Gluten Free Beauty Product Review by a Non-Celiac Girl Hating Redness and Dry Acne

Jennifer Lopez, rumor has it, swears by Creme de La Mer all over her face and body. Good for her. When I used it, my skin burned off. I looked like a beet red Spongebob Squarepants for a whole week under my makeup. It gets worse. When makeup artists apply primers and skin lotions on me, my skin - which is like a teenager's skin but with the tendency to develop acne that dries out into scraped knee type blemishes - starts getting the "about to break out" feeling no more than four hours after the makeup is applied. I have tried expensive and cheap makeup products. I only use about four makeup brands at the moment - MAC, Chanel, Almay and an ever alternating Whole Foods brand in my purse - and for quite a while, nothing on my face. I couldn't take it. Everyone loved using the word "fabulous" in describing their miracle products. I always wound up looking anything but fabulous. My guy friends hated Proactive, Walgreens witch hazel brands, Neutrogena, the pore strips… What was I to do? I need to look good in pictures and real life.

Gluten Free Beauty! "Do you have a gluten allergy?" you ask. No. But I'm all about the cheap and good..and preferably vegan. If you can make it cruelty free and vegan on top of that? Snap! So without further ado, herein lies my Gluten Free Beauty product review. Hey, that rhymed!

Castor Oil-Free Lip/Cheek Tint $34
I'll be honest. I was really upset that this is the only makeup Gluten Free Beauty makes at the present time. I was hoping they would have a plethora of eyeshadows for me to use with my current "other people's makeup is damaging my skin!" drama. I am not a fan of combination makeup in particular, mostly because I am within actually an angry old man who likes his potatoes separated from his green beans at the nursing home. That said, I was really satisfied with how this looks and photographs. The color could work on any skin tone, with any hair color. You can have a touch of color or stab it into your brush for a Katy Perry effect. The best thing to do is to begin with your face already sealed off by a moisturizer, oil or primer for this to have the proper glow and color. Use the blush at an angle underneath your cheekbones, or create cheekbones using it as a contouring device. Personally, I have been using it as a heavy contour so my cheekbones stick out more and a general, all over blush I paint on lightly. I like using the lip color on a medium pink scale.

Balancing Facial Serum $28
The original bottle says to use it in the morning and at night. I discovered a hidden use for it: a substitute for gross, icky makeup primer! I've been using the serum about ten minutes prior to putting on my foundation. I let it soak in for that time period. The chef in me wants to shout, "It smells like a tasty bread dough oil!" I have a secret desire to eat it whenever I use the product. But I don't do that, because then I wouldn't have any left to create flawless makeup. If you had to pick one product to buy from Gluten Free Beauty, this is the one. Your makeup goes on so smoothly, it is as if you Photoshopped it on. I really mean it. You will walk around looking like you rolled out of bed with famed makeup artist Gucci Westman doing your makeup.

Balancing Face/Body Wash $27
I loved how this didn't smell. I cannot begin to tell you how most men hate anything with scents. This is definitely a wash you could share if you had a boyfriend or husband, or use if you are a man. It is really light but does the job. The product advertises it counteracts redness. Ah, redness! My other big issue I get as a fair skinned maiden. I was pleased when I read this product lasts six months. I always leave my stuff wherever I am and come back around a month later to the house saying, "I hope this isn't expired yet." It recommends using your hands, a sponge or a washcloth to apply. I prefer my hands the most because it softens and washes my hands at the same time. I use this in the shower so my face is clean enough for my makeup ritual.

Facial Smoothing Stick $19.50
The original use says, "It helps diminish fine lines and wrinkles, instantly smooths dryness and melts onto skin to form a gentle, non-comedogenic barrier for a smoother makeup application." I'm not really sure what "non-comedogenic" means. Keep in mind, I feel like my native language is not American English but a foreign language called Midwestern. We didn't use words like that in Illinois! What did catch my attention was my apt for using it so my concealer and foundation give me the right glow. Nasolabial folds! I am not looking anywhere near old enough where I need to use fillers to stuff them with a product like Juvederm - hmmm, can you tell my dad is a physician and I've helped out at doctors' offices? - but I do get the 'gator fry makeup crustyness when I don't apply my makeup well. This seals in everything on my folds, my undereye circles and anywhere I have issues with getting my makeup to stick. You twist it off and apply it. It's virtually an Elmer's glue for your makeup. Again, not clogging my pores into an outbreak is a big positive.

Kaolin Clay (from the $55 Anti-Acne Set)
When I saw this in the container, I had an instant flashback to my friend's ninth grade Halloween party invitation, in which he had included white Johnson & Johnson baby powder to simulate asbestos. He was going to dress as Twisted Sister's Dee Snider, if he were an asbestos removal employee. How he created that idea is a long, funny story! Luckily, this powder isn't too goofy, and it won't make you look like Twisted Sister. Originally, this product is intended to put on problem areas when you go to sleep, mimicking a mask but in a lighter form without the goopy mess. I have used it when I eat something bad for me, like potato wedges this week - fried food gives me awful skin - and I feel something about to break out later in the evening. It is a preventative measure I'm glad exists. My skin is really weird. I'm a mature adult, but I need to use anti-acne, blemish prevention products while I need to add moisture. I really am 13 going on 30.

Final Thought Can you believe all I am wearing in this last picture is a light layer of Almay moisturizing foundation and mascara? Not bad! Now if only I can bite off the heads of makeup artists forcing primer on me in the future, I shall continue to have great, clear skin. If you want to learn more about these products, which I think work really well without a gluten allergy, visit GlutenFreeBeauty.com.