Jane Iredale, natural makeup, mineral makeup

Clean Rosy Radiance, with Jane Iredale

This month, Beauty Editor Joy Elkayam spoke with Jane Iredale, the president and founder of Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, Ltd. For over 20 years, this company has been creating skin care products full of natural ingredients and mineral makeup free of toxins and chemicals.

Parvati Magazine: Your new spring makeup collection is vibrant with mauves, pinks, smoky brown hues to name a few. One of the appeals is that it offers the “elegant to edgy” look. What is the inspiration behind your Spring collection?

Jane Iredale: Our spring collection brings fresh, new shades to some of our best products. Our inspiration focused on peachy, rosy radiance that celebrates earth’s natural tones.

PMAG: In your product descriptions, you also explicitly list a couple of your key ingredients and their functionality and benefit. Typically this is left up to the customer to seek out. Tell us about the transparency and client education philosophy at Jane Iredale.

JI: We are in a period of real change, as there is a rising consumer demand for transparency and understanding of ingredients used in makeup and skin care. This is a good thing, and I believe the mineral makeup category has helped to affect this change. We’ve listed our ingredients on our website from the beginning, because we are very proud of our ingredients and the way we formulate. That sort of transparency is now very necessary.

A good mineral makeup, is devoid of ingredients like chemicals and toxins that sensitize the skin and cause problems such as blocking pores. True mineral makeup should have protective qualities such as sun protection and antioxidants. It will appear light on the skin but also give excellent coverage. We do far more testing on our products than is required. All of our products are tested for comedogenicity, sensitivity and phototoxicity. They are also dermatologist and clinically tested. You can trust them.

PMAG: With so many colours and product choices, what do you advise for customers who want to pick something fun and fresh for spring?

JI: Spring’s first order of business is to put moisture back into the skin. Start with a good moisturizer applied while the skin is still damp from cleansing. Next use a generous drop of a moisturizing primer like our Smooth Affair Facial Primer & Brightener. This will help makeup adhere, smooth skin’s texture and provide a hydrated finish to the skin. Wake up your skin with a BB cream that will provide beautiful, even color without looking heavy. Add our new bronzer Peaches & Cream Bronzer Refill to give skin depth and warmth. To finish the look, you can keep it simple and add just a touch of lipstick like our newest shades Lisa and Susan PureMoist Lipstick and a coat of mascara.

PMAG: From your entire makeup line, what products and tips would you recommend for the customer that has only a few minutes to put on makeup?

JI: Our jane iredale PurePressed Base Mineral Foundation works in all climates, day and night and never lets me down. I use it every single day whether I’m speaking to an audience or walking the dog. It saves me so much time because it’s four products in one – a powder, foundation, concealer and sunscreen. It really is all those things. It goes on easily and flawlessly and stays where I put it. It’s also water resistant.

PMAG: What products do you see on the horizon at Jane Iredale?

JI: We’re focusing on women who seek to simplify their makeup routine and find one “go to” lip product that looks fresh and also provides much needed hydration.

Jane Iredale
Jane Iredale
was born in England and moved to the United States as a young woman. She started her career in the entertainment industry during her undergraduate studies, working first as a casting director and then as a writer and producer in New York and Los Angeles. She moved on from film, television and theater to create her eponymous makeup line, jane iredale. She currently runs her business from Great Barrington, MA where the company’s campus comes complete with organic gardens and direct access to a riverside walking path. Learn more at janeiredale.com