Buff'd Cosmetics - BEAUTIFUL!

Being off on maternity leave for a year, I did tend to let myself go a bit (ok, maybe a lot). I would dress myself in the nearest clothes (usually from the floor), rarely look in a mirror or brush my hair, and as for makeup? Definitely the least of my concerns when I was up all night long with my babes.

Well, now that I am back to work it actually feels good to get a bit dressed up, and yes, even put on some makeup.

When you make the rest of your life as green as possible, you certainly don't want to cheat on things that actually come into contact with your body - and that means no nasty chemicals on your face (do you really want poisonous things that close to your brain?).

Buff'd Cosmetics are the perfect "green" answer. Canadian (yay!), a huge variety of shades for all, and personalized help from owner Jennifer Gerwing if you are colour-dumb like I am and need some assistance in choosing the right shades for you. This mineral makeup is fab-u-lous!

I am fair-skinned with dirty blonde hair, blue eyes and zero ability to pick out colours. I was sent Bisque, Fair and Lace foundations to take for a test run. I did work up the nerve to mix some of the colours together and I even added a touch of honey bronzer because I am a bit tanned from a summer of paddling and and playing out of doors. The colours mixed up so easily in a small jar and I applied them with a Kabuki brush. You do need to apply moisturizer first so it doesn't settle in fine lines (not that I have any - haha). It provides great coverage to cover any minor imperfections (not that I have any of those either - tee hee), and yet is sheer enough that you don't look like you are wearing makeup. NICE!

These sifter jars from Buff'd are perfect for dispensing small amounts of makeup to use with your makeup brushes - no waste and portion control! (think Mimi Bobeck from the Drew Carey Show - no one wants that look!)

They have an incredible selection of eye shadows. I used some brown, earthy shades to complement my blue eyes. The colours actually lasted all day, which is great, since in the past so many eyeshadows seem to just fade away my during my busy days.

And, at Jennifer's suggestion, I tried out a pigment. These pigments are pure pops of colour, and they really add some zing. I had a flashy green shade called Devine, which is a gorgeous green shade. NOT something I would ever pick on my own. I wore it as an eyeshadow and got so so many compliments. Gee, compliments are NICE! Hmmm, I may have to walk on the wild side a bit more often.

Is this an awesome colour or what? I love this Devine shade!

One thing I did experiment with was taking the eye colours and mixing them (not all together of course, I'm not that colour-dumb) on the back of my hand with a drop of water to make a paste. I then applied these as eyeshadows and even a liner and absolutely LOVED the effect. Brilliant colours, and they went on so smoothly.

I haven't had time to try out all the goodies from Buff'd, but I can't wait to get at them. When you only have 2 1/2 minutes in the morning to get yourself ready for work, it's hard to get in too much experimentation at one time. Well, not without looking like a relative of Bozo's, that is.

So be sure and head on over to Buff'd and check them out. I totally suggest the sample sizes - they are enough to last for many applications, since with mineral makeup you don't need very much to make an impact. Plus, you can try out a variety of items to find what you truly love best.

Another bonus? When my little 3 year old princess wants to put on makeup "just like mommy", I don't mind giving her a quick swipe since I know this makeup doesn't contain all the harsh chemicals of most makeup out there on the market. This company ain't trying to hide anything, as they list their ingredients right on their website. How is that for inspiring some confidence in a product, eh?

Did I mention that they are Canadian too, eh?