Brand Spotlight : Alpha Skin Care

If you can’t eat it, don’t use it on your skin

That is the motto of Eugenia Bismuch, the brains behind the mineral makeup and skin care brand, Alpha Skin Care.
You will notice in the next entries that every mineral makeup brand owner has her own diverse background, and their lives are far from being uninteresting! ( I loved reading their answers, and got really amazed with their life stories, these are really good women. ) Eugenia, or Jenya, as fondly called by friends and family, is no exception. Let’s read her story, only here, on the Mineral Makeup Blog!

Well, Jenya was born in Ukraine, with medical doctors as parents. At an early age, she was educated, and made aware on the importance of health issues, and during her childhood when she lived in Ukraine, consumer products were unavailable, thus, people had to rely on natural remedies - products of folk and traditional remedies, that they got their products from mother nature. That explains her interest and passion for herbs and alternative medicine. She was able to apply her knowledge in cooking, skin care, and even healing. She believes that the three activities are all interconnected.

When she moved to the United States, she wanted to put up a business for aromatherapy and aromatherapic skin care primarily. She enrolled herself to take up the Aromatherapy Certification Study Program atthe Mississauga School of Aromatherapy & Canadian Holistic Therapists Training school. After that, she began formulating her own skin care. On a trial and error basis, she was able to come up with great skin care products free of preservatives, chemicals, and harmful substances. The skin care that she sold was all natural! Of course, she eventually delved into the world of mineral makeup, because mineral makeup , is makeup made all natural! She put up her business with a modest capital. At first, the natural products and mineral makeup were just a “second” job, with her dayjob being a graphic designer. Eventually, she shifted her priorities as the demand grew, to go full time with Alpha Skin Care! At present, she is living with her husband Joe, and her three kids in Staten Island New York, and is managing a very successful Alpha Skin Care.

Okay, it’s question time! I’ve asked her some questions that you’d probably want to know. Here they are !

It is often said that your mineral makeup is the long-wearing makeup. Was it really your aim to come up with something like this ?
Note: I have read alot of reviews that say that Alpha Skin Care’s foundations are really long-wearing. Thus, the Q!

No it wasn’t. Just a case of ‘dumb luck’ I guess. )
However, I am not afraid to say that in fact I have a superb product that provides natural, long-lasting, flawless and complete coverage. It is non-drying and at the same time has great oil controlling properties. The foundation is water- and sweat-proof, stays in place all day and protects the skin from harmful sun rays too.

How is Alpha Skin Care different from other mineral makeup brands? Do you use bismuth or synthetic dyes? How about cornstarch?

Alpha’s mineral makeup colors are all original and often made with a specific customer in mind. However, all our products are created for customers with chemical sensitivities, who are health-conscious and would like to use non-toxic, natural skincare and cosmetics. My mineral makeup doesn’t contain bismuth oxichloride, carmine, talc, cornstarch or dyes. The exception is only two blush colors that contain small amount of dyes called lakes, which are synthetic indeed, but approved for cosmetic use by the FDA. I am working on a new formula for these blushes and will eventually use only minerals in them. I also do not use micronized products, such as micronised titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. The jury is still out on the safety of these products and I decided do not use them in my mineral makeup.

You can also see before and after pictures of an Alpha Skin Care user here:

What can I say? Alpha Skin Care’s makeover effect on this lady is simply stunning. She’s stunning, too! See the coverage? Love the porcelain doll look!

Thoughts of the Mineral Makeup Girl :

I was somewhat inspired by Jenya’s story, getting out of the iron curtain, and following her passion in formulating natural products. Passion indeed led her to what she is right now, and nothing could be more rewarding than having satisfied customers praising and patronizing your product. Mineral makeup brand owners are indeed blessed, because they seek out to help people feel better about themselves minus the high falluting and false sales pitches done by many.

I was also intrigued with the issue of micronized minerals versus the micronized minerals. Yes, micronized minerals are indeed finer in texture and looks better on the skin, but the health issue is still a problem with that, if it is safe to use. I shall read more on that, perhaps.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Jenya asked me to announce to all Alpha Skin Care customers, or first timers, that the sample baggies are all upgraded to 1/8 teaspoon, and are priced at a dollar each! Enjoy! ( my review, to follow! )

Anyway, happy weekend everyone! More reviews and brand spotlights to come!