The founder of Afterglow Mineral Cosmetics believes the products you use on your face should be as natural and organic - and therefore free of toxins - as possible. Kristin Adams spent years searching for truly natural products for her face, but found that many brands still contained chemicals and did not offer a good selection of colors. Finally she decided to start making her own, and after a positive response from family and friends, formed Afterglow.

Afterglow's committment is to use only the purest ingredients in their products, but still offering a wide choice of colors to suit a range of tastes. The cosmetics contain no synthetic dyes, paraben preservatives or chemicals such as bismuth oxychloride. Despite marketing that claims bismuth oxychloride is a natural ingredient, it is actually known to irritate skin and cause it to itch. The ingredients that are used are jet-milled, pharmaceutical grade minerals, pigments and certified organic botanicals, including Certified Organic antioxidants such as grape seed extract and pomegranate extract. The Environmental Working Group has repeatedly listed Afterglow products as some of the safest available on the market, and has included the brand in its "Skin Deep Report," a cosmetic safety database.

Afterglow offers a variety of products for the face including Organic Mineral Foundation, Organic Mineral Blush and Glow Gronzer, and Organic Setting Powder. Those addicted to products for the eyes (I'm raising my hand here) have 25 mineral eye shadow shades to choose from, as well as eight shades of Ultra Matte Eye Shadow, powder eyeliner and mascara. An assortment of lip products include natural lip gloss, organic lipstick and organic lip liner. If you're like me and find it impossible to decide on a shade (a task made especially difficult when viewing them on a computer screen), you can purchase samples of the many of the products.

Not only does the company strive to make beautiful cosmetics, they aim to practice sustainability and social responsibility in their business practicies. This means using sustainable packaging whenever possible.

Visit the company's official website to start discovering the Afterglow difference.

» Afterglow Mineral Cosmetics (Official Site)