Welcome to day 4 of our "7 Days and 7 Nights of Mineral Makeup". At this point, some of you probably dubbed this series as "the MMU boot camp" already and I do agree. I love MMU y'all! And if you've been following my blog since Monday, you know what "MMU" stands for right? Right? For you newbies out there, hang tight and don't be scared. "MMU" stands for "mineral makeup" and we're going to stick with it from now on.
Today we're talking about my utmost favorite MMU company called Silk Naturals. This company was founded by Karen Stark in 2006 in her quest to find the perfect makeup that does not aggravate her skin. Silk Naturals (or SN) is a small business which sets it apart from other big-league companies such as Bare Essentuals or Everyday Minerals. The company's success is pretty much due to its fine products that induce a strong group of customers. Karen, in fact, is a very nice lady and really listens to her customers.
In this entry, I am going to review some of SN's products that I've used. Seriously, I have a lot of their stuff and I haven't had one that I didn't like. I think it's hard to go wrong with this company.
1. Foundation:
After EM, I was not happy with their foundation but did not want to go back to regular foundation anymore. I was so stubborn y'all! So my quest to find the perfect mineral foundation started again and lucky me, I found SN. Unlike other companies, SN does not mix the foundations for you! A very strange concept that works. Instead, you get to mix it yourself and aha, your foundation matches your skin perfectly! It does take a bit of your time to mix and match but afterwards, you get a foundation that's yours forever. And if you get a tan during the summer, just go ahead and add some extra ebony powder to it.
Moreover, SN foundation has silk powder in it which makes my face looks flawless. Whenever I use their foundation, it stays put and doesn't give me an oil slick look at the end of the day. Take that, BE! Since I live in the South, having a foundation that does not slide or melt in the heat is very important. I don't want to look like a hot mess under the sun y'all! SN is the only foundation that truly delivers and I've never been looking for another foundation ever again!
My rating: A, could have been A+ if I didn't have to mix my foundation. Also, if you're allergic to silk powder, please don't use it!
2. Eyeshadows:
Currently I own 6 of SN eyeshadows and they are one of the most pigmented colors I've ever had. Karen not only owns SN but also creates all of the colors: foundations, concealers, blushes, eyeshadows, lip colors, etc. SN eyeshadows work fine with or without an eyeshadow base, a thing that most mineral eyeshadows can't do.
Sizing purpose: eyeshadow, blush sample, and mineral glow sample are in 5-gram jars.The quarter is there for size comparison.
A swatch of colors that I own: chocolate twinkle, grassroot green, boom, whisper, cashmere, and idolize. Picture was taken without flash and in natural light.I own quite a lot of their highlighting and nude colors simply because they are so awesome! Cashmere is my favorite sheer wash color ever: I can quickly get out of the house with a wash of this color over the eyelids, a bit of eyeliner, and mascara. It's so low-maintenance chic and I love it.
Boom is a clone of MAC Shroom and Whisper is a clone of Your Ladyship. Idolize is a clone of Idol Eyes from MAC. SN does have a wide color clones from MAC, Bobbi Brown, Chanel, Urban Decay, and Nars. Since I don't own any of the original colors, I have no idea how close they are to the originals. Even if they are not clones, SN eyeshadows are very good colors, no doubt about it!
I didn't realize how sparkly these colors are until I took the picture. Look at Chocolate Twinkle, it sparkles like mad!
My rating: A+
3. Blushes and Mineral Glow:
I haven't come around to purchase the full-size items because I never get to the end of the samples. SN offers matte and shimmering blushes and they are true to their labels. If it says "sheer blush" then it is really sheer, you need to layer it. If it just says "blush" then it is pigmented enough to be applied in one or two layers.
The mineral glows are similar to MAC MSF but without bismuth oxychloride. Some of them are MSF clones as well. Also like MSF, these mineral glows are really virsatile: I used them as blushes, highlighters, eyeshadows (they are pigmented enough!), and all-over face glows. The mineral glows are truly fantastic and you should not miss them.
A swatch of mineral glows and blushes:
Halo, Cupid, and Heavenly mineral glows, Tarte and Climax blushes
Boom is a clone of MAC Shroom and Whisper is a clone of Your Ladyship. Idolize is a clone of Idol Eyes from MAC. SN does have a wide color clones from MAC, Bobbi Brown, Chanel, Urban Decay, and Nars. Since I don't own any of the original colors, I have no idea how close they are to the originals. Even if they are not clones, SN eyeshadows are very good colors, no doubt about it!
I didn't realize how sparkly these colors are until I took the picture. Look at Chocolate Twinkle, it sparkles like mad!
My rating: A+
3. Blushes and Mineral Glow:
I haven't come around to purchase the full-size items because I never get to the end of the samples. SN offers matte and shimmering blushes and they are true to their labels. If it says "sheer blush" then it is really sheer, you need to layer it. If it just says "blush" then it is pigmented enough to be applied in one or two layers.
The mineral glows are similar to MAC MSF but without bismuth oxychloride. Some of them are MSF clones as well. Also like MSF, these mineral glows are really virsatile: I used them as blushes, highlighters, eyeshadows (they are pigmented enough!), and all-over face glows. The mineral glows are truly fantastic and you should not miss them.
A swatch of mineral glows and blushes:Halo, Cupid, and Heavenly mineral glows, Tarte and Climax blushes
Halo is a clone of New Vegas MSF, Cupid is a clone of Northen Lights MSF, and Heavenly is a clone of Stereo Rose MSF. The last one I really adore and use as a blush sometimes.
Tarte is a clone of Bobbi Brown Pink Raspberry and also a matte blush. I got it as a test sample and use it as an eyeshadow sometimes. Very pink, almost neon bright but gives me a nice pinky glow on my cheek. Climax is a sheer blush and a clone of Nars Orgasm. As it is sheer, you need to layer lots of it to get the color. I think lighter skin ladies will have more luck on this blush than me.
My ratings: A+ for the mineral glows, A for the blushes as they are not so pigmented.
4. Lip glosses:
There are 3 types of lip colors at SN: lip gloss, lip sticks, and kiss bliss demi gloss. I only tried their lip glosses so I can't tell how well the other two performs. However, the lip glosses are really fantastic. They smell sweet, doesn't taste like anything, and are organic. Also, they are moisturizing without being sticky. But if you think you need to dip a wand into the gloss tube to scoop some of the gooey gloss out, you're wrong!
Their lip glosses are packed in lipstick tubes! And they feel like MAC lustre lipsticks...with about 1/4 of the price! Karen also has quite a few clone colors of MAC and Bobbi Brown lipsticks for those of you who are budget conscious.
My rating: A+ for the glosses!
5. Other items I can think of: finishing powder et al
The finishing powders are great, they totally blur out your pores. However, I find them a bit heavier than EM silk dust so I don't use them as much. I haven't bought any brushes from them so I don't know. I haven't used their gel liners, solid perfumes, mascaras, primers so I am not going to chime in on those.
In short, Silk Naturals is a very wonderful MMU company. Recently, Karen has expanded her products with newer colors and different foundation formulas. Whenever I'm stressed, I go to her blog to read about what's coming up next in SN. Usually, every 2-3 months Karen releases a new batch of products based on customers' requests. SN ships their orders out very fast and Karen is very friendly. If you have any inquiries, she will answer you within a week as I'm sure she's very busy. Also, she is very well-equipped with MMU knowledge and mentioned that she goes to Princeton library to do her own readings on this subject matter. I am a pretty picky customer when it comes to makeup but I've never been upset about any of SN products at all. This company deserves an A++ for ending my quest to a perfect match mineral foundation.
After this post, the rest of this series will have shorter entries. I know you're tired of my long-winding posts already and I promise the last 3 will be shorter.
Take care and have fun!
Your Makeup Blogger
Tarte is a clone of Bobbi Brown Pink Raspberry and also a matte blush. I got it as a test sample and use it as an eyeshadow sometimes. Very pink, almost neon bright but gives me a nice pinky glow on my cheek. Climax is a sheer blush and a clone of Nars Orgasm. As it is sheer, you need to layer lots of it to get the color. I think lighter skin ladies will have more luck on this blush than me.
My ratings: A+ for the mineral glows, A for the blushes as they are not so pigmented.
4. Lip glosses:
There are 3 types of lip colors at SN: lip gloss, lip sticks, and kiss bliss demi gloss. I only tried their lip glosses so I can't tell how well the other two performs. However, the lip glosses are really fantastic. They smell sweet, doesn't taste like anything, and are organic. Also, they are moisturizing without being sticky. But if you think you need to dip a wand into the gloss tube to scoop some of the gooey gloss out, you're wrong!
Their lip glosses are packed in lipstick tubes! And they feel like MAC lustre lipsticks...with about 1/4 of the price! Karen also has quite a few clone colors of MAC and Bobbi Brown lipsticks for those of you who are budget conscious.
My rating: A+ for the glosses!
5. Other items I can think of: finishing powder et al
The finishing powders are great, they totally blur out your pores. However, I find them a bit heavier than EM silk dust so I don't use them as much. I haven't bought any brushes from them so I don't know. I haven't used their gel liners, solid perfumes, mascaras, primers so I am not going to chime in on those.
In short, Silk Naturals is a very wonderful MMU company. Recently, Karen has expanded her products with newer colors and different foundation formulas. Whenever I'm stressed, I go to her blog to read about what's coming up next in SN. Usually, every 2-3 months Karen releases a new batch of products based on customers' requests. SN ships their orders out very fast and Karen is very friendly. If you have any inquiries, she will answer you within a week as I'm sure she's very busy. Also, she is very well-equipped with MMU knowledge and mentioned that she goes to Princeton library to do her own readings on this subject matter. I am a pretty picky customer when it comes to makeup but I've never been upset about any of SN products at all. This company deserves an A++ for ending my quest to a perfect match mineral foundation.
After this post, the rest of this series will have shorter entries. I know you're tired of my long-winding posts already and I promise the last 3 will be shorter.
Take care and have fun!
Your Makeup Blogger