Complexion Perfection

There is a whole lot of buzz at the moment surrounding mineral make-up. Those who have converted to the loose powder foundation wax lyrical about how good it is. So Belle set about finding out what all the fuss is about.

Mineral make-up has actually been around since the hedonistic disco days of the 70s but as people are looking more carefully at what they put on their skin, and the results that can be achieved, it has increased in popularity.

So what are they?

Mineral foundations are made up of titanium oxide, zinc oxide and mica, which are naturally occurring minerals. The benefits of using natural occurring minerals are:

1. The oxides provide a sun protection factor of 15
2. zinc has anti-inflammatory properties, it is great for conditions such as rosacea and acne as well as  sensitive skin. In fact some mineral foundations actually have a calming effect on the skin due to these anti-inflammatory properties.
3. They are natural and contain no chemicals, dyes, parabens and preservatives found in traditional foundation.
4. They don’t contain ‘irritants’ such as fragrances, binders, synthetic dyes, and preservatives kinder to the skin
5. It’s ‘non-comedongenic’, which means it won’t clog pores. In theory this means you can sleep in your makeup with risking a breakout but we couldn’t recommend it!
6. It is an all-in-one formulation – often you don’t need separate concealer, powders, and sunscreen making application quicker
7. Aficionado’s love the light, flawless coverage it gives and as it is a powder it doesn’t ‘melt’ during the day meaning it’s long-lasting too.

What are they really like?

Mineral Makeup is a number one selling foundation in The States but I wanted to see if it really is everything it promises to be. I avoid foundation as I hate the mask-like appearance and the feeling that your skin can’t breathe so this sounded like the perfect solution.

Janie at BareMinerals (www.bareescentuals.co.uk) gave me a ‘make-under’ to show just what mineral make-up was like.

She started by demonstrating the technique on one side of my face and then let me do the other side. And there is a definite technique. They call it the ‘Swirl, Tap, Buff’ method but most important is how you get the foundation powder in your brush and then how you work it into your skin for best coverage.

Circular motions are the best way of achieving smooth, perfect coverage. And while mineral foundation can be an all-in-one product (Bare Escentuals bareMinerals SPF15 Foundation), Janie recommended the Multi-Tasking Concealer (£18) for under the eyes and covering imperfections and Warm Radiance Multi-Tasker Minerals (£17) complexion booster for the places on the face that the sun would hit.

The result’s was a J.Lo style luminous complexion that without that mask-like feeling. My skin-tone was even yet my freckles still showed through. While it takes a bit longer to put on than standard liquid foundation, the results for this Belle were well worth it.

[picture credits: Luba V Nel/Dreamstime.com; http://home.together.net/~anderfam/thecameraseye/]