Mineral Based Makeup

I use Mary Kay's mineral powder foundation, and I love it. My skin looks smoother, and it feels so much lighter than liquid foundation. I think it's easier to match skin tone, too.

You can buy mineral makeup at walmart and target.

I can't remember the brand but many of the major make up companies are making mineral make up now. I love mine. I think it's the nutragena ( can't spell lol)

I use Bare Escentuals (infomercials call it Bare Minerals). There is a boutique about an hour or so away but when first began using it I had to buy online. I LOVE IT!

I use loose powder concealer, loose powder foundation, blush, eye shadow (tri-colors, most often the Meet the Browns blends as I like neutral earth tones), and I use the mineral lipstick, gloss, and mascara.

It's important to apply a primer base. It helps hold the makeup on your face and it helps to apply to a smooth surface. I personally prefer Smashbox's Photography Primer. It evens the skin on the face to give you a smooth surface to apply the makeup. I apply Lip Fusion (a plumper) before I begin with the concealer and foundation. It works as I am adding everything else. Again, I generally use three colors on my eyes. I also use mineral BE eye liner and lip liner. I use the mineral veil too. The foundation and mineral veil have great SPF ratings so it helps protect the skin from the sun and sun spots while also preventing clogged pores.

The best way to prevent the makeup from needing as much touching up throughout the day is to apply a product called a makeup sealer. I use Smashbox's makeup sealer. It's a light spray that helps the makeup hold it's P. all through the day. You might need to touch up maybe 1 or 2 times a day but that's usually only during extremely hot weather or if you often touch your face during the day.

With BE, you can actually sleep in it without ill effects but it is always a good idea to wash one's face thoroughly at night and apply a good night moisturizer to the face in general (specifically made for the face) along with a separate eye moisturizer. You can add a moisturizer beneath the BE or other mineral makeup before application but make sure it has soaked in completely before applying your primer base and ensure that has soaked into the skin well before adding concealer then the foundation, blush, eye shadow(s), mascara, blush, mineral veil, etc....

It will take a bit of time when you first begin using minerals, especially loose minerals but once you get the hang of it, you can have it on in no time. I can go from start to finish after washing my face and applying moisturizer applying my primer and makeup in about 15 minutes flat. It's faster if I am not using tri-color eye shadows. If I use 1 color, I can have all my makeup on in about 8 to 10 minutes.

Personally, I prefer loose powder because you apply it using a Kabuki brush. You brush in circular motions all across the face starting either on the outside or the inside. It's called buffing. It allows better coverage, IMHO than the pressed mineral makeups. It's easier to correct mistakes as well. You can blend colors if your skin tone changes like how your skin lightens over the winter months then darkens over the summer months. Just mix your foundation with a bit of the concealer powder and viola - lighter shade.

All BE minerals can be switched to use as other things like eye shadows as blush or blush as eye shadows except for the shimmering types. Those do not mix and match alternatives like the rest.

Also, if you want darker colors on your eyes, apply a little water to your brush with a bit of shadow color on your hand and blend in with a tiny bit of water and apply. It darkens and it allows you to blend various shades to create various colors from a limited number. It's really versatile. It's great for your skin too.

BE can be a bit expensive but check out sites like littlestuff4u.com and if you live near a boutique, sign up for their newsletter so you can get the sales. Buy colors out of season so you have them during season later because you can get a great deal on them.

I bought my oldest daughter her first full BE makeup kit with brushes for her 16th birthday. She's been wearing BE ever since. I plan to do the same thing for my youngest.

Oh, and coverage is so great that it covers the lupus redness wonderfully. It worked wonders on my oldest daughter's senior photos. She was in a car wreck where the airbag deployed causing burns to her cheek upon implosion. This was about 3 days before she had to have her drapes taken. I applied her makeup after calling one of the BE consultants. She helped me choose the right colors to cover the red and bruising from the airbag.

The morning of her pictures she walked in the school and said her principal did a double-take when he saw her because he knew she had been in a wreck and couldn't believe it when he didn't see the bruises or the redness from the airbag burn. Her doctor and the consultant had her not wear makeup until the day of the photos. Like I said, this was 3 days after a severe wreck that left her grandmother in and out of consciousness, the car spun a few dozens of times around in circles hitting curbs and bouncing off other vehicles after another vehicle ran a stoplight. The car finally stopped after hitting a curb the last time and puncturing the tire. The windshield, and all four car windows including the back glass were shattered. Her clothes were full of glass, her hair, she had cuts everywhere, and the doctors had a time removing the glass embedded in her skin. She had to have a tetanus shot too because it had been 3 years since her previous one; the ER doc said she needed one because of the constant hit from other vehicles and the dirt and pollutants that came into the car via the shattered windows not to mention the face burn from the airbag deployment.

Her pictures came out flawless! Her entire right side of her face from just below the eye to her chin was bruised and an area the size 3x the size of a 50-cent piece was red and burned (it's called an airbag burn) from the airbag deployment yet it is not visible with the BE makeup, especially the concealer when applied properly. She didn't want a lot of eye shadow because it seemed to make the bruising and redness more noticeable so we went very light to almost no eye shadow and little liner so the damage to her face wasn't seen.

Drape 1
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a103/paise/Drapes%20aft...

Drape 2
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a103/paise/Drapes%20aft...

If you want "proof in the pudding" on coverage, here's the proof. It even amazed me because I didn't think anything would cover it as bad as it was. Her face looked really bad without makeup. Of course after the photos were taken she went to the ladies room and removed the makeup. The doctor didn't want her wearing makeup any longer than necessary because the airbag burn was an open abrasion. He agreed to her wearing BE makeup for the senior drapes but made her promise to remove it and apply the Neosporin to the abrasion area immediately after her photo-shoot then the special cream he prescribed as soon as she got home. Thankfully, by the time it was time to take the cap and gown photos, her face was healed completely and even more thanks to the cosmetic surgeon who took care of her.

I much prefer BE makeup. I tend to stay away from the shimmering glittery eye shadows as they can be a bit irritating for some people and I happen to be one of those people. Other than that, the rest works perfectly. Even if I am home and not planning to go anywhere, I wear at the minimum the mineral veil. It keeps my face protected if I run outside to check the mail. It's important for people with lupus to avoid sun exposure for lengths of time. It causes fatigue but it also interacts with a lot of the medication I take.

If you can afford, Rare Minerals, which is applied at night to treat the face, is terrific! It's applied before you go to bed and washed off the next morning. It has acne and other skin-correcting minerals in it. I love it. It helps prevent pre-mature aging. I've noticed my face has become tighter, firmer, and I have fewer blemishes although I don't get much acne unless my husband comes home with Godiva's chocolate covered strawberries or my favorite Godiva truffles. LOL! Other than that, I'm pretty good on the acne front but the other effects are worth their weight in gold.

Hello Jennifer ~ I use bare escentuals & love, love, love it...for a long time i used revlon but i began to notice that when I wore makeup it really looked like i was wearing makeup...I have a cousin who uses the BE & I tried a little & became hooked....it's soo natural looking doesn't look or feel like you are wearing anything my complexion has also changed I can almost go w/o any makeup at all & I also use the philosophy line as my cleanser, mini facials...

I use Glo Minerals and it is pressed powder. When it was first introduced to me the lady told me "If you ever use it one time you'll never wear liquid makeup again" Guess what? I have not and that's been five years ago. I absolutley love it. I have only used Glo Mineral Pressed Base so that's the only brand I can atest too. I use one shade for summer and one for winter. I use moisturizer and then I brush on the glo minerals. Mine lasts all day. The only bad thingI can say is ( which can be easily fixed) if you shed a tear and don't catch it coming off your eyes, it will sometimes leave a stream down your face. Again a minor fix but the first time I was not prepared...LOL. Good luck.

I've been using everyday minerals for about 2 years now. I LOVE it. I have slowly turned all my friends on to it. The plus's? It's online and they have great prices compared to the others, The customer service rocks, They offer a great trial kit of their products for free (you pay a small shipping fee) http://www.everydayminerals.com/store/try-me-free.html , They have matte, semi matte and shiny finishes with their line, and for me they have olive colored foundation, something that is very hard to find.
Honest I think highly of them and hope you check them out ")
Best Regards,
C.

I use Rodan + Fields mineral treatment powder every morning and carry it in my purse for touch-ups. It isn't a make-up, it is a loose treatment powder with sunscreen so it is good for your face, but it does provide nice finished look/light coverage. Especially good for masking any areas of redness.

I use bare minerals loose powder. I've tried other brands to see if I could save money, but they weren't as fine or the right color, and I ended up having to use more. So I went back! For the small amount used it lasts a long time so the cost evens out. And yes it's been great for my skin too!

I use Bare Escuentials and it is the very first brand I ever tried. I can say I love it but I sure will try a new brand after this one. While I find it loose powder amazing, it can be very messy if you are a person who carries around make up stuff. That's when pressed powder comes in.

I use Shaklee skin system and my skin is awesome. I don't need or use a foundation. I get compliments on make skin all the time and I am in my 50's. I do use Shaklee's Minerelles mineral makeup for color. eye shawdo, lipstick, etc... I love knowing I am putting something natural and healthy on my face, and especially my lips and eyes. It is very affordable.

http://healinghappens.myshaklee.com/us/en/category.php?ma...

With a mineral powder no foundation or separate loose powder is needed. Mineral make up generally comes in powder form. I find my skin even becomes healthier with use because it does not clog the pores. I have tried several name brands and settled on Avon mineral powders. They are as good of quality as name brands and have a wide variety of color choices and brushes. Avon also has a lot of great sales which help me stock up with great savings!
www.avon.com can even help you find a salesperson in your area if you have more questions or you can order directly from that site.

I personally don't like to use it as a foundation. It makes my skin look dry and accentuates the wrinkles! lol (even when I moisturize daily) However, I do use it over liquid makeup because it seems to take away the makeup-y look. (I just use a tiny amount of both) I've tried the cheap to expensive version of mineral makeup and found that there really isn't much difference. I've only tried the loose powder.

I use the Bare Escuentials-the original and love it. I use both the foundation and power lovvee them. Don't go imitation really not worth it, and some of the trace minerals can be iffy. I get new stuff every 3 months for color and all and usually with the large foundation about 25-but mine comes bundled in kits i get a bit over 4 months out of it. It does not go off like liquids so if you do not wear makeup everyday like i do that can last a really long time and still be safe

I have been using the Bare Escentuals line for about a year. I love it! I didn’t buy from the infomercial on TV - we are lucky that we have a store nearby. If you can find a store near you they will give you a 'make under' to try their products. I use the cleanser, lotion, powder, blemish control, mascara, and some shadows. I didn’t see instant results in my skin - you would need to give it at least 2 weeks before your skin started to show any change. When I used the liquid foundations my skin would constantly break out from the heavy foundation on my face. That was the first noticeable improvement - overall my skin just feels better. I wouldn’t change or go back to the liquid - this stuff is great!

I second bare minerals loose powder. I used to use drugstore brands, because it's a little more expensive, but as soon as I tried it, I was sold. You can get it at drugstore.com

Hi Jennifer,
I use the Minerelles makeup that Patty recommended. Just as she said, Shaklee's Enfuselle skincare is so awesome that I really use the foundation anymore because my skin looks great without it and I am 55.
Victoria

I don't wear make-up every day (laziness and sensitive skin), but have used several of the "drugstore" brands of mineral make-up and been very pleased with the results. I still believe that the bare minerals is the gold standard--I had several co-workers that swear by it. Maybe they just have good genetics, but their skin always looks great.

You definitely don't need foundation with the bare minerals, but I usually use a tinted moisturizer with the cheaper stuff.