of the 6 who got lucky on LisaLise's Hydrosol Skin Mist giveaway and now has a wonderful new friend - my very own Pure Rose Hydrating Skin Mist. Timing could not have more perfect - we had a minor heatwave  and I got to test this out in really hard circumstances (my glass box of an office had some 35 degrees in it - even lifting a hand made me sweat). Thank you, Lise!

I've never before used misting my makeup much  - only sometimes, when my makeup looked well and truly cakey did I  grab the plaything I use to mist my plants and misted my own face as well.  It's not as nice as when using this product - this one has an added bonus to it - a wonderful aroma.

What is an hydrosol? For explaining that I am going to use a picture from LisaLise's blog:

When producing essential oils (boiling plants and then cooling the steam) one ends up with water and oil - hydrosol and the thin layer of essential oil on top of it. Though essential oils are the main goal here, throwing out the water while keeping the "baby" would be a silly thing to do - hydrosol also retains those beneficial effects the essential oil has though in remarkably lesser concentration. Basically a wonderful skin tonic :).  (Lise will correct me if I got this wrong :))

Lise produces these for herself and family and friends and you can also order one from her, here. After having such a good time with the Rose skin mist, I am seriously thinking about getting the Herbal one as well. They are custom made and you get to pick your own favorites. :) As it happens I am going away soon, to a rather warm place (no, not to hell) and I think a refresher such as this will be desperately needed. :) Also: winter is coming - and office air looses all humidity - I have a hunch I will be grasping for it during winter as well.

click to biggify in order to meet the visitor
from the planet of the apes

 I'd like to share one more reason I love this product so much. A problem all loose powder mineral makeup users are bound to face at some point (and what liquid foundation users probably never notice): realization that even though you are female, you do have facial hair, lots of it, and it all shows up on the pics. Making the face moist and stippling it with your foundation brush helps a lot. This process is a lot more pleasant if the product used also smells nice and looks after your skin.

And - for all people who have difficulties getting up in the morning - you will not believe the effect spraying your face has when still groggy - instant alertness! Warmly recommend. :D

Ma võitsin! Esimest korda elus osutusin giveaways väljavalituks - ja nüüd on mul üks looduskosmeetika pärl endal olemas, LisLise Pure Rose hydrating Skin Mist. Luksuslik toode ja hind on kaunis karm kuid mõtlen, et peaks ühe sellise veel juurde tellima, Herbali. Ma olen ahvivaimustuses ja seda ei juhtu just sageli - iseenesest on toode ülilihtne kuid kasutusvõimalused kaunis laialdased: värskendaja, meigikinnitaja, nahatoonik - kõik ühes. Kui oled rikas, siis tasub täitsa vaadata. Vaesemad peavad alternatiive otsima hakkama - võibolla leiab midagi sarnast ka meie apteekidest või looduskosmeetikapoodidest. Ma arvan, et selle ostu pean siiski veel ära tegema. Päris palju variante tuleb ette, kui otsingusse panna lillevesi või hüdrosool.

Here's another tribute to Lise - the packaging was amazingly neat :) and posted on Friday it arrived in Tallinn by Monday. Well done, Danish and Estonian mail services!
Bottle itself is sturdy plastic and has a protective cap over the pulverizer (?). When sprayed there are no big drops, it all comes out in even mist.

PS! Lise is currently holding another giveaway - samples of her Bare Basic Body Butter. There will be  8 lucky winners this time:). To participate leave a comment under her blog post and agree, that you will give her feedback on the product should you be the lucky winner. Guess who's already listed ;)

Tegin teise blogi juurde

Tegin juurde veel ühe blogi - et  haulidest üle jäänud ja kokkuahnitsetud asjadest lahti saada. Kõik uudistajad on teretulnud. Nüüd seisab ees suur töö kõik pigmendid ükshaaval üles pildistada ja müüki panna. Võtan vastu kõik kaastundeavaldused - pigmente on kahesaja lähedal, lisaks veel kõik hamsterdatud varupintslid jms.

I.R.Selling

I am creating another blog to get rid of all the stuff that has accumulated when hauling e.l.f. stuff for others and for getting rid of some of my pigments - there's close to 200 of them altogether so it will be a tough job swatching and photographing them all individually.

e.l.f. Essentials mascara in black brown

No love.

Bad wand and I don't like the texture either - the texture is kinda rubbery and even if I use the wand of another mascara, it still wants to clump together. Brushing it over with a clean wand is absolutely crucial. Whats most terrible - it won't come off the lashes without putting up a decent fight - tiny pieces of mascara will be around the eyes in the morning.

A miss - will not buy again nor advise anyone else to try it.

bare face, 1 coat of mascara

e.l.f.'i odavaim ripsmetušš on imho jama. Kumjas tekstuur, silmade pealt ei  ligune kuigi hästi maha ja silmist pudeneb pärast veel tükk aega ripsmetušitükke.