Glitter madness - meet the biodegradable face and body glitters by Facegroovin'!

All it took was for Ania to show up once on social media with glittery freckles on her face and every one of Ministerstwo's channels went wild. From then on, for weeks, we were flooded with comments, e-mails and phone calls - will there be any, when will there be any, in what colours, how to wear them and WHY ARE THEY NOT HERE YET??? - surprising probably the whole ministerial team... apart from Ania, who felt from the very beginning that it would be a HIT ;) The glitters dominated our December and January, outshining the rest of the product news, and there was quite a lot of it (more about that soon :)). For those of you who have not yet been swept up by the glitter madness, we would like to introduce it a little more closely. Welcome!

What makes our glitters special?

The Facegroovin' glitters for decorating the face and body are iridescent, hexagonal particles in two sizes - 2.4 mm and 1 mm. What sets them apart from other cosmetic glitters available on the Polish market? Made in Germany from natural, sustainable materials, they are completely free of plastic and hold a prestigious certificate of biodegradability in water, which also confirms that they are non-toxic to fish and other aquatic organisms.

To put it simply, you could say that the particles of Facegroovin' bioglitters are cut out of a cellulose film. In more detail, their base material is rayon - a type of viscose fibre obtained through the chemical processing of cellulose), covered with a layer of pigments (mineral and synthetic) suspended in a mixture of shellac (a type of natural resin secreted by insects called lac bugs), vegetable glycerine, urea and water.

Available colours of Facegroovin' glitters

A wide range of cosmetic pigments allows us to offer you biodegradable glitters in as many as eight (for the time being ;)) different colour versions!

You will find all the bioglitters in the FACEGROOVIN' section of our online shop.

Facegroovin' Silver Glitter

A cool shade of silver heading towards graphite ;). In the packaging it may seem a little too dark, but on the skin it gives a far more delicate, semi-transparent effect.

Facegroovin' Frosty Glitter

A colour that is hard to classify - it sits somewhere in the middle of the scale between cool and warm. We often describe it as champagne or pearl. On the skin it is semi-transparent, but it reflects light with a beautiful, strong shine like sparkling snowflakes :)

Facegroovin' Pink Frosty Glitter

At first glance it is very similar to the classic Frosty and equally semi-transparent, until it starts playing with light - then it shimmers in a cool shade of pink and violet, reminiscent of fish scales.

Facegroovin' Peachy Pink Glitter

Semi-transparent particles in a warm peach colour that give a subtle effect, yet shimmer towards a cooler shade of light rose gold. In English you might call it rose quartz ;)

Facegroovin' Gold Glitter

Glitter in a classic, warm shade of gold. There is no need to fear the yellow tones visible in the packaging - on the skin it is semi-transparent too :)

Facegroovin' Rusty Gold Glitter

An even warmer and slightly darker shade of gold. We sometimes call it, with a wink, aged or slightly grubby gold.

Facegroovin' Cinnamon Glitter

The darkest, warm colour among our glitters, resembling pure copper. On the skin it is more visible than its predecessors - even when it is not reflecting light. It imitates real freckles a treat!

Facegroovin' Rainbow Freckles

a touch of madness for the brave ;). Rainbow freckles look like confetti - it is a mix of glitter in three pure, saturated colours: blue, green and red, topped with a helping of muted gold (Rusty Gold is the only shade of the four that we also sell separately).

Which shade of glitter to choose?

When picking a shade of glitter, it is worth taking a few things into account:

• your colouring - skin tone, eye and hair colour,
• the colours you prefer in make-up,
• the colours of the jewellery you wear every day,
• the effect you want - subtle or bold,

although of course this is not a hard and fast rule :).

Subtle or quite the opposite?

The most subtle, delicate effect is usually achieved by choosing glitters in the Frosty and Gold shades, whatever your complexion. These are shades that will not clearly stand out against your skin colour until they start working with the light. Their opposites, on the other hand, are the Cinnamon and Rainbow Freckles glitters - there is no way to miss those ;). We especially recommend the smaller Cinnamon Glitter particles to anyone considering having natural-looking freckles tattooed permanently (and we have met quite a few such customers!) and who would like to test how they would feel with them.

In harmony with make-up and jewellery

When cool colours dominate your make-up, for example greys, pinks or blues, it is worth choosing a glitter in a cool shade - Silver or Pink Frosty. Warm colours - beiges and browns, reddish, peachy and burgundy shades - will go best with the Gold, Rusty Gold and Cinnamon glitters. Frosty Glitter will work with almost any make-up colour scheme, and the other way round - deep, dark shades of violet or green go with almost any colour of glitter.

To fans of gold jewellery we recommend the Gold and Rusty Gold shades, and if your collection holds more rose gold or even copper, it is worth considering the Peachy Pink and Cinnamon colours. Silver jewellery and white gold, on the other hand, will go best with the Silver shade, as well as Frosty and Pink Frosty.

Warm or cool colouring?

When we talk about colour types, we base it on the fundamental principles of a method used among others by make-up artists and stylists, known as colour analysis. Although today it distinguishes as many as 12 different (sub)types of colouring, which harmonise with different palettes in clothing and make-up, we will introduce you to the four main types, named after the seasons, in a very simplified way:

• Spring is a warm colour type, characterised by a warm complexion with a peachy flush and golden reflections in the hair - whether blonde, copper or light brown. The irises of Springs are the most varied: from blues and greens to hazel and light brown, though they are often united by a golden ring around the pupil. Springs should be best suited by the delicate glitters in Gold and Rusty Gold, but it is also worth trying the Peachy Pink shade.
• Summer is a cool colour type, marked by a low contrast between skin and hair. Characteristic of Summer are pink-tinged cheeks on a cool or neutral complexion, light blue, grey and green irises and ashy hair colour, from blonde to light brown, which they themselves often criticise as "mousy" ;). Summer colouring will work particularly well with the cool Frosty, Pink Frosty and Silver glitters, but it is also worth trying the Peachy Pink colour.
• Autumn includes people with clearly warm shades of skin and hair - this rich, saturated palette holds among others dark, golden blondes, all kinds of reds and chestnut browns. Their irises shimmer in colours from warm greens, through hazel, to amber browns. For Autumn we firmly suggest typically warm shades of glitter: Gold, Rusty Gold and Cinnamon.
• Winter is a colour type marked by a characteristic high contrast between a light, cool or neutral shade of skin and dark hair - from ashy browns to raven black. Their irises, on the other hand, can be at either extreme: almost piercingly cool like sea water, or very, very dark. Silver glitter is unquestionably the perfect choice for every Winter, though she may also be tempted to experiment with the Rusty Gold colour.

If you have already found your perfect glitter colour (or a few - you can never have enough glitter ;)), all that is left is for us to pass on a handful of practical information.

How to apply Facegroovin' glitters?

To begin with, it is worth keeping in mind that the smaller glitter particles like to settle at the bottom of the packaging - so before applying the glitter we recommend giving it a stir in the pot first.

To get the best effect and enjoy it for many hours, we advise applying our bioglitters with clean, dry fingers onto skin that has first been covered with a very thin layer of a cosmetic that will not absorb completely, leaving a slightly tacky finish. From our experience, the Honey lip balm works best in this role, giving the glitter grip for even a dozen hours or more, as long as we remember not to touch and rub our face too much ;).

Equally good adhesives for glitter are the balm sticks or the Saffron balm bar. You can also try sticking the glitter onto other products from your home stock, such as lipsticks or cosmetic petroleum jelly :). And of course there is nothing to stop you applying it with the special glitter glues that some colour cosmetics brands have in their range (not to be confused with stationery supplies ;)).

Where to apply Facegroovin' glitters?

Preferably over the sink ;). As for which parts of the face or body to apply the glitter to, here you have complete freedom! We do particularly recommend three approaches, though:

• application on the cheekbones (where highlighter goes in make-up) - this is our favourite way of wearing it every day,
• application on the tops of the cheeks and the nose - imitating the pattern of natural freckles, if we have always envied those who have them ;)
• application on the collarbones or the whole décolletage - especially for summer party occasions!
• application on the eyelids - it can replace eyeshadow, or complement a look that uses it.

How to wash Facegroovin' glitter off the skin?

The glitter particles themselves can easily be washed off with just lukewarm water or gently wiped away with a damp face cloth - what is more important and potentially trickier, though, is washing off the product you used to make the glitter stick to your skin. If it was a product with a tacky or oily formula, we recommend using the Rose-Raspberry hydrophilic oil for make-up removal and face cleansing.

Although Facegroovin' glitters biodegrade in the aquatic environment, the particles do not dissolve instantly on contact with water while being washed off the skin.

What else is worth knowing about Facegroovin' glitters?

Every pot of Facegroovin' bioglitter contains 10 grams of product (a mix of particle sizes). Along with the glitter you also receive from us a special code that lets you use the Facegroovin' mobile app free for 30 days. You will find it on the underside of the lid :).

What is the Facegroovin' app? Facegroovin' is the second project of Ania and Ula, run together with Edyta Maksimowicz - the creator of an original method combining (self-)massage and facial muscle training with whole-body exercise, performed to the rhythm of music. In the mobile app for iOS and Android you can learn the technique of facial self-massage, which can be worked into your skincare routine, and exercise with Edi every day to achieve specific benefits - from firming the skin to improving the contour of the face.