Mineral Makeup Blog Interview : Dayna

This has actually been long delayed, but I’m really quite excited to share with you all several mineral makeup addicts in cyberspace. To think that most budding mineral makeup companies are internet-based, mineral makeup forums and blogs serve as important must-reads for reviews, tips, and tricks. Vox is quite a popular place for mineral makeup addicts as there is a friendly neighborhood of mineral makeup addicts there that feature their recent purchases, shade comparisons, and even advice on how to make mineral makeup work great. Well, I approached some girls there for an interview, as I was very fascinated that there quite a number who love mineral makeup as much as I do, and are even fierce collectors of shades!

First up, is Dayna. Dayna‘s quite popular in the neighborhood, as I remember Aileen commending Dayna for having a knack for D-I-Y’s. Aside from being a mineral makeup addict, Dayna also makes her own mineral makeup, and is set to be in business anytime soon!

Let’s get to know her, shall we?

1. Can you tell us more about yourself?

I am almost 40 mother of three. I am a stay at home mom and always loved art and creative things. I was a product of the US 80′s so makeup was always important to me. I was never seen in public without makeup until college, living in a co-ed dorm, you start realizing it’s pretty tough to be completely made up 24/7. Once I became “Mom” and no one really saw me, I stopped wearing makeup daily- mostly because I hated how it felt. 5 years ago I found mineral makeup and I’ve never gone back to traditional makeup- only traditional products I will purchase are mascara and lip products.

2. Please share to us your rite of passage to mineral makeup. ( or how you started using, or how you got addicted to it and to the extent on how you are addicted now ).

I started with mineral makeup in the summer of 2002. My hubby was working very late and I was watching QVC to kill time waiting for him. Bare Escentuals was on and I was so intrigued with the concept of non-mask makeup. About this time I was also having issues with traditional makeup- the foundation was making my mascara migrate under my eyes even with waterproof mascara. I thought I’d try the BE since there was a 30 day money back offer with QVC. First try and I was hooked. I spent the next 4 1/2 years collecting BE colors. Then in December of 2006 I started reacting to BE foundation- I was itching like crazy and my eye lids got red and scaly. I had already purchased mineral makeup from an independent business by this time and was vaguely aware of other mineral companies. Now 10 months later, I am kicking myself for not thinking of trying other mineral makeup long ago. I am so addicted to minerals that I am starting my own brand of minerals because I started making it for myself and have had so much positive feedback about getting this out to the public that it just seems the right thing to do.

3. What sets mineral makeup apart from normal makeup? What do you love most about it? what do you hate about mineral makeup? ( if there are any reasons )

Mineral makeup feels divine on the skin. I never had the racoon eyes from mascara once I switched. I find the colors are better suited for my skin tone. I am Caucasian but have definite yellow undertones, traditional makeup lines in the drugstores rarely had anything to match and I didn’t really like spending the makeup counter prices for foundation that would separate if I didn’t use up quickly enough. It makes you look like you have great skin rather than makeup mask. My favorite thing about mineral makeup is that it’s “Complexion Perfection”- me but better.

4. What are your favorite brands, and why?

My favorite brand has to be my own seeing that I formulated it for myself- so it truly is exactly what I want. There are so many amazing brands out there and I’ve always found at least one must have with each I’ve tried but other than my own, I’d have to say Lumiere is my favorite- it was my Holy Grail until I formulated my own.

5. Can you share to us your secret trick into achieving that flawless look? Do you have a trick that would perhaps help our readers ?

Flawless look, I don’t know about that, but what I do try to achieve is blurring out the flaws. I don’t want people to think “Gee, she’s wearing makeup” so much as “Gee, she has great skin.” So I don’t try to cover everything 100%. At almost 40 I’d say “Glow” is my secret. I find that overly matte makeup ages me and a bit of glow seems to knock years off of me (I actually get carded at my age!) My trick is use an angled fairly fluffy brush and hit the tops of my cheeks and sweep towards hair. Then the most glow is at the place I want it and I don’t look overly shiny. Another tip- use a “swirly bowl” rather than the lid- I have small glass bowls (condiment bowls/pinch bowls/ etc) that I sprinkle foundation into rather than swirl in the lid. This actually seems to deposit the foundation into the brush rather than the lid and also saves your brushes. I found that the outer bristles of my brushes were gettting cut by sides of the lids.

One favorite question : How many people have you converted into mineral makeup, and how did you do it?

First hand, I have converted at least 9 ladies that I can think of off the top of my head- who in turn have converted many in their circles of influence. Most were converted quickly after I talked about how much I loved it and their seeing it on me. One sister in law was converted when I applied BE foundation to her hand and it was there after a day of swimming at her pool and rinsing dishes. My last convert was a sister in law who loved everything but mineral foundation until I sent her some of the stuff I had made. She called me on my hubby’s cell phone (scared him, thought something was wrong with his family) while we were on vacation to sing the praises of my foundation. She swore she’d never looked better and finally “got” why I loved mineral foundation so much.

6. What message do you have for mineral makeup first timers, or those hesitatant with mineral makeup? Mineral makeup has made wearing makeup fun again for me.

When I wore traditional makeup, I usually only wore it when I was going out in public but since minerals feel so much like real skin, I wear makeup more just because I like everything about it, including looking better. I also like the sun protection. For beginners- start out using very little. Less is more with minerals.

Added questions for Dayna :
1. Aileen mentions to me that you love making your own stuff ( she is a good friend of mine and she speaks highly of you ! ) . Was formulating your own line of mineral makeup hard? How did you come up with the idea of making your own?

I am a do it yourselfer and have a strong artistic side. I have a window treatment business because I made my own so many times that it just seemed natural to do this for others. I’ve also done faux finishing at my house and just all kinds of “projects.” I have never been afraid to try to make something myself. Earlier this year, someone at Makeup Talk posted about making her own foundation. I was certainly interested but at the time busy painting our basement which my husband had finished off during the winter. I thought it’d be a good project for the winter, but eventually my curiosity took over (and the fact that I was getting a bit of a tan and didn’t know my summer color in my favorite brand) so I figured I’d make it. I asked a few questions, made lots of notes and took a chance. Oh, I guess I should also say that I love cooking and am a really good cook but rarely use a recipe- that probably helps a lot. At this point, it seems like my calling because I was able to convert my one sister in law who has pretty much tried everything in way of makeup brands which she was disappointed with. After trying mine she is saying “I don’t want to sound conceited but I look so good.” and “I can’t wait to do my makeup in the morning now.” I seem to have a pretty good eye for matching skin tones. The true draw to doing it as a business is making women feel more beautiful and confident. It’s very rewarding to know I am making women feel better about themselves. I’ve always loved makeup and now I can work at something I am passionate about. My kids are getting older and it just seems like the right time to venture out.

2. Can you tell us about your new store, when it’s going to open, etc?
I am trying to get my “store” open ASAP but have to work out some legal details (in the process right now) which in turn will allow me to name my store/website etc. At the very latest I am hoping to open Jan. 08, but am working on doing it sooner if at all possible.

Above is Dayna’s picture, and she told me that in that picture, she used all the minerals she made. Quite amazing, isn’t it? I also found it cool that she uses bowls instead of lids, too, as I know alot of mineral makeup addicts that have bowls that they bought from the kitchenware department to display on their vanity tables! I quite agree that glow enhancers a great, to achieve young-looking skin, as well as mimic a more even skin tone.

Well, I hope you enjoyed our interview with Dayna, because I sure did! I learned alot of stuff , and I’m very very impressed that there are just talented ladies out there who could just solve our problems soon by attempting to formulate mineral makeup. After all, that certain formulation might just be someone’s Holy Grail! And I think that would be quite an achievement!

P.S. Can’t wait for Dayna’s mineral makeup store to open! Stay tuned!