The best of the natural make-ups

I’ve been writing about natural and chemical free skin products for awhile now but not much about natural make-ups. And the reason is that I’ve not found many I really like. They tend to have dull colours with a sometimes weird texture and don’t look great when you apply them which completely defeats the purpose of wearing make-up in the first place!

But I’ve decided to put more effort into tracking down the good brands because there must be some right? And after all, make up does go on our skin and the regular brands are absolute teaming with chemicals.

So what better place to start than at the Natural Health International Beauty Awards where I was a judge for the second year in a row?

There was one brand who’s name kept coming up when we announced the winners

Lily Lolo won the highest make-up accolade by walking off with the prize for winner of the best make-up range.

They were also in the top three for mascara, eyeshadow and blusher.

And with their sleek modern packaging in black and white and very wearable colours they were my first port of call.

It helps that they’re brilliantly priced and have something for every skin tone

I decided to test the two make-ups that I think are the most important – mascara and lipstick.

Mascaras

I wanted a va va voom one and one for a more subtle natural look. I was looking at the clumping factor (all mascaras clump in my experience but some more than others), the intensity of the colour, the lasting power, the amount of mascara fall under the eye and the general look.

Big Lash Mascara in Black

This is a powerhouse one, good for a night out when you want your mascara to make an impact. It has a great shaped brush that allows you to sweep the entire length of the lash and give it a bit of a curl. The colour was an intense glossy black that lasted the whole night with no drop or smudge at all by the end of the night (this is quite rare in my experience). There was a little clumping and, as I do with all mascaras, I used a dry spiral brush to brush away the clumpy bits, which is something I would recommend whenever applying mascara. I thought this mascara was pretty good with particularly good colour and definitely comparable to the big name regular brands.

Natural Mascara in Black

This one was a winner for me. Incredibly natural and it just gave my eyelashes some much needed subtle darkening and thickening so they looked like they used to look. My eyelashes have really thinned down over the years and I feel pretty naked without mascara these days but don’t want to look all made up most of the time. This mascara is the one I’ve been looking for! It’s a very subtle black and looked more dark brown to me which was absolutely fine. The other mascara is definitely the one for a big night out but this is the one I will definitely wear the most. It did wear off a little by the end of the day but left no under eye smudge. Could probably have done with a top up at some stage.

Lipsticks

I generally find it quite hard to find lipstick colours that suit me. Dark colours don’t work on me and neither do lipsticks with a bluey undertone. I tend to therefore go for quite warm, natural and nude tones. And even these I find hard to find. Specially in the natural brands. I usually don’t like the texture and the colours aren’t great. The only one I really love is the matte nude by Green People called Damask Rose.

So I was gobsmacked when I liked all three lipsticks that they sent me. These were not matte and not glossy. They have a smooth satin finish and were all quite sheer. They didn’t have an intense pigment so if you like a real shot of colour this may not work for you (however I only tried quite natural colours).

Rose Gold –

A peachy warm colour with a shimmery gold finish. I think it’s perfect for summer and days spent in the sun or on the beach. Very sheer. It’s the faded looking one on the left of the photo which shows just how sheer it is but really doesn’t do it justice. I love the natural shimmer.

Nude Allure –

A real natural nude with a warm pinky hue, ideal for the no make-up look. It’s a better version of one’s natural lip colour and would pretty much suit everyone. It’s in the middle of the photo.

Demure –

A very warm peach with a bit more intense colour although still quite sheer. Perfect for people like me with a more yellow toned skin. On the right of the photo.

The three colours look very similar in the photo above but once on they’re actually quite different. What they have in common is that they’re all quite natural and sheer.

Check out the rest of the range – LILY LOLO