Shining bright: First Light

Mineral make-up has been around for a while and has fixed its position on make-up counters on every high-street. Said to be better for skin and give a longer lasting finish, the claims of mineral make-up stand up tall. However new brand, First Light has credentials that overshadow all other existing mineral cosmetics.

First Light was founded in 2009 by husband and wife team Gilles and Carolyn in Richmond, Surrey making it a native UK brand. The inspiration behind the company came initially from Carolyn, a British working mother, who wanted make-up that better reflected who she was as a woman and suited her life and values. She said:

“As a woman with a child, a husband and a career I have a busy lifestyle and am constantly multitasking. Multitasking is what I also want from the cosmetics that I use. For work I need a professional, groomed look to boost my confidence. At home and out and about with friends, I want to look more natural, yet still glamorous.

With traditional make-up, many women don't always look natural, their make-up often shows and it masks rather than compliments their natural beauty. Most cream based foundations are full of fillers such as talcum powder and preservatives. They give a weighted down and pore-clogged feeling, which combined with the fear of looking overly “made up”, makes many women forgo wearing foundation at all.

The issue with make-up today is that it doesn't deliver on the eclectic needs of today’s lifestyle.”

Carolyn was also tired of the “big” companies advertising using celebrities, extreme claims and incomprehensible chemical components. When Gilles stopped working in the corporate world last year, together the couple set out to create a new healthier, more wearable make-up range for women.

All the products in the range are made from minerals and the powders in the range are 100 per cent pure minerals. Mineral make up is luminous – brightening the face and the skin rather than looking matt or artificial. And the finely crushed minerals sit weightlessly on the skin.

The complete mineral content also means the range is free of chemicals and preservatives that are used to “fill out” many other cosmetics. 51 per cent of women admit to suffering from a skin complaint such as eczema or acne so using make-up made with natural ingredients means we know what we’re putting onto their skin isn’t going to irritate it in the same way.

The great thing about the range is that the minerals provide a wide ranging level of cover. They can be used wet or dry for a multitude of different effects and colours and products can be blended together.

We especially like the blusher that seems to release its illuminating properties when it touches the skin. It gives a lovely dewy glow without the need for a highlighter.

In total the First Light range encompasses 58 colours including 18 shades of foundation, eight blushers and 13 eye-shadows.

In additional to all of the above, because the range is natural it’s better for the environment and our health. What’s more is that even the packaging reflects the company morals and ethos. Make up comes in pretty woven bags which are made by disadvantaged women in Tanzania. The women get paid a fair wage for their work which helps them to integrate in society and encourage the development of their own commercial and social enterprise.

Available exclusively online from the First Light website which offers women a colour matching guide and provides sample testers for only £1.50 including P&P. This is to ensure women are making the right colour choices for their skin tone - avoiding those annoying and costly mistakes we’ve all made in the past! The cost of up to three testers is redeemable against full price items and foundations, concealers, blushes, bronzers and perfect finish powders all come in tester sizes.

10 per cent off is also being offered for those who register. Visit the website for more details.

www.firstlightcosmertics.com