photo by Paul Emberger
As someone who’s always been partial to liquid foundation for my work as a makeup artist, the transition to powdered mineral makeup was something I resisted for years. This is no surprise to those who know me personally. I don’t take to change (in my work habits) very well. Sure, I’ll pack up my belongings and move across country on a dare carelessly taken over a latte, but don’t ask me to give up my makeup sponge for a kabuki brush.
After endless months of seeking out a natural foundation in liquid form (to no avail), I folded and decided to try a powder mineral line. Moving away from mainstream brands to more health conscious choices was important to me. But I had to also consider how well the products would perform. The one woman I knew who wore mineral foundation always looked a bit “celestial.” There was an unnatural glow about her face that looked like she’d doused herself in fairy dust.
That’s not the best look for a model on, say, a home improvement commercial – which I’d do quite frequently for one of my makeup clients. I also noticed coverage wasn’t the best with the brand this woman wore. Areas of her face were cakey and dry while others were sparkly with pimples peeking through. Oh, dear. I realize some of that could have simply been her application and possibly a desperate need for exfoliation. But she wasn’t the best poster girl for mineral makeup.
I decided to research what was out there in mineral lines. Well, you know how everyone is “writing a book,”? It was like that with mineral makeup. It seemed everywhere I looked everyone was suddenly a makeup formulator. Small lines were popping up as quickly as they could start an Etsy account and a Wordpress blog.
Most of them had a limited selection of foundation shades (especially for women of color) and a smattering of blushes – all pink. Thank goodness for my commitment to natural or I’d have run screaming back to my Estee Lauder owned brands (which is just about every American brand on the shelves). But through perseverance, I was able to find wonderful brands with mineral foundations that offer full coverage sans the sparkles. And none of the nasty ingredients I was trying to avoid.
Just an FYI, minerals are inherently “sparkly” but when they are milled really fine, you get less of this effect in the makeup.
Moving forward, I’ve come to love mineral foundation and use it in my professional kit and for myself. On the model above, I used a mineral foundation that offers her good coverage, a nice dewy effect, but no sparkles. It’s by Eve Organics.
Note: HBP loves Etsy.com and thinks it’s a great place to find wonderful hand crafted beauty products at affordable prices. We also love Wordpress – obviously.
What brand of mineral makeup do you like? Did you have to try several brands before deciding on one?
LJP, thanks for commenting. I’ve never heard of that brand, but I’ll check it out.
Sharron, we love Eve Organics over here!
Eve Organics is also bismuth, carmine and talc free. Give us a try and use GA20 to get 20% off. Todra, you did a fantastic job with the model’s makeup! She looks just georgeous!
The best mineral makeup I have ever used is made by a company called “Musq”. They don’t use bismuth, carbine or talc so it’s completely natural. I find it doesn’t clog pores and the coverage is excellent.