What you need know about mineral foundation

Good For: For me, it is the best foundation ever made.

The mineral makeup has been so popular for the past few years, so I decide to try it and see what the fuss is all about. Girls, it is amazing!!! I got so many compliments about my skin - note skin, not makeup. It looks so natural as if I have no make up on. And it is so light weighted that I feel like I have nothing on. I left out the most important part - it is natural from mother earth. It is so much cheaper than the brand name foundations. I am so thankful for this product, but trust me it is tricky just like anything that is new. Here are some tips from my own experience. If you have some more comments, I would be happy to hear your feedbacks.

To find the color that suits you: This is the most important, confusing and tricky step. Girls, don’t buy the full portion, start with some samples size. Most of the brands offer this. They are a lot cheaper than the full portion, ranging from 2 to 5 dollar a bottle. Because they are in powder form, you can mix different color yourself to create the perfect shades for you.

Sensitive Skin: This is me. If this is you too, you need to be careful. My first mineral brand is Sheercover. I saw it from TV and looked so good. It DOES work very well, however I had allergic reaction to it. I had tiny red bumps on some areas of my face, and I felt itchy. Not wanting to give up on mineral makeup altogether, I did some research and found some articles saying that a lot of mineral makeup has bismuth oxychloride which can irritate sensitive skin. When you use a brand that containes bismuth oxychrolide, you will notice a shimmering look after applying. Then my search continued to find a brand that doesn’t contain this ingredient. The number one mineral foundation is i.d.BareMineral, but since they have bismuth oxychloride, I didn't want to take my chance. I found Aromaleigh and EverydayMinerals. I bought samples from both of them, and since using mineral foundation from them, I no longer have allergic reactions. At the end, I picked Aromaleigh because of the color choices it offered.

Other Skin Type: Different brands work on some skin type better than others.  I heard Mayebelline works better on dry and normal skin, not good for oily skin.  On the other hand, BareMineral works well on oily skin, but can accentuate fine lines and look flaky for dry skins. So you do need to experienment.

Micronized Ingredients: You want to look for a mineral product(or any makeup product) that doesn't contain nano/micronized ingredients. I will keep it as simple as possible as to not bore you with all the scientific details. Nanotechonolgies involves manipulating the properties of tiny particles, down to the levels of atoms and molecules. And because they are so tiny, they become airborne, and when inhaled, they can entered into our bloodstream and pose potential risk to our health. The purpose of using nano-particles is usually to create that sheer and transparent coverage in sunscreen, so you don't look pasty and white. Although the investigation is not conclusive yet, but why take a chance. To my great relief that both Aromaleigh and Everyday Mineral do not contain micronized ingredients.

Application Tricks: For some brands, they make you buy the brushes the first time. Be aware, not all brushes are created equal.  Having the right brush can make a difference. Not only that, do you feel good when rubbing some cheap bristle all over your face all the time? The Sheercover brush   I had at first was terrible. I had to apply my mineral makeup very slowly because it would hurt my skin.  If you want the best results, invest in a Kabuki brush, about $35 Canadian.It is known to hold the mineral in and it is very soft. My steps: Moisturizer, Daily Sunscreen, then Mineral Foundation.

Some Questions For the Readers: My skin does not need heavy coverage so mineral makeup is perfect for me. I wonder if it works well for people needing heavy coverage. Has anyone try mineral makeup? And how are your experiences with different brands? Major brands like Clinique and Estee Lauder are introducing mineral makeup now.