I’ve not always been the biggest makeup fanatic in the world; I never really wear any for work or just day-to-day, but I do enjoy playing around with different looks when I’m going out and have particularly enjoyed experimenting with different products since I started exploring green beauty. Since I got a few goodies for Christmas and I did a little shopping in the Boxing Day sales, I’ve finally reached a point where I’ve discarded most of the products in my makeup bag from the “pre-green” days, and replaced them with more natural alternatives.
I’ve tried and tested a few different products and brands along the way, however one of my absolute favourite green-beauty-on-a-budget finds has been Lily Lolo‘s fantastic mineral makeup range. Their products are much more affordable than a lot of the other green brands out there, yet look and feel really high quality and generally perform really well (plus, they’re based in Yorkshire!). I started off by trying their Mineral Foundation, BB Cream and Mineral Concealer, and have since practically filled my makeup bag with solely their products! Here are my thoughts on a selection of the products I’m currently using from their range:
- Lily Lolo Mineral Foundation SPF 15 in Warm Peach: I absolutely love this stuff as it gives a really effective but natural-looking coverage, but doesn’t feel heavy on the skin. I never used to really use foundation, I’d just use a little concealer and then a pressed powder, so I love that this foundation gives me the best of both worlds. It’s available for around £15, which I think is great value for money considering how long it lasts; I’ve had my pot since August and am only about a quarter of the way through it (although I don’t use it every day).
- Lily Lolo Mineral Concealer in Barely Beige: This is another absolute favourite of mine and is by far the best concealer I have ever used. I’d never tried a mineral concealer before – opting when I first switched to green beauty to try the considerably more expensive RMS Beauty Un Cover-Up Concealer (priced at £34) – however I’ve found Lily Lolo’s own concealer blends with their mineral foundation so much more effectively. The Mineral Concealer is available for £9, and I’d also recommend using their Concealer Brush, which is priced at £7.
- Lily Lolo BB Cream in Light: Sadly, this is the one Lily Lolo product so far that I haven’t been totally thrilled with. I find that I struggle to get an even coverage and if I use too much of the cream in an attempt to get a nice coverage, it can start to sort of clump up into little bits which I have to try and brush off my face. Unfortunately, this is one Lily Lolo product I’m unlikely to use again; it’s available for £13.50.
- Lily Lolo Illuminator in Rose: In my “pre-green” days, I was completely obsessed with Benefit’s High Beam Liquid Highlighter, so was really keen to find a natural highlighter that I loved just as much; this Lily Lolo Illuminator is it! It’s really easily buildable, so you can vary how much highlight you want depending on what kind of look you’re going for; I apply it with a small fan brush. At £16, it is one of the more expensive products in the range, but it is a pressed powder rather than loose so I expect this will last me ages!
Other products currently in my makeup bag from the Lily Lolo range are the Mineral Blush in Beach Babe, the Eyebrow Duo in Light, the Natural Lip Pencil in Soft Nude, the Natural Lipstick in Berry Crush and the Pedal to the Metal Eye Palette, all of which I’m loving so far.
Another couple of green makeup products that I currently use and are worth mentioning are:
- Vita Liberata Trystal Minerals Self-Tanning Bronzing Minerals in Sunkissed: This was one of the first things I bought when I started exploring green beauty products, as my previous bronzer was close to running out. It claims that, when applied directly onto freshly moisturised skin or on top of liquid foundation, it will gradually build a lasting sunkissed glow that will be visible even once the makeup is removed. I have to say, I’ve never noticed any huge effects in that area, however that might just be because I don’t tend to wear makeup every day so the tan doesn’t build up as well as they expect. Having said that, I do love the fact that this is a loose powder making it easily buildable (I mostly apply this for a bit of contour/definition now, rather than all over the face), and that it comes with it’s own handy Kabuki brush. It’s available for £35; a bit more expensive than I’d like, however I’ve had the same pot for about nine months and barely made a dent in it.
- DHC Mascara Perfect Pro Double Protection*: This was also an early switch for me and, for such a tiny tube of mascara, it really has done well to last me nearly nine months! It’s a tubing mascara (something I’d not heard of until I discovered this), which means it coats the lashes and can only be removed with warm water by gently teasing the tubes off your lashes with your fingers… totally scary the first time you try it, as it looks like you’re pulling your eyelashes out! I’ve got on really well with this mascara and would definitely recommend it; my only complaint would be that – because it’s a tubing mascara and dries so quickly – you can’t really add a second coat, meaning it’s not always easy to get the most lengthening effect. On a good note, the tiny brush makes it really easy to get all the little lashes towards the corners of the eyes. This mascara is currently available for £13.50 through DHC on Amazon.
Have you tried any of these products or do you have any recommendations? I’d love to hear from you!
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*Unfortunately, since publishing this blog post, I have found out that DHC’s affiliate companies test on animals in order to sell their products in the Chinese market; I will therefore not continue to purchase from DHC. You can read about DHC’s animal testing policies, here. Lily Lolo are certified cruelty-free; the Vita Liberata website states that their products are cruelty-free.
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