As a girl with skin that is acne-fied at its worst and greasy at its best, finding foundation has never been my favorite chore. When I was in High School my mom worked at a salon, so I always had quality foundation to cover up my skin. When that salon went out of business, I was devastated. “You mean I’ll have to buy makeup at *gasp* the drugstore?”
And that’s what I did for the next 10 years. I tried every foundation known to man. Every new kind that came out I tried it. I’m pretty sure I never bought the same one twice. Nothing worked. Nothing covered. Or it covered too much. It was greasy. Or it was drying. It caused me to break out. It gave me the dreaded orange line on my neck. I NEVER found anything that worked.
UNTIL.
I was up late watching infomercials. Yes, infomercials. And I saw one about makeup. Makeup that goes on like a powder, covers like AIR and is healthy enough to sleep in. Did I just find the makeup that will change my life and turn my skin into a baby’s bottom? (Uh, you know what I mean.)
The brand? bareMinerals by Bare Escentuals. It’s a makeup made from minerals. In layman’s terms, they crush minerals up to a fine powder-like substance and you buff it on your face. These minerals don’t cover your skin, sucking all the life out of it. Somehow this makeup lets your skin breathe while healing it.
So, I ordered it. I actually bought something off an infomercial! I was very very excited and just knew this would be my ticket to beautiful skin.
I got my first little package in the mail during the summer. It came with 2 different colors (one lighter, one darker), some “blush” and a finishing “powder”. Not to mention 2 brushes, a compact and an instructional DVD which I watched about fourteen times.
This is a whole new way to apply make up. There’s no yucky sludgy liquid. There is no sponges or concealers. bareMinerals come in a loose “powder” so their technique is to “swirl, tap & buff”. You grab your brush, swirl it into the pot of mineral manna, tap it against the edge (to take the excess off) and then buff it onto your skin.
The term “buff” is important. You’re not brushing powder onto your face, or even trying to paint your face with makeup. You are buffing minerals into your skin. You are buffing the bad stuff off and putting some good stuff in.
And ever since my first swirl, tap and buff I was in love! With mineral makeup on, my skin is clearer, it’s smoother, it’s evenly toned, and I don’t feel makeup-y!
But what does it really do?!
Mineral makeup seems too good to be true. What does it actually DO for your skin? Well, I emailed my all-natural-skin-care hero (she owns an all natural skin care salon) and asked her to give me a little more info about mineral makeup. Here’s some highlights:
- A good mineral makeup will even out skin tone
- it gives added sun protection
- it contains added anti-oxidants that are good for the skin
- mineral makeup has a calming and soothing effect to the skin, making it ideal for acne, sensitive skin, rosacea and other skin disorders
- it is full of nourishing healthy skin formulations which are derived from natural forming minerals and mineral pigments, including zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, and iron oxide to name a few.
- mineral makeup has natural anti-inflammatory properties; helping heal, calm, and reduce redness in rosacea and acne prone skin types
- they have anti-microbial capabilities that destroy and inhibit the growth of bacteria and microorganisms that can cause acne
Are you even believing this? It is a miracle makeup!
What about other Mineral Makeups?
It seems like everyone is jumping on the mineral makeup bandwagon. And for good reason! But not all mineral makeups are created equal. The main thing you want is for it to be completely talc, filler and dye free. These are the things that can cause skin allergies. Make sure there are no FD&C or Lake chemical colors. Also make sure it DOES dontain Zinc Oxide or Titanium Dioxide…these are minerals that are actual natural sunblocks.
To see if you are using a GOOD QUALITY mineral makeup, here’s a trick my aforementioned hero told me about: Mix some of the mineral makeup in a clear glass of water. Minerals are naturally hydrophobic, so they “run away” from water by binding themselves together. “So called” mineral makeup that has a lot of powder and/or talc will leave the water cloudy looking while a true mineral makeup with stay mostly together.
Mineral Makeup for the Newbie
Think in layers. Mineral makeup is not a mask. When you first put it on, it takes a minute for your natural oils to settle and show up on your skin. Once they do (5 minutes, maybe…long enough to put on your eye makeup and spray your hair) and you want a little more coverage, do another layer. You can do this as many times as you want and honestly, you can look makeup-y if you want!
Make sure you invest in a good brush! If you buy bareMinerals, get their intro kit. It comes with tons of great brushes. I love the kabuki brush!
Another bareMinerals tip: get 2 colors! I always used the lighter color as my first layer–to really cover my blemishes, dark circles, etc. Then the darker color was my second layer.
Some people (my mom is one) complained that mineral makeup seems to settle in their wrinkles…excuse me, fine lines around their eyes. This may be…I wouldn’t know because I don’t have any wrinkles…kidding, kidding…but I DO know you have to get used to the look, feel and application of mineral makeup. You’ll use less of it after a month of application because you’ll understand how it works. Don’t give up on it!
My Suggestion
Run out RIGHT NOW and buy some! I know they are selling bareMinerals at Target now. Hello! Like you needed another reason to go there!
If you don’t have a Target, Ulta or Sephora near you, get online and start buying. (bareMinerals is having a sweet deal right now!)
Mineral makeup wearers–start commenting and let us know your experiences! If you have any questions about mineral makeup, I’ll try to answer them in the comments!
