Monave Mineral Cosmetics

From its first incarnation as a kiosk in Baltimore in 2000, Monave has quickly grown to be an industry leader in the natural products revolution. The makeup is crafted from carefully selected, high quality minerals that are free of irritants, including dyes, animal by-products, and preservatives. the skin care has the highest quality standards of whole botanical ingredints, preserved with essential oils, and hand made in small quantities to ensure freshness and product effectiveness.

Monave's philosophy is three-fold:

• Anything put on the skin should be healthy and irritant-free
• Makeup designed for toay's woman should be easy to apply, and long-wearing
• Makeup should look natural and accentuate a person's inherent beauty. 

The Monave line of mineral cosmetics includes lip glosses, lipsticks, blush, eye liners, bronzers, mineral makeup foundation, as well as naturally formulated facial skin care and natural hair care products. 

Monave stands for "Modern", "Natural" and "Versatile".

Around three or four weeks ago, I had the chance to receive some Monave products to try and review. I don't think I have ever heard of this brand before, but I'm always interested in trying new natural cosmetics brands. 95% of Monave products are vegan and gluten free (the only animal by-product they use is beeswax) and their manufacturing is done without any animal testing at all.

Flat Top Brush $18.00

Luxurious, extremely high quality cosmetic brushes, especially manufactured for our mineral makeup line, made without animal hair. The Flat Top Brush features luxurious nylon hair. 

They are super soft, apply the makeup beautifully, and never shed. No nasty dyes to wash out first, no worries about how the animals are really treated, just beautifully crafted, silky soft cosmetic brushes.

I've been told synthetic brushes are much softer than those made with animal hair, and I couldn't agree more! To date, the softest brush I own is my Sigma Flat Top Kabuki F80, but this one can easily compete.

The Flat Top Brush is a real pleasure to use, wether for powder blush or bronzer. I have tried using it with cream blush and it works, altough it's not as dense as I would like it to be for a flawless application.

The light gold bristles are a beautiful touch as well (:

Honey Clay Cleanser $26.50 for 2oz (full size) or $3.00 for 1/5oz (sample)

This simple, soap-free cleanser is designed for skin that can't tolerate even the gentlest soaps. Hydrating, yet effective, it can be used as a cleanser or mask. Honey is one of the most ancient cleansers, and provides moisture as well as pulling out impurities. Clay bonds to impurities and oils, and gently lifts them off of the skin without stripping it.

Honestly, at first, I thought I hated this product. Let's be real: the smell is awful. It's very heavy when you open the tub, and I'm not sure how to describe it - I would say it's smells herbal. I'm not talking about that off-putting chemical scent, but you can definitely tell it's a natural product just by the smell.

Now, onto the texture. I've been warned by Teporah (Monave President) that the Honey Clay Cleanser is sticky, so the best way to use it is with warm water on your skin and fingertips first, as this helps spread it. At first, I thought, well isn't it the way any cleanser works? But let me tell you - this is a strange texture! It's super milky and runny - I almost gave up! But I guess you only need to get used to it.

Oh and don't expect that squeaky clean feeling. Here's what Monave says about that: "If your face does not feel squeaky clean, then fantastic! Give up on that concept, and watch your skin become soft, supple and youthful." I know it's wrong to think our skin is not clean if we can't feel it being fresh and tight, but it's hard to get used to that!

Gentle Bamboo Honey Facial Polish $26.50

Monave Gentle Bamboo Facial Polish contains soothing honey and clay combined with extremely fine crushed bamboo powder. When used once or twice a week, this rich formula will help remove built up dead skin cells, and leave skin smooth and shiny. Our extremely gentle formula is excellent for sensitive skin.

I love this! I don't think I have ever tried a beauty product with bamboo in it before, but this scrub is really interesting.

I'm always scared that a scrub with exfoliating beads in it will leave my already dry skin even more drier, but I tend to shy away from exfoliators that don't contain any because their formula thend to not be abrasive enough for my taste. Complicated much? Yes. But this Bamboo Honey Polish is different! Although you can feel the crushed bamboo powder on your skin when you rub it on, it's still gentle enough and won't dry out even the most sensitive skin.

It also has a strange smell like the Honey Clay Cleanser, but it's less heavy, phewf! As for the texture, it can be a little runny if you use too much, but you really don't need a big quantity of product to cover your face.

Unscented Intensive Emollient $28.50 (full size) or $5.00 (sample)

For the driest of skin, created for women living in harsh climates such as the desert. Smooth over skin after cleansing in the morning and evening. No added fragrances make it the perfect emollient for senstive skin.

Looking at the description, I knew I had to try it. I mean, how can a moisturizer designed for women living in the desert be not effective? I often get dry patches of skin on my face due to eczema, and I need a really heavy moisturizing product to get rid of them. Well this emollient is perfect!

The texture is dreamy. It's whipped to perfection, without being too heavy or buttery, and despite being an "intensive emollient", it doesn't leave my face greasy at all! At first I thought I would use it only at night, but it's also great for day use, even in the summer. It is very quickly absorbed into the skin, and I can almost imediately feel it being moisturized and soothed.

This has quickly became a staple in my skin care routine, and everytime I get an eczema flare up, I know I can rely on this product.

Disclaimer: These products were sent to me for consideration to review. I was not paid for this review,  I am not affiliated with this company and the fact that the products were free absolutely does not influence my opinion.

♥

And the winner of my Voda Swim Push Up Swimsuit giveaway is...

MontserGirl!!!

Congrats! I'm emailing you right away! =D