NEW! Aveda launches makeup line

Technically that should be Aveda relaunches makeup collection after the original line-up was pulled a couple of years ago. Fast-forward to 2011 and the formulas are more intense, easier to apply and kinder-to-the skin than ever before. As ever, the Aveda  range is all about makeup with a conscience - think environmentally-friendly packaging, sustainable, plant-derived ingredients and economic assistance to indigenous rainforest tribes - but the reformulated line doesn't stop at the 'feel-good'. For a start the collection is immense, from professional-worthy makeup brushes and refillable palettes to a rainbow of eye color trios and mineral bases.

I took home the Petal Essence Eye Color Trio in Golden Jasper, £20.50 (above), the Single Eye Color in Moon, £11.25, and the Rehydrating Lip Glaze in Cassia, £15. The eyeshadows feel silky-soft to the touch but certainly for the colours I used, the pigment was slightly lacking. If you like punchy, Mac-bright colours then perhaps this isn't the range for you. The formulas feel comfortable on the skin and stayed crease-proof for a good few hours. The Lip Glaze, however, was lovely. Again, even though the colour appears quite dark in the tube, on the lips the pigment washes out to a natural pinky-plum. The minty flavour was refreshing and my lips did look plumper (see picture). Unlike a lot of glosses, which feel tacky and sticky on the lips, Aveda's Lip Glaze is silky and hydrating.

As for the rest of the line, the build-your-own Environmental Compact Essentials, £14, are a fab idea! These refillable palettes house eyeshadows, face powders, bronzers and blush! It even has a cylindrical compartment for your lippie to click in to!

A rare product to be found on the beauty scene, I'm particularly excited by the Colour Options Eyeshadow Transformer, £22.50. Applied on the brush before eyeshadow, this liquid intensifies the colour for a concentrated burst of pigment. If you like your products to look natural and feel good on the skin (and your conscience) then give Aveda a try! Sx