Archived Post
Rant & Rave: Mineral Makeup
This Week’s Topic: MINERAL MAKEUP!
Your Mission: Tell us what you love, hate, or are otherwise indifferent to about mineral makeup!
Explore Temptalia
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Compare Any Two
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
109 Comments
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
Comments on this post are closed.
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
i’d love to try mineral products but have been scared off by my skins bad reaction to mac mineralise foundation, it broke me out and stung my eyes a lil, the MA didnt believe me
Mac mineralise foundation has a lot of added ingredients that may be the culprit. I just never had a match int he MAC line and was put off by the number of fillers they used. Mac is not a good example of what mineralization foundation should be. If you interested in only “Brands” I recommended tiring out Younge Blood if you fell safer with well know brands. Alima Pure is a boutique brand that is nice on dry, sentivie and ageing skin that is medium to build-able full coverage.
Avoid Bare Minerals is your sensitive as well, the first Ingredient is a known aggravator.
Meow Cosmetics makes a really good mineral foundation and the owner can even help you figure out which shade would best suit you if you send her your picture. (You can also post your picture on the forums to get a match.) Sample sizes are available as well until you find your perfect shade.
@Abbi: MAC Mineralize, ha! OMG.. my skin was a holy MESS! In a matter of 24 hours.. i broke out so bad.. it took FOREVER for it to clear up..
i believe that it may have irritated you. I haven’t tried that particular powder but i really enjoy mac’s mineralize skin finish natural. it’s light coverage and the color is great and doesn’t wash me out or yellow/orange. I use light medium and i’m NW20 btw. I don’t really love the feeling though, but i don’t like the feel of any face make up.
Well, mineral foundation is just ok. The coverage is pretty bare and minimal, and I have to do some good concealing to acheive the look I want. It’s preferable because it’s light weight, but it also fades faster. I love mineral eyeshadows, because they allow you to wear brighter colors in a soft way, because they blend easy, last forever, and I really enjoy the foil effect.
I dont like mineral foundation coverage is non existant… as for shadows i love them they are easy to use you can mix em use them wet or dry i just love them, of course minus the fall out but thats not a big deal. I’ve never tried mieral blush bur lately ive been tempted.
It depends on the brand… try Buff’d and you’ll see ^^
Hi!
I agree with Misato-san, it depends on the brand. I use Lily Lolo and I feel it has better coverage and staying power than the foundation I used before, which was DiorSkin forever.
I love mineral eyeshadow but never tryed blush, but I’m also curious!
Mineral blush is pretty nice! It’s as soft or strong as you want it, doesn’t streak, and lasts forever.
LOVE LOVE LOVE!
Mineral makeup changed my life. Liquid foundations always made me break out, plus couldn’t cover my redness. Ever since I started using powdered mineral foundations, my skin looks amazing.
I also really enjoy loose mineral eyeshadows because I’ve found a lot of really unique and fun shades. Plus they tend to cost less than buying shadows from Mac.
What I love about mineral makeup is that is really has improved my skin condition, when I wear I rarely get pimples, and he few that I might have dry up within a few days.
What I don’t love about MU is that I have to order my favourite brands on the Internet. On the other hand, some brands look too powdery o chalky, and others have very weak staying power.
My favourite brand was Pure Luxe Cosmetics, until I had a problem with my order and I had to file a Paypal complaint after they ignored all my mails. Sad…
I hate mineral foundation. I was initially attracted to it by the ease of application but in the end the coverage was pitiful and it dulled my skin after a couple months’ use.
I tried some brands of mineral foundation but all showed me the dry areas of skin and fine lines and also did not like the powdery effecton on my face.
I really prefer traditional foudations’ finish and effect!
I’ve always gotten rashes from mineral makeup and I don’t know why. There is a misconception that all mineral makeup is hypoallergenic.
Dose it contain Bismuth Oxychloride because despite clams otherwise it I not hypoallergenic for half the population and in larger quantity.
You proper founadtion should only cotain these ingredients:
Titanium Dioxide, Mica, Iron Oxides, and Chromium Hydroxide Greens use for cooler tones over Ultarmarin blue.
Other addavited like Silica and Sericite mica improve the texture for the foundation as well. The also add a satin finish to the product.
I add Sericite mica to my previous full coverage foundation to improve it’s texture. Saddly the foundation no longer exists so I can’t recommend it.
If there is more ingredients then likely one of those ingredients is an irritating to the skin. Also in an very Tiny percentage of the population (less than 0.0005%) are allergic to Mics or just Chromium Hydroxide Greens. For myself I pre-test ALL product before buy/using on the underside of my arm to see if something in it will cause a rash(irritation) or an allergic reaction (hives). Wool for me is a know irritant while Avon brand sunscreen gave me hive the 2 times i used it *barg* >_<.
I’m fan of MAC Mineralize products.
Firstly I bought Mideralize Foundation and Mineralize Skinfinish about 3 years ago. Later I have bought Mineralize Foundation Loose. Now it is best powder for me and I use only it.
Sometimes I try another powders, but MAC is the best for me.
It is very light and invisible, but it makes my skin perfect and glowing.
Hate it, all of it… from products claiming to be mostly minerals to commercial versions with a tiny proportion of minerals. The coverage is really poor and it’s brilliant at really showing dry patches and fine lines… if you want to display those to the world, that is. Also, none have staying power. My first mineral foundation was Bare Escentuals – it looked like an awful fine line enhancing mask and my face turned red and REALLY painful in under 5 minutes. Seriously wanted to de-skin my face, it hurt like hell. I had this done at a counter and the sales lady was just horrible, she just refused to take it off and basically shouted until I was shaking. Fortunately, a very very nice lady at a nearby (different) counter removed my make-up and applied soothing cream and was just generally really nice.
That sounds like an absolutely awful experience 🙁
I HATE all the repackagers. I hate all the people who make the false claims with their mineral makeup.
I love some brands, like Meow. My perfect match foundation with them has only the following ingredients, which don’t irritate my skin:
Ingredients: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Iron Oxides
Right now I feel like my skin is looking really nice by using L’Oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base with my mineral foundation.
Ditto, what Phyrra said that 1st line.
I love actual unique mineral companies. Still waiting to find my foundation match, but when I do, it will be mineral and I will be in lurrrrrvvveee 🙂
And mineral eyeshadow is more vibrant in my opinion.
I used MAC Mineralize SPF 15 Foundation/Loose & it was a DISASTER T_T it gave me this yellow ugly glow after only one hour of application … horrible
I really like mineral make up. I don’t use only that but also that because… my foundation is a mineral one (medium oily skin + allergic person… =_=), plus I really like eyeshadows because they have tons of colours it’s hard to find in “normal” make up. And you can try stuff without spending so much money for a colour you’ll wear only once…
I also like blushes (one of my favourite is Summertime by Neve Make Up *_*) 😀
I love Mineral makeup! Especially eyeshadows and blushes! As far as foundation, I think you have to find the right company, mineral foundation can have a wide range of ingredients. My personal fave is Aromaleigh, but unfortunately they are going out of business.
Mineral eyeshadows and blush give me the greatest amount of pigmentation and the smoothest application I’ve found in any color product. I also like mineral foundation, but have yet to find ‘the one’ that I really love; they are still great, though. I’ve never had any reaction with a foundation, though the BE brush really itched my face like crazy.
I’m really interested in trying a good, pure mineral makeup but I’m not sure what brand to start with.
Check out purely cosmetics brand comparison: http://www.purelycosmetics.com/mineral-makeup-comparisons-i-10.html
I just recently bought some after using bareminerals for about 6 years and I’m in love!
Thanks for the suggestion!
I’m curious about it but I have never tried anyone… It’s just “OK… It may be great…” but never have the impulse to try it on.
Don’t know ^^
I don’t care for mineral makeup and I don’t like the foundations. I have very, very dry skin so I stick to liquids.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!
I made the switch years ago for my acne and every time I wear it everyone says my skin looks great (which after years of acne and scarring it so does not) and how pretty I look. I don’t get that much with liquid. I love that mineral makeup helps you to look like you and not the “makeup version of you.”
As far as coverage goes I think its all about finding the right brand. I love Everyday Minerals and AlimaPure for their wide variety of shades and coverages. I also love that with a quick spray of water or Fix+ it becomes a liquid foundation, or it can be a tinted moisturizer.
Mineral makeup is great for people who want to have control over their makeup and not have the makeup control them.
“Mineral makeup is great for people who want to have control over their makeup and not have the makeup control them.”
What do you mean by this?
I’m really keen to know and I’m not being snarky or anything – it’s an interesting statement and I’d like to know how you interpret it.
A) You can customize the colour fairly easily in advance to perfectly match your skin in the FULL spectrum of human skin tones.
B) You can alter the formulation by adding your additives which is also fairy easy to do since it’s an inert powder product.
C) Shelf life is well above 12 month since there is not moister involved to bread bacteria or nutrients since MMU is a hostile environment for organic cells. Aka create for your not to grow anything. To improve shelf life I decant the foundation into a travel sifter jar and use that. That something you can’t do with liquid or cream for the most part.
D) There are companies that specializes in allowing the consumer to build there own foundation shades to finishes and coverage. Silk Naturals is one of them and is my best friend favorite company. This is too much work for my taste I like to just tweek foundation in my shade of Olive Fair or Olice 0. ^_^
Used to love Everyday Minerals until they reformulated EVERYTHING and kicked out their own clients from the forum they started and shut it down without notice. >_<
I didn't want to mention them at all, Instead of bad mouthing I prefer to give the silent treatment for their poor conduct and will not going into all the Crazy that happened with their "rebranding". There doing fine I just wont recommend them.
But if your one of the people that got dissed in the shuffle we moved here: Mineral Makeup Forums: http://www.87px.net/mmf/
The ladies that once helped all the EM clients find there matches will now help you find the best match for your skin type, tone and coverage in the seas of MMU brands out there. It' also a consumer run site and created by Chanty who in her forethought didn't like were the company was heading and started to build the forum for the lovely MMU ladies before thing got bad.
There is a learning curve for apply it but I'm so glad I was introduced to it 4 years ago by a friend. The ladies part of the new Mineral Makeup Forums helped me in this as well.
Wow! Ani_BEE you’re so knowledgeable! Are you a makeup artist? Thanks so much for your input 🙂
I’ve done a lot of reading on this and other products. Also I could never find a match in foundation since olive is not colour family that most brands cater too and I’m also more pale then what most brands cater too.
MMU foundation was the first time I ever found a match in foundation. I also use to use theatrical brands but again the shades where still a bit off at the time (to dark or too yellow an olive tone). I only started to try to us foundation 6 years ago so it not like I’ve been using it as long as most MA’s but I’m always trying to achieve perfection with the products since growing up seen bad makeup in high-school and was put off by makeup in general at that time since I always looked fake.
Also half of what I learned was from these ladies on the forum I linked. You have to signup to read and post but we won’t bite. <3
I have yet to find a product that works as well as FIX+ (I’m try to cut down on Paraben use were I can) for MMU application in foundation in particular. I want to try Young Blood Mist but I’m not willing to order it online till I test it in person for consistency. >_<
i dont really like mineral makeup, it usually doesnt give coverage at all unless u pack it on, then i dont think it looks good, even if u buff it
I love working with nice mineral shadows, and I like the variety you can find in it…. but i HATE how pushy so many people are about recommending it.
I had a salesman tell me, to my face, a few months back that ALL non-mineral makeup, including high end brands, contained a horror story of preservatives and irritants, and that long term use of those cosmetics would lead to damage akin to tanning. And he stood by that even AFTER I asked him about his OWN lines potential irritants, and asked him where he saw concrete research on mineral vs. conventional lines.
It just seems like sooooooooo many people are really quick to recommend mineral products without actually researching ingredients, or really doing anything but propagating an unhealthy fear and paranoia. I don’t really care for that in any industry. But I have NEVER seen a representative for a conventional line(MAC, Bobbi Brown, Sephora salespeople, etc.) treat a brand or product type with that level of antipathy.
If mineral makeup works for you, great! If conventional makeup is fine too, than YAY! But it should be the performance of the actual product, not anecdotal rumors and trendy “anything synthetic is dangerous” fear-mongering that determines that.
That said, I haven’t had good luck with mineral foundations. The color is usually off, they oxidize a lot faster on me, and some of them DO break me out. Most powder foundations do the same. I just prefer the application and look of a well matched liquid.
I love mineral eyeshadows. The only ones I’ve been really impressed with is Fyrinnae but I also haven’t tried many others.
Foundations? The only “mineral” foundation I’ve tried was Bare Minerals and within ten minutes after applying it I had red bumps appearing on my face. The only other product I have tried from them was their Rareminerals Moisturizer but that smelled like fish and feet to me so I’ve been turned off from anything from BE.
I would love to try out some other mineral foundations though. I keep eying meow cosmetics but I always worry if I’ll get the right shade or not so not being able to match my skin in person has turned me off a bit from purchasing.
Mineral makeup always makes me itchy. I don’t know why but by two hours into wearing it, I just want to claw off my face. >.<
Hate the it’s too messy (will never be able to use for travel/on the go.) Hate that mineral “face” makeup tends to break me out. Love the color payoff (most of the time) for mineral eyeshadows.
I tried the Revlon ColorStay Mineral powder foundation, and Bare Escentuals, and wasn’t a fan of either… Granted, these may not have been the best brands to try, but I think liquid foundations work better with my dry skin, anyway. The Revlon did absolutely nothing for me. BE worked alright, but it didn’t do much in the way of coverage, and it wore horribly; even with primer, halfway through the day it looked splotchy and had accentuated fine lines (I’m only 23! I don’t have that many, but it still looked pretty bad!) I’ve gone back to liquid foundation, and to use up my BE, I use it as setting powder on top of my foundation. It actually looks pretty good that way, and helps control redness better than a translucent powder, so I may end up repurchasing and using it that way. As for mineral eyeshadows, blushes, and bronzers, I like the ones I’ve tried just as well as more traditional products, but I don’t really have a preference 🙂
I hate mineral makeup, completely, entirely. haha
i really hate that
1) they tend to look a bit powdery
2) when you sweat, oh man.
Thank you! I thought it was just me who thought that. I buffed the heck out of BE. I felt like an over-powdered grandma.
I hate mineral makeup. The loose mineral foundation looks awful on my dry skin and provides poor coverage and oxidizes horribly.
Loose mineral eye shadows are just a pain and generally don’t provide great color pay off.
That being said, I love my MAC Mineralize Satinfinish foundation… I like its satiny finish and it actually treats my dry, sensitive skin well. I can’t wait to try to creme compact version. But I really don’t consider either of those to be mineral makeup, just liquid makeup with some mineral ingredients added.
I also had a terrible allergic reaction to Bare Minerals. When I did some searching online, I found out, as Ani_BEE mentioned, that it contains known irritants. Ok, I understand that different people are going to have different reactions to makeup, and I also understand that my skin is probably more sensitive than most. But it upsets me that all of their advertising is like “So gentle you can sleep in it! Good for your skin!” etc., when this is actually not true for a non-negligible portion of the population.
“So gentle you can sleep in it!” is a crock, even if titanium dioxide if good for your skin you still need to clear about your makeup from all the pollutants you gathered from being outside day and from just living. ^_^
Young Blood also used Bismuth Oxychloride so I have not tested it out yet to see if i have a reaction to it. But Bismuth Oxychloride is so high in content with Bare Minerals I had and instant tingeing/crawling sensation with it on. It’s the same reaction I get with wool blended fabrics and washed it off immediately. I’m not Allergic to wool (tests done was negative unlike my Mom) my skin however is irritated by it. However in smaller quantities Bismuth Oxychloride dose not bother my skin at all otherwise a lot of MAC product I would not be able to use. O__o
It’s almost 50:50 odds you have a reaction from Bismuth Oxychloride since it a “fake” mineral now that it’s a buy product of mining operations instead of being the main reason for harvesting in cosmetic use and may contain impurities from the mining like lead. Not to scare anyone this isn’t my first concern about it as an ingredients use however it the fact they still using besides the fact that there are a lot of intense of skin irritation or breakouts from it.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Bismuth-Oxychloride-in-Mineral-Makeup&id=1514493
Also Talc is used by many companies in there minerals lines and is just a filler that dose not improve the product at all and sheers it out.
(for going any health concerns that are up for to debate.)
There is very few well know brand that do mineral makeup right and that’s why there has been a boom of Indie and MMU online brands in the past 10 year. There’s nothing new about MMU in the oldest form of makeup raw pigments in the form of Micas, Iron oxides and carrier powders. We are just rediscovering it before using complex hydro bonds in liquid foundation and creams.
I apologies for muitpost but you learn alot when switching over to MMU and you start to understand the natural of makeup product more once you break down the componets. You also start to look up the ingredients on the labels and not take thing a face value that the FDA clearly understand the sort of reaction you could potentially have to one ingredient. You also start to break down what can cause you as an individually might have a skin issue with X ingredient.
After using up my old batch of none tempered foundation I’m on the hunt for a new one myself and it a learning experience which calls for sample testing which a lot of MMU company do offer (for free or at a minimal price) so that you are happy with a product before buying it.
Enkore made a resent video talking about MMU saying the simpler the better and forget about the “BRAND” completely. This is the basic truth about Mineral Makeup.
I hate mineral makeup…the coverage is terrible and I had a very bad reaction to it (Bare Escentuals)
I feel like it is too much of a gimmick. What really make it “mineral” as opposed to non-mineral is kinda ridiculous. I’m tired of cosmetic companies making things seem better than they are.
PCOS has given me a hairy monster face so i’m not a fan of accentuating it with powdery products. i briefly used the revlon mineral makeup and i was alright in soft artificial lighting but in direct sunlight my face looked blurry, and it was very easy to see where the powder was collecting on dry patches. i’m so jealous of people who have good enough skin to be able to use mineral makeup because it seems so fast and easy! i’ll always be a fan of liquid foundation though, it’s much more compatible with my face.
I didn’t like mineral foundations for a long time. I tried a few – BE, Alima, and Everyday Minerals – and they all broke me out and looked cakey. Then I tried Meow Cosmetics and I found my absolute Holy Grail foundation. I tend to mix the Pampered Puss (a light coverage) with Flawless Feline (a heavier coverage) to get the perfect coverage for me. I love that you can simply pat it on instead of buffing, if you need heavier coverage in one area. Also I found my perfect color in 0 Angora, a very pale soft yellow shade that completely cancels out the redness in my face.
I should also add that I have oily, very breakout-prone skin, and I’ve yet to find a liquid foundation that is pale enough for me, yet doesn’t break me out.
Meow Minerals I’m giving another shoot at, the shades I got were way off for my skin tone back 4 years ago. Other company I’m giving a whorl are Adorn with Grace and Sassy Minerals. Lucy Minerals is one you either love her formulation or you hate it. Oh course I’m looking for full coverage which shortens the list. ^_^
I like mineral makeup as much as anything else. I use liquid, regular powder (also minerals but who’s counting?), and mineral makeup. I would prefer to get mineral makeup from lines that specialize in it. Unfortunately, bigger brands came and crowded the market with a lot of subpar product. MAC’s Mineralize Loose was probably the worst of those. Thankfully, some of those companies are still doing ok with more skin-friendly ingredients. Others, like Jane Iredale, are still setting the standard for quality mineral products.
I liked the MAC Mineralize Loose powder foundation BUT as long as I didn’t put too much of it on AND THEN on top of it all use the MAC Blot Powder.
Laura Mercier loose mineral powder is my favorite. I feel like it gives good, buildable coverage without looking cakey. I get compliments on my skin whenever I wear it. I don’t use it if I’m in a real hurry- it does take a few minutes to buff in. I tried MAC’s mineral foundation that comes as a cream in a compact and hated it- looked thick and reliably broke me out.
I use Glómineral pressed foundation and my skin is ok even trough the winter (it´s usually cold winters where I live).
I tryed the Bare Mineral loose powder foundation but my skin did react negative to that one, it gave me dry patches throug the face :S
I love mineral eyeshadow. I don’t like that there are different qualities of mineral eyeshadows. Some are better than others (but it reflects in the price). I hate mineral foundation because the darker colors for Women of Color are always off for me.
I used to be a fan of the Bare Escentuals mineral foundation for *years*… Until I disvocered that liquid foundations look so much better on my skin. The mineral makeup always looked very chalky and obvious, and it always looked like I was wearing loads of makeup- even when I used a really thin layer (and yes, the color match was perfect). I tried a few others brands’ mineral foundations, and the one I liked the most was Urban Decay’s- it was very finely milled and didn’t sparkle, but the color range is not nearly as wide as BE’s. And I still like the look of liquid foundation a lot better. So when it comes to mineral makeup, I think I’ll stick to other products, which look better in powder form (blush, eyeshadows etc.).
I don’t care for mineral foundation, but I LOVE MAC’s Mineralize eye shadows, blushes and their MSFs. I also like Bare Escentuals eye shadows & blushes.
I’m a big Bare Essentials fan. It is the only foundation that has not made me break out. True, the coverage is not great, but I would rather have so-so coverage than a broken out face.
I like mineral makeup. I’ve been wearing BE for years. I also like and wear liquid foundations.
I don’t need much coverage as I have nice skin. I just like to even the tone a bit. Mineral makeup is quick and easy and doesn’t feel like I’m wearing anything. I get compliments on my skin when I wear it. Luckily, I don’t have problems with bismuth.
I really like mineral foundation as a daily foundation because it works well evening out my skin tone on my oily complexion. Even if I have minor dry spots, just a little moisturizer before applying Bare Minerals helps me. I also have very sensitive skin and have never had a problem. Liquid foundation feels awful and heavy on my skin. I always can’t wait to wash it off. I tried MAC’s mineralized line and I’m not a big fan. I feel like I have to add too many layers to do what BE achieves for me.
I really like the way mineral eyeshadow looks and it’s very easy to blend. My only problem is if I put too much on my brush and I have a bit (or a lot) of fall out onto the upper area of my cheek.
I used NYC mineral foundation for many many years until it was discontinued. It was cheap, the lightest color was perfect and it covered really well for me. I loved the way it felt in the summer, like nothing was there. I’ve moved on to liquid foundation, but am dying to try Meow Cosmetics, they have the most color ranges and coverages I’ve ever seen.
I just purchased the bare escentuals TSV from this weekend although I think I only bought it because the tab box packaging was so super cute. I don’t think I’ll like the makeup very much though, because whenever I wear mineral makeup it doesn’t make me feel prettier. It feels like having dirt on my skin and I’m always so relieved to wash it off.
I don’t mind it but I only use it occasionally. I prefer liquid foundation or tinted moisturizer the rest of the time. I guess it’s just that I have to put on a lot of makeup if it’s mineral to get the coverage I want. It’s just easier with liquid for every day.
Overall I see mineral makeup as GIMMICK! I mean, ALL makeup contains minerals people! Mostly I despise it because the marketing can be so misleading. When I first started dabbling in makeup, I switched from a drugstore compact powder to Everyday Minerals. It was amazing! My skin did clear up and EM gave me great coverage and no bismuth oxide. However, as I dove deeper into my makeup obsession I realized that there are MUCH better options out there. I do believe TRUE mineral makeup has its place (especially for those who have very specific needs ingredient-wise), but in the end its just another form of pigmented powder to me 🙂
I used to use Meow Cosmetics Pampered Puss and Earthen Glow Cover Me formulas. They both have tons of shades and both cater to yellow toned complexions. Now I use Graftobian creme foundation almost exclusively. A decent drugstore brand is Milani Minerals compact foundation, the pressed is very convenient for travel.
I like mineral foundation in the summer when I’m outside all the time. I can’t wear liquid in the summer. What I don’t like about mineral foundation is the white ghost look that happens in pictures. I discovered josie maran tinted moisturizer and korres watermelon tinted moisturizer and am very happy with them for the winter when I’m dry. My skin has never been so soft as it was after using the josie maran for just two days. I use the mineral makeup when I am outside in the summer and I know pictures will not be taken.
I think for those who are complaining about the coverage need to realize that mineral foundations are not supposed to give you heavy or even medium coverage. It’s actually supposed to be a way to give light coverage just enough to even out your skintone for a more “natural” look. If you have problem skin or need more coverage, your best bet is liquid foundation. That has way more coverage and instead of caking on powder, that would be better. Then you can put the mineral makeup as a setting powder. Well, at least that’s what I think.
Oh and mineral eyeshadows for me are AWESOME. Even though they’re messy.
Actually, Mineral foundations are available in all levels of coverage, from sheer to heavy. It’s just like any liquid or cream foundation you can buy in terms of coverage- you just have to find the right company, formula and level of coverage that works for you.
I agree. I also believe that it depends on the kind of brush you are using to apply the mineral foundation. I use a dense flat top, soft brush by Sonia Kashuk and I find it gives much better coverage than using a large fluffy or even kabuki brush. (I use Laura Mercier loose mineral foundation btw).
Not into mineral makeup, i feel its not enough coverage and I hate that it transfers so easily, I prefer liquid.
I like MAC mineralize blushes and eye shadows but that’s about it. Mineralize foundations are terrible :-/
What I like about mineral makeup is that is actually help control my oily skin. What I don’t care for is that I can’t use thicker primers with mineral makeup. Urban Decay’s Pore Perfecting Primer actually makes my pores disappear, but once I start buffing on mineral powders all the primer balls up and comes off. Smashbox Photo Finish is the same. I could also do without the sheen most mineral powders tend to have.
Huh, I wonder if different products behave differently with that primer. Because I didn’t like the staying power of my mineral foundation, went to get a primer, and just went with the UD Pore Perfecting stuff because I liked the feel at the counter. It’s actually been behaving wonderfully underneath my foundation. I use Physician’s Formula foundation. I also generally don’t wear other products on my face, so I’m not then buffing on blushes, etc, afterwards.
Could it be those brands of primer? I tried Smashbox primer and it pilled on my skin, before I even put foundation on… I switched to Make Up Forever (I love their green-tinted primer), and that formula works much better for me. When I was using BE, I used it on top of the MUFE primer and didn’t have any problems.
Mineral foundation actually makes my skin oily. I would love it if wasn’t for that!
Nothing touches my face via foundation but Bare Escentuals Matte Medium Tan. I may love Mac on lips and Urban decay on the lids, but I live and die by BE’s foundation. Love, love, love, love!
My first experience with mineral makeup was Bare Escentuals’ foundation and I didn’t like it at all. It provided almost no coverage and made my combination skin look all cakey. I didn’t try any other mineral makeup after that bad experience.
I have been using Everyday Minerals but don’t really care for it anymore and probably won’t use mineral again. I go to school out of country and fly back and forth twice a year. It was really annoying taping all my little eyeshadows closed so they wouldn’t make a mess. This semester I just brought down pressed shadows, plus my mineral foundation and blushes. I don’t miss my mineral shadows, the pressed ones look just as nice. I hope to switch to a liquid foundation and pressed blushes in the near future. The fact that mineral makeup lasts so long is a plus when you are using it, but it sucks when you are trying to use it up!
Mineral foundation’s coverage sucks, the colors either make me look ashy or orange, and they photograph terribly. Also bare minerals seriously irritated my skin and gave me a lovely rash that the foundation couldn’t cover. Never again on my oily/acne prone skin.
I find it has too much sheen which yield a greasy oily look that with combo skin I do not need. The one exception is Mac m.s.n. in lt/med. I am a nw20 in mac color. It is no sheen and extremely natural.
I started using minerals because I oiled up like mad using liquid foundations and powders clogged up my skin. I still oil up, but a lot less and when I use a primer, then the mineral powder last at least 9 hours before I need to blot my nose.
I find that you have to use primer if you want heavier/medium coverage, because if you’re oily like me, all powders, mineral or not just slide off.
When I had really bad breakouts, I used Mineral Foundation exclusively and it really helped! My favorites are Lancome Ageless Minerale with White Sapphire Complex, Laura Mercier Mineral Powder & Lucy Minerals Oil Control with Calcium Carbonate ~<3
i love mineral foundation for summer its lite and looks dewy
Love them!! In use Youngblood loose mineral foundation daily; gives great wightless coverage with a natrual SPF. Also often use Youngblood blush in sherbet which looks alot like NARS orgasm. My only complaint with mineral makeup is the color selection with lips/eyes does not quite compare to other brands,would love to see more colors/collections.
In the past, I have had horrible experiences with MMU. Aside from poor coverage, MMU foundation would cake on my skin. But Pur Mineras 4-in-1 foundation, which is in compact form, changed the way I look at MMU. It has excellent coverage and lasts about 4 to 5 hours, plus I didn’t have any break outs.
MSF didnt work for me…broke me out and felt a lil cakey.
Everyday minerals was ok but still felt cakey and it changed its color as the day went by.
I actually really like Bare minerals. love the coverage, love the glow, not cakey or drying at all…might get a lil shiny around the T-zone sometimes. I was lucky that i found a exact color match. kinda fun to buff it onto my skin!
What I love about mineral makeup, or exactly mineral foundation
– Good for your skin, no preservatives or artificial color
– Look natural
– Easy and quick to apply, just make sure that you prep your skin with a primer to make it silky smooth
– A lot of brands to choose from
– Rather affordable and easy to sample
What I don’t like:
– Lack of staying power
– Cannot be photographed especially with flash because it will wash you out and leaves an obvious white cast due to the mineral ingredients
– Can be messy when carry on
I used to be a big fan of mineral makeup but now mostly use tinted moisturizer or liquid foundation because these latters are more long wearing and as I work from 8am to 6pm, 7pm or even 8pm, I don’t like the idea of touching up during the day.
Hate – when it’s loose and messy 🙁
Love – good for my skin 🙂
I go back and forth with mineral makeup. First of all I don’t like the mess! I’ve been happy with mineral makeup in the past but since my skin is on the drier side. I noticed that it would dry me out throughout the day. I also found out that the bismuth in some mineral makeups make itch.
Several years ago, I tried Bare Escentuals because a friend recommended it. I have always had sensitive, acne prone skin and I was hoping that mineral makeup would be a perfect solution. Unfortunately, after using their foundation for several days, I developed tiny white blemishes all over my face and my skin became scaly. I immediately discontinued using the products and returned them. It took weeks for my skin to fully heal. After some research, I discovered that Bare Escentuals uses corn starch instead of talc in their makeup. Corn starch stimulates bacteria growth in your pores since it is an optimal bacteria food. Talc, which is ironically a mineral, does not have this issue. I was annoyed that a product that claimed to be gentler than conventional makeup would have such an obvious and poorly publicized flaw.
Bare Minerals didn’t work for me either. I hear a lot of people with problems similar to yours with their foundation and it almost makes me angry because people think that BE is one of the best mineral makeup companies but in reality the smaller independent companies that you don’t see ads in magazines or TV for have products less likely to bother your skin and more likely to look good on you. I’d understand if you’re scared to try any mineral makeup again after that- but if you’re interested, you could email Meow cosmetics, or DreamWorld about the problem you had and they can recommend a formulation that would be good, minus ingredients that could cause problems for you. (both companies have multiple formulations tailored to people sensitive to certain ingredients) They can even help color-match. They offer inexpensive samples, so you’re only out $1 per sample bag if you don’t like it. I don’t want to seem pushy when I tell people these things but I get kind of bothered that BE has turned so many women off of what could potentially be a great thing for their skin.
I’m a total convert when it comes to mineral makeup! I absolutely love it. I tried Bare Minerals first but wasn’t too keen, then I tried Lily Lolo and fell in love! It looks more natural than liquid foundation, feels better on the skin and the coverage is fine (for me anyhow.. you can use mineral concealer to get more coverage). To get rid of that powdery look I love using MAC’s Fix+ to fix mineral makeup.
The only mineral make up that I’ve tried was bare minerals, which I wore for a long time, but the bismuth irritated my skin and the wear time was deplorable. I need something that will last at least eight hours! Sad, because the coverage was full but glowing and natural looking.
LOOOOOVE BareMinerals foundation! So natural yet works so well to even out my skin tone.
I really like mineral makeup. Unfortunately, my skin is sensitive and dry these days, so powder foundation doesn’t work so well for me anymore. The powder settles into my fine lines, and it dries my skin out even more. And, even trying Meow, I still cannot find a great match. It does clear up my skin. I prefer a liquid foundation. Now, I do love mineral eyeshadows. I love the simplicity of the ingredients and the great color options. Love, Love, Love them!
I love MAC mineral loose powder foundation as I have oily skin and it has just the perfect coverage and lightweight feel for my face – I’ve tried Laura mercier’s but it made ny face itchy after a couple of hrs 🙁 as I really wanted to like this
I also use MAC mineralized blush – more for the shade than mineral properties etc etc
I have been using Silk Naturals mineral foundation for about a year now and love it. No breakouts, and fantastic coverage. You mix it yourself and I have never had such a perfect color match. They have lots of help on their website to assist you in mixing your own shade. I apply it with their flat top brush and it goes on like a dream. I’ve tried Bare Escentuals and Glo-Minerals and didn’t care for either of them.
I am a Mineral Makeup addict now. I’m glad I didn’t give up on it altogether after trying B.E and not liking it. The foundation didn’t have enough coverage for me, it itched and it just didn’t flatter my skin. Once I discovered some good indie companies (Meow, Morgana, Dreamworld, etc) it changed the way I do my makeup. I have some serious skin issues and with mineral makeup it looks better than it ever has. A formula with good coverage and an appropriate brush to apply it with make all the difference. I find I get better coverage with minerals than liquid or cream formulas because I can layer color correctors and concealers under or over my foundation along with veils and it all blends together without looking mask-like.
The thing I don’t love about mineral makeup is that everything comes loose. I like the face products being loose but I think pressed shadows are simply more convenient. Pressed blushes would be nice too, because it’s easy to overdo it with bright colored loose blush.
I love my Silk Naturals medium coverage – it really gives you what it says. They offer a heavy coverage too. You customize your own color so it always matches you. Love the system, lasts all day, DIRT CHEAP. I would recommend Silk Naturals to everyone.
I know I can recommend Jane Iredale. In Britain, it is pricey, but I found a great color match in the Jane Iredale powder foundation for my NC45 skin.
A few years ago, I was using BE Bare Minerals (Original), and had an allergic rash on my cheeks from it. Now that it’s commonly known that this reaction is due to bismuth oxychloride, I avoided mineral makeup since. I then found out about BE Matte and that it contained no bismuth oxychloride. I decided to give it a shot and I really like it so far. I’ve been using it for a few months and even though it’s not FULL coverage, it is enough to make me feel comfortable, even with my highly acne-prone skin and huge pores. Even my boyfriend prefers me wearing it, since he hates the “cakey” makeup look of liquid foundation and powder I religiously used before. I use Physician’s Formula Mineral Finishing Veil over it and even though it’s not as finely milled as the BE veil, it still works well.
I love
1. the selection – a lot of MMU brands have more than 50 shades of foundation and blushes and more than 200 eye shadows
2. the quality – much better than non-mineral makeup in the same price-range
3. samples – I want a lot of colours to choose from but not spend a lot of money
4. the fact that it doesn’t expire
I now have hundreds of eye shadows and 50 blushes to choose from, mostly samples but enough makeup for 10 years at least. I would have a lot less colours and the quality wouldn’t be so good if I bought drugstore makeup (or just a few products if I bought high end makeup), I would never use up any of the products and would have to throw them away and replace after a few years.
I hate repackagers.
i really LOVE the body shop mineral foundatiouns (loose powder to be put on with a kabuki brush) because it’s so finely grounded. the coverage – without a liquid foundation underneath – is, at least on my skin, zero. but i love the way it sets my foundation. plus, i’m a dark blonde and have lots of those tiny tiny hairs on my face and the powders don’t make me look plushy^^ but beware: these mineral powders tend to darken with wear, so you might want to pick up a shade lighter than usual 🙂
Mostly dislike mess, lack of coverage but OMG does the Urban Decay Surreal Skin mineral makeup deserve a place of honor. It never leaves my purse and can be applied fast with almost no attention. Click locks to prevent spills even though the puff mostly prevents them anyway. Surprisingly good coverage.