Getting Juiced

Vanity has got me worried about available options in organic make up when I did the switch to safe, organic products. There's a sea of organic toiletries out there but I can't say the same for organic make up products. Take a visit to any organic shop and you'll see there's only a small section of organic colours. I guess the good thing about not having that many options is that it makes choosing what to use/try easier. The first organic make up items I got are base products since they cover bigger skin surface and after some research and shopping around, I got Juice Beauty SPF 30 Tinted Mineral Moisturizer and Refining Finishing Powder to try.

A search on the Skin Deep database shows that Juice Beauty fairs pretty well in terms of safety so that's a good start. I've been using this duo for about a month and I'm generally okay with it. I'm happy with the performance of the tinted moisturizer though not being entirely thrilled by its texture. Its thick texture is similar to that of any BB cream so it's on the heavy side and it leaves a sticky after feel which I don't fancy. You'll definitely need to have a finishing dust of loose powder to set it cos there's no way you can walk out in the tropical heat without having your face turned into a complete oil slick. However, the good thing about this is that it is quite moisturizing for my dry skin. With other brands of tinted moisturizer, my face would feel a tad tight after dusting some powder, but I get a comfortable feel with this one and I guess it makes the slight sticky after feel okay. Don't expect major coverage too but it works fine for me since I don't want anything that masks the skin.

I was expecting my skin to have some major oiling up but that didn't quite happen despite the heavy texture. My skin is actually liking it with better hydration level these days. So it's fair to say that my skin texture improved with this tinted moisturizer over time. However, if you have oilier skin, I doubt it would work for you because of its heavy texture! But for my dry skin, I'll give it 3.5 stars out of 5.

The Juice Beauty Refining Finishing Powder, on the other hand, is less stellar. It's not a bad product but I find that the powder isn't as fine as I would want it to. So when I apply it over concealer, especially the under-eye areas, it tends to get a bit blotchy. It's slight but it bugs me cos base make up is supposed to smoothen you up. If what you want a powder to simply set the tinted moisturizer, then this does the job okay but if, like me, you need concealer for survival, then it could be a bit problematic as it tends to be a bit blotchy when you layer it over concealer.

Also, it doesn't come with a powder puff or brush in the packaging and that's a bit of a minus point for me. The saving grace for this, however, is its ability to keep your skin matt even with a heavy tinited moisturizer underneath. I'll rate it 2.75 stars out of 5. Yes, 2.75 is a strange number I know but I think 2.5 seems a bit harsh cos it's not really that shitty a product and for all you know, it might just work for you. But looks like I won't be buying this one again after I finish it up.

Overall, I think my first foray into organic base has been satisfactory though not entirely life changing. I've kinda set sight on the next couple of base products to try when this duo runs out. I think my only complain about organic make up is the lack of pretty packaging. I don't need fancy boxes cos those would go into the trash anyway, but how about some cute sexy looking bottles or designs? Yes, it's all first world pains but well, I'm just saying...