Mineral Makeup Magic

Okay sooooo I absolutely love mineral foundations and I feel like a lot of people like the idea but don't know much about them so I thought I'd try and share my love and break it down a bit through this post.
First of all, let me explain the difference between normal makeup and mineral makeup - it's actually a lot more simple than you'd think.

Great stuff this.

Basically all makeup contains minerals, but what makes mineral makeup so unique, is that it contains less additives (It's kind of like organic food in a way in that they're essentially the same thing but one comes with a load of chemicals and other additives and the other comes with less or none). In makeup these additives can include oils, waxes, dyes, preservatives and perfumes, that whilst looking and smelling great, could actually worsen our skin in the long run by blocking our pores and irritating and damaging our skin. If you want to know more about the chemistry behind it I found this article really interesting and informative: The Lowdown on Mineral Makeup

Whilst it's great to know about all these benefits, the biggest selling point for me is that it gives a great, flawless, complexion without looking too heavy and it really works with my skin. I have annoying combination skin, my t-zone can be both oily and flaky at the same time and I hate the pores on my nose, but this seems to fix all of these problems in one.

My Favourite - I adore this product!

My Personal Favourite - L'oreal True Match Minerals. I was first recommended this diamond in the rough by my old house mate (also a makeup artist) and I've since passed the secret on to a select few close friends who have all been equally hooked.
Two years on and I've now gone through numerous pots of the stuff and use it pretty much every day. People are always complimenting me on my skin and I put it entirely down to this little pot of magic. On the few occasions that I've accidentally left it at a friend's house, I have felt so lost without it that I actually now keep a backup powder at home in case of emergency.

Highly recommended

Highly Recommended - The oldest and probably most famous mineral foundation is Bare Minerals who definitely deserve a mention too. They have been around since the '70s and are a mineral makeup holy grail to many. I have a lot of friends who swear by this brand and they have an extensive range of colours, which L'oreal is slightly lacking, so they cater for everybody.




My Routine - Before applying the powder I apply a small amount of light moisturiser to my t zone, preferably a while before to allow it time to absorb, I then conceal around my eyes and any blemishes with a cream concealer. After concealing, I brush the mineral powder all over my face in a thin layer, focusing on any areas of redness repeating until the skin is even and flawless. I find it very build-able, although it is important to go in with very light layers, if you over do it it can look cakey. I then finish off with a powder blush and a fine powder highlighter and that's my skin done!
Straight after applying it can feel like the powder looks slightly heavy, after about 15-20 minutes it starts to work with the oil in your skin and this powdery look completely disappears leaving you with a perfect even complexion. Absolute heaven!

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