Bella donna

I try Bella Vi, a New Zealand brand of mineral make-up developed by Melissa Furze, the more-than qualified woman behind Bella Vi – she is Managing Director, and a make-up artist and beauty therapist…

I try Bella Vi, a New Zealand brand of mineral make-up which uses natural and botanical ingredients and boasts an amazing range of colours in its product range.

The good news for people with sensitive skin is that it is gentle and can be used by those with allergies or have skin sensitivities, and is non-comedogenic, so it won’t clog pores.

The brand was developed by husband and wife team Glenn and Melissa Furze in 2007 and now in its fifth year.

Melissa Furze is the more-than qualified woman behind Bella Vi. She is the Managing Director, and a make-up artist and beauty therapist; a qualified Cosmetic Aesthetics and Micropigmentation specialist with over 15 years experience in the beauty industry. She is also a total pleasure to deal with and has an infectious enthusiasm about her ‘baby’, Bella Vi.

Below: Melissa Furze wears Bella Vi make-up. The name means ‘beautiful you’ in Italian.

First up, the secret to great makeup is great brushes… (Eyeshadow brush and angled brow brush both $27 each)

..and a great foundation. The loose mineral powders have a medium coverage and a matt finish and come in seven shades. They contain titanium dioxide, iron oxide, and mica – with natural sun protection – and cost $45.

Eyeshadows in green and brown are just two of the many gorgeous colours in the very extensive range. They retail for $29.95 each. I found it to be a great, strong pigment-rich colour and can be applied with brush or fingertips.

The Black Mascara in black is waterproofso it won’t budge or smudge.

Brow powder in a lovely, natural soft brown shade, with the angled brow brush.

Below: Megan wears Black Waterproof Mascara ($45) and brow powder ($29.95)

My favourite perhaps of all is this Bella Vi Cream Lipgloss applicator in shade La Naturale ($37.50). It has a great depth of colour unlike most lipglosses which I find too sheer and basically like a layer of shine. It gave a lipstick-like pigment to the lips.

Below: Megan wears Bella Vi lipgloss in shade La Naturale.

Bella Vi is available online atwww.bellavi.co.nzso you can

Megan Robinson
2 July 2012