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beauty: opinion

Natural and mineralNatural and mineral

Natural and mineral: two words that go together in make-up by Nicole McKinnon

From issue 20 of Lucire

 

SO MANY MAGAZINES tell us the same tedious and boring information time and time again when it comes to beauty care.

I even came across a beauty column the other day that basically said, 'Cleanse, tone, moisturize.'

Don't they know we are not completely dingy and require at least a speck of intellectual stimulation?

Which brings me to an issue that comes up time and time again. We are spoilt for choice when it comes to skin care concoctions and professional treatments. How do we make discerning choices without succumbing to clever marketing hype? How can we grasp whether or not a product will deliver what it pledges?

The vast majority of cosmetics available to us are formulated predominately with fillers. Unfortunately, these fillers do not have any real benefit to the skin other than a bit of "slip and glide". They may foam up perfectly and smell luxurious (thanks to the sensitizing artificial nasties), but do little else.

Often you will see the latest buzz ingredient marketed on your little pot of magic. Look closely at the ingredient listing and you may find something like 0·006 per cent of that promised ingredient. Hardly enough to do half of what it says it will.

The other option is to get a professionally prescribed, intelligently put together skin care programme by a qualified beauty therapist, whose agenda is simple: results!

And whilst working away in my beauty studio the other day, I came across mineral make-up!

Hot date formula 101! This make-up is like an extension to your skin care régime as its base is zinc and titanium oxide. Not only is zinc a rebalancing and healing mineral, it also offers soothing and anti-inflammatory properties. (Perfect for not only disguising the spot that appears before your hot date, but also helps alleviate it!)

Titanium dioxide provides a chemical-free solar protection, shielding from both UVB and UVA rays. (Good riddance, greasy old sunblock!) Because these oxides are derived from the earth, the allergy rate is exceedingly low, allowing even the most precious skins to like them. They are unhampered by artificial fragrance, colour and preservatives (our three favourite skin sensitizes). Being talc-free, they are nondrying, non-cakey and tend not to reside in wrinkles!

The colours are intense, long-lasting and light reflecting.

Due to the fact that mineral make-up is inorganic, it doesn't need waxes, gums or oils to "hold it together". This means that there is no expiry date: it has an infinite shelf life. The other great thing about this is that bacteria can't grow in it and nor can the product turn rancid. Fabulous!

For the creative ones among us, it is possible to create your own colours by blending different shades together. The iron oxides used to form the colour are very easily blended into one and other.

And better still, you can sleep in it!

 

Nicole McKinnon is principal of New Leaf Skin Care, Kilbirnie, Wellington, New Zealand.

 

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