Human Heart Nature: Love them Minerals!

A lot of consumers subscribe to the philosophy that natural is “good”-this goes for food, medicine and even cosmetics. When I ask the patients I see in the clinics what they mean by natural being “good” they general ascribe characteristics such as being safer and more effective…and therefore better than the chemical medications that their western-trained doctor (me) prescribed. I will not espouse the good qualities of standardized, quality-controlled, laboratory-synthesized (but more often than not, initially discovered in nature) medications here. Instead, I will explore a home-grown line of natural cosmetic products, Human Heart Nature (HHN).

In HHN’s case, natural means at least two things: 1) made of natural ingredients (at least 95% of the product), they only allow “non-natural” ingredients if there is no readily available natural alternative and   the ingredients meet strict criteria on human and environmental safety 2) kind to nature -products are biodegradable, come from a renewable source (no petroleum-derived ingredients), and processed in a way that is kind to the environment.

HHN’s website lists potentially harmful ingredients found in most cosmetic products that are not found in their products . I have also been at the receiving end of advice from at least two HHN enthusiasts claiming that since HHN is natural, it is 100% safe and therefore the risk of getting allergies when using these products are nil.

Generally, I would say better to avoid the potentially harmful ingredients listed in the HHN website, and in some of the medical literature, if you can.  However, I will disagree with the claim that since a product comes from a natural ingredient there is no longer any chance that the user could become allergic to it. Shrimps, strawberries and peanuts are all natural food products and yet many patients can and do develop allergies to them. But, since HHN has taken pains to avoid using  ingredients that are likely to cause allergies in their products, the risk of developing allergies when using HHN products may be lower than when using products that include allergenic ingredients (but that is entirely different from saying that there is no risk at all of developing allergies to natural products).

Not only is HHN natural and PRO ENVIRONMENT, it is also PRO-PHILIPPINES and PRO-POOR. Great product philosophy and great advocacy all rolled into one. But wait. All these great ideologies could only get a company so far, bottom line, the product needs to sell itself-the ideology is just the icing on the cake. And so, on to the product reviews….

My first introduction to HHN was through its Love Minerals make-up line so I will be reviewing products from this line for now. I have heard a lot about mineral make-up but did not trust myself to use loose-powder make-up formulations (too messy). When HHN came up with their pressed mineral make-up format, I decided to give it a try.

The pressed foundation and blush package was a great deal. I got the foundation in Orient Pearl and the blush in Pink Quartz.

Orient Pearl Foundation

I am Chinita and have very oily skin. I was using VMV’s Metamorphoskin at the time that I started using this product. I would say this is equally, if not more effective in keeping me shine-free as compared to the Metamorphoskin…and it’s a lot cheaper too.

Coverage: Mild to Moderate, provides a Matte finish

Scent: Neutral

Lasting Power: Approximately 6 hours

Skin reaction: Did not break out despite using this regularly for the past 3 months

Packaging: Mirrored powder compact, applicator sponge included

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Points of improvement: Perhaps HHN could come up with a formulation that includes UVA and UVB protection so that I can skip having to apply sunblock before the foundation.

Price: Php 425.00

 

Pink Quartz Blush

HHN has three shades for their blush. I decided to try the lightest and what looked to be the pinkest of the three-Pink Quartz. But I intend to try Petal Bloom as well.

What I like about this blush is that it’s almost impossible to over do it-unlike my other powder blushes, I could never end up looking like a clown when using this product. It gives a nice, just-ran-in-the-sun flush.

Coverage: Translucent, has a bit of shimmer

Scent: Smells like a cross between Play Doh and rice flour-it took me a few weeks before I got over it.

Lasting Power: Approximately 6 hours

Skin reaction: Did not cause break outs

Packaging: Pan containing pressed powder blush in a twist-to-open plastic container with a see-through top cover

Overall rating: 4/5

Points of improvement: The scent (which HHN has already improved in the later batches) and maybe a pinker shade.

Price: Php 225.00

 

Since I had a good experience with the foundation and the blush, I decided to give the lipsticks a try. I went with Pink Skies and Coral Kiss. Despite belonging to the same product line, the two lipsticks were significantly different not just in terms of their shade.

Pink Skies Hydrating Lipstick

Coverage: Opaque, has a pearly finish

Texture: Chalky, tended to clump, dries lips (using lip balm before lipstick application helped to minimize the dryness)

Scent: Strong scent (Passion Fruit?), reminds me of old lipsticks-got used to it eventually

Lasting Power: Approximately 6 hours, stays on even after taking drinks

Skin reaction: Did not cause break outs

Packaging: Gold lipstick tube, feels solid and has smooth twist up and twist down mechanism. HHN released the lipstick in violet packaging subsequently.

Overall rating: 3/5

Price: Php 225.00

 

Coral Kiss Hydrating Lipstick

Coverage: Opaque, has a silky finish

Texture: Smooth, goes on evenly

Scent: Strong scent (Passion Fruit?), reminds me of old lipsticks-got used to it eventually

Lasting Power: Approximately 6 hours, stays on even after taking drinks

Skin reaction: Did not cause break outs

Packaging: Gold lipstick tube, feels solid and has smooth twist up and twist down mechanism. HHN released the lipstick in violet packaging subsequently.

Overall rating: 4/5

Price: Php 225.00

 

 

Overall, I would say the products in HHN’s mineral make-up line are good bang for your buck items.

Have you tried any of these products? What did you think?

 

All pictures in this post are owned by the author. Please do not copy without written permission.

Disclosure: The author is NOT a HHN dealer and is not affiliated with HHN in any way.

Addendum (07/2011): Author is now an HHN dealer…couldn’t resist the discount.:D