Illuminare Cosmetics Giveaway

As many of you already know, sports are quite the focal point of my family. It extends much further than my husband and myself. My parents have both been champion athletes, even my grandfather was Grand Chess Master and Olympic Medalist{three of which were gold}. As you can imagine, fitness, nutrition, and overall health maintenance are high on my priority list. I believe in sharing knowledge with each other; having a wealth of information but not extending what we know to others, really does not do much good for us. We share this little place we call Earth, we should be kind and look out for one another. We will leave it behind to our future generations, lets try our best to know we did everything we could to make it just a little bit better.

Being a retired professional athlete, I have spent countless hours in the sun, so last week I posted on the importance of sunscreen. I am grateful to have such amazing readers. So many of you left heartfelt comments, with even more fabulous information and some personal stories. I was deeply touched.

I believe we are our happiest and best selves when we take care of ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally. For many women, makeup gives us that extra boost in confidence, we feel a little bit better, more secure, and maybe take some positive risks that we wouldn't without it. Not because we need makeup, but because we like it, love it, enjoy playing with all the fun colors and looks we can create for ourselves.

Imagine makeup made by a woman who believes in health and wellness, and has education in both the health and beauty industries. Illuminare Cosmetics was made about 9 years ago by Ruthie Molloy, and is the first liquid mineral make up, which also offers nonchemical sunscreen ingredients{ Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide}. My praise for Illuminare Cosmetics is because it is not only makeup, it is also a powerful skin protector against both burning and aging rays {UVB and UVA}!

I was given a remarkable opportunity by Illuminare Cosmetics to try some of their products. I was so excited when I saw how versatile their products are. Please take this moment to understand this is not a makeup tutorial. My hope it to highlight that this product, is not only a great makeup, but is also good for us. Many times we look in the mirror and think, because we do not see any damage to our skin, that we are in the clear. However, please take a second to review this picture: UV photography can assess sun damage far before we can see it with the naked eye.

{more info here}

Illuminare Fantastic Finish Mineral Foundation Moisturizing Sunscreen Makeup Oil Free SPF 21 in Portofino Porcelain is the perfect shade for me.


What I love about it, is that it is more moisturizing than a powder, it blends perfectly with a smooth finish, and is very light. I am nowhere near being on empty, but I also noticed that the packaging is great because you can squeeze out every last drop of foundation from the tube. I applied it with the Fast Application Pad, and one thing I really like about this pad is that it really helps spread the foundation evenly, and quickly. Maybe its best highlight is that it is machine washable. Always being on the go, this is a major plus in my book.

Personally, when it comes to makeup, I love anything having to do with eyes. I love to create different looks. I like seeing how simple changes can take a natural daytime look and quickly transform it into a glamorous night look. We know the expression 'the eyes are the windows to the soul'.

Four shades that I had a ton of fun and great results with were Perla Bianca, Cafe Latte, Espresso, and Cappuccino {All Day Eye Color, Crease Proof Sunscreen Eye Makeup Oil Free SPF 15}. Simple changes, such as adding an extra coat, applying more or less pressure, really created significant changes. I like to blend my shades a lot, so these 4 really worked great for me. I was also able to take my day look and get ready to go out to dinner really quickly, simply by using the Espresso shade as eyeliner. I would like to point out that a tiny dab goes a really long way. I would suggest starting with an incredibly small amount and then assessing if you need more.


I used the Eye Color/Concealer Brush for the eye colors. It has a nice shape which allows for great application on the base, brow bone, even crease. Now, I know you are thinking 'no way! you need a separate brush for each of those areas'. I agree as well. However, this is liquid mineral makeup, and goes on a bit differently then loose powers.


{Note: you can also use the eye colors to fill in eyebrows. Since I myself do not do that, I really can not tell you about my experience with it. You know I am always honest with you, my friends, I would not want to speak on something I do not have experience/knowledge in}

Other pieces to highlight which they offer are the Introductory Foundation Trial Sizes in 3 Finishes (9 shades) as well as All Day Eye Color Trial Pack (9 shades). What is a bit different about these trial sizes from some others I have seen, is the ability to close the small tube again with a twist top. All the eye colors can be closed again, and 6 of the 9 foundation trials can be too. They are not one time trials. The foundation trial is nice because you can mix and match the colors if you need to create the perfect shade for yourself. Or if you are a master makeup artist, I am sure you can use the darker and lighter shades to highlight, narrow, hide certain features. But, alas I am your regular makeup loving gal whose only experience is applying makeup on myself and friends.

Illuminare Cosmetics is also a really nice company.
They are offering 10 {yes count that TEN} fabulous friends of Iva Messy,
their All Day Eye Color Kit
(a $79 dollar value!}
I know, I know, they are really, really great!

The kit includes:
3 All Day Eye Colors
1 Eye Brush
1 eyeliner brush
WOW! WOW! WOW!

To enter the giveaway please:

1) Leave a comment and be a "follower" ( this will give you 1 entry)
2) Visit the Illuminare Cosmetics site here,
and leave another comment about their site or products
{each separate comment about Illuminare Cosmetics will count as an additional entry (you can leave up to 3 additional comments)}
3) Post this giveaway on your Blog/Twitter/Facebook for an additional entry
{please don't forget to leave a separate comment for this step as well}

At most, you are able to receive 5 entries :)

The 10 winners will be announced on Friday, August 7th