Kim Snyder, creator of Overall Beauty Minerals and founder of beauty blog Thoughts of Beauty, believes everyone should work with what they have. If there are parts you can fix like hair color or weight, then do it; and if you can’t, don’t stress about it.
“Do not compare yourself with what you see in beauty magazines,” she says. “If you go along with what they are showcasing each and every month by photos and articles, well, you will never be young enough, thin enough, have the right hair, skin tone, etc. Guess what? Neither am I.”
Kim recently caught up with us to share more about her mineral line, skincare routine and beauty trends she’s loving and hating. Here’s what she had to say:
Tell about Overall Beauty Minerals. What sets your makeup line apart from other brands?
My brand is vegan, but I am myself not vegan. Also, let’s start off with this little fact about me: I am over 50 years old. I am a huge believer in, “you do what makes you happy as long as it causes no harm to yourself, people in general and four-legged animals.”
I have created fun, playful colors that any age group could wear. I tend to create a lot of eye shadows with little to lots of shimmer, with oddball names like Booster Chair, Not Your GF and Burning Daylight to name a few. Not what you would think someone my age would wear, but I love shimmer eye shadows!
What inspired you to create your own beauty line?
As I have gotten older, I am starting to have real issues with eye shadows and blushes. Either they are breaking out my cheeks or making my eyes water, itch or burn. I started doing research into why this could be happening, and I found that most major beauty brands have a set of ingredients that they use the most. I came to find out that it was those common ingredients, such as talc and cosmetic dyes, that could be part of the reason why I was having such problems.
I came to realize that what I wanted wasn’t really available at that time. So I decided to create my own line and make it vegan, so that there wouldn’t be an issue for anyone else. I am also a big believer in there being no need to test on animals. I do not even have silk (from silk worms) or pearl powder, as they both come from an animal. I know you can buy synthetic pearl powder now, but I do not trust where it is coming from.
What’s your daily skincare routine consist of?
My skincare routine is really pretty simple. If I am not testing anti-aging skincare for review on my blog, I have set items that I use pretty much every day. I cleanse with a simple face wash; I love anti-aging serums. I will mix a couple in my hand before application because it is easier for me to do it that way, then layer over a layer of facial serums.
I always moisturize and I always wear sunscreen (indoors as well as outdoors). I also exfoliate at least once a week. My personal favorite is Light Skin Peel by Reviva Labs, because you can do it at home and it really does a great job helping my mature skin produce new skin cells faster.
What do you do when you really want to pamper your skin?
I have facials done by a good friend of mine here in my hometown. I have microdermasion treatment along with chemical peels. It takes years off your face and it is just wonderful to have done. I love to have one done once a month if at all possible.
What are some beauty trends you’d like to see move on?
Leggings as pants. That is one beauty trend that needs to go away for good! Each and every time I see someone wearing leggings, they seem to have no clue just how bad it really looks. Another one that is really big right now is, contouring your face. Just because it can be done doesn’t mean you need to try and change your face into someone else’s.
What seems to be the most common beauty frustrations your customers and blog readers share with you? How do you help them?
One of the biggest problems I get asked about is application. It seems that many of my customers are just now finding out that there is more to mineral makeup than just foundation. How to create eyeliner using mineral eye shadow is one that I get asked a lot about – that and choosing colors that work together. I have posted a couple of articles that talk about application and how to create eyeliner using mineral eye shadows.
What do you look for in beauty products? What do you avoid?
I like things that are simple. I am always on the hunt for beauty products not tested on animals – cruelty-free, most of all. There are a couple websites that are so helpful if you are looking for information about brands, and they are both run by awesome people.
If I am not sure, I will check their lists to find out for sure.
I tend to wear more all-natural products. It is not that I avoid buying major brands; I buy most of my beauty products from the local Sprouts in my hometown. I know what I am buying.
What are some of your favorite recent beauty discoveries?
Mascara and pencil eyeliners by Pacifica. I like using cake eyeliner; but when I am pressed for time, I’ve been known to go without eyeliner. Pacifica has pencil eyeliners that are soft, yet stay put for the day – making it really easy to apply.
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