Pure, all-natural, unadulterated, mineral makeup. That’s what celebrity makeup artist Rose-Marie Swift is offering with her rms beauty line. This means the ingredients are all in their natural state and have not been processed in any way. On the rms philosophy page of their website, you can read in greater detail about this, but suffice to say, their ingredients are food grade quality and organic, with all of their nutrients intact.

Over the past several weeks I have tried three rms products, the living luminizer, cream eyeshadow, and lip2cheek. I placed my rms order with SpiritBeautyLounge after I saw their Tweet for 20% off (which they frequently offer) and am pleased to report that not only did I discover a fabulous new makeup line, but a new favorite online store. SpiritBeautyLounge provided me fast shipping, terrific samples and amazing customer service. (This was all before they knew I was a blogger, BTW).

Living luminizer is so easy to apply it’s ridiculous. I love the frosted glass pots, and the surface of the luminizer is so smooth and creamy, your finger glides effortlessly over the top of the product and it blends right into your skin. The effect is glowy and dewy without any garish glitter. Under a very bright light, some slight sparkles are noticeable, but I had to have a hand mirror right up to my face to see that effect. Muse, one of the lip2cheek colors, is also a breeze to apply. But rather than a blush, I’d consider this a highlighter like living luminizer, and I certainly wouldn’t apply this light color on my lips. It’s on the beigey side and even more neutral than living luminizer, it’s dewy and luminizing as well, but gives less of a sheen. An appropriate analogy would be: Living Luminizer is to Nars Albatross as Muse is to Becca Hyawatha. Does that help anyone? Both rms products are gorgeous and natural, but if you want a really natural highlighter, pick Muse.

I bought one full-sized eyeshadow, Seduce, and received one eyeshadow sample, Magnetic. Seduce is described as a “sensuous earth brown”, and Magnetic as a “taupe silver with a hint of mauve”. Those are pretty accurate. Seduce has an earth tone for its base, and there’s some taupeness to it as well but it’s not super mauvey. And wow! Is it ever gorgeous! I couldn’t have picked a better color for myself. I have brown hair with some highlights, brown eyes and an olive complexion, but I think Seduce would be flattering on most complexions. It’s got a flash of silver when the light hits it just right which creates a brightness that lightens up the face. I have been using this as an eyeliner, as I typically do with most of my eyeshadows. I take my eyeliner brush, run it over the surface and apply it directly to my lashline. It’s so easy. No fussing with powder, no need to add water…no mess. I’ve also used Seduce on my lids which creates a sheer wash of color that’s pretty and easy to apply. It does crease, which happens with any shadow I use, but if I only use it on the first half of my lid I avoid the crease factor. This look works since the color is sheer, but can be intensified with more applications. Magnetic is far more metallic but also makes for a beautiful liner. Yet it’s simply not appropriate for day, at least not in my world. I’ll be saving my Magnetic sample for holiday parties.

Aside from Muse, the lip2cheek colors have taken a little bit more work to get used to, but not too much. Bottom line, your skin needs to be very well hydrated before you apply your lip2cheek color and I don’t recommend applying it over powder. (I happen to like the look of cream blush under a light dusting of powder, but that’s up to you). My favorite color of the bunch was a sample of Illusive that I received with my order. It’s a neutral brownish rose (not too warm, not too cool) that gives your cheeks a healthy flush and easily doubles as a beautiful lip color. I prefer a glossy look so I dabbed a bit of Dr. Hausckha’s Lip Care Stick to achieve a subtle shine, and voilà! naturally glowing cheeks and rosy lips from one product. I purchased Modest, “a warm/pink salmon with a very subtle golden shimmer” according to SpiritBeautyLounge, and they pretty much nailed that description (although in real life the product is much brighter than pictured on their website). Don’t let the shimmer part keep you away if you’re thinking glitter, the shimmer is barely perceptible and gives more of a subtle glow. I prefer to wear Modest as a cheek color only, as it is too light and “corally” on my pigmented lips. The final lip2cheek sample I received was Smile, a pinker version of Modest, and the only product in the rms beauty line that contains a tiny amount of synthetic ingredient. (You can read about it in the disclaimer on their website). Smile, like Modest, was too light to wear as a lip color, but on the cheeks, both created a healthy look of good eating, hydration, and a brisk walk around the block.

As a make-up junky who has used almost every brand you can name, I am duly impressed with rms beauty. I love their color selection, the feel of the products, the packaging, and most of all, the fact that they have gone above and beyond most other “natural” cosmetic companies in keeping their ingredients pure. Again, there are a couple of caveats: your skin must have a moisturizer on it before you apply the lip2cheek color and my expectations of the eyeshadow might be different from yours… I am using it and loving it as an eyeliner.

rms beauty can be found at SpiritBeautyLounge and NatureofBeauty. $36 for lip2cheek and cream eyeshadows. $38 for Living Luminizer.

Posted by ~Trish