I have weird skin. Since I have gotten older, it’s like my skin has lost any idea of what it’s supposed to be. It used to be oily, then combination, now it’s still prone to breaking out, but also to surface dryness and somewhat sensitive.
Yay me.
I am quite keen on trying a mineral makeup powdered foundation, but the one I am most familiar with is the Bare Minerals - which is quite expensive. Tell me, you faux - lovely-skinned Dopers, which brands do you recommend? Which would you not wish on your worst enemy?
Honestly, I had a 30-something friend rave about those powdered mineral make-ups and she gave me a Girls Day Out where we went to a store and she showed me how to apply it, wear it, etc…
But eight hours later all it did was emphasize my mid-40s wrinkles considerably more than liquid foundation.
Now I discovered this AFTER I spent $80+ on the stuff and to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating, I tried an experiment: One morning, I used my standard liquid Revlon Age Defying on one side of my face and my Bare Essentials on the other. Immediately, the powdered mineral stuff does look and cover better but by the end of the day, the Bare Essentials side of my face looks more worn and haggard.
Because the stuff was so expensive, I do still use it - but only for evening wear when I know it will be looked upon with fresh eyes and not for very long. For all-day wear, I stick with my liquid foundation as it has more long-lasting capabilities.
This is what I’ve noticed on folks that I know that use the mineral makeup (I don’t, but I’m all about makeup). Women rave about it, but honestly, I think mineral makeup isn’t the most flattering.
Go to Sephora and get samples (they do samples of mineral stuff, too). This is the most amazing foundation ever for skin of all ages and types. Get a generous sample and try it for yourself. This primer is also splendid, if you feel you need something else.
The HD foundation is expensive, but it lasts a VERY long time because a teeny bit goes a long way. Oh, and it looks amazing for a long, long time.
I don’t want to sound like a shill, but Mary Kay has a mineral powder foundation. You can find a consultant near you on the website. Just be really firm in the beginning and tell them you only want to try the mineral powder foundation. The company “policy” is try before you buy, and you get your money back if you’re not satisfied. It’s $18 for the makeup, and $10 for the special brush.
I use Everyday Minerals and I really like it. It’s not as expensive as some other mineral makeups. They’re only online, but you can get generous samples - some for free, some for a nominal fee - to figure out what you like.
I like everyday minerals, too. I got a free sample of the foundation a couple of months ago, and it looks like it will last me about a year. Here is a link to the free samples. You get a small container (which goes a long way) of each of the 4 colors in the little columns. Pretty neat.
I’m not sure how old you are but basically what Fried said. I found it actually accentuates my pores and I’ve tried a couple different types, including Bare Minerals. That said, I do like their powder that goes over the foundation. Can’t recall what it’s called…
ETA: You can usually find Bare Minerals much cheaper on Ebay.
Everyday Minerals, yes! Not only are they cheaper than Bare Minerals, but unlike Bare Minerals, their powders are formulated without bismuth, which is irritating to many people’s skin. They also have good powder blushes in a wide array of shades. I love me some Everyday Minerals.
I went to the Bare Minerals store to try some out. The people working at the store were of different ethnicities, skin tones, and ages. The foundation was a match for one of the employees, for the rest it was too light, too dark, or had the wrong undertone (and these were people who worked there - they had the opportunity to find the best possible color). And the powder settled into the wrinkles on the older women, highlighting them and making them sparkle. Yes, Bare Minerals sparkles. That’s only “natural” looking on a Twilight vampire.
I tried some, once, and it worked marvelously well, it went on like a dream, not sticky, didn’t have to be blended and then powdered. I could see why it was so popular, and hey, it was the newest thing! But an hour later it did appear to settle into my skin, showing up all the pores and very fine wrinkles . My face was all one color and that’s all I can say it did for me - looked natural, all one color, but didn’t hide imperfections. I prefer a foundation like Maybelline Dream Mousse, there’s more moisture and body to it, that hides the pores and wrinkles.
I use Mineral Wear. It goes for around $10-12 at Walmart or Walgreens for most items and it lasts forever. I have used the liquid foundation, loose and pressed powder with good results. I can’t compare it to more expensive mineral brands, but I can say that it beats out anything else I’ve tried in that price range (Neutrogena, Almay, etc.).
This is actually one of the most popular drugstore brand foundations among makeup artists. When my friends want cheap foundation, this is what I suggest.
I don’t like powders since they all seem to make me look 100 years old, but Jane makes a great foundation called Be Pure Mineral skin perfecting sheer foundation.
It’s less than $10 at your local drug store, has SPF 30, and even though I have a super ruddy complexion it evens everything out without making me look like I’m wearing make up.
I recently bought a second tube after finishing my first, and that’s a first since I haven’t ever liked a foundation enough to buy it a second time.
To echo previous posters… I tried Bare Minerals when I was 24, and it created wrinkles where I didn’t have any. After using it a few times, it also began to make my face itch. I threw it all out.
Yeah I’m in my 20s and mineral makeup showed wrinkles I didn’t know I had :eek: The whole point of mineral makeup is that it doesn’t have talc. Unfortunately, talc really makes your makeup go on really smooth and gives an airbrush effect to blur pores, so without that, mineral makeup can be very unforgiving.
If you’re really keen on trying it, I will 2nd Everyday Minerals. Their samples are really generous, and they have good value for your $$. I will caution you not to use it around your eyes, and especially not to cover dark circles. They have a fairly good color range, but if you’re having trouble finding a match, check out Meow Cosmetics. They have every color humans come in and then some.
Now, I use a tinted moisturizer (Cover Girl), concealer (Neutrogena 3 in 1 for eyes), and translucent powder (Coty Airspun). I have very dry skin, so sometimes I use moisturizer underneath it all (Clinique Youth Surge Dry). Pretty much dirt cheap aside from the moisturizer and more forgiving than mineral make up. I would encourage you to go that route instead.
Use primer with mineral makeup and the results are much more flattering. I’m mid-30’s and have a bit of sun damage and with primer, my skin looks amazing all day. Without primer, it looks powdery and flakes off.
Thanks for all of the advice. I am less keen on showing off wrinkles and pores, so I think I’ll try a cheaper version first. That Dream Mousse and HD Sephora stuff is interesting
I’ve been using Bare Minerals for years and I love it. I think the key to good, long-lasting wear is how it’s applied, at least in my experience. Definitely go light on coverage and buff, buff, buff. I’ve found that if I get too much powder on the brush, it does tend to settle into wrinkles. And I also use the Mineral Veil powder over the foundation.
I order mine through QVC. If you don’t like it, send it back within 30 days and get your money back, no questions asked.
Posyn, if you have a Bare Minerals store near you you CAN get a full makeup application for free. Then you can spend the day wearing it and see if it suits you or if you have the problems everyone else is talking about.
I used Bare Minerals for a long while then I gave up on makeup completely, again. I haven’t bothered to experiment with anything else. I can say that if nothing else, Bare Minerals did not make me break out, while everything else I tried did.
