Thank you so much for all of your individual attention! I had clear skin all through high school and college, and never thought much about makeup, aside from some blush, which I seem to need year-round. I never used foundation because I had no need. Then, in my early twenties, I started having acne problems. I tried a number of items, both drug-store brands and high-end, organic/natural products only found in specialty shops. Nothing ever really got rid of my acne for good, until this past summer, when I just couldn't take it anymore. I was going for job interviews and some days I felt so bad mabout the way my face looked, I didn't want to leave the house. So I took a two-fold attack: I was lucky enough to find a doctor at my university health center who prescribed both retin-A and topical antibiotics, but I knew it was going to take several months for them to have the desired effect. The second part of my plan was makeup. After seeing plenty of ads over the years for Bare Escentuals, my mother and I had gone the previous summer to Sephora for me to get some. Well, I loved how I looked in it, and how easy it was to use, but boy was I upset when I had an all-new round of breaking out.
Discouraged, I put it away and decided I wouldn't use makeup for a while. Then, on
Halloween, I was going to a party and really wanted to look my best. Out came the BE, and once again, my face broke out so badly, it didn't really recover (to my "normal" state of some acne) for a few months. Another few months went by, and the end of graduate school and my job search loomed, so I returned to the internet to do some research (I was, after all, in school to be a librarian), and learned that Bismuth Oxychloride was the culprit in BE's makeup, but that there were a number of smaller, internet-based mineral makeup companies. I spent hours poring over websites, checking out who had the most reasonable prices for both full-sized products and samples, as well as who had nanoparticles and BO in their products. I narrowed my choices down to Elegant Minerals, Everyday Minerals, Signature Minerals, and Aromaleigh.
I went through two or three rounds of samples with each company, over the course of a few months. I finally decided that EM had not only the best colors for me, but the best, most natural coverage. While my skin was healing with the help of prescription products, EM makeup helped me feel confident at my job interviews, and in general. I was especially pleased with the fact that the products offer sun protection - a whopping 25 SPF in the concealer - as retin-A can cause photosensitivity, and my skin was too sensitive to use any commercial sunscreens (I have since found that I can use Dr. Hauschka, which I put under my EM makeup for added protection now that I am living in Southern California). I am now a loyal Elegant Minerals customer. I wrote to another company because of a problem I was having with a brush I had purchased from them, and they asked if I was using their products. I wrote back that I was so happy with my EM that I wasn't willing to go through another round of sampling.
My best friend got married a few weeks ago, and while I had the option of having a
professional do my makeup, I opted to try some EM eye-shadows. With my mother's help (I am still a makeup novice), I was able to attain a look that rivaled any professional job. Most recently, when I had some questions about an order, Tracey, the owner of EM, went out of her way to make sure I was happy with both her products and her customer service. My acne is pretty much gone now, but my skin tone could use some evening out, and I am so in love with the natural "finished" look I can have with just a few products from EM. I especially like using the same color on my cheeks as on my lips, covered with lip balm or gloss. Thanks so much, Tracey and Elegant Minerals, for affordable, all natural products that I can feel good about using and that don't hurt my skin, backed with such good customer service.
Best,
Rachel
Discouraged, I put it away and decided I wouldn't use makeup for a while. Then, on
Halloween, I was going to a party and really wanted to look my best. Out came the BE, and once again, my face broke out so badly, it didn't really recover (to my "normal" state of some acne) for a few months. Another few months went by, and the end of graduate school and my job search loomed, so I returned to the internet to do some research (I was, after all, in school to be a librarian), and learned that Bismuth Oxychloride was the culprit in BE's makeup, but that there were a number of smaller, internet-based mineral makeup companies. I spent hours poring over websites, checking out who had the most reasonable prices for both full-sized products and samples, as well as who had nanoparticles and BO in their products. I narrowed my choices down to Elegant Minerals, Everyday Minerals, Signature Minerals, and Aromaleigh.
I went through two or three rounds of samples with each company, over the course of a few months. I finally decided that EM had not only the best colors for me, but the best, most natural coverage. While my skin was healing with the help of prescription products, EM makeup helped me feel confident at my job interviews, and in general. I was especially pleased with the fact that the products offer sun protection - a whopping 25 SPF in the concealer - as retin-A can cause photosensitivity, and my skin was too sensitive to use any commercial sunscreens (I have since found that I can use Dr. Hauschka, which I put under my EM makeup for added protection now that I am living in Southern California). I am now a loyal Elegant Minerals customer. I wrote to another company because of a problem I was having with a brush I had purchased from them, and they asked if I was using their products. I wrote back that I was so happy with my EM that I wasn't willing to go through another round of sampling.
My best friend got married a few weeks ago, and while I had the option of having a
professional do my makeup, I opted to try some EM eye-shadows. With my mother's help (I am still a makeup novice), I was able to attain a look that rivaled any professional job. Most recently, when I had some questions about an order, Tracey, the owner of EM, went out of her way to make sure I was happy with both her products and her customer service. My acne is pretty much gone now, but my skin tone could use some evening out, and I am so in love with the natural "finished" look I can have with just a few products from EM. I especially like using the same color on my cheeks as on my lips, covered with lip balm or gloss. Thanks so much, Tracey and Elegant Minerals, for affordable, all natural products that I can feel good about using and that don't hurt my skin, backed with such good customer service.
Best,
Rachel