We’re all drooling over those amazing dresses (Diane Kruger, Penelope Cruz and Cameron Diaz to name just a few), and the gorgeous makeup that perfects the red carpet look.

Forecasters predicted a shift towards minimalism as spring arrives, and we’re seeing certainly seeing signs of it from the red carpet. Accessories have visibly shrunk, and we’ve embraced the season’s key colours, pale nudes, silver and pale pinks. Spring must officially be here!

The makeup style at the Oscars was certainly fresh and flawless; gorgeous glowing complexions matched with pale eye colours. Cheeks see a touch of colour but remain natural with a hint of warmth. Peachy tones are an obvious trend, with celebs ditching the bronzer in favour of a blush with a subtle warm undertone. Peach is great for giving a really healthy glow; as you can see on Kate Bosworth – gently warming the apples of the cheeks.

Eyes are kept understated; simply highlighted with a pale shimmering shade, which is also swept over the cheekbones emphasising the contours. Brows are softly defined, arched and natural.

You can get Kate’s look using a selection of Lily Lolo products. Star Dust shimmer powder £12, Clementine blush, £7, Cream Soda eyeshadow £5, Mud Pie eyeshadow defining brows, £5

Clementine £7

Mudpie £5

Star Dust £12

India Knight is a world renowned writer and journalist. With a regular column in The Sunday Times, India is an authority in ecological and ethical living.

Once she mentioned us in one of her Sunday Times columns. We’re certainly not complaining. Our website nearly crashed! Seriously – web traffic came from far and wide and we found ourselves packing new customer orders all weekend long! As India said, or products are pretty fabulous so we’re pleased to see all those first timers returning purchase after purchase.

We love India for her straight talking, no nonsense guidelines. She credits Lily Lolo in her Thrift Book as one of the best mineral makeup brands on the market, and is especially impressed with our highly competitive price points.

On minerals in general the book shakes the finger at the big companies launching their own mineral lines, and of course the millions* (*perhaps a slight exaggeration but this is what it feels like) of companies that are setting up trying to get in on the mineral act. Trust the experts; choose the best and forget the rest

Thanks India Knight for your fab words. The book is an amusing and informing take on modern life, and we love it. It’s the LL office bible!

It’s certainly something serious to be aware of. Do you know what’s in your favourite lip balm or foundation?

When you buy a product from us at Lily Lolo, you’re also buying a promise. We’re passionate about skin and body friendly products, so we’ve pledged to ensure that our products use natural ingredients and perform without unnecessary additives.

Naturally, we’re delighted when the industry recognises our achievements, and being one of Sarah Callard’s 250 Tips for an Eco Lifestyle is reason to celebrate!

Sarah says:

“Mineral makeup, based on titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, has virtually no allergy risk, acts as an anti-inflammatory for sensitive skin, doesn’t contain any fillers and contains natural sun screens. It is particularly good for people with sensitive skin or those suffering from acne, rosacea or post-surgery. Lily Lolo is a good brand.”

- Sarah Callard, The Little Green book of Beauty: 250 Tips for an Eco Lifestyle, 2008

Star Dust Shimmer Powder

Perhaps the most versatile product in the Lily Lolo collection, Star Dust shimmer powder can be used on the face as well as all over the body.

Whether you’re an English rose, gently sun-kissed or a golden goddess, Star Dust works as a light reflector and illuminator for an ultra flawless look on all skin tones.

Apply all over the face in a light dusting with the Super Powder Brush for a soft-focus glow or highlight the highest areas of the face such as the brow and cheekbones. Bone structure is emphasised as the light hits the highest points.

Star Dust shimmer powder can also be used on your décolleté or dusted onto legs to add a gorgeous sheen. Simply sprinkle into your hand and mix with your favourite body lotion or sweep on with a large brush or flocked sponge – either way it’s a pot of instant glamour, and perfect for an evening out.

Try in the corner of your eyes for a fresh ‘wide awake’ look. Just grab your Lily Lolo Smudge Brush, roll it into the powder and press on, buffing in very small circles. Tired eyes will be instantly banished!

In fact you can even add Star Dust to your lipgloss to add a subtle on trend metallic shimmer to your lips. Adding shimmer is a great way to add volume, resulting in full luscious lips as the tiny sparkles catch the light. Pure and natural, there’s no need to worry about licking it off either.

Let us know how you use yours!

LL x

At Lily Lolo we have two colour correctors which are both really useful concealing tools. One is Blush Away, a clever green toned concealer that helps reduce any red tones within the skin, and the other is Peepo, a yellow toned concealer that camouflages purple tones, making them perfect for under eye circles.

Blush Away

As we said, Blush Away is perfect for concealing any redness in the skin. So if you suffer from rosacea, eczema or spots it’s perfect and it’s even great on sunburn.

The way it works is very clever; if you look at the traditional colour wheel, you’ll see the primary colours of red yellow and blue, with the secondary colours the result of mixing the two primaries.

The secondary colours which sit opposite each primary in the wheel are actually called complementary colours, and have neutralising properties on the opposite colour. So that’s why a green concealer harmonises any red tones within the skin.

Peepo

Based on the same colour theory as Blush Away, Peepo is perfect for concealing purple tones – often the little demons that cause dark circles around the eyes.

As yellow sits opposite purple in the wheel it’s really effective for neutralising purple tones. At only £7 it’s certainly worth investing in a little bit of science!

A flocked sponge (with a soft velvety texture) is another great way to apply mineral foundation. The Lily Lolo one is a bargain at only £4.

The flocked sponge is a great tool if you prefer heavier foundation coverage, as the fine sponge hairs will pick up and hold more of the loose mineral powder. The sponge is also great for removing any excess powder on your face after you’ve used a makeup brush; it just picks up any loose grains still sitting on the surface after you’ve been buffing with the brush.

Versatile and washable (in warm soapy water, leaving to dry naturally) the sponge comes in its own plastic sleeve and is a must-have for mineral lovers. Here’s your step by step application guide:

1. As with brush application ensure your skin is well prepped; cleansed, toned and moisturised, ensuring the skin has absorbed all of the moisture before you begin applying the powder.

2. Tap some product into the lid of your mineral foundation pot, and mop up the powder with the sponge.

3. Dab and sweep the minerals across your face, working from the centre outwards, in the direction of any fine hairs.

Some people find that they like to apply mineral foundation wet – the flocked sponge is great for this, just wet under the tap, squeeze out any excess water and apply as normal.

Lily Lolo in the Green Beauty Bible

Hosting their own awards annually for beauty products we’re delighted to have won the top award in categories, Foundation and Finishing Powder.  

The latest edition has been updated and relaunched, following an intensive product testing process, with a panel of over 1000 testers. The book looks at green and natural beauty products and answers the many questions that women have about their cosmetics and skincare, recommending the industry hero products as they go.  

 Here’s a glimpse of some of the testers thoughts on Lily Lolo:  

Lily Lolo Foundation  

Comments: ‘Took away most of the redness’ • ‘unbelievably natural finish, with a fabulous glow’ • ‘with a flush of blush and this, I’ve finally captured the no make-up make-up!’  

Lily Lolo finishing Powder  

Comments: ‘Angel dust in a jar – smooth, natural finish lasted for hours with little need to retouch’ • ‘set make-up perfectly and worked famously with my shiny skin: didn’t clog pores or sit heavy’ • ‘moderated shine so my skin looked healthy not greasy’ • ‘very smooth and silky texture, set my make-up and evened out my skin’ • ‘lovely product, providing a glow to the skin’.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have their own campaign that lists companies that do and do not test products on animals. The gorgeous Caring Consumer bunny logo is the recognition from them that our production process is cruelty free.

Companies can only use this logo if they have adopted a permanent non-animal testing policy. Having never tested our products on animals, (and obviously never will) and also gaining BUAV accreditation PETA were more than happy to issue the logo to Lily Lolo.

To see details of Lily Lolo and to view further details about companies that do and do not test on animals take a look a the Caring Consumer website that can be found here: http://www.caringconsumer.com/index.asp

We’re proud to be officially recognised and approved under the BUAV Humane Cosmetics Standard for not testing any products on animals.

Lily Lolo’s entire product range is approved under the BUAV scheme and the globally recognised leaping bunny logo appears as our promise to you that our products have not been tested on  animals.

(BUAV is the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection which in everyday language means the campaign to stop testing of products on our furry animal friends).

Our BUAV accreditation is just another stamp of quality approval on our mineral cosmetics. It means that not only are the products you buy from us 100% natural, but also have not been tested on animals at any point throughout the supply chain. Read all about it here http://www.buav.org/a/2009/08/10/185

The logo symbolises an extensive independent audit process and guarantees that no animal testing has occurred in any part of the product or its ingredients after a fixed cut-off date. (A fixed cut-off date is a date after which a company will not accept animal testing of any of its ingredients for cosmetic purposes.)

Edith Bowman wearing Lily Lolo minerals in Marie Claire

Did anyone spot the interview with Edith Bowman in the January ‘10 edition of Marie Claire? You might have noticed the credit as well – one of our professional makeup artist friends, Nadira V Persaud used the Lily Lolo range on Edith for the Marie Claire shoot.

Always the bubbly character, Nadira informs us that working with Edith was a pleasure with plenty of giggling as the magazine’s photographer went about arranging the shoot for the monthly food section.

Edith looks fabulous in the Lily Lolo minerals; Nadira used In the Buff mineral foundation (£12), with a hint of Blondie foundation mixed in, a bit of Blondie mineral concealer (£7), Ooh La La mineral blush (£7) on the cheeks to warm up the skin and Witchypoo (£5) eyeshadow lining the eyes. Lips remained nude with our Clear gloss (£8), and the look was set using the gorgeous finishing powder Flawless Silk (£12).

Just beautiful eh, thanks to Nadira, Marie Claire and of course Edith herself.  LL x