Mineral Makeup was the rage some time in 2008. I remember trying a few different brands but it never quite caught on with me for various reasons. Many mineral makeup companies were small indie companies selling online, and the quality was always a little inconsistent. There are some bigger mineral makeup companies out there but since I didn’t quite feel the trend or hype, I didn’t go round to investigate.
Recently, I was invited to try mineral makeup again by a brand known as Mineral Hygienics. I agreed, because its been so long since I’ve used mineral foundation, I wanted to see if it was better for my skin, as its supposed to be.
Mineral Hygienics mineral foundation claims to have just four ingredients – Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Iron Oxide and Mica and naturally, the fewer ingredients you have, the less likely you’ll have a product that irritates your skin. Also, with the presence of Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide, you get sun protection. Mineral makeup is well known to be good for those who have sensitive skin, give good coverage, lasts all day and be better for acne prone skin. It would be interesting to see how this fares in my mineral makeup revisit 🙂
I received a kit with 3 shades, and 1 finishing powder with 2 natural hair brushes. Colour matching has always been a problem for me, with mineral makeup. I’ve used different shades in different brands and they would be either too yellow or leave a grey cast on my skin. For Mineral Hygienics, I found that the Fair shade was a perfect match for my skin. It was the right shade of neutral. If you share my foundation shades (a sampling here) then you would likely take Fair too.
Light and Medium which are supposed to be more popular shades look much too dark for me. I think they would be more suitable for those who are perhaps 2-3 shades deeper than mine, and the colour selection goes all the way to Dark to cater for various skin tones. That is perhaps much more than most cosmetics brands would provide 🙂
As for the 2 brushes – XL Kabuki and Flawless Face brushes – I touched them but opted not to use them because they felt scratchy. Mineral Hygienics say that natural hair brushes are better for applying mineral makeup than synthetic brushes but I personally prefer using a synthetic brush because it feels softer, and when you have to buff product into your skin, feels kinder. Natural hair brushes just aren’t as soft nor as kind to the skin if you have to repeatedly buff it and that is a fact.
The powder foundation, which looks just like normal loose powder, for the uninitiated, is very fine. The colour is very pigmented though and you are advised to use only very little to avoid it looking too thick and chalky on your skin. That is a bit of a delicate balance, which if you have never used mineral makeup before, you may not quite get what I’m on about. But this is the classic example of a little going a very long way.
The trick behind using mineral foundation is in the application. I will tell you that I never experienced the real benefits of mineral foundation, because I’m generally impatient and don’t have the time to much about in the mornings. But what you are supposed to do is the Tap, Swirl and Buff method.
You tap some of the powder onto the cap or a plate or bowl, dip your kabuki brush into it so there is some powder on the brush, then you swirl the brush head into the cap or plate or bowl, until you find that there is no powder left on the brush. Then, you put the brush to your skin, and buff it in a circular motion on your skin.
Its been a long time since I messed about with mineral foundation and I was really very surprised that it does give a very natural coverage, covering up redness on the skin and giving an overall natural yet even toned effect. You do not feel any powder on your skin and in fact, you don’t feel anything – just your skin.
Here is the totally unretouched photo to show the before-after effect of mineral foundation with Mineral Hygienics in Fair.
It isn’t 100% perfect, but it generally looks better does it not? Redness is covered and skin looks the same and very natural. My pigmentation can’t be covered. I tried layering but it just looked chalky after a while so I resorted to my usual concealer which led to some problems as I’ll detail below.
I will attest to the longevity. I wore this the whole day, walked about in the sun and sweated buckets and it still looked fairly good. I must say I was impressed. As impressed as I’ve ever been about mineral foundation.
I however think that part of the reason I’m a little more impressed with mineral foundation 4 years after my first experiment lies in the fact that my skin today is much better than it was 4 years ago. 4 years of extra care has paid its dues and it just looks much better so pretty much anything I put on it looks better.
I did have a bit of a small problem with this foundation. It made my skin feel a bit ticklish and itchy. I didn’t notice this at first. I would apply it on in the morning, and by the time I get to the office, I’d feel a slight (very slight) ticklish-itchy feeling around my nose, chin and side of my face. It wasn’t uncomfortable just a bit strange. I thought it was my hair, but I switched foundations to a normal powder foundation mid week and didn’t experience the same thing. Switched back to this, and had the same ticklish feel.
It was only in the morning though, and by the afternoon, I would not feel anything. The longevity of the foundation also impressed me but I also felt that it was a bit drying on my skin. It might be because I have combination-dry skin so those who have oilier skin will definitely benefit from this.
Finally, when I layer my regular creamy concealers over the mineral foundation and then applied blush, I noticed by midday that the area on my cheeks looked patchy and unnatural. I don’t get that when I use my normal liquid or powder foundations, so it might just be that the creamy concealer does not mix too well with the mineral foundation so the base looked uneven.
In a nutshell
Mineral Hygienics is an online based mineral makeup company that is based in the USA and ships worldwide. Their selection of colours for their mineral foundation is very impressive and they claim to contain only 4 ingredients, so it is better for skin. There is a special technique to using mineral foundation and you only need very little for even coverage, and to cover up redness in skin. It stays on all day even through humidity, heat and sweat which is perfect for our tropical weather. I liked that effect and the effect of my skin looking very natural, just better because it was more even toned over all. I however found also that the foundation made my skin itch a little, and was a bit drying as most mineral foundations are. It also did not play well with my regular concealers and blushes. I will use this off and on, since I do have it, but I still prefer my normal powder or liquid foundations.
Pros: Contains only 4 ingredients, Powder in foundation is very fine and pigmented, Only very little is needed for very good coverage of redness on skin, Supposed to be good for those who have sensitive or acne prone skin as the few ingredients mean less irritation, Skin looks natural but better, Sweat and humidity resistant
Cons: Takes a bit of work to achieve the desired natural effect, My skin tickled/itched a little, Felt a bit drying on my combination-dry skin when used too often, Does not cover dark pigmentation, Did not play well with my cream concealers as it looked patchy and unnatural when layered, I did not like the brushes as I prefer synthetic brushes for mineral makeup
I feel that my recent revisit into mineral makeup has been a fruitful one. I find that I like the natural effect on my skin and when used properly, I’m surprised at just how very little I need to achieve this effect. I will and can consider using this for days when I’m out and about and sweating in the heat and humidity, because it lasts longer than any longlasting liquid foundation out there and it does not streak. Its also good for weekends if I plan to go out because I don’t usually use makeup on weekends but its nice to show a face that doesn’t scare the general public 😛 However, due to the drying effects, and my skin condition, I can’t use this one for the long term as its just too drying and takes too much work to get it perfect.
Update: A friend who has been using this particular brand for a year has this to say!
“Perfect for my very sensitive and reactive skin. My skin reacts to almost everything, heat, pollution, even my own sweat. As I head towards my 40s, liquid foundation just feels too heavy and made-up. Doesn’t help when my skin is acne prone as well. What worked in my 20 & 30s doesn’t work in current age. Mineral Hygienics not only gives me a natural glowing finish but surprisingly, it calms and controls my reactive skin. I love the natural sunscreen properties that come with it”
Have you tried using Mineral Hygienics mineral foundations? Are you still using mineral foundations and do you like them? I know many people tried mineral makeup during the hey day and many people still use mineral makeup today for various reasons. I’m curious to know if you experienced any benefits from it from long term use? I, as you can tell, didn’t.
Paris B
Mineral Hygienics mineral foundation comes in shades from Fairest to Deep Price: US$25/40g Starter kits are available from US$29.99 Availability: www.mineralhygienics.com Ships worldwide: Yes
I like mineral makeup!!! My Everyday Minerals Matte is still going strong hahaha. I use it as a loose powder as the coverage is rather sheer hee!!
Oh yeah, mineral makeup never seems to finish. I’ve used Everyday Minerals back in the day but it was just a sample pot.
wow the coverage is quite awesome. it’s been really long since i last use mineral foundation, just can’t get into it
Ya! I was very surprised at the coverage because my previous experiences weren’t as impressive. I’m using this more for casual use due to the itch else I might actually be persuaded to change my mind about mineral makeup 😛
Ooo… I’m so tempted to get myself one after I persuaded my cousin to buy a tub… Lol… Brought her to sephora n she bought bare minerals… She loves it and she can’t stop touching her face… Lol… So soft n nice…
I’m just wondering whether mineral makeup covers pores because I’m currently using bbcream n they do cover…
I haven’t tried Bare Minerals but I think this one’s quite good for the price. Mineral Makeup isn’t quite like BB cream which I feel is substantially thicker in coverage and texture. It doesn’t actually cover the pores but once you buff it into your skin, it will look quite flawless. That said, each brand and product works a little differently as I found the hard way back in the day when I actually tested mineral makeup 😛
Never got into the mineral make up craze, think I was too sceptical, especially when the big brands started jumping on the bandwagon. Some parties say that it was all hype and a matter of rebranding, because the ingredients have always been in make up so what gives right? 😛
When you said you felt ticklish and itchy I thought eeks! I had that before with some cheap powder, I don’t like the feeling either!
HAHA I know exactly what you mean! I never got into the hype maybe because I didn’t see the benefits to my skin plus my early trials broke me out or made me look grey 😛 I gave up colour matching then and stuck to foundations which work fine for me maybe because my skin isn’t that sensitive 🙂
Haven’t used mineral makeup for a while now. I usually use it when my skin feels particularly ‘fragile’ and oily. Or when I’m lazy and only wanted sheer coverage. I have only tried Bare Escentuals and it’s not fab, but works well enough. There are so many out there that it’s hard to find what’s good for me. Not too much into it, so didn’t bother to do more research. Heh ;-P
I’d heard about Bare Escentuals and a friend gave me some samples but I found them pricey so I didn’t actually get any. I have to agree with you that its just too much work to find a brand with a good colour match, texture, coverage and does not break me out (all happened to me before this) so I just gave up and went back to powder foundation. Guess I’m just not quite made to use mineral makeup 😛
I use mineral powder foundations sometimes and the one I quite like is by Lumiere Cosmetics. I know that itchy, ticklish feeling… it’s a little strange and usually around my nose too. I noticed that those with bismuth tend to make my skin itch a little but Lumiere doesn’t have that ingredient but it still tickles.
To be completely honest though, I probably won’t be running out to get mineral makeup anytime soon. I have a few jars (different brands) and they take forever to finish especially when I don’t use them as often.
I used Lumiere too back in the day. The problem I had with Lumiere was inconsistent colours in different batches. I really liked the sample I got and when I bought the full size, it came to me in a different shade. They replaced it, and it was still a different shade and never looked as good as the sample did. So I gave up 😛 Too much work.
Err Paris? Creamy concealer first then the mineral foundation on top….Cardinal rule is cream first then powder, right?
LOL yeah I forgot that cardinal rule the first time. The second time, I did go with concealer first then powder but the buffing removed all the concealer so I was back to square one 😛
I tried mineral makeup back in 2008- yes, when they were all the rage haha! I don’t really remember what brands I tried, probably not a lot (Due to a lack of choices) but I do remember trying out The Body Shop’s for sure. I find that, as someone with sensitive skin, that I may be sensitive to mineral makeup! Back then when I used mineral makeup I developed pimple-like welts on my skin, which went away after I stopped using them. And lately I’ve been intrigued to try mineral makeup again, and ordered some samples from Loving Minerals- same results. My skin does itch (Weird, isn’t it?), but I still developed those pimple-like welts on my face and this time even broke out!
Pity, really. I liked the finish mineral makeup gave me- natural without looking cakey and all 🙁 And ironically I will still hear people telling me to use mineral makeup because I have sensitive skin haha!
Sorry to hear your skin hates mineral makeup. Whilst I will agree that it is good in general for sensitive skins, not all our skins are made the same way so its not surprising that yours can’t tolerate it. The same way that no one believes I can’t use zinc oxide in sunscreen, your skin just can’t handle some ingredients in the powders too. I never tried the Body Shop one but that was mostly because I didn’t believe that any of the mainstream brands had proper mineral makeup in the true sense 😛 Back to regular foundation then! 😀
I kinda forget I got a mineral powder foundation since my foundation stash build up. Bought one from The Body Shop and I remembered really liked it but that’s just that. Maybe I need to revisit too 🙂
Oh yeah, I remembered when using mineral powder foundation, I tend to stay away from liquid/cream concealer cos you’ve to put concealer first then the powder. But as application goes, you’ve to really buff the mineral powder in your skin, it tends to make the concealer fade off…so it’s like no point using concealer, in my opinion.
I tried also using mineral powder concealer but never get the hang how to use it.
Yes do! Since you already have it on hand hehe… I experienced the same thing you did with concealer. Cakes when you layer over the powder and disappears when you use it under the powder. I never got the hang of powder concealer. It just emphasized all my lines that I’d prefer to keep concealed! 😀
I’ve been using mineral makeup for about almost 1 year! My foundation is Everyday Minerals Intensive base, and my blushes and illuminators are from Lumiere Cosmetics! I LOVE mineral makeup, since I’m sensitive to silicones and majority of makeup products have that! My skin has calmed down a lot after switching to mineral makeup. They feel so light on the skin, instead of having a layer of makeup smothering my skin! The EDM Intensive coverage is medium – full, and the Lumiere blushes are so pigmented (which I like)! I think even if my skin could tolerate silicones, I will still stick with mineral makeup because it has simple ingredients, affordable and it works fine for me so far. The EDM Flat Top brush is a marvel when it comes to applying mineral foundation! 😀
Woohoo! Glad to know that mineral makeup works for your skin 😀 It doesn’t work for me and I don’t have a lot of patience with it, but its great to know that it does work for someone and that your skin actually benefits from using it 🙂 My previous experiment back in 2008 left me with breakouts. That was my last straw 😛 I had some mineral blush samples and I have to agree about the pigment. Boy! Are they pigmented! But I also never got into the loose powder blush thing – guess I’m just lazy eh? 🙂
Oh I do like the EDM flat top brush. I still use it… with my powder foundations 😀
Been using Freshel Moist Lift Mineral BB Powder for one month now. Its light and yet give very good coverage. My current favourite loose powder.
Hmm… I didn’t know Freshel had a mineral powder! Its got such an interesting name too
I know the itchy feeling! I got it too when I used a certain brand’s mineral loose powder & as the day progress, the itch became full blown and my face became red, swollen & peeled for 3 days & I has to take allergy medication. I suspect it was the bismuth in the powder that I was allergic to. I have tried other mineral makeup too and it always give me the itches. But after that horrendous day of allergy, no more mineral makeup, no more.
Ooh yay (?!) I’m not alone in the itching! I’m lucky that it never progressed past itching though, thank goodness! So sorry to hear of your disastrous experience with mineral makeup – guess its not for everyone no matter what they’d like us to believe eh?
I haven’t tried any mineral makeup yet! To be honest I’ve only tried liquid foundation so far. I do want to venture out for mineral foundation or just a compact, but haven’t found anything that’s compelling enough. I’m thinking about trying the Chanel vitalumiere aqua compact, but will probably wait till I am baked into my summer color before finding a match 🙂 Thanks for the super informative and detailed review (as usual), Paris!
“baked into my summer color” LOL!! I remember you’re going back to Taiwan? Give the RMK or Paul & Joe compact foundation a try. Their texture and powders put any Western brand to shame, I promise! 😀
Yes I am, Paris! I will definitely try those two out. Thanks for the recommendations!
I haven’t used mineral foundations in ages. They usually have good coverage and give my skin a nice natural finish but lately I’ve mostly used liquid foundations because I feel the work better for my skin type. I used to apply creamy concealer first and then mineral foundation on top though as that tends to look less cakey, although some of the concealer slides off when you buff in the foundation.. I tried using mineral concealers too but never really liked them much.. Creamy ones work better imo.
I agree 100% with you Gio! Creamy concealers are the way to go. Powder concealers actually emphasized lines that I’d prefer to keep concealed, and I believe it dried out my skin too. I’m alternating between liquid and powder foundations now and they’re faster to apply too LOL!
I’ve been using mineral foundation by Everday Minerals for several months now and I love how it doesn’t irritate my skin and comes in many fair shades with different undertones. Plus, it’s not pricey at all! <3
I do get some caking, though, like you described it. Maybe it's the sunscreen I use underneath. But other than that, I love it and even mix it with my moisturizer or sunscreen for my own BB cream. (I can't use any of the BB creams I have at home, they all make my skin itch, break out, or are too dark! Innisfree's new Mineral Sun is my last try, because while I love MM, it is a bit of a hazzle.)
I remember using Everyday Minerals back in 2008. You’re right. Its very affordable because a tub can last pretty much forever! I don’t think I got a good colour match though and I think it broke me out which is why I stopped using it. It was either this or another brand that broke me out. But glad to know its working out well for you 😀
I got the itching feeling when I first started out using Everyday Minerals. I suppose it was really too drying for me or I couldn’t handle the high percentage of titanium dioxide/zinc oxide. I switched to Silk Naturals. Still loving it.
Oh wait! Now that you mention it, perhaps its the high composition of each of the 4 ingredients that my skin doesn’t like. Since it only has 4 ingredients in this brand’s foundations I would imagine each ingredient would be quite concentrated. That might just be it 🙂 Glad to know though, that you have found one that works for you 🙂
Oooh, it has done quite a good job on your skin! I have dabbled with bareMinerals but I wasn’t a huge fan because of
a) again the scratchy brushes – hurts my super-sensitive skin – from all that buffing. (I did try using another brush but it was too soft…maybe I need something denser)
b) my skin is dry so I got the chalkiness – maybe I’ll follow your tip and use less.
If you plan to try again, try the Everyday Minerals flat top or kabuki brushes. They are soft, dense and not scratchy plus do a very good job 🙂 As for that chalky look, I find that mineral makeup works best on very well moisturised skin because it can be very unforgiving otherwise – good luck! 🙂
I’ve been absent from updates of cosmetics for the longest time
I’m wondering what’s the latest in thing in foundation now a days
Back when I was active.. It was mineral and bb cream
Do share 🙂
I think the BB Cream craze is still around and getting stronger. Mineral makeup fell by the wayside a bit but seems to be staging a comeback. From what I can see, sheer, lightweight but good coverage foundation is very popular amongst all brands 🙂
I’ve tried a couple of the popular online brands many years back and those did not work on my skin. Last year, a friend recommended me to Jane iredale mineral powder and by far, this works the best for me and this brand definately does not give me that tingling sit on my face itch. Recently, am experimenting with bare minerals which isn’t bad either but my choice is still Jane iredale. You got me interested to try out this one. You look so natural and glowy! I love this look despite it not covering the pigmentation. There are days when coverage doesn’t really matters and this is perfect.
I’d heard of Jane Iredale and its great that it works for you. I don’t think its sold here except through some salons and such so I’d never quite come across it. I could be mistaken of course. I do really like the effects of this one and its not terribly pricey because you’d know too just how far a tub can go 😀 I’m like you – full coverage doesn’t matter much for me so this is perfect for those days 😀
I have to admit, I went crazy over mineral makeup because of the swirl-tap-buff action, I remember going gaga over the videos and would buff my face crazy with the BE flawless face brush which scratched my face like crazy (it was natural bristled brush )
LOL!! I can imagine you buffing away like a fiend 😛 But you have to admit that buffing action really works wonders sometimes (if our skin isn’t scratched to smithereens!)