PRODUCT REVIEW & READER GIVEAWAY- Beauté Minéral Cosmetics

Thanks to the modern wonder of Twitter I've had the opportunity to virtually "met" and chat with a variety of small, niche brand cosmetic and skincare companies. Amy Phillips of Beauté Minéral Cosmetics is one of the people I've become friends with on Twitter and FaceBook.  Amy was kind enough to send me some of her mineral cosmetic products to test so I created the makeup look below using items from her line:

PRODUCTS USED:

1. Beauté Balm
2. Pure and Natural Mineral Powder Foundation by Beauté Minéral: BO – 117 (mixed with my own mineral sunscreen to create creamy foundation)
3. Charming Cheeks Face Color by Beauté Minéral: CK – 305Sk
4. Alluring Eyes Shadow and Liner Color by Beauté Minéral in: BW-202, PL-203, PL-204
5. Lipstick: 151
   

Also used: Lancôme: Hypnôse Custom Volume Mascara in “Black” and Bilkerdijk: Concealer in “Fawn” and Eye Brow Pencil in “Brown”

Here's alittle more information about Beauté Minéral makeup:

-    FD&C-free / D&C-free
-    Bismuth Oxychloride-free
-    Oil-free
-    Paraben-free
-    Talc-free
-    Fragrance-free
-     Cruelty-free (never tested on animals)
-    Made with pure mineral pigments only

Amy has also been kind enough to sponsor a Reader Giveaway for "Karen'sWorldofBeauty" Readers! The Giveway features 2 Fall Eyeshadow sets:

PL-203M (dark matte purple)
PL-204Sk (light shimmery purple)

GN-204M (dark matte green)
GN-206Sk (med. shimmery green)

*Included in each eye set is a neutral Lipstick: #95 - a nude pink color.

Beauté Minéral - The Worry-free Makeup: Pure + Natural Mineral Makeup for Everyone!
www.beautemineral.com


Here’s how to enter Reader Giveaway:
1) To enter to win you must subscribe to karensworldofbeauty.blogspot.com either through Blogger or Google and then leave a comment with you user name and email by Nov. 19, 2009.
 
2) You can tweet this giveway and/or link it on facebook or your own blog for extra chances to win! Just make sure you leave individual comments so all of your entries count. (That’s an extra chance at winning!)

3) For those (few) Readers who are already subscribed to my Blog just leave a comment stating "I'm a Karen's World of Beauty Subscriber" and include your name and the email address you signed up with.

Other Contest Info:
** US Residents only (and your comment must be in English, my Spanish is really bad).
**Winner will be chosen at random.
**Comments posted after the deadline won’t be included in the drawing.
**If you win, you must respond to my email with your mailing address within a week after the end of the drawing in order to receive your prize. I am not responsible for anything that happens once prizes are mailed out. If it gets lost, damaged or melts, etc., I'm sorry but I can’t replace it. 
Thanks & good luck everyone!!!

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS BEAUTY

October is Breast Cancer Awareness (BCA) month and beauty companies have created special products, many  branded with the pink ribbon to support breast cancer research.  Listed below are a few of the BCA beauty products currently available this month:

Smashbox -Photo Finish Lipstick to Benefit Susan G. Komen For The Cure  ($22)
This limited-edition lipstick in their best-selling babydoll pink shade is a beautiful way to give back. Part of the proceeds benefit the Los Angeles County Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, to help raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research grants, meritorious awards, and educational, scientific and community outreach programs around the world. Limited-edition sleeve inspired by the Fashion for the Cure® benefit, which will feature the Diane von Furstenberg Cruise/Pre-Spring Collection 2009/2010.

Estee Lauder - Elizabeth Hurley Lip Design Collection ($22)
Estee Lauder Lip Design Collection - Lipstick, gloss and pencil and your purchase helps charity.
Elizabeth Hurley hand-picked the shades for this exclusive set:
    * Pure Color Lipstick in Elizabeth Pink
    * High Gloss in Pink Lady
    * Artist's Lip Pencil in Pink Writer
    * Pink Case with Mirror
The Estee Lauder Companies' Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign is the largest corporate sponsor of The Breast Cancer Research Foundation to find a cure in our lifetime.

Three Custom Color - Be Bright Pink Lip Gloss ($23.50)
An exclusive shade created to support Bright Pink, a national non-profit organization that provides education and support to young women who are at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer. 20% of sales generated by the purchase of Be Bright Pink Lip Gloss will be donated to support Bright Pink’s mission. To learn more about this amazing charity, log on to www.bebrightpink.org.

Bobbi Brown - Pink Ribbon Collection ($40)
A beautiful limited-edition lip set featuring Blush Pink Creamy Lip Color and Pink Crystal Glitter Lip Balm, in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month. With your purchase of Bobbi's Pink Ribbon Collection, you are contributing to Bobbi Brown's donation of $35,000 to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, whose mission is to achieve prevention and a cure for breast cancer in our lifetime.  Every order on BobbiBrown.com will include a Pink Ribbon, made from recycled materials. 
* This item ships free all month on the Bobbi Brown website as "Thank you" for your support.

OPI - "Pink Of Hearts" Nail Lacquer for Breast Cancer Awareness  ($8.50)
Show your support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month with "Pink of Hearts", the official OPI Nail Lacquer created exclusively to support Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Rethink Breast Cancer in their promise to end breast cancer forever. OPI will make a donation of $25,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, as well as a $5000 donation to Rethink Breast Cancer in Canada. A pretty, empowering light pink, "Pink of Hearts" is a shade every woman will be proud to wear because it represents the power of caring, the power of women supporting each other, and the power of pink.

Essie - "Yes We Can Pink!" Nail Polish  ($8)
Wear pink this October...on your fingers and toes in an effort to raise breast cancer awareness. To join in the fight against the powerful disease, Essie Cosmetics has created "Yes We Can, Pink!", a new nail color, for which a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC), a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering women affected by the disease.

Philosophy - "She Colors My Day" - Charity Bubble Bath benefiting the Women's Cancer Research Fund   ($20)
Inspired by the artwork of her daughter, Philosophy founder Cristina Carlino co-created a unique bath product to celebrate the bond between mothers and daughters and help give back to a very worthwhile cause. "She Colors My Day" generates high-foaming bubbles, lightly tints your bath green and helps soothe and moisturize skin. 100% of Philosophy's net proceeds from the sale of "She Colors My Day" will be donated to the Entertainment Industry Foundation's Women's Cancer Research Fund to support the early detection of women's cancers. Available exclusively on www.philosophy.com.

**** To learn more about Breast Cancer and the search for the cure, please check out the following websites:
www.NationalBreastCancer.org
www.findacure.org

www.bcrfcure.org

 ww5.komen.org

MY OBSESSION! BRONZER

* photo courtesy of www.fashionmagazine.com

If you know me, you know that I am obsessed with makeup but in particular I LOVE using bronzer/highlighter to illuminate the skin. Bronzer comes in so many forms - whether cream, liquid, powder, even mousse...there is a perfect match for everyone.

Most days I layer a combination of bronzing/illuminating products to create a long-lasting glow to my skin. One of my absolute favorite products is MAC Colour Cream Base in "Bronze" .  I use it as highlighter on top of my cheekbones and sometimes on my eyelids as base for my powder eye shadow.  Unfortunately the color is currently discontinued at MAC so I had to go hunting for it on eBay.  I also found a replacement for it in Mak Up For Ever Diamond Cream - Face & Body Irridescent Cream in "#6/Copper".  Years ago I used to wear a product from Shu Uemura called Base Control in "Bronze".  When using cream or liquid bronzer/highlighter I usually top it with a powder bronzer like Cargo's Powder Bronzer in "Dark"  or MAC Iridescent Loose Powder in "Golden Bronze" to set the cream and to further enhance the gorgeous deep golden-bronze color.

On rich, chocolate skin like mine a warm bronze or coppery  color is just lovely but most women can get away with wearing gold...just make it tone appropriate.  So if you're a pale blonde or redhead you would want to wear a pale yellow gold but if you have alot more pigment in your skin you would use a warmer, richer shade of gold.  Some examples of great colors to use as bronzer/highlighter are:

M.A.C. Colour Cream Base - "Bronze" pictured but you can try "Improper Copper"  ($16.50)

Three Custom Color - Mood Lighting Shimmer Cremes in "Afterglow" – A pearlescent champagne with flecks of gold and violet and "On Fire"– A bronzed shimmer with a swirl of opalescence. ($20.50)

Physicians Formula - Summer Eclipse® Bronzing & Shimmery Face Powder in "Starlight/Medium Bronzer" ($12.95)

Sally Hansen - Natural Beauty inspired by Carmindy: Sun Glow Powder Bronzer in "Summer" ($12.99)

Youngblood Cosmetics - Mineral Radiance in "Sundance" ($39)

Truly fabulous in summer but beautiful all year round I'm a huge fan of bronzer.  Try it for yourself and you'll see what I mean.  And if you need help with figuring how to use bronzer check out my earlier blog post "Bronzer Makeup Tutorial".  Enjoy!

"BRONZER" MAKEUP TUTORIAL

Want to look healthy and tanned without subjecting your skin to the damaging rays of the sun or tanning booth? Then think bronzer my friend!  Some people think bronzer is just for the summer but as the weather cools its nice to give your skin alittle warmth.  Not sure how to use bronzer to get a natural looking glow, then check out the video below.

Bronzer should be applied to the parts of the face that normally get the most sun (top of cheekbones, down center of nose, tip of chin and center of the forehead). It looks most natural if you use a natural matte product or one with subtle shimmer and apply with a light hand. You can always add more product if necessary but apply too much and it can make your face look dirty or muddy. 

PRODUCTS USED: 
Face: Cinema Secrets Foundation Kit #8  ($21)

Bronzer: MAC Mineralize SkinFinish Natural in "Dark" - deep caramel. ($25) and Nixie Bronze Beauty in "Key Largo Beach" - sheer gold shimmer ($24)

Lip: Lancome Le Rouge Absolu - Reshaping & Replenishing LipColour SPF 15 in "Amande Sucrée" ($26)

MAC #188 Small Duo Fibre Face Brush ($34)


Model: Shauna Blaize
Videographer: Amanda Taylor Duncan