The beauty spotlight feature highlights companies who are thinking outside of the box in order to deliver exceptional products to consumers. This month we are featuring b.l.a.c. Minerals an all natural cosmetics line created for women of color and diverse ethnic backgrounds.

With the recent trend of mineral makeup and everybody going green, b.l.a.c Minerals decided to help create a healthier planet by creating a line that is completely pure. While many cosmetics companies have started to use minerals and natural products, few have made an effort to appeal to ethnic women and their skin. B.l.a.c. Minerals saw the great demand for a product such as this and developed a unique line in response. A line that offers a full line of color cosmetics that compliment a wide range of skin types and tones.

The company which is growing as word spreads about this amazing product line has a simple mission:

“B.l.a.c. Mineral’s mission is to provide natural, organic, and holistic skin care and cosmetics to the ethnic marketplace while promoting individualistic beauty across race and place. Our brand seeks to enhance the natural beauty of women and encourage self love and confidence through the images and face of b.l.a.c. minerals.”

So if you haven’t had a chance to check out this fabulous pure and healthy product line check it out today at www.blacminerals.com.

In this edition Clutch has its eye on Kazam Natural Body Care, a company specializing in handmade, natural and organic products for hair and skin. CEO Marjorie Moutari launched the company in 2004 citing a “demand for preservative free products with no harmful side effects” as the inspiration for its creation. Moutari works with manufacturer Zahra Moutari exclusively on the production and marketing of this delightful hair and skin care line.

All products are handmade and Kazam also offers a holistic health package. Kazam offers a variety of oils for moisturizing like Olive, Sweet Almond, and Shea Butter. Moutari plans to open another location as they are “rapidly expanding”. For more information on Kazam Natrual Body Care, check out www.kazambodycare.com. If you are interested in their holistic health, visit: www.kazambodycare.com/holisthealtharticles.com.

When you think of butter, you think of its rich, smooth and creamy texture. And that’s exactly what Christine Grant of Brown Butter Soap wants your skin to feel like. Launched to the public on New Years Eve 2007, Brown Butter Soap uses natural ingredients to moisturize and promote healthy skin. Each batch of soap is made from scratch using vegetable oils and lye. Unlike many commercial soaps that can leave your skin dry and irritated, Brown Butter Soap products contain naturally occurring glycerin and “Young Living” therapeutic essential oil, one of the best essential oils currently for purchase in the United States. Instead of cosmetic grade oils, herbal and food grade oils, raw unrefined shea butter and coco butter are used in Brown Butter Soap products, which are designed to moisturize and promote healthier skin and hair. Brown Butter Soaps offers the most potent and effective ingredients in its Soaps, Body Butters, Hair Oil and Mustard Bath Salts at great market prices.

You can purchase Brown Butter Soap at www.etsy.com

Blended Beauty hair care products are designed specifically for the needs of those with dry, wavy, curly, kinky and relaxed or heat-straightened hair.

Their main goal is to provide superior quality products that beautify the look of the hair but also nourish the hair from the inside out, promoting healthy growth and diminishing breakage. All of their products are formulated with naturally derived ingredients and are between 98 to 99 percent natural.

Their mission is to encourage those with curly hair, to realize its beauty and embrace it. Whatever your hair type is, you can wear it natural and love it. Chemicals, petroleum, mineral oil and relaxing can be a thing of the past, on a Blended Beauty regimen. Our suggestions for promoting great hair have been laid out on the hair tips page for the benefit of our customers.

Blended Beauty facial products have been designed to heal, smooth, tone and nourish the skin, while leaving the skin supple and soft. Hydration and healing are our focus.Our facial products are 99 percent natural and provide the benefits of many herbs, natural oils and moisturizers. We do not add silicones or other plastics. Many of the natural ingredients reduce the signs of aging, clear up dry patches or ashy spots and reduce acne break-outs.

Whether you are trying the facial care products or the hair care products, you only need to try them once to realize just how different and unique Blended Beauty products are.

To learn more about the brand please log-on to www.blendedbeauty.com

In this month’s edition of Brands to Watch, Clutch is pleased to introduce you to TruButter, an all natural line of skin care products formulated to provide long lasting skin moisture. With a background in Environmental Science, the founder of TruButter has taken key natural ingredients such as jojoba, lavender, sugar and pure shea butter and has combined them into a line of complimentary products consisting of body butters, scrubs, bath and body oils. TruButter products are handmade and come in a variety of fragrances that are sure to soothe, invigorate and improve skin suppleness.For more information, visit www.trubutter.com

1. Bath & Body Oil, $12, 2. Just Shea, $9-14, 3. Sugar Scrub, $14, 4. Travel Butter, $8.50, Tru Butter

Natural Mineral Makeup is the latest and greatest trend in women’s health to come along in a long time. While seen as simply a cosmetic trend by some, it has become a health mission by one company in particular. The company is Ada Cosmetics and it is the premiere mineral makeup company for women of color and for all women.

Because of growing concerns about preventing cancer, it has become important to critically examine any product that is put on the skin. Being ahead of the trend, Ada Cosmetics has a mission to include only ingredients which are safe to absorb through the skin, yet beautiful and functional.

The company was conceived when Sharon Kinnier, an owner and chief formulator of the company, tried to find natural mineral makeup for herself. She was told by many companies that, not only did they not have any color to suit her, they had no plans to make any.

Fueled by this wake up call, Ada Cosmetics was born in that instant. After two years of development, Ada Cosmetics launched on January 15, 2005 at the Baltimore Natural Hair Care Conference to a glowing reception. Ada (ah-dah) in Nigerian Ibo means first born female. It is the first company born and devoted to women of color and all women, with no one left out.

Ada Cosmetics is owned by two African American women, Sharon Kinnier and Nana Anu. This is fortuitous since natural mineral cosmetics originated in ancient Africa thousands of years ago. The difference between makeup then and now is the processing of the ingredients and the packaging.

The owners/formulators of Ada Cosmetics are experts in the field of natural skin care and cosmetics. Their diverse and extensive backgrounds include chemistry, biochemistry, nutrition, engineering, holistic healthcare, (both went to medical school, one practiced for 20 years), manufacturing, wholesale and retail sales, medical research, and art. As first born females in their families, they bought into the notion that you have to be twice as good if you’re Black and they are. They are well suited to this field.

Ada Cosmetics manufactures, from Baltimore, MD, a full line of mineral cosmetics including foundations, blushes, eye shadows, lip glosses, concealers, body shimmers, finishing veils and more. The company offers gift certificates, accessories and natural skin care products. By far, the item most often sold from the website is the foundation sample set. This sampling of 13 to 16 foundations, in either fair, light, or Medium/Dark allows women to correctly select their foundation color. Samples are also available for most products sold.

What set Ada Cosmetics head and shoulders above any other mineral makeup company are the top 5 reasons to purchase are: 1.
Wearing Ada cosmetics improves the health of the skin. It is chemical-free with a natural SPF factor. 2. Ada cosmetics are beautiful. The colors complement all skin tones from the lightest of the lights to the darkest of the darks. The promise is that you will “Love Your Color.” 3. The makeup gives you a healthy glow. It does not leave you ashy, shiny or gray and does not clog pores. 4. Ada cosmetics are doctor approved with all the health benefits and none of the worries. 5. Ada has customer friendly customer service–a solution oriented, woman owned company.

To find your color, visit www.adacosmetics.com . For questions or comments, info@adacosmetics.com or call 410-646-0884.

This month’s Brand to Watch is featuring HPO SPA Treatments. Established in December 2005, HPO SPA Treatments is the brainchild of Debra Small, a long time hair stylist with sensitive skin who, through personal trials and client consulting, realized there was a market for what she had to offer.

Today, Debra Small is Founder and Creative Director of the signature hair and skincare line known has Happy People Only (HPO) Treatments. After years of product testing, Small has combined the best of nature and science with traditional knowledge to develop HPO hair and skin care. “We focus on the demand of the consumer. Each person deserves to purchase products that are not harmful to them…” said Small when asked what separates HPO SPA Treatments from the competition. According to Small, HPO Spa Treatments is a combination of the highest quality of organic ingredients to ensure the highest potency and optimum results.

HPO Hair Care products are not harsh and won’t weigh the hair down. They are designed to protect both the inner and outer core of the hair and are formulated to be used on all hair types. The skincare line includes body scrubs, butter drops, body lotions and other essentials. For more information on the HPO Spa Treatments line, visit www.hpospatreatments.com.

For the health conscious fashionista, Crush Groove Cosmetics introduces mineral make up that gives us not only the appearance of flawless skin but make up that is actually healthy for our skin. With no animal by-products, talc, titanium dioxide or synthetic colors, Crush Groove Cosmetics uses organic and vegan ingredients. Concentrated minerals that don’t dissolve in water or oil allows this mineral makeup to keep us looking radiant all throughout the day and is compatible for all skin types. Crush Groove makes customizing your color so easy by offering 36 shades to choose from or by matching your current foundation.

Creating wonderful facial cleansers and treatments like “Sweet Tea Herbal Makeup Remover”, “Coco Veggie Wrap Gentle Facial Cleanser” and “Remix ‘Herbalicios’ Face Serum, Crush Groove Cosmetics allows us to bring the spa into our homes, rewarding us with a healthy treat for our skin!

For more information on Crush Groove Cosmetics please log-on to www.crushgroovecosmetics.com

Whether it’s springy, spirally curls, or sexy, loose curls you’re after, CURLS has the perfect products to get your locks under control and in curl-tastic shape. The curly girl’s secret weapon is out, CURLS is a line of premium hair care products that cater to today’s growing demand for effective, luxurious and natural products.

Company founder and fellow curly girl Mahisha Dellinger searched high and low for a product line that completely filled the needs of her complex curls. She tried everything on the market, and ended up using a shampoo from here, a conditioner from there, a gel from a third line, etc. After exhausting her search, and never being fully satisfied with her results, she set out to create the perfect comprehensive hair care for curls, and CURLS was born.

CURLS has the perfect products for all curly hair types. With a complete range of cleansers, moisturizers, conditioners and stylers, there is a curl regimen just right for you. CURLS products are made with an exclusive blend of natural oils and plant extracts to nourish dry, damaged curls. This magic curl concoction includes Monoi de Tahiti, which hydrates and restores shine and bounce, green tea extract, which soothes and moisturizes, soy protein, which strengthens and reinforces the hair shaft, and avocado oil and pomegranate seed oil, both of which are excellent moisturizers that contain high levels of vitamins A, D & E.

As a curly girl knows, not all curls are created equal, so Mahisha has a regimen for every type of curly hair, taking in to consideration that often there are multiple curl patterns in one head of hair. Whether you have wavy hair or kinky curls, CURLS has a product for you!

Mahisha hasn’t forgotten about little kid curls either; her Curly Q’s line is designed specially for kids. With fun names like Curly Q Milkshake and Curly Q Custard, moms will never have to experience the frustration of unruly hair and unmanageable curls. Curly Q’s products are specifically formulated for kid’s often sensitive scalps and made from natural ingredients, so mom’s can always feel safe using them on little ones. CURLS products, $10 - $18, are available at www.curls.biz

As a girl of color (rich, chocolaty color that is) it would sometimes be downright heartbreaking to stroll the aisles of my favorite beauty boutiques and drugstores and see the selection of makeup available for women with medium to dark brown skin tones. So of course I thanked the heavens when someone put me on to IMAN Cosmetics (www.imancosmetics.com). Not only does the brand carry a variety of colors available in every shade of sepia, their Second to None Semi-Loose Powder ($13.99) is just as close to flawless skin as you can get. The oil-free formula won’t cause break-outs and goes on like a pressed powder, with the look of a loose powder. The lightweight consistency absorbs quickly to leave skin glowing. Quite possibly the next best thing to their selection of foundations are the lip palates and eye shadow duos. The new Glam Rocks collection ($7.99 – $12.99) of metallic and gemstone-inspired colors create high drama for eyes, and sheer-kissed shades for lips. Plus, it’s available at a price that’s easy on the pockets

About IMAN Cosmetics:
Known throughout the world as “the authority” on foundation and powder for women with skin of color, IMAN Cosmetics and Skincare once again demonstrates its dominance in the face category.IMAN Cosmetics and Skincare was founded in 1994 by beauty industry pioneer and successful model Iman, as the first makeup collection developed specifically for “skin of color.” IMAN Cosmetics offers one of the largest selections of flawless finish foundations. IMAN Cosmetics and Skincare are available at select retailers nationwide. Consumers can learn more about IMAN Cosmetics and Skincare by visiting www.imancosmetics.com.

1.Second to None Foundation Stick, $13.99, Ulta.com 2.Luxury Eyeshadow, $7.99, Ulta.com 3. Blush, $N/A, IMAN Cosmetics 4. Luxury Lipshine, $9.99, Ulta.com 5. Sheer Finish Bronzing Powder, $13.95, Ulta.com 6.Perfect Mascara, $6.99, Ulta.com