Root Pretty {with a few awkward selfies}

Let me start out with two facts. First, this is not an ad or a paid endorsement of any sort. Second, I am not a cosmetics person at all. Case in point… if it takes me longer than four minutes to put on my make-up I get seriously annoyed. I only wear eyeliner to weddings and on date nights. I have to coax myself to put on mascara more than once or twice a week, because removing it always sounds like a hassle. Make-up is not my passion. I admire the women who always know the best products and can blend their eye shadow like it’s an art form and contour their cheeks with ease, but I have resigned to the fact that I will never be like them.

However… over that past year or so I’ve had this secret goal to figure out “my” make-up. It all started when Clinique discontinued the tinted moisturizer I had used for years, and I went on a quest to find a new one. I took recommendations from friends. I sampled BB and CC creams at Nordstrom. I read Amazon reviews. I went through a few different brands and never felt satisfied. I’ve been on a similar hunt for the perfect mascara for the past few years as well. My ultimate desire was to find the perfect brand and color for each product I use and create a falter-free cosmetic rotation. In my mind, I would always use the same mascara and re-order or pick up a new one every three months. I would have my standard blush and bronzer and replace them as needed. I didn’t really care about cost {within reason}. I was willing to try expensive stuff from Nordstrom and cheap things from the drugstore. I decided I would privilege healthier products with fewer chemicals but I didn’t have any rules about ingredients. I just wanted a consistent line-up of cosmetics to make my already-easy make-up routine a little bit easier…

But the journey to find the perfect make-up was taking way too long. I was still on my tinted moisturizer hunt after two full years. Every mascara out there {whether $5 or $30} was only mediocre. And then one day I stumbled onto an Instagram feed and my whole world changed. Only a slight exaggeration. Another blogging gal, Liz, had just been chosen as a model for a fairly new line of cosmetics called Root Mineral Make-Up. I saw a few beautiful head shots of Liz wearing the make-up and read her commentary about the products. I checked out the Root website and was impressed by the selection and the prices. I was also intrigued because I had never used mineral make-up before. After following Liz for a few weeks and seeing other women rave about the make-up in her comments section, I finally placed an order for a sample of Root’s Pearl Powder, some bronzer, and some mascara.

Y’all, I loved it. I used the sample powder for a few weeks and was amazed at the coverage. It never feels heavy yet it stays on ALL day. Even the tiny sample size could have lasted me a full month or two, except I accidentally dumped it in my lap while applying make-up in the espresso stand line while traveling in Washington. Sad day. I quickly reordered a larger size {along with the Kabuki application brush}, and it will probably last me all year.

But here’s the thing… since I’ve never used mineral make-up in the past, I didn’t really have anything to compare it to. Maybe I’ve just been missing out on the world of natural make-up products. I did read on Root that many of the big name mineral cosmetic companies still put toxic fillers in their make-up, and Root avoids all those questionable ingredients, but other than that I really knew nothing. The best testimony I have comes from my friend. I posted about Root a few times on my Instagram feed and she decided to purchase some. She has always bought expensive mineral make-up from the department story and decided to give Root a try since it’s much more affordable. I didn’t even know she had placed a Root order until weeks after she started using it, when she told me excitedly that she had started using Root powder thanks to my Instagram rec. She says the coverage is better than than her old brand for about half the price of what she used to pay.

That’s when I decided I should probably tell the world about this amazing company with healthy, affordable products that make your face look fresh and pretty all day long. So this is me telling the world. I still don’t love make-up. I still want my process to take four minutes or less. I still only wear eyeliner to weddings. But I think I’ve found my brand and my routine with Root make-up and I’m excited to try more of their products in the future. I strongly recommend the company. Not an ad. Just this low-maintenance make-up gal trying to spread the word.