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I am a huge fan of Mineral Make Up in general, particularly an Australian brand called Minerelle. Mineral make up suits most skin types however, application styles can vary from product to product and certainly, the pressed mineral powders require less work on the skin than loose powders. Here I show how I apply Minerelle Make Up, a pressed mineral powder as well as discus the benefits of mineral make up in general.

Last week I met a gorgeous rockabilly called Kat. Kat has her own You Tube site that shows other rockabilly chicks and anyone else interested how to do 50′s and 60′s hair and make up and she came into the store looking for natural and vegan make up. As a result of her visit to the store, Kat made a You Tube video which you can view here: My Little Rockabilly – 1960′s Hair & Make Up.

I love this era. It is all bright lips and sultry eyes…and you should see Kat once she has finished. Vavavoom!!!

The products Kat used include the following:

• Lavera Deep Plum lipstick #19. I use this colour also, however, I tend to blot it back a softer for daytime look.
• Ere Perez Black Eyeliner. This is a very soft pencil which is great for eyes, particularly the lower eye rim. If the pencil is too hard, it tends to pull on the eye.
• Eco Tools – Bamboo 5 Piece Brush Set. This range is made from recycled aluminum, bamboo and synthetic bristles so animal friendly and vegan.

A couple of other great lipstick and eyeshadow colours that would also suit this look include:

• Minerelle Marie Lipstick – a true 1940′s blue red
• Lavera Chestnut #27 – the name does not do this colour justice. It is a gorgeous red with a slight yellow base
• Minerelle Dream Eyeshadow – a smokey dark blue grey
• Minerelle Lust Eyeshadow – a black eyeshadow suitable to use as a liner.

While on the topic of natural make up, I wanted to mention issues relating to lead traces found in make up, particularly red lipsticks.

A article in Reuters revealed that more than half the lipsticks of popular brands such as Cover Girl, L’Oreal and Christian Dior contain lead. Over 33 red lipsticks were tested in conjunction with The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and it was found that 61% contained detectable levels of lead (0.03 to 0.65 parts per million (ppm)).

Minerelle Marie - no lead in this red!

While 0.03 ppm may not seem like a lot, the concern with any lead content is that it is not easily detoxified and is readily stored by the body. Additionally, estimates indicate the average woman consumes up to 1kg of lipstick each year. This is where lead levels become serious cause for concern.

As a toxic metal, lead can cause all sorts of issues such as behavioural problems, aggression, learning disorders. It has also been linked with miscarriage in women and infertility in men.

Lead is not added to lipsticks intentionally. It is actually found in some colourants, particularly red shades. At this stage lead content in lipsticks is unregulated however there are calls for the FDA to do. In addition there are also calls to the cosmetic industry to reduce levels or eliminate lead from lipstick all together. It is definitely possible to make lipsticks without lead so there is really no excuse for continuing with the current practices.

Contrary to the popular urban legend, applying lipstick to a gold ring will not indicate the presence of lead. Lead is not a listed ingredient on lipstick labels so it is difficult to know if you using products that contain lead without independent testing. Of those tested, the brands listed above were shown to contain the highest levels. To find out if the brand you use contains lead, visit SafeCosmetics.org.

Lipstick is something I refuse to go without. And I am a big fan of bright lips (definitely not a gloss girl) so it is essential that my lipstick is safe. There are a growing number of  natural and non-toxic brands available including the Minerelle, Ere Perez and Lavera brands stocked at Vitale Natural.